Category: Salesforce

When creating required fields on a standard or custom object, you have two options:

1. Make them required at the object-level
2. Make them required at the UI-level

In most cases, the latter is a better option. Why?

When fields are required at an object level, they are *always* required, regardless of the source.… Read the rest

In addition to the spanning relationship limit, there are some other important considerations when using formula fields. There are 3 more:

1. Character limit
Formula fields can have a maximum of 3,900 characters. This includes spaces, carriage returns, and comments.

You can easily solve this limit by reducing spaces, or by splitting the formula into sub-formulas.… Read the rest

When attempting to update a client’s formula field on an object, I received an uncommon error message. Salesforce complained, “You have reached the maximum number of object references”.

This error is caused by trying to exceed the limit of cross-object references (also known as “spanning relationships”).… Read the rest

When building flows, it’s common to have input and output variables. Whether passing the current record Id to a screen flow or calling an autolaunched subflow, these variables keep things modular.

Here’s a small tip I haven’t seen often: When using an input variable, only use it once.… Read the rest

There are multiple ways to debug flows in Salesforce.

The debug button
The first option is the most popular. You create the flow and then click “Debug” to see it run. By the way, if your flow has input variables, there’s a way to speed up the debugging process.… Read the rest

I bet you think this email will be about Salesforce flows, eh? Well, it’s not. Instead it’s about flow state.

According to Wikipedia, “Flow state theory suggests that when individuals are in a state of flow, they experience deep immersion, focus, and intrinsic motivation in their activities.”… Read the rest

A Salesforce client of yours has a problem, so they reached out to you for help.

They’ve explained the issue, you’ve repeated it back to them to confirm your understanding, and now it’s time to make a decision. Also let’s remove urgency from this scenario, as that would clearly encourage you in one direction.… Read the rest

The repeater component is a relatively new feature in screen flows.

A simple way to show its usefulness is through an example. Let’s imagine there’s a Payment object, which is related to the Opportunity. Rather than have your users click “Add” on the Payment related list, enter some data, and then click “Save & New”, you can offer an optimized screen flow with a repeater.… Read the rest

Here are three other mechanisms to avoid race conditions in flows.

1. Add a wait element
Place a wait element after an update, create or delete element. The wait time can be as short as 1 minute, but this ends the current transaction and commits (saves) the operations to the database.… Read the rest

There are a few articles about how to create platform events in Salesforce, but most of them have lots of fluff and unnecessary details. So here’s a concise version.

We’ll use the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) example, in which a household account is created when a contact is created.… Read the rest

In response to Friday’s email regarding race conditions, a fellow reader suggested using platform events.

This is another great option, if you know how to use them.

If you don’t, here’s a quick synopsis:

When things happen in Salesforce, you may or may not be aware of it.… Read the rest

A race condition is when multiple transactions are happening at more or less the same time, and they conflict.

Let’s say both transaction A and B look to see if a record exists. If it doesn’t, they create it. Now if A and B happen virtually simultaneously, they both create records and therefore cause duplicates.… Read the rest

In a flow, it’s usually a good idea to keep the labels of elements short and sweet. For example, you don’t need to specify which field(s) you’re actually updating in an update element.

I’ve seen consultants use “Update Billing Address on Account” for such an element.… Read the rest

It is with great pleasure to announce that I’ll be attending the True North Dreamin’ (TND) conference this year.

TND was absent during the pandemic, so this is first reappearance in many years. There aren’t a ton of community-led Salesforce conferences in Canada, so each one counts.… Read the rest

There’s an important distinction between navigating and searching.

Navigating a site is usually a user’s first action. They visit your Experience Cloud, scan the content and perhaps click on a few menus. They usually have a reason to come to the site, and are looking for something in particular.… Read the rest

A fellow Salesforce consultant recently published a tool that allows you to generate a banner image with all your Salesforce credentials.

This includes the

• Number of Trailhead badges completed
• Number of Trailhead superbadges completed
• Number of Salesforce certifications and accreditations
• An image for each superbadge
• An image for each certification

Here’s an example of the output.… Read the rest

As users become more familiar with your Salesforce implementation, you may want to consider allowing them to speed things up.

Let’s say you’ve created a 5 step process that guides users through a complex flow. First time users will need as much help as possible, as it’ll be completely new to them.… Read the rest

A reader enjoyed yesterday’s email about the differences between novice and advanced users, but they asked for an example.

Here’s the first one that came to mind.

I built a Salesforce app that allows Canadian and American nonprofits to generate tax receipts for their donors.… Read the rest

You probably work with Salesforce on a daily basis. At least on a weekly basis. So you are very familiar with the navigation, where to go to find things, and even how to update things.

Users are not you. They might login daily, but it might only be yearly.… Read the rest

Error detection is defined as the ability to find and report errors. Validation rules, flows, and apex classes can all report errors. In all cases, remember that a good user experience means you don’t just report the error. You also need to provide guidance on how to avoid or correct the error.… Read the rest

The nominations for the Salesforce MVP class of 2025 is now open.

Salesforce MVPs are individuals who contribute to the community and the ecosystem by following the principles of

• Expertise: They have a deep understanding of the platform and products
• Leadership: They lead by example and are professional
• Generosity: They share their knowledge with others and offer mentorship

Currently, there are more than 300 Salesforce MVPs across 31 countries worldwide, although it’s not clear if there is a limit of new MVPs each year.… Read the rest

When you started your Salesforce career, you were probably overwhelmed at first. There’s a megaton of information to absorb, and sometimes it can feel like too much.

But bit by bit, you eventually found your way. And adopting a curious mindset can really accelerate your learning.… Read the rest

A few readers were interested in knowing the “why” of the previous email. Why were these apps chosen, and why did they merit paying for them?

CRM
Q: Why not Salesforce?
A: I’ve always felt Salesforce was designed for larger organizations.… Read the rest

There was a recent conversation in a Salesforce Slack community about which tools and applications independent consultants use.

When you’re not billing by the hour, being efficient is important. Various tools and apps can make a significant difference.

If you’re billing by the hour, why even buy a faster computer?… Read the rest

I’ve seen this situation far too many times. Regardless of how well you plan, regardless of how much time you allocate for UAT, it still happens.

That’s right. The client promises to test your Salesforce project when called upon. They positively respond to all your communications about it, what is expected of them, and how you’ll tirage their feedback.… Read the rest

Not surprisingly, there are tons of articles and videos about how to invoke a screen flow from a custom button on a list view. What is surprising is how nearly all of them are incomplete.

To bring you up to speed, to invoke a screen flow from a list view, you need to create a list button instead of an action.… Read the rest

No one really seems to enjoy multi-value picklists (MVPs). Like many things in the ecosystem, while it seems great in theory, it adds complications in practice. Even Salesforce recently added a warning message before you create one.

So what are the alternatives to MVPs?… Read the rest