Implementing DevOps Practices in Salesforce Development

Can businesses apply the DevOps approach to Salesforce app development? DevOps techniques can work great with the Salesforce suite if you know where to start. Salesforce even has some features that can enhance DevOps strategies. How does DevOps apply to Salesforce, and how can businesses combine the two? 

How DevOps Applies to Salesforce Apps

DevOps, or Development and Operations, is one of today’s leading innovative software and service development approaches. Many businesses strive to apply it to apps and software platforms they’re already using or looking to adopt, including the popular CRM suite Salesforce. 

DevOps can help businesses maximize the effectiveness of their Salesforce integrations. Plus, the Salesforce suite has some built-in tools that can be very helpful for DevOps strategies. 

Applying the DevOps approach to Salesforce is all about integrating Salesforce apps into a business’s workflows, back office or services in the most streamlined way possible. It can help your team adopt multiple Salesforce apps in a simple, efficient way that ensures everything works well together. 

Continuous improvement is a vital part of DevOps, so applying this approach to Salesforce integrations ensures businesses can keep up with changes to the platform. It also encourages businesses to utilize Salesforce’s built-in monitoring and reporting tools, providing a wealth of data essential for the CI/CD pipeline. 

DevOps Strategies for Salesforce

What tactics can you use to apply the DevOps model to Salesforce integrations? Salesforce is an excellent platform for improving collaboration between previously siloed teams, so DevOps fits fairly naturally with it. There are a few key strategies you can get started with. 

Gather Data Under One Hub

One of the primary goals of any DevOps strategy is strengthening communication and collaboration between the Development and Operations teams. It can be a challenge at first to bridge these two teams if they were previously siloed. Salesforce can help with that transition if appropriately utilized. 

The first step is to set up the Salesforce suite without siloed data. Some businesses may automatically silo data for different teams as part of their identity and access control measures. However, in a DevOps model, you should ensure your entire DevOps team has access to all the data you store and utilize in your Salesforce apps. 

This is especially important for making sure businesses have a functional CI/CD pipeline. When all of your Salesforce data is gathered under a unified hub, your DevOps team has the data they need to continuously analyze and improve the integration. This is a foundational part of any DevOps strategy. 

Simplify Code Integration

Whether you are using low-code or conventional coding, simplifying integration is essential for the CI/CD pipeline. There are a few ways you can accomplish this using the Salesforce suite. 

For example, utilizing static code analysis in Salesforce can improve security and performance while keeping costs and turnaround times low. Static code analysis is a great way to identify errors while strengthening CI/CD pipeline integration. 

Since static code analysis tools test code without actually executing it, they can run tests more seamlessly than conventional tools. This simplifies analyzing and debugging code before integrating it into your app. 

Likewise, you can use the built-in coding tools in the Salesforce suite to simplify app design and construction. Salesforce allows you to build apps using low-code tools and even include pre-built components created by other developers. You can also design your own custom templates to simplify coding for your team. 

Utilizing all of these tools makes coding easier and can streamline and shorten your development timeline. Plus, these tools may be more approachable for the non-developer personnel in your DevOps team. 

Remember to include some security tests in your code integration process, as well. Simpler tests, such as scanning for bugs or basic security gaps, are often possible with automated tools integrated into your Salesforce environment. 

However, if you are especially concerned about significant security risks, such as malware or phishing, it may be worth using full-scale penetration testing and simulations. Luckily, there are plenty of tools for security simulation testing, some of which only take a few minutes to run. Consider bringing your IT security team into the DevOps process if security is a top priority. 

Utilize Version Control and Rollback Tools

Version control is crucial for any DevOps strategy. Salesforce makes it very easy to implement robust version control and rollback protocols. To do this, you will need to utilize the Git integration for Salesforce. 

Git is the standard version control platform for Salesforce apps and services. It allows you to view changes to your app and roll them back if you wish. DevOps success relies on strong version control and visibility so the DevOps team can analyze and monitor the app throughout the CI/CD pipeline. 

One of the benefits of version control through the Git integration on Salesforce is the high visibility it allows. This is great for collaboration since it ensures everyone can see where and when changes were made. In a conventional, siloed development environment, a lack of version visibility can quickly lead to confusion and increase the likelihood of errors or bugs. 

Utilizing version control tools will also help you automate rolling out updates to your app. Automating updates is much less risky and stressful when you can easily roll back a new version. As a result, you can build a smooth CI/CD pipeline and deliver higher-quality code in less time. 

DevOps Success in Salesforce

The DevOps approach to app development works well with the tools and features of the Salesforce suite. By using a combination of team structure and built-in tools available in Salesforce, you can create a streamlined CI/CD pipeline. Ultimately, using the DevOps approach with Salesforce is just like applying it to any other app development platform. You simply need to take advantage of the helpful tools and features Salesforce provides to enhance your DevOps strategy.