Being the world’s leading CRM tool, Salesforce is widely accepted by businesses to leverage cloud technology in bringing various verticals together. However, that deployment required tweaking of code for personalization matching with business needs.
In 2017, Salesforce introduced its DX version, and since then, the emphasis on best practices has increased many folds. The company brought DX consisting of the Salesforce CLI, new sandbox – scratchorgs and best practices for source driven development.
Salesforce development involves multiple stakeholders working in an integrated manner in designing, coding and implementing Salesforce applications. In this article, we’ll outline the best eight Salesforce development practices. So let’s jump in.
Planning everything in advance
Contents
Planning is as important as implementing the process. The ideal way to go for a Salesforce deployment starts with a plan detailing everything. Brainstorming or doing the SWOT analysis beforehand facilitates in dealing with any uncertainties later on.
Understanding Salesforce architecture
Salesforce consists of multiple architectures helping to design and deliver solutions through its products. The architecture’s primary responsibility is to recommend the best solutions for your requirements. That is why it is vital to understand it before proceeding with any development activities.
Never miss the development process documentation
We’re made to forget things irrespective of how smart we’re, right? But once things get into the writing in the form of SOP, guide book etc., it functions as a reference. It helps admins, developers, testers, and other stakeholders align with the process.
Before getting into development, document every aspect of the tracking, auditing, and compliance process.
Framework triggering and module split
It’s a well-accepted convention to standardize the code through a trigger framework. It brings down the error and fastens the development process. Besides that, splitting the code into modules keeps your eye on the exact place of error.
Say No to code repetition
Salesforce hates the redundancy of codes. So a developer needs to be extra cautious while coding to avoid writing the same code repeatedly for the same object.
Use of Sandbox
The multitude of sandboxes with or without data provides options to track changes and progress in Salesforce development easily. Every developer needs to use sandboxes wisely according to their needs.
Strict adherence to coding conventions
A developer should always write the code in an easy-to-read manner and follow the popular coding style as well as the naming conventions. Don’t complicate the development process through not so easy frameworks, libraries, and more.
Use of development tools
Did you know that picking the right tool may increase or decrease your Salesforce development time and efforts? Do the proper evaluation of alternatives and select paid or free IDEs such as VS Code, Sublime, Illuminated Cloud, Welkin Suite, Force.com, etc.
Emphasis on testing before deployment
Hastening the process by ignoring the testing phase is detrimental. Who would like to mess up the development phase or engage in correction at a later stage? The accepted way is to use automated test scripts or tools to test the code to avoid time and effort.
Final thoughts
Developers come to your rescue when you need customized Salesforce applications matching the business needs. Like others, you also need a development team that possesses the expertise, experience and excellence and follows the best practices. Feel free to connect with us for any help in the Salesforce development process.