Salesforce Developer Podcast: Recent Episodes
Joshua Birk
Tune in to the Salesforce Developer Podcast to hear short and insightful stories for developers, from developers. Join Joshua Birk, Developer Evangelist and Godfather of Trailhead, as he hosts developer trailblazers from around the world as they share their stories of learning, building and integrating with Salesforce.
Join us as we discuss event-driven architectures (EDA) with MuleSoft's latest capabilities with Alex Martinez. The discussion will explore the integration of AsyncAPI specifications, which streamline the transition from REST to event-driven systems, enabling high-volume asynchronous communications and improved API lifecycle management.
The conversation highlights tools like Anypoint Studio and Anypoint Code Builder that simplify complex integrations using messaging technologies such as Kafka, Solace, and Salesforce Platform Events. Whether new to EDA or an experienced developer, this episode is packed with valuable information and resources to elevate integration strategies and deepen understanding of the future of software development.
Show Highlights:
- Transitioning from REST to event-driven systems using async API specifications.
- Exploration of MuleSoft tools like Anypoint Studio and Anypoint Code Builder for API design and management.
- Benefits of using MuleSoft for integrating messaging technologies like Kafka, Solace, Anypoint MQ, and Salesforce Platform Events.
- Importance of API governance for maintaining compliance and consistency across specifications.
Links:
- Build Real-Time AI Experiences with MuleSoft - https://www.salesforce.com/plus/experience/dreamforce_2024/series/it_at_dreamforce_2024/episode/episode-s1e24
- AsyncAPI Support to Implement Event-Driven Architecture - https://docs.mulesoft.com/release-notes/platform/event-driven-api
Australia's Dave Norris joins us in exploring the cutting-edge techniques of Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and hybrid search methods. We delve into the limitations of traditional keyword searches in the face of unstructured data like PDFs and emails, which make up a significant portion of enterprise data. By using Data Cloud and hyperscalers like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, Dave shows how to transform chaotic data into intelligent search engines.
The discussion highlights the role of context in AI-generated responses, illustrating this with the challenge of summarizing meetings without enough information. The episode also examines the potential of hybrid search technologies such as Agentforce and vector search, emphasizing the importance of prompt engineering in refining data retrieval.
Through examples from Dreamforce and fictional companies, listeners gain insights into how these technologies enhance user experiences by combining semantic and keyword searches, showcasing the advanced potential of modern search innovations.
Show Highlights:
- Discussion on the limitations of traditional keyword searches in data retrieval.
- Insights into the use of Data Cloud for managing unstructured data via hyperscalers like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft.
- Examination of hybrid search techniques, including Agentforce and vector search technology.
- Focus on the importance of prompt engineering to enhance AI responses and prevent hallucinations.
- Introduction to hybrid search, combining vector and keyword search for improved precision and relevance.
Links:
Using Retrieval Augmented Generation in Data Cloud — https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.c360_a_rag_overview.htm&type=5
In this episode, we dive into the latest innovations and updates unveiled at Dreamforce 2024 with Philippe Ozil. We explore the refreshed Lightning Design System (SLDS2), which enhances accessibility and themability without disrupting customizations. Discover the game-changing Local Development (beta), offering real-time component updates and seamless page state maintenance. We also highlight new mobile capabilities, including native feature plugins and the empowering AgentForce suite designed for specialized AI agents.
Learn about significant advancements in Salesforce tooling, the benefits of local development without deployment, and the introduction of Core Cloud, a new sample app rich with educational resources. Don't miss insights from the latest developer keynote and future trends in Data Cloud and Data Graphs.
Show Highlights:
- Deep dive into Lightning Web Components Local Development version 2.
- New mobile capabilities and native feature plugins.
- Advancements in Salesforce tooling, such as local development benefits without deployment to an org and hub module reloading.
- Exploration of Core Cloud, a new sample app for developers focusing on agents, prompts, and Data Cloud.
- Overview of Data Cloud features, new color themes, and future trends
In this episode, we welcome back Mohith Shrivastava to delve into the groundbreaking features of the Salesforce Winter '25 release. We discuss Agentforce, Salesforce's innovative AI agentic solution that leverages tools like Flows, Apex, and Prompt Builder to autonomously execute tasks. The episode also highlights advancements in Agent Builder (fka Copilot Builder) for creating assistive and autonomous agents, and the introduction of Agentforce for Developers.
Further, we explore significant updates in Salesforce Data Cloud, including Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) capabilities, vector search, and the much-anticipated beta release of Data Cloud sandboxes. Finally, we touch on the new local development feature for Lightning Web Components (LWC) that provide real-time previews and rapid iterations.
Tune in to learn how these Winter '25 updates can elevate your Salesforce development and data management capabilities.
Show Highlights:
- Enhancements to Copilot Builder with new topic-based action categorization for assistive and autonomous agents.
- A chat agent for Salesforce developers to explain code, write test cases, and generate documentation.
- Upcoming features like Data Cloud sandboxes for secure testing and new dependencies between Data Cloud and Salesforce platform packages for ISVs.
- Lightning Web Components (LWC) advancements, including local development for real-time previews and rapid iterations.
- New Apex feature preventing collection modification during iteration to enhance code stability and consistency.
Links:
- The Salesforce Developer’s Guide to the Winter ’25 Release - https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2024/09/winter25-developers
Alba Rivas, a passionate Salesforce Developer Advocate, shares her insights on the power of Salesforce's Models API. Discover how this API enables developers to seamlessly integrate large language models via REST API or Apex, eliminating the need for custom code or prompt templates. Alba highlights the critical role of the Einstein Trust Layer in ensuring data security, compliance, and efficient integration with external models. Gain knowledge on AI implementation, including maintaining audit trails, monitoring data for toxicity, and using human feedback for refining AI systems.
We also explore the flexibility and capabilities of the Models API, offering a centralized interface for developers, along with resources like Postman collections, codeLive sessions, and an upcoming Trailhead module to support your journey in mastering generative AI with Salesforce.
Show Highlights:
- Discussion on the Einstein Trust Layer's role in ensuring security, data masking, and compliance for generative AI applications.
- Comparison between using prompt templates and the Models API.
- Importance of maintaining an audit trail.
- Focus on the value of human feedback in refining AI systems and the benefits of a centralized interface for developers.
- Insights into practical AI implementation and the flexibility offered by the Models API.
Links:
- Postman Collection - https://www.postman.com/salesforce-developers/workspace~34382471-0c97-40e5-a206-f947271665c4/collection/onih7sc/models-apis-beta
- Einstein Models API Documentation - https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/einstein/genai/guide/models-api.html
- codeLive: Exploring the New Models API (Beta) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf95_ghGeNI
In this episode, we sit down with expert Akshata Sawant to discuss MuleSoft Intelligent Document Processing (IDP). Akshata delves into how IDP uses AI to extract and organize data from a variety of unstructured documents, such as purchase orders, invoices, and driving licenses, using AWS Textract for exact information extraction. The discussion highlights IDP's seamless integration with multiple systems via REST API endpoints and its application in automating the processing of daily invoices received via email.
Learn about IDP's ability to handle different document structures without needing multiple templates and the crucial role of human oversight when the AI's confidence ratio falls below 80%, ensuring accuracy and reliability. This episode offers a comprehensive look at how IDP can revolutionize document workflows, balancing automation with human intervention, and provides valuable resources for further learning.
Show Highlights:
- Using AI to extract and organize data from unstructured documents
- Integration of AWS Textract for exact information extraction and seamless integration via REST API endpoints
- Accessing and using IDP through the Anypoint Platform with ease
- Managing different document structures without multiple templates and the role of human oversight for accuracy
Links:
- Getting Started with Intelligent Document Processing: Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi160vy7gg4
- Getting Started with Intelligent Document Processing: Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGvAypuzAvw
- How to Get Started With Intelligent Document Processing - https://blogs.mulesoft.com/dev-guides/how-to-get-started-with-intelligent-document-processing/
What groundbreaking features are making waves with Salesforce Data Cloud this summer? Join us for a conversation with Danielle Larregui as she walks us through the latest advancements in the Summer '24 release. We discuss the innovative ability to virtualize data model objects on account records and the extended reach of Enrichments to include more standard and custom objects. Plus, Danielle introduces new connectors like the Heroku Postgres connector for seamless data integration from Heroku to Data Cloud.
And that's not all! We also caught up with René to talk about the buzz surrounding the AI Now Tour. These tours are a fantastic opportunity for those eager to get hands-on with Einstein and Data Cloud. Happy listening!
Show Highlights:
- Detailed discussion on Data Cloud's new functionalities, including virtualizing data model objects on account records
- Expansion of Enrichments to more standard and custom objects
- New connectors, specifically highlighting the Heroku Postgres connector for seamless data integration
- Feature Manager in Data Cloud setup, enabling access to beta connectors
Links:
- Data Cloud Connectors Overview - https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.c360_a_sources_targets.htm&type=5
- Why the Heroku PostgreSQL Connector for Data Cloud is Important for Developers - https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2024/06/heroku-postgres-connector-for-data-cloud
- AI NOW Tour - https://developer.salesforce.com/ai-now-tour
Could integrating generative AI revolutionize your business processes? Join us as we sit down with Charles Watkins, the newest Salesforce Developer Advocate, to unveil the transformative capabilities of Salesforce's Prompt Builder. Charles shares a compelling example from his own support background, illustrating how this innovative tool can streamline the summarization and categorization of support cases. Learn how Prompt Builder simplifies switching between large language models like OpenAI and Microsoft Azure, making advanced AI accessible without complex integrations.
We also decode Salesforce's cutting-edge Models API, currently in beta, offering a granular, controlled approach to generative AI. Charles discusses how the API can be harnessed to build chat-based conversational AI apps, embeddings, and more using REST API and Apex interfaces. Discover the security advantages of the Einstein Trust Layer, which ensures data privacy, and hear about the impressive response times of models like GPT-4. This episode is a treasure trove for developers eager to experiment with Salesforce's open-gen AI ecosystem. Don't miss this opportunity to get inspired and elevate your AI game.
Show Highlights:
- The Prompt Builder tool for automating business processes like summarizing and categorizing support cases.
- Simplified integration with multiple large language models such as OpenAI and Microsoft Azure.
- The new Models API for creating chat-based AI apps, embeddings, and text generation solutions.
- Benefits of the Einstein Trust Layer for enhanced security and data privacy.
- The rapid response times of models like GPT-4 and the lack of a streaming API.
Links:
- Applying Fundamentals of Prompt Engineering with Prompt Builder - https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2024/07/applying-fundamentals-of-prompt-engineering-with-prompt-builder
- Using Prompt Builder, Flows, and Apex to Summarize and Classify Cases Faster - https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2024/06/using-prompt-builder-flows-and-apex-to-summarize-and-classify-cases-faster
- Prompt Builder for Developers Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgIMQe2PKPSIarRb6ud6odVxB1gv-hbO8
- Einstein 1 Studio Developer Center - https://developer.salesforce.com/developer-centers/einstein-1-studio
Join us as we welcome Alex Martinez to discuss the latest updates on Anypoint Code Builder (ACB), a new IDE based on Visual Studio Code, which is set to replace the old Eclipse-based Anypoint Studio. Alex sheds light on the significant release that occurred on June 4th, 2024, bringing notable improvements to DataWeave and MUnit. You'll hear about the benefits of transitioning to a modern IDE, the enhanced capabilities for running MUnit tests, and the introduction of the DataWeave Expression Builder.
Listen in as we explore the recent enhancements in the MuleSoft ecosystem, including the ability to select different Java versions within Anypoint Studio and Anypoint Code Builder (ACB). We'll discuss the dual flavors of ACB — local and web-based IDEs — and their respective advantages, such as ease of configuration and flexibility for specific projects. This episode promises an exciting look ahead at future updates and the ongoing evolution of MuleSoft tools, sure to spark your interest in revisiting and exploring these new capabilities further.
Show Highlights:
- Overview of ACB as a Visual Studio Code-based IDE
- Enhancements in DataWeave and MUnit within ACB
- User-friendly features of the DataWeave Expression Builder
- Dual options of local and web-based IDEs in ACB
- Support for different Java versions in both Anypoint Studio and ACB
- New features, including async API support and improved API kit configurations
Links:
- MuleSoft Anypoint Code Builder (ACB) Release Notes - https://docs.mulesoft.com/release-notes/code-builder/acb-release-notes
- Anypoint Code Builder June '24 Release Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiONnRuKRuJCtQBGW9Qcrp_tCMgBmg0-F
What if you could use the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to transform your business operations? In this episode, we welcome Dave Norris to discuss the profound impact of Salesforce's strategic acquisitions — such as ExactTarget, Pardot, Heroku, and Slack — on the developer ecosystem. We cover the intricacies of integrating diversified data systems and emphasize the importance of centralized data management through MuleSoft.
We'll explore how Data Cloud handles structured and unstructured data, enhancing AI functionalities with tools like Prompt Builder and the newly released Data Cloud Vector Search. This episode sheds light on how grounding AI with enterprise-specific information can significantly boost productivity and deliver accurate, context-rich responses. Listen in for a detailed description of data and AI within the Salesforce ecosystem!
Show Highlights:
- Centralizing data with MuleSoft and the role of Data Cloud in data ingestion, mapping, and security
- Using AI capabilities like Einstein AI within the Salesforce ecosystem
- Integrating structured and unstructured data using Data Cloud for enhanced AI functionality
- Practical insights and use cases, including predictive AI in animal adoption data
- General availability of Data Cloud Vector Search and its impact on semantic searching
- Enhancing enterprise productivity by grounding AI with specific enterprise data for more accurate responses
Links:
- Data Cloud + Einstein AI: The Developer’s Pocket Guide - https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2024/05/data-cloud-einstein-ai-the-developers-pocket-guide
- Bring Your Own Large Language Model in Einstein 1 Studio - https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2024/03/bring-your-own-large-language-model-in-einstein-1-studio
In this episode, we discuss the intricacies of integrating Salesforce with AWS alongside expert Philippe Ozil. We cover the capabilities of Salesforce Connect and its AWS adapters, which facilitate efficient data and event-driven integrations without the hassle of data replication. Hear the benefits of Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon Athena, and the versatile GraphQL adapter, each serving unique use cases within Salesforce. As we wait to hear Philippe's insights from the CheckDreaming conference in Prague, we encourage you to continue your learning journey. Thank you for joining us and sharing in our passion for the evolving world of Salesforce development.
Show Highlights:
- Overview of Salesforce Connect and its AWS adapters.
- Benefits of virtualizing access to external data sources and their impact on developer experience.
- Event-driven integrations using event relays to connect Salesforce events to Amazon EventBridge.
- Upcoming features like managed subscriptions for PubSub API in the Salesforce Summer '24 release.
- Practical tips for Salesforce developers to start experimenting with AWS integrations.
Links:
Join us as we sit down with Salesforce maestro Mohith Shrivastava to unwrap the Summer '24 Salesforce release. We take a tour through the latest and greatest enhancements that are stirring up excitement in the developer community. From the seamless integration of Data Cloud with the Salesforce core platform to the introduction of static SOQL for Data Model Objects (DMOs), our conversation lights the path to simplifying the creation of test classes with the ability to mock SOQL queries.
Listen in as we uncover the revolutionary developments in Einstein Copilot for developers and how custom actions can now be extended and built using Apex, flows, or prompt templates. Wrapping up our discussion, we celebrate the quality of life improvements that are game-changers for developers.
Show Highlights:
- Discussion on Data Cloud integration with Salesforce core and static SOQL for DMOs.
- Introduction of the ability to mock SOQL queries, enhancing test class creation.
- Insights into Einstein Copilot going GA, custom action capabilities, and improved analytics.
- Monthly updates on Einstein 1 Studio features and quality-of-life improvements for developers.
- Apex enhancements including cursors for async processing and deepened SOQL query levels.
- New features for Lightning Web Components (LWCs) and enhancements to ISV packaging and APIs.
Links:
- Read: The Salesforce Developer’s Guide to the Summer ’24 Release
- RSVP: Release Readiness Live is back on Thursday, May 30 at 9 a.m. PST. Hear about the latest features from some of Salesforce’s excellent product managers and developer advocates.
- Read: Summer ’24 Release Notes
- Join: Salesforce Developers Trailblazer Community group
Join us as we chat with Mohith Shrivastava, a Salesforce Developer Advocate who needs no introduction to the Salesforce community. Listen in as Mohith unravels the intricacies of Einstein Copilot custom actions and how this conversational AI assistant is revolutionizing the Salesforce experience by understanding an organization's metadata and data permissions. For developers, the excitement lies in custom actions — Mohith shares how these can be crafted using flows, Apex, and prompt templates to enhance productivity and user interaction.
Mohith explains the flexibility offered by Einstein Copilot's use of large language models, moving away from the rigidity of traditional chatbot implementations. We dissect how developers can think of their implementations as microservices, writing individual actions that the reasoning engine then seamlessly chains together.
Tune in and empower your Salesforce development skills with insights from one of the platform's most recognized advocates.
Show Highlights:
- How developers can utilize flows, Apex, and prompt templates to build dynamic conversational interfaces.
- The use of large language models for flexible, microservices-based approaches in chatbot design.
- Technical details on extending Salesforce's AI capabilities using standard technologies for personalized user interactions.
- Importance of proper architecture, understanding governor limits, and optimizing triggers for successful AI integration in Salesforce.
- The potential of integrating external data and services to enhance Salesforce AI functionalities.
- The importance of quality data and Data Cloud for improving AI experiences within Salesforce applications.
Links:
- Build Custom Copilot Actions Using Apex - https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2024/03/build-custom-copilot-actions-using-apex
- Build Custom Copilot Actions using Apex - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XvyeiwNbDI
- Extend Your Copilot with Custom Actions - https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.copilot_actions_custom.htm&type=5
Join the conversation with Akshata Sawant from MuleSoft as we unlock the combination of MuleSoft's integration prowess and Salesforce Data Cloud. Hear Akshata’s takeaways from TrailblazerDX, where she delves into MuleSoft's transformative capabilities for data handling. It's a masterclass in leveraging the dynamic DataWeave for schema generation, tailored for developers grappling with diverse data formats. Experience firsthand how MuleSoft shapes the future of data integration, all while ensuring the highest security and compliance standards.
We then discuss MuleSoft APIs with Salesforce's Einstein Copilot. Don't miss out on this dialogue filled with the excitement of what's to come as we integrate Data Cloud, MuleSoft, and Einstein Copilot.
Show Highlights:
- Data ingestion, querying, and record deletion through MuleSoft connectors, and schema generation with DataWeave.
- The collaboration of MuleSoft APIs with Einstein Copilot to enable complex operations like data updates and automated email notifications.
- Importance of built-in security and compliance in integrating third-party systems with Salesforce's AI capabilities.
- The versatility of MuleSoft in handling various data formats and facilitating complex integration tasks.
- Future discussions on the potential of integrating Data Cloud, MuleSoft, and Einstein Copilot for enhanced efficiency and operations.
Links:
- Power Up Data Cloud with MuleSoft - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqvqfOjvHiY
Intelligent Integration with Copilot Actions, APIs, and MuleSoft - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhfliR2meoc
Join us as we welcome the Data Cloud Queen herself, Danielle Larregui. Get ready to witness the groundbreaking power of Einstein 1 Studio as Danielle unveils its transformative capabilities within the Salesforce Data Cloud. Discover how developers can effortlessly create AI models using a no-code or low-code approach directly with their Data Lake data. We'll explore the practicality of generating predictions, integrating external AI platforms, and leveraging built-in tools for assessing prediction accuracy.
Brace yourself for the standout feature of 'Bring Your Own Model,' which allows seamless, real-time data sharing without the need for ETL processes. We'll discuss the availability of Snowflake's integration and the potential that lies with Google BigQuery. Imagine how these integrations can revolutionize your external data management, from segmentation to identity resolution.
Stay tuned to learn how Data Cloud Enrichment could further enhance your Salesforce CRM by leveraging the power of Data Cloud data.
Show Highlights:
- Introduction of Einstein 1 Studio and Model Builder within Salesforce Data Cloud for creating AI models using no-code or low-code approaches.
- How the "Bring Your Own Model" feature enables real-time data sharing with Salesforce Data Cloud without ETL processes.
- How Data Cloud Enrichment allows Salesforce CRM records to be updated with Data Cloud data.
- Remote Data Cloud, which could unify data management for organizations with multiple Salesforce instances.
- Ability to use predictions made by AI models in Salesforce flows, Apex classes, and reporting within Data Cloud.
Links:
- Bring Your Google Vertex AI Models To Data Cloud - https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2023/11/bring-your-google-vertex-ai-models-to-data-cloud
- Use Model Builder to Integrate Databricks Models with Salesforce - https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2024/03/use-model-builder-to-integrate-databricks-models-with-salesforce
Join us as we sit down with Philippe Ozil, a familiar face in the Salesforce Developer community, to chat about the exciting developments and enhancements to the Salesforce Developer Sample Apps. Philippe brings his passion for this area to the forefront, discussing the significant strides the team is making with the upcoming spring release.
Listen in as Philippe also sheds light on the open-source nature of the sample apps, which provides an invaluable opportunity for developers to get hands-on experience. We explore the progress in integrating mobile device native capabilities into Salesforce apps under the 'Nimbus' umbrella. Philippe's enthusiasm is contagious as he details the innovative uses of geolocation, QR code scanning, and OCR technology that are transforming the Dreamhouse app for real estate professionals on the go.
Whether you're a seasoned Salesforce Developer or just getting started, this episode is packed with knowledge that will surely inspire and inform your work.
Show Highlights:
- Sample apps are open source, available on GitHub, and include full code coverage, unit testing, and continuous integration, exemplifying best practices for developers.
- Introduction of the Lightning Record Picker Component and Workspace API for Lightning Web Components in the Spring release.
- The importance of community contributions to the open-source sample apps.
- Educational content such as introduction videos, trailhead badges, and documentation leverages sample apps for a comprehensive developer learning experience.
Links:
- Salesforce Developer Sample Apps - https://github.com/trailheadapps
- EBikes Lightning Web Runtime - https://github.com/trailheadapps/ebikes-lwc/tree/pozil/lwr-site
- Sample Apps YouTube Series - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgIMQe2PKPSJcuCwM61dEc4jFG_jHqV2t
- Trailhead QuickStart: Tour the Sample App Gallery - https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/projects/quick-start-tour-the-sample-app-gallery
Unlock the power of Salesforce's latest innovations with an exclusive look into the Spring '24 release as we sit down with Salesforce Developer Advocate Alba Rivas. Prepare to elevate your development skills with an array of new Lightning Web Components features, including the much-anticipated dynamic components and the transformative GraphQL wire adapter. Alba's enthusiasm is infectious as we discuss how these updates, inspired by community feedback, are reshaping the landscape of Salesforce development.
Our conversation with Alba spans from the technical intricacies of the new record picker component to the practical applications of the Workspace API, bridging the Aura and LWC divide. We also shed light on the critical instrumentation API, a tool that's arming developers with valuable user interaction insights.
Join us as we celebrate the continuous innovation of Lightning Web Components and provide you with the expert insights needed to stay ahead in the dynamic world of Salesforce development.
Show Highlights:
- Introduction of dynamic components and the GraphQL wire adapter to simplify queries and enhance front-end development efficiency.
- Examination of the new record picker component and its configuration options.
- Overview of the instrumentation API, enabling developers to log user interactions for better insights into application usage.
- Discussion on best practices for using dynamic components to maintain performance in Salesforce applications.
Links:
- LWC Recipes GraphQL example - https://github.com/trailheadapps/lwc-recipes/tree/main/force-app/main/default/lwc/graphqlContacts
- GraphQL Wire Adapter for LWC Documentation - https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/graphql/guide/graphql-wire-lwc.html
- codeLive: How to Work with the GraphQL Wire Adapter for LWC - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTYEzizzyW0
- LWC Recipes Dynamic Components example - https://github.com/trailheadapps/lwc-recipes/pull/897
- Dynamic Components for LWC Documentation - https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/lwc/guide/js-dynamic-components.html
- codeLive: How to Work with Dynamic Lightning Web Components - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df7P22seEL8
- LWC Recipes Workspace API example - https://github.com/trailheadapps/lwc-recipes/pull/897
- Workspace API for LWC Documentation - https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_console.meta/api_console/sforce_api_console.htm
- Dreamforce 2023: From Aura to LWC: Harnessing New Features with Revamped APIs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVBjfTmKsOI
- Custom Component Instrumentation API Documentation - https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/component-library/bundle/lightning-logger/documentation
Join us for a journey into the tech universe as we explore the ins and outs of mobile app development with Salesforce's own Ashwin Nair and Galen Lewis. Listen in as Ashwin recounts his evolution from a sports game enthusiast to a product manager for Mobile Platform Experience, and Galen shares his beginnings with Scratch to his current role as an associate product manager for Mobile SDK.
This episode sheds light on the latest advancements in mobile developer tooling. Ashwin walks us through the exciting new features, such as the enhanced LWC offline test harness and the debut of the mobile offline onboarding wizard tool, alongside the Nimbus plugins that promise to revolutionize access to native device functionalities.
Tune in for an engaging blend of tech talk and personal anecdotes that underscore the vibrant community of developers and enthusiasts alike.
Show Highlights:
- Introduction of new features in Salesforce's Spring '24 release, including the LWC offline test harness and mobile offline onboarding wizard tool.
- Discussion on Nimbus plugins for Salesforce mobile development, enabling integration of native device functionalities like document scanning, NFC, and biometrics.
- The capabilities and future updates of Salesforce's Mobile SDK, including native login, one-time passwords, and on-device AI functionality.
- The importance of offline capabilities in mobile development for handling scenarios with limited network connectivity.
Links:
- Ashwin’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashwin-nair/
- Test Harness Developer Documentation: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.mobile_offline.meta/mobile_offline/dx_harness_app_ux_home.htm
- Introducing the Salesforce Offline App Onboarding Wizard: https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2023/07/introducing-the-salesforce-offline-app-onboarding-wizard
- Developer Docs: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.248.0.mobile_offline.meta/mobile_offline/dx_onboard_wizard.htm
- Nimbus Plugins: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.mobile_offline.meta/mobile_offline/capabilities.htm
- Galen’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/galenlewis/
- Enabling Biometric Authentication in Mobile SDK Apps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WPW870GWdk
- Mobile SDK Developer Guide: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.noversion.mobile_sdk.meta/mobile_sdk/preface_intro.htm
- What’s New in Mobile SDK 11.0 and 11.1?: https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2023/12/whats-new-in-mobile-sdk-11-0-and-11-1
Join us in this episode with Simone Geib, Director of Product Management at MuleSoft, as she shares her serendipitous foray into the world of computer science. Listen in as Simone takes us back to her formative years in 1980s Germany and walks us through the trials and triumphs of entering a male-dominated field, her subsequent move into artificial intelligence, and the enriching experiences that shaped her path.
Explore the revolutionary world of cloud-hosted development environments with us, focusing on Anypoint Code Builder and the Anypoint extension for Visual Studio Code. Simone elaborates on how this tool offers developers a flexible and secure solution that fits perfectly into their workflows, regardless of location or device restrictions. She also sheds light on the integration of generative AI, which promises to transform how we approach initial flow designs.
Remember to connect with us for more developer insights and stories, and don't miss the chance to experience innovation and community at TDX ’24.
Show Highlights:
- Simone’s unexpected discovery of computer science and her journey from learning MS-DOS to embracing AI at university.
- Transition from a developer working with Visual Basic and C++ to a product manager role at MuleSoft.
- Advantages of cloud-hosted development environments and the role of MuleSoft's community in the evolution of Anypoint Code Builder.
- Preview of the Einstein for Anypoint Code Builder's generative AI pilot for flow designs from natural language prompts.
Links:
- Simone at LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonegeib/
- Anypoint Code Builder: https://www.mulesoft.com/platform/api/anypoint-code-builder
- Register to attend TrailblazerDX 2024
Uncover the future of Salesforce development with insights from Mohith Shrivastava in our latest episode, where we dissect the Spring '24 release highlights. From the time-saving beta feature Scratch Org Snapshots to the sleek new Null Coalescing Operator and the UUID system class in Apex, we're unpacking tools that promise to elevate your coding experience to new heights. These updates not only simplify workflows but also signify Apex's evolution towards contemporary programming standards.
In this episode, we discuss the substantial enhancements within Lightning Web Components, like the now widely available Workspace API and the transformative Lightning Record Picker component. We also say goodbye to tools such as the Ant Migration Tool and Workbench. Meanwhile, Salesforce Data Cloud is upping its game with new features and updates that integrate data with unprecedented ease.
Don't miss out on the excitement for what the future holds for Salesforce releases — join us for an episode brimming with expert knowledge and tips straight from one of Salesforce's very own developer advocates.
Show Highlights:
- Apex language enhancements, including the Null Coalescing Operator for streamlined null checks and default value assignments and the UUID system class.
- Updates to Lightning Web Components (LWC), along with performance improvements through component versioning and native JavaScript APIs.
- Retirement of the Ant Migration Tool in favor of Salesforce CLI for deployment and org management.
- Salesforce Data Cloud advancements with new features for data integrations.
Resources:
- Read the blog: The Salesforce Developer’s Guide to the Spring ’24 Release
- Follow the trail: Spring ’24 Release Highlights
- Browse the release notes
- Join the Salesforce Developers Trailblazer Community group to connect with the global developer community.
- Join Release Readiness Trailblazers to stay up to date on the latest and greatest product enhancements and innovations across the Salesforce ecosystem.
Join us as we have a conversation with our guest, Adam White, Senior Product Manager of Automation at Salesforce. Listen in as he recounts the evolution of his gaming and tinkering with various consoles and his first computer, a Pentium 100, revealing how overcoming the challenges of early computing led to a love for problem-solving and technical mastery.
In this conversation, we explore the unconventional pathways to tech careers, emphasizing that a traditional background in technology isn't always necessary. The discussion navigates through career milestones, from the challenges of managing Salesforce single-handedly to embracing program management at Alarm.com and delving into the role of Atlassian tools in business applications. Our chat then takes a closer look at the latest features in Salesforce Flow, such as the advancements in reactive screen flows, allowing form building with conditionally disabled and read-only fields.
Listen in for an exciting conversation!
Show Highlights:
- The influence of early gaming on developing tech skills and problem-solving abilities.
- Transitioning from an economics and Spanish major to a tech enthusiast.
- Challenges and triumphs of solo Salesforce administration and the benefits of low-code solutions like Salesforce Flow.
- Latest features in Salesforce, including reactive screens and the repeater component for screen flows.
- Discussion of the upcoming Salesforce features and the anticipation of how they will enhance user experience and developer capabilities.
Links:
- Adam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/declarativeninja/
- Reactive Screen Components: https://admin.salesforce.com/blog/2023/flow-reactive-screen-components-ga-learn-moar-winter-24
Join us as we take a journey with Christie Fidura, Salesforce's director of Global Trailblazer Engagement, through her unexpected love affair with technology and the world of programming. We explore the elegance and universality of coding languages as Christie reflects on her transition from an English literature and Spanish student to teaching engineers at DuPont. This conversation reveals the hidden poetry in programming and the crucial role of technical communication in bridging the gap between users and creators.
Christie also highlights the significance of “Johnny Appleseed” figures who sow the seeds of knowledge and enthusiasm, fostering local communities. You'll learn the importance of nurturing personal connections within this expansive network and how we enable a transparent exchange between community members and Salesforce product managers through various platforms. Tune in to this episode for a blend of personal narratives and insights into the dynamic Salesforce ecosystem.
Show Highlights:
- The growth and evolution of Christie’s relationship with technology.
- The warm, familial nature of the Salesforce community, the global connections made, and the significant role of “Johnny Appleseed” trailblazers.
- Christie’s experience with the London Salesforce admin meetup.
- The importance of maintaining personal connections in the community and facilitating direct interactions between Salesforce product managers and community members.
- Christie’s plans for 2024 with a focus on artificial intelligence and the role developers can play in guiding companies through AI implementation.
Links:
- Christie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiefidura/
- Salesforce Developers Community: https://salesforce.com/devcommunity
Join us as we chat with Julio, Laura, and Pedro, passionate members of the Salesforce community who have had their hands full organizing dreamOlé, Spain's premier Salesforce community conference. They regale us with stories of their beginnings in the Salesforce community, the hurdles they had to overcome in event organization, and the irreplaceable role the community has played in their personal and professional growth.
We also discuss the pivot to virtual event organization amid the pandemic and the resilience of dreamOlé. Wrapping up the conversation, Julio, Laura, and Pedro offer valuable insights on the significance of collaboration, enjoying the process, and the importance of a trustworthy team.
Show Highlights:
- The challenges faced while organizing the conference and the support and learning they received from the Salesforce community.
- The significance of dreamOlé in unifying the Salesforce community and fostering connections among its members.
- Pedro’s journey from being an attendee at the inaugural dreamOlé to becoming a volunteer.
- The essence of collaboration, the joy of the process, and the importance of a strong team in organizing such events.
Join me and our guests Keegan Klauke and Subi Philip from MRE Consulting as we journey back in time to explore their early experiences with computers. Keegan shares his passion for computer hardware and programming, sparked by early video games, while Subi talks about his initial coding experience in high school. From their first encounters with the Commodore 64 to their entrance into the Salesforce ecosystem, their stories provide a unique look into the evolution of computer technology.
Listen in as we explore the integration of chatbots with Apex processes, discussing the different use cases for designing chatbots and the importance of AI in understanding customer intent. We address concerns about toxicity and hallucinations in chatbot behavior and how to prevent them. We also discuss the process of designing and testing chatbots within the Salesforce ecosystem, discussing the importance of mapping user questions to predefined intents and providing structured responses.
Whether you're looking to build modern chatbots within the Salesforce platform or simply interested in the evolution of technology, this episode is packed with valuable insights.
Show Highlights:
- The design and use of chatbots within the Salesforce platform.
- The significance of leveraging AI in chatbot design to understand customer intent and prevent potential discrepancies.
- The importance of mapping user interactions and providing structured responses to avoid incorrect or offensive chatbot responses.
- The challenges of automating testing for chatbots are discussed, stressing the need for human intervention.
- Insights for those interested in building modern chatbots within the Salesforce platform.
Links:
- Keegan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keegan-klauke/
- Subi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/subiphilip/
- MRE Website Link: https://mre-consulting.com/technologies/salesforce/
- Our MRE Blog Post on Chatbots & AI: https://mre-consulting.com/insights/improving-customer-experience-and-self-service-with-chatbots-ai/
- Einstein Bot Developer Cookbook: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.bot_cookbook.meta/bot_cookbook/bot_cookbook_overview.htm
- Chat LWC Pack: https://appexchange.salesforce.com/appxListingDetail?listingId=a0N3A00000FoirpUAB
- Chat LWC Pack (GitHub): https://github.com/Colatabajonies/Chat-Lightning-Web-Component-Pack
Join us as we have a conversation with Ajay Kumar, Senior Manager for Solutions Engineering at MuleSoft, where we discuss his educational journey, how he transitioned into the MuleSoft and Salesforce ecosystem, and the vital role of continuous learning in technology.
We also explore the captivating world of Artificial Intelligence (AI). We discuss its evolution, current state, and the promising future it holds. Listen in as we share insights into generative AI, its increasing importance across industries, and its potential to enhance human IQ.
Additionally, we discuss the significant impact of AI on our daily lives and how it's revolutionizing industries, especially retail, through optimizing inventory management. Overcoming fear and hesitation towards AI, the necessity of staying relevant in the rapidly changing tech industry, and the irreplaceable human touch in AI are some of the captivating topics we touch upon.
Show Highlights:
- The evolution and impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI), including its transformative potential across various industries and its capacity to enhance human IQ.
- Kumar delves into the concept of gendered AI, the current state of AI, and the future potential of artificial general intelligence.
- The use of AI in the retail industry.
- The role of MuleSoft in data integration.
- The concept of having a personal AI 'co-pilot' in the future.
Links:
- Ajay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aj127/
Ready to jump into the captivating realm of coding and computer technology? This episode promises an intriguing exploration of the journey from early computing to the cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence in software development. Join us with Thomas Theunen, head of commerce at Forward, as he reminisces about his fascinating evolution from a curious child tinkering with his first computer to becoming a tech-savvy forward thinker.
Interested in how languages evolve in the world of coding? From Thomas’s maiden voyage with C Sharp, his engagement with Windows Phone applications, to his dedicated seven-year expedition with Java at an enterprise level, it's a rollercoaster ride through the tech landscape. Our discussion dives deep into the Salesforce ecosystem, JavaScript development, and the emerging uses of AI in speeding up workflows. Lastly, Thomas discusses the burgeoning B2C Commerce Cloud community and his invaluable contributions to it.
This isn't just an episode; it's a chronicle of a tech enthusiast's journey, making it a must-listen for all computer technology and coding enthusiasts!
Show Highlights:
- Thomas’s professional journey with software development languages.
- His experience transitioning into the Salesforce ecosystem, JavaScript development with BTC Commerce Cloud, and his evolution from a developer to an architect.
- The role of AI in software development, how it has helped Thomas speed up his workflows, and the importance of human involvement in reviewing AI-generated solutions.
- Thomas’ contribution to the B2C Commerce Cloud community, its growth over the years, and his insights into using React in development.
- The transformative role of AI in workflow improvement, from aiding in code generation to simplifying unit tests.
Links:
- Thomas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-theunen-10905680/
Join us as we chat with Igor Androsov, National Architect Director at Mills of Japan. Igor shares his introduction to Salesforce in 2008 and his active involvement in the Salesforce community. Hear how the global pandemic has influenced his work, leading to him joining Salesforce in 2020. Listen as he narrates his rich experiences within the Salesforce community in Japan, and how it has enriched his career.
We touch on Salesforce’s VTO program and MuleSoft tools. Igor shares his contribution to the Impact Labs and the Open Source Commons Projects, offering his Salesforce skills to aid nonprofits. He also explains how Salesforce Developers can start with MuleSoft and the available resources. Don't miss out on Igor’s intriguing discussion on the API Experience Hub.
Listen in today!
Show Highlights:
- Androsov’s experiences with Salesforce community engagement and how global events like the pandemic shaped his career.
- Salesforce's Voluntary Time Off (VTO) program.
- The MuleSoft tools offering insight for developers on how to get started and the resources available.
- Androsov's journey of learning and contributing to the Impact Labs and Open Source Commons Projects is highlighted.
- Overview of API Experience Hub, a new tool from MuleSoft that allows users to create a branded experience for their APIs.
Links:
- Igor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iandrosov/
Join us for an exciting discussion with Stephan Chandler-Garcia, Director of Strategic Content at Salesforce, as he takes us through his journey from composing music on a computer in his early school years to becoming a self-taught Salesforce Developer. Listen in as Stephan recounts his experiences of exploring computers, creating custom scenery for a computer game, and ultimately moving to the UK to start his career in the Salesforce economy, all without a college degree.
Stephan gives an intriguing insight into his project HowToDev_ a series aimed at helping people transition into Salesforce development. He also sheds light on the future of development, focusing on the role of AI, Data Cloud, and Hyperforce in the current Salesforce landscape.
Tune in to hear about Stephan's exciting journey, his contributions to Salesforce, and his vision for the future of AI in development.
Show Highlights:
- Insights into the core object model, security, order of operations, and the impact of low code and no code tools in Salesforce.
- The future of development and the role of AI, Data Cloud, and Hyperforce in the Salesforce landscape.
- The importance of learning how to prompt AI tools, equating it to understanding how to use a search engine like Google.
- Using pre-built and pre-configured AI applications.
Links:
- Stephan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanwgarcia/
- HowToDev_ on Salesforce+: https://www.salesforce.com/plus/series/howtodev_
- Explore AI Innovation from Dreamforce 2023: https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2023/10/ai-innovation-dreamforce-2023
- Inside the Einstein Trust Layer: https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2023/10/inside-the-einstein-trust-layer
- An Introduction to Autonomous Agents: https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2023/10/an-introduction-to-autonomous-agents
Join us as we explore the journey of Alex Delic, Director at Code Development, from his earliest exposure to technology to his fascinating foray into coding. Listen in as we discuss his journey from playing with Raspberry Pi to coding professionally and his unexpected detour into archaeology during his university years.
Unpack how Salesforce's investment in automated testing can help reduce the burden of manual regression testing and expand beyond just Salesforce applications. Alexander shares his insights on the challenges of UI testing and how MaxTAF can create reusable components for test scripts. In the world of mobile applications, we discuss the benefits and challenges of automated testing.
It's an episode filled with nostalgia, progress, and personal anecdotes you won’t want to miss.
Show Highlights:
- The concept of automated testing in application development.
- The role of technologies like Sauce Labs and BrowserStack in providing solutions for automated testing of mobile applications.
- The importance of regression testing and the need for rigorous, structured testing methods to catch regressions.
- The open-source technologies like Selenium, UTAM, and Playwright, used for automated testing.
- The challenges and possible solutions for mobile testing.
Links:
- Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-delic-32375874/
- MaxTAF: https://www.maxtaf.com/
Join us for a special celebration as we hit our 200th episode! Discover how the Godfather of Trailhead, Josh Birk, came to earn his title. Josh walks us through his journey from creating an application named 'Medals' on Node.js to kickstarting the innovative project of Trailhead. Listen in as he explains how he combined anonymous Apex and the REST API to gauge completion and how this led to the birth of the Trailhead platform.
Josh also shares the amazing stories from his 13-year journey at Salesforce. We also discuss his unforgettable three-city tour in India and how Trailhead provided people with the resources they needed to learn Salesforce and get certified.
As we reminisce about our past episodes, we're also excited about the road ahead. We'd love for you to be part of our upcoming 300th episode, so stay tuned!
Show Highlights:
- The role of role-playing video games in maintaining mental health during the pandemic and how they influenced Josh’s professional career.
- How Josh’s gaming passion led to the creation of 'Medals.”
- Josh’s 13-year tenure at Salesforce.
- The impact of Trailhead where it enabled many individuals to master Salesforce and earn their certifications.
- Josh’s transition from the Salesforce Developer Podcast to Salesforce's Admin Relations.
Links:
- Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabirk/
Let's unveil the captivating world of computer sciences, engineering, and Salesforce with our accomplished guest, Ludovic Meurillon. Prepare to be immersed in Ludovic's fascinating journey from his early gaming days to becoming a software engineer at Salesforce. Discover how he navigated joining the company during the pandemic and how he's currently thriving as a developer. Learn about the groundbreaking ApexMockery project that Ludovic and his team have been diligently working on and how it's revolutionizing the way developers decouple their code from the database and the Salesforce platform.
We also discuss the intricacies of the Apex stub API and how it can be leveraged in Apex Mocking. You'll understand the key distinctions between unit testing and integration testing and the array of benefits Apex Mocking offers developers. This episode is packed with knowledge and skills that will enhance your Salesforce development journey, whether you're a seasoned developer or just getting started.
Get ready for an enlightening deep dive into the world of Salesforce development.
Show Highlights:
- The ApexMockery project, its development process, and its role in revolutionizing how developers decouple their code from the database and the Salesforce platform.
- The importance of the Apex stub API and its utilization in Apex Mocking for writing swift, efficient, and effective unit tests.
- The difference between unit testing and integration testing, and the benefits of Apex Mocking for developers.
- The evolution of the Apex Mockery library, its use in creating custom matches, and the application of the arrange, act, and assert pattern in testing.
- The purpose and advantages of using the Apex Mockery library in Salesforce development.
- The future of the Apex Mockery Library.
Links:
- https://twitter.com/LudoMeurillon
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ludovicmeurillon/
- https://github.com/LudoMeurillon
- https://github.com/salesforce/apex-mockery
Listen in as we journey through the life and career of Nikos Mitrakis, Salesforce Developer and architect at Acmantix. This episode offers an insightful exploration of Nikos's journey, highlighting his passion for programming and how he found his way to Salesforce. Join us as Nikos discusses his open-source framework, Forceea Data Factory, an innovative tool he created that helps average developers create complex data.
Further along, we dive into the nitty-gritty of Forceea. We discuss its capabilities, including its ability to create static and serial data as well as complex reference data and outline its main use cases for developers and users in a sandbox environment. Hear about the benefits of using templates for modification and how the tool optimizes the process of creating complex data.
Tune in for a compelling conversation that showcases the evolution of programming and its limitless possibilities.
Show Highlights:
- What Forceea Meets Tracking is and what its capabilities are
- The uses of Forceea, especially for developers needing to create data for unit tests and users in a sandbox environment
- The tool's efficiency in creating complex data swiftly and the advantages of using templates for modification are highlighted
- The future of Forceea
Links:
- Nikos on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikosmitrakis/
- Forceea Data Factory: https://github.com/Forceea/Forceea-data-factory
- Dadela: https://github.com/Forceea/Dadela
- Acmantix: https://www.acmantix.com/
In this episode, we explore the technological journey of Nikita Prokopev, from his early fascination with DOS and PC games to his growth into a seasoned programmer. Listen in as Nikita reveals his transition into the Salesforce ecosystem, the evolution of the Salesforce platform, and how it shaped his professional trajectory.
Discover his motivations behind taking the entrepreneurial plunge and how he juggled multiple roles to make his venture a success. He underscores the importance of observability in the Salesforce platform and shares insights on how it can be utilized to improve performance and efficiency.
Nikita breaks down observability into various components and explains how it helps monitor the health of a system and prevent errors. Also, get valuable tips on how to maximize logging efficiency and performance to control data volume and avoid hitting platform limits. Tune in for a fascinating exploration of Nikita's journey in technology and valuable insights on Salesforce.
Show Highlights:
- The challenges he faced in the early days of Salesforce.
- The importance of observability in Salesforce.
- How observability can help monitor system health and prevent errors.
- How to maximize logging efficiency and performance to control data volume and avoid hitting platform limits are shared.
- The transition from a passion project to a professional career in technology.
Links:
- Nikita on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nprokopyev/
- Pharos AI: https://pharos.ai/
Remember the first time you received an email? The magic of instant communication transforming your work life? That's the journey we take you on as we explore the dynamic relationship between work and technology. From email evolution to instant communication tools like Slack, we’ll also tackle the unexpected mental emergency that a phone call can induce.
Come along for a fascinating snapshot into the ever-evolving world of work.
Show Highlights:
- The transformation of work due to technological advancements.
- The mental shift that occurs when an unexpected work phone call comes in and how it impacts our modern work routines.
- The impact of remote work and video conferencing on work culture, especially in the wake of the pandemic.
Links:
- Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikegerholdt/
- Gillian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilliankbruce/
- Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabirk/
Listen in as Mohith Shrivastava, Lead Developer Advocate at Salesforce, and I unwrap the most anticipated features in the Winter ’24 release. We share our excitement for Dynamic Components in LWC, a feature that Mohith believes will revolutionize the game for ISV developers. We explore how Dynamic Components can store component definitions on the backend, allowing developers to render components at runtime and use dependency injection.
We continue our exploration with a look at how developers can use LWC recipes and the GraphQL wire adapter to create powerful table or grid views on the client side. The GraphQL APIs now support mutations and offer the potential for developers to use custom elements to incorporate third-party components and web standards for reusability. Plus, we discuss new mobile capabilities like document scanning, NFC, and biometric functionalities.
We shed light on how DataWeave, a MuleSoft data transformation language, can be used in Apex and the improvements made to Queueable Apex. We also look at Code Builder, a browser-based development platform that aims to make developing Salesforce applications more straightforward than ever.
Tune in and get a head start on what's coming in the Winter ’24 release!
Show Highlights:
- The exciting features in Salesforce's Winter ’24 release, focusing on the game-changing Dynamic Components in LWC for ISV developers.
- New mobile capabilities in the Winter ’24 release, including document scanning, NFC, and biometric functionalities.
- Examination of the Winter ’24 DataWeave and Apex enhancements.
- Overview of new features for Salesforce developers in the Winter ’24 release.
- Introduction to Salesforce Code Analyzer, a new VS Code extension, and how it improves the quality of code reviews.
Links:
- Mohith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohith-shrivastava-9a36464a/
- Blog: The Salesforce Developer’s Guide to the Winter ’24 Release
Join us on a captivating journey as we talk with Teo Dawn, a 21-year-old Salesforce developer from the Yucatan, about his experiences. Teo recalls his early days with computers, being inspired by his older brother to pursue a career in software engineering, and how he won a scholarship through Rafael Hernandez's nonprofit organization. Continuing his story, Teo shares his path to becoming a certified Salesforce developer.
Listen as he delves into his Unity project, presented at Forcelandia, and his current internship experiences. In our chat with Teo, he also reveals his passion for music and how it has assisted him in his development career. He emphasizes the value of his piano skills in communicating tech topics to others, providing an unexpected bridge between the arts and technology. Make sure to tune in and discover more about Teo's journey in the Salesforce world and beyond!
Show Highlights:
- Teo's journey from a childhood fascination with computers to becoming a Salesforce developer, including his scholarship from a nonprofit organization.
- The guidance Teo received from his mentor Dr. Edgar Cambranes and the support from his brother.
- Teo's passion for piano and how it helped him bridge the gap between arts and technology, as well as communicate tech topics to others.
- Teo's current internship experiences and his future plans in the field of Salesforce development.
Links:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teodorodawn/
- Github: https://github.com/Teodoro-lab
Join us as we chat with Kate Lessard, Delivery Team Manager at Arkus, about the critical role of user stories in collaboration and her unique journey into the Salesforce world. Starting her career in the fine arts, Kate made an unexpected transition into Salesforce consulting for nonprofits. In this episode, we have a discussion about the fundamentals of crafting compelling user stories.
We talk about identifying personas, setting acceptance criteria, and how user stories facilitate teamwork. Discover how tools like Chat GPT can leverage AI to define personas and how to dissect solutions into manageable tasks. We also dive into the nuts and bolts of using user stories to foster effective collaboration.
Learn how to pinpoint the atomic level of a good user story and the tools Kate recommends for tracking them. All this and more in this insightful conversation with Kate Lessard!
Show Highlights:
- The importance of creating good user stories for effective team collaboration.
- Detailed process of crafting user stories, including persona identification and setting acceptance criteria.
- The role of background stories and 'jobs to be done' in enriching the user story creation process.
- The importance of breaking down solutions into manageable tasks and the use of AI tools like Chat GPT in defining personas.
- Kate's personal recommendations for tracking user stories and her unique approach to user story creation.
- Discussion on leveraging acceptance criteria and creating backstories for personas to develop efficient user stories.
Links:
- Twitter account: @SalesforceK8
- LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salesforcekate/
- User Stories with examples and a template - Max Rehkopf, Atlassian: https://www.atlassian.com/agile/project-management/user-stories
- http://stormotion.io/blog/how-to-write-a-good-user-story-with-examples-templates/
Join us as we take an insightful journey with Salesforce Architect, Mike Topalovich, who uncovers his unique career path, starting from his early introduction to coding as a young child, and leading up to his current role in the Salesforce ecosystem. As he recalls his days writing script language programs, working with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and using Siebel systems, you'll gain a better understanding of how technology can be used to simplify and enhance people's lives.
In our conversation, Mike also discusses the convergence of AI and architectural design. As we tackle the concept of 'move fast, break stuff', we consider its relevance and limitations. We also delve into how AI is transforming the design process and the potential for feedback loops to foster positive human-machine interactions. Mike also shares his perspective on the importance of UX design in creating positive user experiences. This is an episode brimming with lessons, insights, and stories that are bound to resonate with developers, architects, and technology enthusiasts alike.
Show Highlights:
- Mike’s emphasis on user experience and technology's potential to simplify lives, illustrated by his stint with Siebel Systems.
- The intersection of AI and architectural design, and its implications in terms of innovation, risk management, and enhanced design processes.
- The potential threats of AI and quantum computing in the hands of state actors.
- Mike's thoughts on UX design principles, psychological safety, political safety, and their application in creating secure and efficient systems.
Links:
- LinkedIn account: https://linkedin.com/in/topalovich
Welcome to a futuristic ride through the world of composable commerce and technology with our distinguished guest, Nat Pavic, a senior manager of product management for Commerce Cloud. Nat, with a remarkable background in coding, programming, physics, quantum computing, and biophysics, is currently navigating the path of innovation for Commerce Cloud. He unravels the concept of composable commerce and reveals how this new approach provides unprecedented freedom and flexibility to customers, revolutionizing the e-commerce landscape.
We delve into the realm of group shopping and digital experiences, studying innovative applications like Slack’s group dressing room. The discussion leads us to witness the transformative potential of VR and AR in enhancing online shopping efficiency. We close with an exploration of the growing trend of shoppable ads and their potential to revolutionize media revenue. Don't miss this enlightening journey into the future of commerce!
Show Highlights:
- In-depth exploration of headless and composable e-commerce platforms, emphasizing the shift towards 'commerce anywhere' and the role of being an API-first company.
- Discussion on group shopping and digital experiences.
- Examination of the potential of VR and AR in the realm of online shopping.
- Analysis of the trend of shoppable ads and their potential to revolutionize media revenue.
- Conversation around AI's potential in e-commerce, specifically in terms of predictive AI, generative AI, and their roles in enhancing shopping experiences.
- Case studies and practical applications of the concepts in various industries, including retail, travel, and the media sector.
Links:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/NatalijaPavic
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natpavic/
Settle in for a fascinating voyage through time with our guest, Bhanudas Tanaka, who has experienced the transformative journey of computer programming from its early days right up to the AI-powered present. Let's whisk you into an intimate conversation where Bhanudas recounts how he reignited his mathematician father's passion for programming, a story that's sure to inspire.
But what does the future of programming hold? Not one to rest on past laurels, Bhanudas shares his insights on the seismic shifts brought about by AI in the programming landscape. Think of metadata-aware tools and AI agents that monitor the org continuously - the future of Salesforce development is here. Bhanudas details the minimum skills required to jump onto the AI bandwagon and the importance of a hands-on approach. He paints an exciting picture of the potential of GPT and Flow GPT in generating code and metadata, opening up a world of possibilities. Join us as we navigate the riveting evolution of programming and AI through the eyes of Bhanudas.
Show Highlights:
- Discussion on Bhanudas's professional programming experiences, including creating a shipment manager for a local shipping company.
- Overview of the significant evolution of language models and AI over the past three decades, with a focus on the progression from text-based Eliza to current AI capabilities.
- Insights on AI's potential to revolutionize Salesforce development.
- The future of AI in Salesforce and the potential of GPT and Flow GPT to generate code and metadata.
- The changes in how we interact with technology, from searching in Google to prompting AI systems, and the possible future developments in this area.
Links:
- Julián on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/juliandavidduque
- Bhanudas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhanudastanaka/
Other Resources:
- Terranox - https://terranox.co/
- Purple Mai’a Foundation - https://purplemaia.org/olona-consultancy/
Resources Recommended By the Guest:
People to watch, follow, and digest:
- Eliezer Yudkowsky - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd0yQ9yxSYY.
- Also interviewed by Lex - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaTRHFaaPG8
- Andrej Karpathy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCc8FmEb1nY
- Sam Altman - Lex interview - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_Guz73e6fw
Content creators he loves:
- Two Minute Papers - https://www.youtube.com/@TwoMinutePaper
- Lex Fridman - amazing guests, very deep and thoughtful - https://www.youtube.com/@lexfridma
- Asianometry - tech + Asia, lots of history, well written - https://www.youtube.com/@Asianometry
Join us as we welcome Rob Cowell, a renowned DevOps advocate, on a journey through his personal and professional life in the world of programming and Salesforce. Starting with his early experiences tinkering with a Sord M5 computer, Rob shares how he transformed his passion for programming into a fulfilling career. We trace his evolution from working with Microsoft Access to .NET, C Sharp, and ultimately Salesforce and Apex, highlighting the importance of continuous learning and adaptation in the fast-paced tech industry.
Transitioning into his current role, Rob pulls back the curtain on what it truly means to be a DevOps advocate. Emphasizing the significance of communication, collaboration, small incremental changes, and automation, he discusses how a commitment to quality is integral to delivering excellent results. The episode also explores the role of a Salesforce DevOps engineer and how to adopt the required skill set.
Tune in to glean invaluable insights from Rob's vast experience and deep knowledge of the Salesforce ecosystem.
Show Highlights:
- The role and importance of Salesforce DevOps in delivering quality results efficiently.
- The key components of Salesforce DevOps include communication, collaboration, small incremental changes, and automation.
- The transition from traditional development stacks into Salesforce and the unique elements of the platform.
- The role of a Salesforce DevOps engineer and how to adopt the necessary skill set.
- The introduction of Rob Cowell's project, 'Shirt Force,’ which combines humor and philanthropy by creating Salesforce-themed t-shirts and donating the profits to charity.
- Insights into continuous improvement and the importance of adapting DevOps to your way of working.
Links:
- Julián on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/juliandavidduque
- Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-cowell/
- Rob's Twitter/X: @RobSalesforce
Other resources:
- Gearset: https://gearset.com/
- DevOps Launchpad free training and certs: https://devopslaunchpad.com/
- Shirtforce: https://shirtforce.org/
- His work on the demoscene: https://demozoo.org/sceners/32053/
Strap in for a journey that takes you from the vibrant streets of Mumbai to the bustling tech scene of London, led by none other than Akshata Sawant, Senior Developer Advocate at Salesforce. We had the pleasure of delving into her career, starting from her time as a Newellsoft ambassador to her current influential role at Salesforce, where she's truly making a difference by connecting with community groups across the globe.
We dive deep into the robust capabilities of MuleSoft’s transformation from a simple API integration tool to a comprehensive automation suite. We also shine a light on Akshata co-authored book, "MuleSoft for Salesforce Developers," which is a must-read for anyone interested in this space. Whether you're a seasoned developer or a tech newbie, this episode's got insights and conversations that you just can't afford to miss!
Show Highlights:
- Akshata’s work as a MuleSoft ambassador and her current role as Salesforce's Senior Developer Advocate.
- Deep dive into MuleSoft’s evolution from a simple API integration tool to a comprehensive automation suite.
- Akshata's co-authored book, "Mulesoft for Salesforce Developers," offering insights for anyone interested in this field.
- The potential game-changers from MuleSoft's Anypoint Platform, such as AI capabilities and a Visual Studio Code plugin.
- The capabilities of MuleSoft and the value of the platform for Salesforce developers.
- The Anypoint platform's offerings and potential future developments.
Links:
- Twitter account: https://twitter.com/sawantakshata02
- Linkedin account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akshatasawant02/
- Github account: https://github.com/devrelakshata
- MuleSoft for Salesforce Developers: https://www.amazon.co.uk/MuleSoft-Salesforce-Developers-practitioners-integrations/dp/1801079609/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mulesoft+for+salesforce+developers&qid=1687466406&sprefix=mulesoft+%2Caps%2C70&sr=8-1
Get set for an illuminating episode with our special guest, Jagannathan Padmanabhan, a security advocate within his current role as a Technical Architect at Salesforce. Jagan brings to the fore how he leverages Salesforce to tackle customer challenges and his fervor for platform security. He imparts his wisdom on the zero trust security model and the principle of least privilege, both key aspects in maintaining a safe platform.
Prepare to be enthralled as Jagan unveils the intricate workings of event-driven architecture within Salesforce. He walks us through the various events that transpire when a user logs in, accesses a list view, generates reports, or logs out. By the closure of our engaging conversation, you'll have a deeper comprehension of file and event security in Salesforce - a pertinent skill in this digital age. Don't miss out on this enlightening conversation!
Show Highlights:
- Discussion on Salesforce's zero trust security model and the principle of least privilege.
- Explanation of the role of Salesforce Shield in platform security.
- In-depth exploration of event-driven architecture within Salesforce.
- Introduction to the Event Monitoring add-on license, file events, and transaction security policies.
- How developers can use condition builders or Apex classes to send notifications and alerts.
- Importance of file and event security in Salesforce and its practical application in solving customer problems.
Links:
- Real-time event monitoring: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.real_time_event_monitoring_overview.htm&type=5
- Linkedin account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jagansalesforce
- FileEvents developer blog post: https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2023/06/using-fileevents-to-strengthen-file-security
Get ready for a lively discussion with our good friends and fellow admin evangelists, Mike Gerholdt and Gillian Bruce. Listen in as we tackle opinionated launches in the tech world and beyond, drawing from our experiences and personal thoughts. From the strange matrix of Coke Zero being the New Coke formula to the interesting fact that everyone has an opinion about Vision Pro, we share our insights and perspectives on how these launches draw attention and incite people's opinions.
We explore the long-rumored Apple car, the standardized dongles and charging ports, and the irony of gasoline pumps having a standard-size nozzle. Join us as we delve into the world of self-driving cars and how current roads are built for humans, not machines. Join us as we appreciate the diversity of experiences and opinions, building a deeper understanding of product appeal and consumer behavior.
Show Highlights:
- Opinionated product launches, including Coke Zero, Google Glass, and Vision Pro.
- Deep dive into the tech world with a focus on the rumored Apple car and the standardization of charging ports.
- Exploration of self-driving cars, roads built for machines, and the future of technology.
- Debate on controversial tech launches like Tesla’s Autopilot and McDonald's McRib.
- Examination of the role of public opinion in product launches and its impact on the product's success and accessibility.
- The possibilities and challenges of AI in future product launches.
Links:
- Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikegerholdt/
- Gillian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilliankbruce/
- Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabirk/
Navigating through the tech world can feel like stepping into a labyrinth, but our guest Danielle Larregui has found her own unique path. Now a senior developer advocate for Marketing Cloud at Salesforce, Danielle shares her experiences that have transformed her from an accidental admin to a ‘casual teacher’ of developers. We chat about her intriguing journey into the tech world, her engaging first public speaking experience, and how she embraces each new challenge as an opportunity for growth.
We also dive deep into the world of customer data platforms (CDPs). Our conversation with Danielle is inspiring and packed with insights, offering a fresh perspective on the evolving tech industry.
Show Highlights:
- Danielle’s journey from an "accidental admin" to a senior developer advocate for Marketing Cloud at Salesforce, discussing her career trajectory and experiences.
- The role of customer data platforms (CDPs) in consolidating customer data from disparate sources to provide a comprehensive view of the customer journey.
- How Salesforce's Commerce Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and Data Cloud can be used together to create intelligent, data-driven marketing campaigns.
- The significance of data in modern society and the differentiation between data lake objects and data objects.
- Exploration of Danielle's work with Marketing Cloud, including her projects involving AMPScript, server-side draw script, and the platform's REST and SOAP API.
- Discussion on the role of Data Cloud in AI and its future prospects.
- Introduction to Salesforce's Data Cloud, its structure, and its difference from standard Salesforce objects.
- Insight into the connection between Data Cloud and Tableau and how they work together for data analysis.
Links:
- Danielle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DnLarregui
- Danielle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-larregui-1567b973/
Join us in an enlightening discussion with Greg Bennett, a Director of Conversational Design at Salesforce. We cover how he applies his knowledge of interactional social linguistics and discourse analysis to create more natural and intuitive interactions with generative AIs. He also shares anecdotes from his tenure at Microsoft working on Cortana and how his insights from different writing systems in Japanese inform the design of chatbot dialogues.
In the second part of our discussion, Greg takes us through his path to Salesforce and how he made the business case for starting conversation design there. He provides insights into the careful design of prompts for models and model providers and the role of context in conversational AI. We then switch gears to explore the future of conversational design, the relevance of prompt engineering, and the exciting possibilities of generative AI.
Listen in as we unpack the evolution of conversational interfaces, the future of human-AI interaction, and the emerging vernacular of AI slang.
Show Highlights:
- Greg's journey to Salesforce and his role in pioneering conversation design, particularly the design of prompts for models and model providers.
- The significance of context in conversational AI is discussed, along with the future of conversational design and the emerging discipline of prompt engineering.
- The potential of generative AI and its impact on Salesforce's user interface.
- The evolution of conversational interfaces, human-AI interactions, and the development of AI slang.
- The importance of prompt writing and its transformation into a fundamental skill for conversational AI is discussed, with insights into the system of prompt orchestration.
Links:
- Greg on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gabennett45
- Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gab45/
Get ready for an incredible journey as we chat with Jeremiah Peoples, a Senior Developer Advocate for Slack at Salesforce, and explore his fascinating career path. From his earliest computer encounters to joining the Air Force and teaching himself to code, Jeremiah's story will inspire you to chase your dreams. Learn how he became a freelance YouTuber and ultimately landed his dream job at Slack, where he now shares his unique perspective on the power of Slack as a development platform and its potential to make the other 98% of software more efficient.
But that's not all - we'll also dive deep into the world of building modular Slack applications. Jeremiah walks us through the new tools available for Slack developers, the starting point of the Slack CLI, and the different ways you can trigger a workflow. Discover the magic of Block Kit, a tool for building surfaces with JSON, and how modularity can be used to create powerful applications. Don't miss this enlightening conversation that will leave you eager to explore the endless possibilities of Slack development!
Show Highlights:
- Exploring the world of building modular Slack applications, including the new tools available for Slack developers.
- The three main pillars of modular Slack applications: functions, workflows, and triggers.
- The different ways to trigger a workflow in Slack, including event triggers, shortcut triggers, webhooks, and scheduled triggers.
- The upcoming features for Workflow Builder, including conditional logic and a greater contribution to the ecosystem of apps in Slack.
Links:
- Twitter account - https://twitter.com/we_the_peoples
- Linkedin account - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremiah-peoples-7b2a65185/
- The next generation Slack Platform: https://api.slack.com/automation
Join us as we chat with Nicolas Vuillamy, CTO at Cloudity, about his journey from programming on a Commodore 64 at the age of 10 to becoming a professional developer at 16. Listen in as he shares his experience of discovering Salesforce and how the Trailblazer community played a crucial role in his growth. Nicolas talks about the inception of SFDX-Hardis, an open-source project designed to help developers and administrators implement CI/CD processes efficiently, filling the gap between expensive homemade pipelines and third-party tools.
In this episode, we explore how SFDX-Hardis allows administrators and developers to perform complex tasks with simple commands without needing extensive knowledge of Git or SFDX. Nicolas also highlights the importance of having a release manager with Git expertise to handle more complicated tasks like conflicts. Hear the story behind the creation of a purging flow versions command and how feedback from colleagues contributed to the SFDX RDS roadmap.
Don't miss this fascinating conversation with Nicolas Vuillamy and learn more about the powerful SFDX-Hardis project!
Show Highlights:
- What SFDX-Hardis is and how it works.
- What the role of a release manager with Git experience is.
- The importance of the project being open source
- How new features are handled
Links:
- Nicolas on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-vuillamy/
- Nicolas on Github: github.com/nvuillam
- Nicolas on Twitter twitter.com/NicolasVuillamy
- Nicolas' blog: nicolas.vuillamy.fr/
- SFDX-Hardis: https://sfdx-hardis.cloudity.com/
Listen in as Shridhar Raghavan, a Senior Director of Product Management at Salesforce, shares his journey from working in speech recognition two decades ago to generative AI today. We explore his early memories of playing Pac-Man on his dad's computer in the mid-90s, his break from Salesforce to pursue his own startup, and his strategy to get kids away from digital devices and into reading with AI.
Discover how Salesforce is pushing the boundaries of AI-assisted code generation for developers. We discuss parameter sizes, Salesforce's open-sourced 16 billion parameter model, and the importance of customizing and updating language models. Learn about the GPT (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) acronym and how it is used to create the wiring necessary for a language model to become a learning engine.
Don't miss this fascinating conversation with Shridhar Raghavan!
Show Highlights:
- Shridhar's strategy to get kids away from digital devices and into reading and how AI can help make reading more fun and engaging.
- How Salesforce open-sourced a 16 billion parameter model.
- The importance of customizing and updating language models.
- What the open source project CodeGen is and how it is used to generate code in six popular programming languages.
- How Salesforce is enhancing CodeGen to generate Apex code, LWC, and flows.
Links:
- Sridhar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sridharraghavan/
Join us for a virtual coffee catch-up as we discuss our activities since the last Trailblazer DX conference, as well as the upcoming Salesforce release, along with a friendly debate on coffee versus tea. We share our excitement about sharing information about releases and share some tips on how to best prepare for it.
In the second half of this episode, we explore the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in generating content and the need for critical thinking despite AI's ability to summarize content. We also discuss the difficulty of using AI to create content such as jokes, blog posts, and even fantasy stories. Finally, we share our experiences with ChatGPT, Bard, and Simon and Garfunkel even make an appearance! Don't miss this engaging and informative episode!
Show Highlights:
- Covering Salesforce releases
- AI's potential for content generation, critical thinking, and joke/story creation
- Crafting quality submissions for CFPs
Links:
- Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikegerholdt/
- Gillian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilliankbruce/
- Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabirk/
We are back with part two of our interview with Marisa Hambleton. In part one, we discussed entrepreneurship, its pros and cons, and how the pandemic created new challenges for her.
In part two, we get into the beginning days of Cactusforce and how it organically grew from a group of developers at Happy Hour to a conference with hundreds of participants in just a few short years. She also discusses how their conference had to pivot from in-person to virtual in 2021 and how they were able to allow participants to interact with the speakers and be involved.
If you missed part one, go back to episode 178 and start there. Otherwise, enjoy part two!
Show Highlights:
- How Happy Hour amongst developers turned into a conference
- How people may not be dedicated to one technology
- The content Marisa curated at Cactusforce conferences
- How to solve dense problems and get advanced developers on stage
- How Cactusforce has grown since 2020 and managed virtual conferences in 2021
Links:
- Twitter account: https://twitter.com/marisahambleton
- LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisahambleton/
- Cactusforce: https://www.cactusforce.com/
- Shirts: https://www.cactusforce.com/products
- Marisa’s company, MH2X: https://www.mh2x.com/
- More about Marisa: https://www.marisaforce.com/
In this episode, we have a conversation with Marisa Hambleton, owner of MH2X, which helps companies achieve their strategic goals through technology by building solutions and providing consulting services. Although presented with the opportunity to work for a corporate firm, Marisa chose the entrepreneurial route.
This episode is part one of a two-part interview. In part one, we discuss Marisa’s early years and how she was introduced to Salesforce. We also talk about why she chose to own her own company and the pros and cons of entrepreneurship.
Get to know Marisa in this episode, and don’t miss part two in episode 179!
Show Highlights:
- How Marisa was introduced to Salesforce
- The incentive to stay in a world of entrepreneurship
- Marisa’s advice for others who want to branch out on their own
- Sticking with entrepreneurship and knowing when it’s not working
- How the pandemic has created new challenges and solutions for her
Links:
- Twitter account: https://twitter.com/marisahambleton
- LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisahambleton/
- Cactusforce: https://www.cactusforce.com/
- Shirts: https://www.cactusforce.com/products
- Marisa’s company, MH2X: https://www.mh2x.com/
- More about Marisa: https://www.marisaforce.com/
In this episode, we have a conversation with Alicia Teo about Custom Property Editors and how you can use them to create powerful user interfaces to configure your web components. Alicia started as an intern at Commerce Cloud while pursuing her MBA and is now a Product Manager for Experience Builder here at Salesforce.
On the Experience Builder team, Alicia makes creating websites quicker and easier for admins. Custom Property Editors enable developers to create components that are even easier to use than Experience Builder, leading to fewer user errors and fewer complaints.
Enjoy!
Show Highlights:
- What custom properties are
- The problem Custom Property Editor is meant to solve
- The new lightning property types and their benefits
- How to override the date time picker with a new more robust one
- What needs to be done to a lightning web component to make it a Custom Property Editor
- The possibility of reusing the code
Links:
- Alicia’s Twitter Account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-teo/
- Custom Property Editor Docs: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/component-library/documentation/en/lwc/lwc.use_flow_custom_property_editor_lwc_example
Ananya Jha is a Product Manager working on the IDE experience here at Salesforce. This means she gets to dive into all the cool new features that Salesforce releases in its extensions and eventually serves you through VSCode and Code Builder.
In this episode, we talk about the current state of Code Builder, the Salesforce IDE, and some of its great tools that can benefit you. We also discuss the advantages of using a repository as a source of truth when using Code Builder or Salesforce IDE, PMD’s relationship with IDE, and the Apex Replay Debugger.
Show Highlights:
- The core desktop experience with Salesforce IDE
- What the Code Builder technology looks like and how it can be accessed today
- Other tools inside the IDE Ananya recommends for people to track conflicts and changes
- Ananya’s favorite extensions and tools
- Query Builder and how it works within the IDE
- How the Apex Replay Debugger Works
Links:
- Ananya on LinkedIn
- Ananya on Twitter
- Article on the Org Colors Plugin
Andrea Guzman is a Product Manager for External Services here at Salesforce. In this episode, we get an overview of the current state of External Services, which allows you to easily wrap API calls for both Flow and Apex. We learn how Andrea became involved with Salesforce and product management, the advantages of Flow versus Apex and vice versa, internal use cases, and more.
We hope you enjoy this conversation!
Show Highlights:
- What the day-to-day looks like as a Product Manager at Salesforce
- The elevator pitch for External Services
- What is the Open API spec and how it plays into External Services
- The structure for a developer and an admin to register these services
- How Named Credentials work
- What happens to your code if Twilio changes their API
Links:
- Andrea on Twitter
- Linkedin Account
- Salesforce Help Documentation
- External Services Group: Trailblazer Community
- TDX23 Session: Simplify API Integration with External Services
- Apex Developer Guide
- UnofficialSF Website
- Salesforce Architects Blog: Data Integration Guide
Pablo Gonzalez is a Salesforce Architect at Salto, a small Israel-based start-up that does DevOps for business applications like NetSuite, Zendesk, JIRA, Workato, and of course, Salesforce. Pablo is involved in all discussions of decision-making at Salesforce. Whether marketing, blog posts, product features, engineering, how we solve certain problems, the API, or anything that has to do with Salesforce, he has a say in it.
In this episode, we talk with Pablo about his project, happysoup.io, and another of his projects, Not Another CI (NACI), and other topics for continuous delivery and integration.
Show Highlights:
- How Pablo became self-trained in engineering.
- What is happysoup.io, and where the idea came from.
- What deployment boundaries are and how happysoup.io works with them.
- What the deployment options \
- Pablo's other project, Not Another CI (NACI)
- Things to think about before building out pipelines when designing for CI
Links:
- Twitter account
- LinkedIn account
- GitHub account
- HappySoup.io
- NaCI
- Blog on CI
- Blog on CI/CD checklist
In this episode, we have a conversation with Tyson Read, a Product Manager here at Salesforce, on the impact that administrators' and developers' implementations are having on the environment. We discuss his project and how he is sharing this information through dashboards and guides.
Salesforce is a net zero company, so we are already offsetting all our emissions due to our data centers. In this discussion, our goal is to spread awareness as to what kind of cost there is so that others can understand what they can do about it.
If you’d like to learn more, feel free to reach out to Tyson on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Show Highlights:
- Salesforce’s overall efforts in sustainability so far.
- How to make small changes to fix our carbon footprint.
- The equation between the cost of doing business and implementation.
- The numbers developers will see if they start tracking carbon with a code.
- How are carbon dashboard might work
- The roadmap to sustainability at Salesforce.
Links:
- Follow Tyson on Twitter
- Follow Tyson on LinkedIn
Greg Whitworth is the Senior Director of Product Management here at Salesforce. Greg started with Standards Committees in 2011 before getting involved in web platform testing and CSS Working Group, then Open UI. Today, Greg focuses his efforts on MWC, LWR Node, and standard web platform browser engagement.
In today’s episode, we talk with Greg about some distinctions between our old component framework Aura and our new, modern framework, Lightning Web Components (LWC). We dive into how the evolution of web standards at Salesforce is driven, the different styling of LWC, Aura’s file structure compared to LWC, and much more!
Show Highlights:
- Aura in relation to the rest of the Salesforce frameworks.
- Greg’s experience with JavaScript.
- How Aura’s eventing compares to LWC.
- What GraphQL is and how it compares to other API endpoints.
- Strategies to start moving an org into an LWC.
- How the language is continuing to evolve and improve the developer experience.
- What is on the roadmap.
Links:
- Greg on LinkedIn
- Greg on Twitter
- Greg on Github
- Greg’s blog
Raj Advani is the Senior Director of Product Management here at Salesforce. Raj has held a variety of different roles at the company, beginning with an Engagement Manager when he started 17 years ago. He now owns many of the event driven architectures for Salesforce, including Change Data Capture and Platform Events.
In this episode, we have a conversation with Raj about various integration solutions on the platform. We discuss what Change Data Capture and Platform Events are, the advantages of a Pub/Sub API, and more!
Show Highlights:
- Some of the internal features using Platform Events.
- Moving toward a bus centric world in Platform Events.
- The filtering conditions in Change Data Capture.
- The benefits of event driven architecture.
- The options for a distinct integrations from Salesforce.
- How Pub/Sub API plays into the event architecture.
Links:
- Raj on Twitter
- Raj on LinkedIn
- Architecture Decision Guides
- Episode 115: Event Relays with Tyson Read
- Episode 93: Pub/Sub with Emmett Chan-Ran
Kevin Poorman is a Salesforce Architect over at Chief. He is joining us in this episode to talk about one of his newest projects, Apex Kit. Apex Kit is a library of tools that all help developers do repeated actions accurately and securely.
In our conversation, Kevin and I talk about his backstory and some of his career history. We also dive deeper into Apex Kit and get a full understanding of it. Enjoy this intriguing conversation with Kevin Poorman!
Show Highlights:
- Where the idea for Apex Kit came from.
- How Apex Kit works.
- The connection between Apex Recipes and Apex Kit.
- What promises in code are.
- How promises get built into Apex.
- What polyfills are and how they work within Apex Kit.
- The function of Ouroboros in Apex Kit.
- The difference between a ULID and a UUID and a use case for a ULID.
Links:
- Twitter account - @Codefriar
- Linkedin account https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinpoorman/
- Github account https://github.com/codefriar/
- Apex Kit: https://github.com/codefriar/ApexKit
Chelyn Briand is a Salesforce Partnerships Manager with many years of experience in recruiting and helping people get hired for jobs they want. She also helps people clean up their LinkedIn profiles so it better shows their skills and can catch the eye of recruiters.
It is undoubtedly a challenging climate for those looking for a job in tech right now. Chelyn shares some excellent tips on how to stand out and get the job you want and not just the job you need.
We hope you enjoy this quick conversation with Chelyn.
Show Highlights:
- The Supermoms organization that Chelyn is involved with
- What you can do to take a step back and be more successful in your job search
- Focus on your day-to-day goals – rather than a job title
- We all have a personal brand (whether you like it or not)
- LinkedIn’s relevance for the developer architect community and how you can leverage your profile
Links:
- Chelyn on LinkedIn
- Chelyn on Twitter
In this episode, we have a conversation with the lead software engineer here at Salesforce, Jonathan Gillespie. Jonathan develops in Apex and Liightning Components and works in the internal org, Gus. He has been on the podcast before, but he’s back to discuss the follow-up to his Nebula Logger project – the Nebula Cache Manager.
We talk about how Platform Cache works, how it works with Apex, and how it can make your life as a developer better. Jonathan also shares the three specific limits that led him to start thinking about better cache strategies.
Listen in to learn how the new Nebula Cache Manager can be a benefit to you.
Show Highlights:
- What Nebula Logger is.
- What happens when we have a static variable in Apex.
- The difference between organizational and session platform caches.
- The expiration of an organization.
- How Jonathan handles an org with no Platform Cache.
- The things Jonathan wanted to give back to a developer from a utility point of view.
Links:
- LinkedIn Account
- GitHub Account
- Nebula Cache Manager
- A Flexible Cache Manager, Joys Of Apex
James Simone is a lead software engineer here at Salesforce. James works under the helm of the agile organization, where his team helps build tools for all of the engineering teams to measure their productivity and happiness. James’ team is making it possible to move fast without breaking anything at Salesforce.
In this episode, we talk about many philosophical concepts of software engineering. This includes agile and pure programming, mob programming, recursion and refactoring, and more. We also go into creating a future-proofed framework and even bring in the movie Midnight in Paris
Listen in to learn how to move fast without breaking things in software engineering.
Show Highlights:
- The tools involved in tracking agile
- What James finds interesting about the Ruby ecosystem
- Timing and efficiency versus safety
- Where YAGNI comes into play
- What makes for a good unit test
Links:
- Twitter Account
- Linkedin Account
- GitHub Account
- Joys Of Apex
- Changelog Episode 521
- Combined Apex Async Framework Blog Post
Jason Atwood is the co-founder and CEO of the business consulting company Arkus Incorporated. In this episode, we talk about how he progressed from running a carpet company in Africa to becoming a Python developer to getting involved with Salesforce. We also discuss how he formed Arkus. However, our primary focus for this episode has less to do with computer coding and more to do with helping people reach their goals.
Our focal point for this episode is on how to get things done and what that means for developers. We discuss a couple of acronyms that pertain to one’s success and how Jason helps other people and business owners check off their to-do lists and realize their goals.
Show Highlights:
- What the GTD methodology is.
- How Jason helps people work through exercises and create new habits.
- How GTD improves work performance and mental health at Arkus.
- Jason’s favorite resources for people who want to get things done.
Links:
- Twitter Account
- LinkedIn Account
- GitHub Account
- Arkus
- GTD, The Book
- GTD, The TED Talk
Karen Fidelak is the Product Manager for DevOps Center here at Salesforce. DevOps Center is a new product at Salesforce that provides an end-to-end experience to help low code and industry-pro developers manage their changes and releases while developing on the Salesforce platform. Through DevOps, developers of all kinds are able to work together when they have been incompatible in the past.
In this episode, we talk with Karen about DevOps Center, what it means to admins and developers, and some of its details and implementations. We discuss the goal of bringing everything together and the modern best practices to provide a better and easier-to-use, more modern interface.
Listen in to learn more!
Show Highlights:
- How Karen got into product management and with Salesforce.
- What the day-to-day looks like for Karen at Salesforce.
- What DevOps Center is and how it helps all types of developers.
- The three benefits of leaving change set behind and moving forward with DevOps are.
- How GitHub integration works.
- Where CI CD comes into play with DevOps.
Links:
- Twitter account
- Linkedin account
- DevOps Trailblazer Community
Amit Chaudhary is a principal technical architect at InfoServices. In 2010, Amit had just moved to the United States and was working from home, so he created a group for developers to connect to make friends in his new city. This grew into a program and community that he now calls Apex Hours.
In this episode, we discuss Apex Hours and how it has become a community-driven program. Salesforce experts create content every week for other developers to learn from. They believe that everyone has something to learn from each other and are growing in their technical skills together.
Listen in to learn more from Amit on Apex Hours and how they are impacting the developer community.
Show Highlights:
- What Amit does as the principal Salesforce architect.
- How Apex Hours organically came into existence.
- What led Amit to provide Sales Cloud-focused material through Apex Hours.
- Amit’s tips for people who are interviewing in the Salesforce ecosystem.
- What the Salesforce inspector Chrome extension is.
- What exciting content and events are upcoming from Apex Hours.
Links:
- Twitter account: twitter.com/amit_sfdc
- Linkedin account: linkedin.com/in/amitchaudhary21/
- Apex Hours website: apexhours.com/
Roopa Mohan is the principal software engineer for the coding analyzer team here at Salesforce. She loved computers when she was introduced to them in sixth grade and decided she wanted to do coding. The only company she applied to work at, Salesforce, hired her.
In this episode, Roopa shares information about how the code analyzer came to be and what is in its future. She discusses how it works, who it works best for, and other tools that it works well in conjunction with.
Listen in to learn more about the Salesforce code analyzer tool and how it can be used in your operations.
Show Highlights:
- What the code analyzer team does for its clients, and who the target audience is.
- What PMD and its counterpart ESLint are.
- The customization options for PMD and the code analyzer’s role in the customization.
- What Code Analyzer 3.0 does for retired JavaScript libraries.
- What might be the future regarding developer tooling and AI technology.
Links:
- Twitter account: @rmohan_sfdc
- Linkedin account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roopa-mohan-21a85b20/
- Github account: @rmohan20
Links related to Code Analyzer:
- Public documentation: https://forcedotcom.github.io/sfdx-scanner/
- Open-source repo: https://github.com/forcedotcom/sfdx-scanner
- Blogs:
- https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2020/10/improve-your-code-quality-with-the-salesforce-cli-scanner
- https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2022/10/develop-even-more-secure-code-with-salesforce-code-analyzer
Greg Kihlström is the Principal and Chief Strategist at GK5A, a marketing consultant agency in Arlington, VA. He’s a consultant to many C-level types and an expert in marketing. He also hosts The Agile Brand podcast and is the author of 11 books.
CDP has become a popular subject since the launch of Salesforce Genie, and in this episode, Greg shares a plethora of information about it. We talk about what CDP is, what the moving parts are, what it means to technical architects and developers, and more.
Greg is an insightful resource in the marketing and branding space. Listen in to learn from someone who is immersed in marketing and knows the ins and outs of CDPs and CRMs.
Show Highlights:
- What an agile brand is and how it works with marketing and branding
- What CDP stands for, and what it does
- What the data points are that we apply back to the CDP
- If there are regulations surrounding CDP for consumer privacy
- What type of companies benefit from a CDP, and the risks of not using it
- How Greg thinks generative AI impacts marketing
Links:
- Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom
- The Agile Brand podcast: https://www.gregkihlstrom.com/theagilebrandpodcast
- Agile Guide on CDP: https://www.gregkihlstrom.com/agile-brand-guide-to-cdps
- GK5A website: https://www.gk5a.com
Oleh Mykytyn is the strategic relationship director at the Salesforce partner company Red Tag. Oleh has always had a knack for computers and coding and fit right in with Salesforce after winning a hoodie in 2014 for finishing five badges. In 2017, Oleh was a part of the team that began the Salesforce Developer Group in the Ukraine. Recently, Oleh had a presentation on Apex and record triggered flows, where he discussed which is better.
In this episode, we dive into Oleh’s latest presentation topic, beginning with the question, do we need both Apex and record triggered flows? Oleh answers when it’s best to use Apex over Flow, which one’s faster, which one’s better to maintain, and more. We also touch on use cases for wrapper classes and Oleh’s role on the Salesforce product advisory board.
Show Highlights:
- Do we need both record triggered flows and Apex triggers?
- When it’s best to use Apex over Flow.
- If Apex is faster than Flow.
- Which is better to maintain.
- How easy is it for a developer to pick up the modern version of Flow?
- How Apex and Flow interact with each other.
- Use cases for wrapper classes.
- Oleh’s role on Salesforce’s product advisory board.
Links:
- Follow Oleh on Twitter
- Follow Oleh on LinkedIn
- Follow Oleh on Github
- salesforceben.com/what-is-wrapper-class-in-salesforce
- redtag.pro/blog/keeping-up-with-salesforce-leaders-worldwide
Rafael Hernandez is a specialist leader at Deloitte and an avid member of the Salesforce community around the world. However, especially in Mexico where students don’t always have the same opportunities in web development, and consulting. Rafael has committed to providing learning opportunities for college kids so they may get involved and be successful within the Salesforce economy.
In this episode, Rafael discusses how coding came easy to him and when he was introduced to Salesforce. He goes into how he started a community within Salesforce and how he teaches students to be consultants by teaching them soft skills.
Rafael is so passionate about what he offers that it almost sounds too good to be true. Listen in to get a sense of Rafael’s excitement for his charitable causes and how he is preparing college students for adulthood.
Show Highlights:
- How Rafael got started in coding and joined Salesforce.
- When and why Rafael began the community portion of Salesforce.
- How he teaches students soft skills and prepares them to be consultants.
- What happens after people graduate from his class.
- The benefit of pairing students with nonprofits in Mexico.
- What the Kerrnandez Foundation is, and how it started.
- How Rafael’s book, “¡Soy Adulto! (¿Ahora Qué?)” came to be.
Links:
- Rafael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafablazer/
- Rafael on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rafablazer
- Rafael's website: https://rafahernandez.org/
- Kerrnandez Foundation: https://www.kerrnandez.org/
Rishabh Poddar is the CTO and co-founder of SuperTokens, an open source user authentication service. Rishabh has always been fascinated with computers and began coding when he was 12 years old. Programming came easily to him, and he loved doing it, so he went to school for computer science and made it his career.
In this episode, we have a conversation about creating SuperTokens and how they work compared to other authentication techniques. Rishabh shares how to prevent impersonation, the architecture of SuperTokens, tips for JavaScript developers, and more.
Show Highlights:
- Rishabh's earliest memory with a computer.
- Why he created an operating system from scratch.
- What got Rishabh interested in authentication.
- What a rotating refresh token is.
- What SuperTokens core strength is.
- How passwordless authentication works.
- What cross origin resource sharing (CORS) is.
- What the SuperTokens business model us.
Links:
- Rishabh on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rishpoddar
- Rishabh on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishabh-poddar-b64b73129/
- Rishabh on Github: https://github.com/rishabhpoddar
Rob Katz is the VP of Product Management for our Office of Ethical and Humane Use of Technology here at Salesforce. He got into product management as he was getting ready to finish up his MBA and came to work for big companies like Amazon and Alexa.
In this episode, Rob and I are talking all about ethics. We discuss Ethics by Design, data ethics when it comes to building applications, and even more. Tune in to get a deeper understanding of the ethics of technology.
Show Highlights:
- Rob’s winding career journey.
- What he worked on at Alexa as the dedicated privacy project manager.
- What he does in his current role at The Office of Ethical and Humane Use of Technology.
- The lifecycle of Ethics by Design.
- Examples of well-intended designs that ended up having unintended consequences.
- What developers should think about in regards to ethics when building a new application.
- What consequence scanning workshops are.
Links:
- Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertskatz/
- How to Run a Consequence Scanning Workshop - https://medium.com/salesforce-ux/how-to-run-a-consequence-scanning-workshop-4b14792ea987
- What is Ethics by Design? https://www.salesforce.com/blog/what-is-ethics-by-design/
- Responsible Marketing / Responsible Personalization - https://www.salesforce.com/blog/responsible-marketing-principles/
- New Research Reveals 4 Ways Businesses Can Maximize Trust & Savings with Personalization - https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/salesforce-ethical-data-management-report/
- Data Ethics in our Help & Training Documentation - https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.c360a_ethics.htm&type=5
Kathy Baxter is the Principal Architect for Ethical AI Practice here at Salesforce. Ethics and AI is a complex topic but Kathy is truly an expert. She started researching it in 2016 when she first learned how toxicity and bias can end up creeping into AI.
Today, Kathy is joining us to talk all about Ethical AI. In our conversation, we also discuss how technical products can use ethics and AI. Join us to learn all about this interesting facet of our industry.
Show Highlights:
- How Kathy got into this line of work.
- What an AI-first company is.
- How toxicity can creep into chatbots.
- Why ethical AI is so important in a company like Salesforce.
- Unique things Salesforce uses AI for.
- AI considerations developers should think about from the beginning of the development of an application.
- Where AI can’t replace human intuition.
Links:
- Kathy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/baxterkb
- Kathy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathykbaxter/
- Kathy on Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@baxterkb
- Responsible Creation of AI Trailhead: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/responsible-creation-of-artificial-intelligence
- Building Ethical and Inclusive Products Trailmix: sfdc.co/EthicalandInclusiveProducts
- Salesforce Trusted AI Site & Resources: salesforceairesearch.com/trusted-ai
- AI Ethics Maturity Model: sfdc.co/EAIMM
Lisa White is a Software Engineer over at TaskRay. Over the years, Lisa has tried out a variety of careers and had to make many career decisions. Throughout her experiences, she learned JavaScript and eventually found her way to TaskRay.
In this episode, I sit down with Lisa to talk about her journey. She tells us the story of how she got into software engineering, learned JavaScript, and developed her career from there. She also gives some great advice for those who are junior developers looking to get into this field.
Show Highlights:
- How Lisa got exposed to tech and Salesforce.
- Why her career shift felt like an identity shift.
- Her experience with Hack Reactor.
- How she morphed her JavaScript and React skills into Apex and LWC.
- Advice for junior developers.
- What made her want to talk about Javascript and date time at Dreamforce.
- Why third party data libraries are so helpful.
- Tips for those who want to get onstage at Dreamforce.
Links:
- Lisa on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lmbel
- Lisa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitelisab/
- Lisa on Github: https://github.com/whitelisab
- Lisa's website: https://www.whitelisab.com/
On this episode, we are pleased to welcome Jessica Murphy to the show. We talk about Jessica’s journey into discovering development with Salesforce and the influence others have had on those experiences, as well as sharing those experiences with Salesforce Saturdays. She is a co-conspirator of Salesforce Saturdays in Phoenix since 2015 with two other women with the goal of helping other developers find success.
Salesforce Saturdays occur around the country in various coffee shops and sometimes office locations, as a casual environment to educate and empower people. Their success stories are amazing, as some people have attended Salesforce Saturdays and then gone on to accomplish their goals. They also encourage people to give back. For example, they had an attendee come back to hire others at a Salesforce Saturday when he was looking for employees. There are always new people who want to learn Salesforce, so it is an exciting environment, and all are welcome. Just come – you don’t need any special qualifications! The door is open for you to join a Salesforce Saturday near you.
Show highlights
- Jessica’s journey to becoming a woman in technology
- The profound influence education has had on her life and the confidence it has given her
- Introduction to Trailhead and how it ties into your commitment to making yourself better
- The opportunities presented through Salesforce that have had an amazing impact on Jessica
- People learn things different ways, so there are various hurdles to learning Salesforce
- The evolution, impact and growth of Trailhead and all the options available that it is supporting
- Ways you can participate in Salesforce Saturday. Your help is valuable! Everyone is a leader in this group setting and we support each other
Resources
- Jessica Murphy on LinkedIn
- Jessica on Twitter
- Salesforce Saturday website
- Salesforce Saturday on LinkedIn
The many shout outs for this episode
- Sheena Smith
- Rachel Watson
- Paula Nelson
- Bonny Hinners
- Steph Herrera
- Shonnah Hughes
- Nadina Lisbon
- Tami Lau
- Brian Kwong
- Jen W. Lee
- Chris Duarte
- David Liu
Today, we’ve got a guest host! I’m partnering with my partner in crime, Mike Gerholdt, as he’s taking over the host seat and interviewing our good friend and colleague, Domenique Buxton.
Domenique is the VP Executive Creative Director for Trailblazers and Trailhead. She has also played a major part in the development of Salesforce characters, something that has built connection and meaning within the Salesforce community.
Throughout Mike’s conversation with Domenique, they discuss the history of the Salesforce characters, including how they came to be, why they were created, and more!
Show Highlights:
- The origin story of Salesforce characters.
- Why they created the characters the way they did.
- How the characters have evolved over the years.
- How the characters got connected with a deeper purpose.
- Where community feedback has been crucial in the development of Salesforce characters.
- Some of Domenique’s special memories from events.
- The teamwork that brought the characters to light.
Links:
- SaaSy breaking it down
- Domenique: @LittleIglooo
- Salesforce Admins: @SalesforceAdmns
- Gillian: @GillianKBruce
- Mike: @MikeGerholdt
David Schach is joining us again! We started our conversation on being a trusted advisor last week and are finishing it off today in part two.
David is a Salesforce Application Architect over at Spot On. He consults on all things Salesforce and has a wide range of experience with it. Therefore, he has some great tips and tricks to share. Tune in to learn more of them along with how to become a trusted advisor.
Show Highlights:
- What the basic database theory is.
- David’s favorite tools he’s pulled off GitHub.
- Why “prettifying” code is so helpful.
- Why negative testing is so important.
- The difference between being dependable and being trusted.
Links:
- David on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dschach
- David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidschach/
- David on GitHub: https://github.com/dschach
David Schach is the Salesforce Application Architect over at Spot On. As a Salesforce consultant, David has practically seen it all. He has dealt with a variety of situations over the years that have equipped him to understand Salesforce at a unique depth.
In this episode and next week’s, David is sharing his best practices and tips. He’s also going to tell us some of his favorite “war stories” from his years of Salesforce consulting. Tune in to learn from his incredible wisdom.
Show Highlights:
- David’s history in computing and even going to med school.
- How he got into data loading and model metrics.
- How he started down the architecture path from there.
- How influential open source has been for both of us.
- A few of David’s implementation horror stories.
Links:
- David on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dschach
- David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidschach/
- David on Github: https://github.com/dschach
David Schach is the Salesforce Application Architect over at Spot On. As a Salesforce consultant, David has practically seen it all. He has dealt with a variety of situations over the years that have equipped him to understand Salesforce at a unique depth.
In this episode and next week’s, David is sharing his best practices and tips. He’s also going to tell us some of his favorite “war stories” from his years of Salesforce consulting. Tune in to learn from his incredible wisdom.
Show Highlights:
- David’s history in computing and even going to med school.
- How he got into data loading and model metrics.
- How he started down the architecture path from there.
- How influential open source has been for both of us.
- A few of David’s implementation horror stories.
Links:
- David on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dschach
- David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidschach/
- David on Github: https://github.com/dschach
Angela Mahoney is the Executive Director of RAD Women. She also helped found this organization and has played a major part in its growth. Angela is currently assisting with a cool project of teaching Salesforce at a university in Mexico.
In this episode, Angela and I dive into the history behind RAD Women. She shares how it was formed and what they’re doing today. Finally, we discuss the kickoff of the brand new conference, Forcelandia
Show Highlights:
- More about the Salesforce project Angela’s helping out with in Mexico.
- How she got involved with technology at Salesforce.
- Why she wanted to get involved in the Salesforce community.
- The origin story and mission statement of RAD Women.
- What has contributed to RAD Women’s regional growth.
- Why Angela wanted to create a community conference.
- How Forcelandia is distinct from other community events.
- What Angela does outside of RAD Women.
Links:
- Angela on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelamahoneymba/
- Angela on Twitter: https://twitter.com/icloudsf
- Rad Women: http://radwomen.org/
- Forcelandia: http://forcelandia.com/
- Josh's keynote, The Pool at Nowhere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkXefNpFbOA
Shoby Abdi is the Director of Architect Success here at Salesforce. He started his career as an intern at Lions Consulting Group. It was there that he first heard about Salesforce and got involved with it.
In this episode, Shoby and I talk all about the B2C and B2B Solution Architect program including the enablement that goes along with it. We also discuss the certifications that Shoby helped create.
Show Highlights:
- More on Shoby’s career background.
- How he got into architecture.
- The difference between a solution architect and a technical architect.
- All about Shoby’s current role.
- What the enablement with Solution Architect looks like.
- Challenges the multi-cloud strategy presents.
- What it takes to build a certification.
- The major differences between B2C and B2B.
Links:
- Shoby on Twitter: http://twitter.com/shobyabdi
- Shoby on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/shobyabdi
- B2B Solution Architecture on Github: github.com/b2bsolutionarchitectprogram
- B2B Workshops: https://trailheadacademy.salesforce.com/classes/arc801-Design-and-implement-b2b-multi-cloud-solutions
Katie Villanueva, Senior Salesforce Administrator, is joining us again today! We started our conversation on mental health in the workplace last week and, in this episode, we’ll finish it up.
Katie has a long history with mental health and illness. She has grown and learned a lot over the years and she now supports others through a mental health and illness forum. Tune in to learn how to handle mental health in the workplace, how you can help others with mental illnesses and improve your own mental health, and all about the forum Katie created.
Show Highlights:
- Katie’s “CRM” mindset.
- The stigma around mental health in our society, especially in the tech industry.
- Why respect for ourselves and others is so crucial.
- What mindfulness is.
- How Katie structures her routine to improve her mental health.
- The origin story of her community forum.
Links:
- Katie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Catptains_Log
- Katie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-villanueva-36138914a/
- Mental Health and Illness Group: https://sfdc.co/tb-mental-health-illness
Katie Villanueva is a Senior Salesforce Administrator. She is also the creator of the Mental Health and Illness forum on Trailblazer. Katie has been on a long journey with mental health and has learned so much along the way.
In this episode, Katie and I discuss her mental health history and her various experiences with it. She also shares some things we can do to optimize our mental health. You don’t want to miss this one.
Show Highlights:
- Katie’s history in radio and how she transitioned from that to Salesforce.
- When she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
- The long journey that led to her diagnosis.
- The three types of bipolar disorder.
- The difference between mental health and mental illness.
- How Katie manages her anxiety.
- The experience she had meeting Charlie Isaacs.
Links:
- Katie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Catptains_Log
- Katie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-villanueva-36138914a/
- Mental Health and Illness Group: https://sfdc.co/tb-mental-health-illness
Heather Black is the CEO of Supermums. She started out in social entrepreneurship and made the jump to being a CEO when she was 26. Eventually, this morphed into Supermums, the company she created and now runs.
In this episode, Heather and I talk about her long history with social entrepreneurship and what that term means. We also talk all about Supermums and how it runs today. Finally, Heather explains how she has created a healthy work-life balance.
Show Highlights:
- The first business Heather started.
- What social entrepreneurship is.
- How Heather got into social entrepreneurship and moved into the role of CEO.
- What her first year as a CEO was like.
- Her journey of leaving her first company and founding Supermums.
- What they do over at Supermums and who it’s directed at helping.
- Why Heather wanted to start a podcast.
- All about the book The Unseen Wounds of Women.
- Why it’s important to be an authentic leader.
Links:
- Supermums on Twitter: https://twitter.com/supermumsglobal
- Supermums on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/supermumsglobal
- Supermums website: www.supermums.org
Ben Sklar is a Senior Product Manager here at Salesforce. Though he started college as a pre-med major, he quickly shifted his interests after taking a Coding 101 course. He went on to pursue Computer Science and even to do research at Vanderbilt University and Hamilton College.
Today, Ben and I are talking about GraphQL. GraphQL is a new standard which provides significant performance and organizational benefits to API calls as opposed to REST. Specifically, we’re discussing how Salesforce is implementing it and how you can use it. Join us!
Show Highlights:
- How Ben got into web technology and front-end engineering.
- How he got introduced to Salesforce and what he does in his current job here.
- An overview of GraphQL.
- The key limitation of REST that GraphQL is trying to solve.
- The two main ways to use GraphQL APIs.
- How lightning web components fit into all of this.
- More things on the roadmap for GraphQL.
Links:
- Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-sklar/
Tiago Ruivo is a Senior Regional Success Architect here at Salesforce. He started his career in computer science and was introduced to Salesforce through pure luck as a customer. Eventually, he made the jump over to working for Salesforce and, over time, progressed from being a junior developer to holding his current role.
Today, Tiago and I are talking about one of my favorite subjects: static code analysis. Throughout the episode, Diego walks us through how to run it, how to manage it, and how to operate it with your teams.
Show Highlights:
- More about Tiago’s background and career history.
- How he describes his current role.
- What static code analysis is and where it falls in the development cycle.
- What the term “shift left” means.
- What static code analysis is good at catching and what it’s not good at catching.
- The tools that make up static code analysis.
- The first steps to take when you run code analysis.
- Best practices for making your own set of rules with static code analysis.
- Where you can learn more about all of this.
Links:
- Tiago on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiagoruivo/
- PMD: https://pmd.github.io/
- ES-lint: https://eslint.org/
- SFDX Scanner: https://forcedotcom.github.io/sfdx-scanner/
If you tuned into last week’s podcast, you heard from Steph Herrera. She is the co-founder of PepUp Tech and helped launch Salesforce Saturdays. All in all, her efforts have made a major impact in the Salesforce community.
Steph is back today for part two of our conversation. Throughout the episode, we talk more about Salesforce Saturdays and how Steph keeps it running with its now 60 chapters. We also discuss a topic that both of us are very passionate about: stress and burnout.
Show Highlights:
- What Merivis is and Steph’s involvement with it.
- The keynote Steph did at Dreamforce 2017.
- Her tips for anyone preparing to give a keynote.
- How mental health came onto her radar.
- Why stress and burnout can become such a problem for people in the tech community.
- All about the mental health panel Steph is doing.
Links:
- Steph on Twitter: @steph_herrera_
- Steph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph360/
If you tuned into last week’s podcast, you heard from Steph Herrera. She is the co-founder of PepUp Tech and helped launch Salesforce Saturdays. All in all, her efforts have made a major impact in the Salesforce community.
Steph is back today for part two of our conversation. Throughout the episode, we talk more about Salesforce Saturdays and how Steph keeps it running with its now 60 chapters. We also discuss a topic that both of us are very passionate about: stress and burnout.
Show Highlights:
- What Merivis is and Steph’s involvement with it.
- The keynote Steph did at Dreamforce 2017.
- Her tips for anyone preparing to give a keynote.
- How mental health came onto her radar.
- Why stress and burnout can become such a problem for people in the tech community.
- All about the mental health panel Steph is doing.
Links:
- Steph on Twitter: @steph_herrera_
- Steph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph360/
Steph Herrera is the co-founder of PepUp Tech and has a long history in the Salesforce community. After starting out at Dell, Steph developed a passion for computers and eventually coding. From there, she got involved with a variety of projects like Maris.
However, what Steph is most famous for is something that has made an indelible impact on our community, Salesforce Saturdays. Tune in to dive into the story behind Salesforce Saturdays, what it looks like today, and much more from Steph.
Show Highlights:
- How Steph ended up in tech.
- How she got introduced to Salesforce and decided to make it the backbone of her career.
- Steph’s story of co-founding PepUp Tech.
- What PepUp Tech is doing right now.
- Where the idea for Salesforce Saturdays came from.
- How they keep it structured with 60 chapters running.
Links:
- Steph on Twitter: @steph_herrera_
- Steph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph360/
Steph Herrera is the co-founder of PepUp Tech and has a long history in the Salesforce community. After starting out at Dell, Steph developed a passion for computers and eventually coding. From there, she got involved with a variety of projects like Maris.
However, what Steph is most famous for is something that has made an indelible impact on our community, Salesforce Saturdays. Tune in to dive into the story behind Salesforce Saturdays, what it looks like today, and much more from Steph.
Show Highlights:
- How Steph ended up in tech.
- How she got introduced to Salesforce and decided to make it the backbone of her career.
- Steph’s story of co-founding PepUp Tech.
- What PepUp Tech is doing right now.
- Where the idea for Salesforce Saturdays came from.
- How they keep it structured with 60 chapters running.
Links:
- Steph on Twitter: @steph_herrera_
- Steph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph360/
In keeping with our discussion of open-source software, today we will be speaking with Jonathan Gillespie, a software engineer here at Salesforce who is responsible for building the Nebula Logger. Jonathan is a proponent of open-source software for its many benefits, from community sourcing to expert knowledge and transparency.
Frustrated with the limitations of proprietary software, Jonathan began experimenting with open-source as a more robust alternative. In my discussion with Jonathan, he fills us in on the reasons he has embraced open-source and why it can be helpful to other developers. He also discusses his current project, Nebula Logger, what led him to begin his work on it, and how it can be used to monitor and report logging data.
Show Highlights:
- What led Jonathan to embrace open-source software
- The benefits of open-source software
- The origin story of Jonathan’s work on Nebula Logger
- How the rise of automation has impacted developers
Links:
- Jonathan on Linkedin - https://linkedin.com/in/jongpie/
- Jonathan on Github - https://github.com/jongpie/
In keeping with our discussion of open-source software, today we will be speaking with Jonathan Gillespie, a software engineer here at Salesforce who is responsible for building the Nebula Logger. Jonathan is a proponent of open-source software for its many benefits, from community sourcing to expert knowledge and transparency.
Frustrated with the limitations of proprietary software, Jonathan began experimenting with open-source as a more robust alternative. In my discussion with Jonathan, he fills us in on the reasons he has embraced open-source and why it can be helpful to other developers. He also discusses his current project, Nebula Logger, what led him to begin his work on it, and how it can be used to monitor and report logging data.
Show Highlights:
- What led Jonathan to embrace open-source software
- The benefits of open-source software
- The origin story of Jonathan’s work on Nebula Logger
- How the rise of automation has impacted developers
Links:
- Jonathan on Linkedin - https://linkedin.com/in/jongpie/
- Jonathan on Github - https://github.com/jongpie/
James Simone is a Lead Software Engineer here at Salesforce. One of his great passions in life is open-source software. That is exactly what we will be talking about today.
James was inspired to get into open-source software to help people share code in a more easily indexable, searchable format. This is even what led him to work here at Salesforce. In this episode, James teaches us how we can use open-source software, how to get into it, and some of the projects that he likes.
Show Highlights:
- How James came to work for Salesforce.
- What extreme programming is and where it came from.
- Why enterprises should support open-source software.
- How second-generation packaging affected Salesforce projects.
- How to navigate licensing and fair use when working with open-source software.
- All about Nebula Logger and the logging problem it solves.
- What Apex Rollup is.
- How to get involved in Nebula Logger and/or Apex Rollup.
Links:
- James on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrwordsmith
- James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrwordsmith/
- James on Github: https://github.com/jamessimone
- Joys Of Apex: https://jamessimone.net/blog/joys-of-apex/
James Simone is a Lead Software Engineer here at Salesforce. One of his great passions in life is open-source software. That is exactly what we will be talking about today.
James was inspired to get into open-source software to help people share code in a more easily indexable, searchable format. This is even what led him to work here at Salesforce. In this episode, James teaches us how we can use open-source software, how to get into it, and some of the projects that he likes.
Show Highlights:
- How James came to work for Salesforce.
- What extreme programming is and where it came from.
- Why enterprises should support open-source software.
- How second-generation packaging affected Salesforce projects.
- How to navigate licensing and fair use when working with open-source software.
- All about Nebula Logger and the logging problem it solves.
- What Apex Rollup is.
- How to get involved in Nebula Logger and/or Apex Rollup.
Links:
- James on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrwordsmith
- James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrwordsmith/
- James on Github: https://github.com/jamessimone
- Joys Of Apex: https://jamessimone.net/blog/joys-of-apex/
Kevin Boyle is the CEO of Gearset. Today, I sit down to talk with him all about his journey of building out Gearset and developing it into what it is today. We also discuss DevOps in general throughout our conversation.
Kevin’s life trajectory was mostly set from the moment he was first introduced to gaming and coding and was instantly hooked. He went on to do an internship with Microsoft which set his career in stone. Tune in to learn more about his history and what he’s doing now with Gearset.
Show Highlights:
- What Kevin’s experience at Microsoft was like.
- How he went from that to working with DevOps.
- How Salesforce’s approach to metadata layers changed his thinking about DevOps.
- The pitfalls of an org-centric model.
- Qualities that make for a good DevOps practice.
- Common misconceptions around DevOps.
- When Kevin decided to start his own company and why.
- The importance of surrounding yourself with a great team of people as an entrepreneur.
Links:
- Kevin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevfromireland?lang=en
- Kevin on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinfromireland/
- Kevin on Github: https://github.com/kevfromireland
Drew Tauber is a Salesforce Engineer over at Clear. He is joining us today to discuss somewhat of a hot topic: burnout. Burnout is being talked about more and more in our society and brought to more and more people’s attention. We want to dedicate an entire episode to furthering the conversation on it.
Throughout our discussion, Drew and I talk all about stress, burnout, and anxiety. We also discuss how these things can affect us in the workplace. Finally, we chat about what to do if you are experiencing burnout.
Show Highlights:
- How Drew became a coder and got involved with Salesforce.
- His current role in the Salesforce community.
- The early signs of burnout.
- How the early pandemic contributed to Drew’s burnout.
- How burnout leads to an unhealthy work environment.
- The steps Drew took to recover from burnout.
- How he prioritized socializing and exercising in his recovery.
- What he does now to prevent burnout.
- Communication boundaries he’s implemented.
- Why he decided to start doing presentations on burnout and stress.
Links:
- Drew on Twitter
- Drew on LinkedIn
- Drew on Github
- Drew on Trailblazer
Nico Pouilloux is a principal ISV technical evangelist here at Salesforce. He has worked for a variety of companies throughout his career but eventually came to realize that he wanted to work for a B2B software company. This brought him to Salesforce.
In this episode, Nico and I discuss his work as an ISV technical evangelist. We also get into his advice for ISVs and the Business Builders program he has helped develop. Join us!
Show Highlights:
- What Nico’s current role looks like.
- How he keeps up with all the latest developments.
- How he helps founders of new businesses get on the market.
- The evaluation process he goes through when founders bring in their ideas.
- A simple explanation of the Business Builders program.
- The communal features of Business Builders.
Links:
- Nico on Twitter: https://twitter.com/npouillouxsf
- Nico on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/npouilloux/
- Nico on Github: https://github.com/nicopollux
Daniel Peter is the Salesforce Practice Lead over at Robots & Pencils. Having had some incredible experiences throughout his life (including starting as a self-taught programmer, studying marketing in college, and taking some time mid-career to go on “sabbatical” and travel), Daniel brings a unique perspective to our show.
In today’s conversation, Daniel and I talk all about his time in the Salesforce ecosystem and what his current job looks like. We also get into the weeds a bit with the Slack and Salesforce integration. Tune in to hear all of this and more.
Show Highlights:
- Daniel’s history with computers.
- Why he decided to get a business degree and how it has benefited him.
- How he describes his current job.
- Why the designer role is so important.
- The benefits of Block Kit.
- How Slack can be used for more than communication.
- How the Slack and Salesforce integration can bring back some of the magic for developers.
- Daniel’s developer story with Slack.
- Slack integrations he has worked on and their use cases.
- Event structure in Slack.
Links:
- Daniel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/danieljpeter
- Daniel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieljpeter/
- Daniel on Github: https://github.com/danieljpeter
Paul McCollum is a Salesforce Technical Architect over at Accenture. Though he pursued various interests in college, he eventually came to pursue a degree in Computer Science. From there, he began his first job as a Unix programmer and then found his way into architecture.
In this episode, we talk about just that: all things architecture. Paul shares some cool concepts with us regarding application design, UX, and big-picture architecture as well as what’s coming up for architecture in the future. Tune in to hear it all.
Show Highlights:
- Paul’s long history with computers and architecture.
- How he discovered Salesforce.
- Why the overlap between user interface and big-picture architecture is important.
- The level of planning and documentation an application owner can do without a designer.
- The rising importance of technical designers.
- Architecture blind spots Paul sees on the horizon.
- A hack that allows flow to work with infinite records.
- How Paul started getting involved in the Salesforce community and his current role in it.
Links:
- Paul on Twitter
- Paul on LinkedIn
- Dallas Developer Group
Cal Smith is a Senior Technical Architect and Associate Director for Cognizant. Cal has a long history with computers. He got his start in engineering school and has since done everything from animation to writing assistive software for the visually impaired. We discuss all of this (and more of Cal’s background) in our conversation today.
Throughout this episode, Cal also gives us a great overview of Health Cloud. We talk about its development and one of the unsung heroes of the platform: Omniscript. Tune in to hear all of this and more.
Show Highlights:
- How Cal got involved with Salesforce and creating communities.
- How he got started with Health Cloud.
- A typical use case for Health Cloud.
- What a validated machine means.
- How deletion of records is prevented within Health Cloud.
- What Omniscript is all about and what it does.
- Cal’s work and involvement with Dallas GiftForce.
Links:
- Cal on Twitter: http://twttiter.com/CloudMech
- Cal on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Cloud-Mech/
- Cal on Github: https://github.com/crmprogdev
Last week we began a two-part interview with Joe Stern, a consultant and program manager here at Salesforce. Joe is passionate about advocating for those with neurodiversity and has made it his goal to increase conversations about mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. We started our conversation last week learning about Joe’s journey after being diagnosed with ADHD at a young age and some of the challenges that have followed from this diagnosis. Now, he coordinates support for mental health in the workplace to help others process similar obstacles more effectively.
In the second half of our interview, we’ll discuss some of the outlets that Joe has found helpful when taking care of his own mental health. From activities like networking on Animal Crossing, to creating Mental Health Matters resource groups at work, to finding a passion for roasting coffee, Joe has discovered that sometimes the simplest form of therapy is finding something that brings you joy and leaning into it.
Show Highlights:
- Finding therapeutic relief for mental health in unlikely places
- How socializing with others from the workplace in ways that do not involve work can boost both group morale and individual happiness
- The importance of setting up workplace resources for mental health support
- Why it is so important to find a hobby you love and stick with it
Links:
- Joe on Twitter twitter.com/mrjoesterne
- Joe on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/jamesjosephsterne
- Joe on Github https://github.com/joesterne
Joe Stern is a consultant and program manager here at Salesforce. Though he has many interests—outdoor camping and shoe drops to start—Joe’s passion lies in being an advocate for those with neurodiversity. As someone diagnosed with ADHD at an early age, Joe has grown to appreciate the importance of addressing the impact that mental health can have on one’s ability to function successfully both in and out of the workplace. Now, he coordinates support for mental health in the workplace for others.
In the first part of this two-part episode, we begin our discussion with Joe about his path to becoming a developer and how neurodiversity has affected the trajectory of his life. We also discuss some of the trials he’s faced in the workforce and how getting therapeutic support for his mental health has positively impacted both his performance at work as well as his other various hobbies and responsibilities.
Show Highlights:
- How to define neurodiversity
- Where to find a community and resources for those that identify with neurodivergence
- Challenges of learning how ADHD can impact your work life
- Warning signs that mental health is negatively impacting your work life
- Benefits of finding treatment or help for mental health issues
Links:
- Joe on Twitter twitter.com/mrjoesterne
- Joe on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/jamesjosephsterne
- Joe on Github https://github.com/joesterne
Meighan Brodkey is a Director of Technical Architecture at Vorys. With a background in language and religious studies, she had a fairly smooth transition over to coding. She saw it as the technical version of translating numbers and letters.
Today, she not only works in technical architecture but is also heavily involved in the Salesforce community. She works a lot with other women in tech and within the Ohana Slack workspace. She is joining us on the show today to talk about all of these things, Slack integrations, and what she does in her current role.
Show Highlights:
- Meighan’s college journey and first coding experiences.
- How she got involved with Salesforce and became an architect.
- Her passion for connecting people.
- The various communities she is involved with.
- What got her into Slack and the work she’s done with Slack integrations.
- The basic structure of Slack apps.
- What the block kit builder is.
- A quick overview of GDPR.
Links:
- Meighan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/meighansf
- Meighan on LinkedIn: https://Linkedin.com/in/meighanbrodkey
- Meighan on Github: https://Github.com/meighan
- Meighan's blog: https://meighanrockssf.com
- Join Ohana Slack: https://join.slack.com/t/salesforceohana/shared_invite/zt-1atj9vqqu-tJvNMMzizu9ZvQ5YQPK0bw
If you joined us last week, you met Ian Varley. Ian is a Principal Architect here at Salesforce who has extensive experience with Salesforce CRM and multi-tenant architecture. He also comes from a musical background which has helped him develop his coding skills.
Last week, you heard part one of our conversation on Salesforce architecture. We split our discussion up so you could listen to it in full. Today in part two we talk all about metadata and why it is so important. We also get into one of Ian’s favorite topics - cognitive bias in technology.
Tune in to finish the extended version of my discussion with Ian Varley.
Show Highlights:
- The value of deeper semantic integrations of data.
- How meta-databases physically work.
- How unique IDs are generated.
- What an instance is.
- Why some IDs are 15 characters and some are 18.
- Why awareness of cognitive bias is important.
- The software Salesforce created to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Links:
- Ian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefutureian
- Ian on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianvarley/
- Brains Considered Harmful: http://bit.ly/brains-considered-harmful
Ian Varley is a Principal Architect here at Salesforce. He joined us a while back on the podcast to talk about Salesforce architecture. We had to edit that conversation down so much that I wanted to bring it back and share it in full with all of you. We’ll split it up into two episodes over the course of two weeks.
In today’s segment, Ian and I discuss his long history, experience, and knowledge with Salesforce. More than anything, we get into his experience with the inner workings of Salesforce CRM and multi-tenant architecture.
Tune in to hear his rich thoughts on all of this and more.
Show Highlights:
- How Ian got interested in computers.
- Why people with music backgrounds are often so good at code.
- How Ian came to work at the core engineering team at Salesforce.
- What the architecture platform was like when Ian joined Salesforce.
- What multi-tenancy is.
- How grouping individual software services within Salesforce works.
- All of the things that multi-tenant service providers take care of for customers.
- What microservices are.
- The benefits of monoliths.
- What Salesforce Core includes.
Links:
- Ian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefutureian
- Ian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianvarley/
Ian Varley is a Principal Architect here at Salesforce. He joined us a while back on the podcast to talk about Salesforce architecture. We had to edit that conversation down so much that I wanted to bring it back and share it in full with all of you. We’ll split it up into two episodes over the course of two weeks.
In today’s segment, Ian and I discuss his long history, experience, and knowledge with Salesforce. More than anything, we get into his experience with the inner workings of Salesforce CRM and multi-tenant architecture.
Tune in to hear his rich thoughts on all of this and more.
Show Highlights:
- How Ian got interested in computers.
- Why people with music backgrounds are often so good at code.
- How Ian came to work at the core engineering team at Salesforce.
- What the architecture platform was like when Ian joined Salesforce.
- What multi-tenancy is.
- How grouping individual software services within Salesforce works.
- All of the things that multi-tenant service providers take care of for customers.
- What microservices are.
- The benefits of monoliths.
- What Salesforce Core includes.
Links:
- Ian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefutureian
- Ian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianvarley/
Michael Holt is a Technical Evangelist here at Salesforce. He really began to sink his teeth into coding in college when he started playing around with Visual Basic 6. From there, he started to learn Java and Accenture and eventually came into contact with Salesforce. He moved over to the company five and half years ago and has been an ISV technical evangelist ever since.
Michael is joining us today to talk all about ISV development. We discuss the ISV programs that help people get up and running as an ISV and success stories Michael has had the opportunity to be a part of. Finally, we talk about some interesting code he has written on GitHub that helps ISVs.
Tune in to hear Michael’s interesting insights and stories, all from the perspective of the ISV side of Salesforce.
Show Highlights:
- How Michael got introduced to computers and eventually Salesforce.
- His experience with operating system migrations.
- What attracted Michael to Salesforce.
- What his current role looks like.
- The blended ecosystem of partners he works with.
- The revenue model he and his team utilize.
- What the Business Builder Program is.
- What’s included in the ISV workbook.
- The tools included in the partner business org Michael and his team provide all their partners.
- Michael’s JabberJaw project and its use cases.
Links:
- Twitter account: https://twitter.com/SFMichaelHolt
- LinkedIn account https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelholtsf/
- Github account https://github.com/HoltMichael
- Business Builder Form: https://1.appexchange.com/salesforce-business-builders
- ISV Workbook: https://sfdc.co/ISVWorkbook
Matthew Frank is the Director of Technology Evangelism over at Blackthorn.io. In this interview, we share some mutual opinions and experiences on evangelizing technology, especially Salesforce, and the impact it can have on the community.
Being a natural showman, he came into evangelism easily and combined it with a love for marketing. He puts the customer at the center of every project he does.
Tune in to hear more from Matthew about his vast experience and what his current role looks like, including various aspects of event management.
Show Highlights:
- Why learning Apex is key to getting into the Salesforce ecosystem.
- How Matthew found his way into marketing.
- What Blackthorn.io does.
- What Matthew does day-to-day in his Director role.
- His unique perspective on the beginning of the pandemic.
- What he’s learned about how to host successful virtual events since the pandemic began.
- How Salesforce can help you improve your attendee experience when you host virtual events.
Links:
- Matthew on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewlfrank/
- Matthew Trailblazer: https://trailblazer.me/id/mfrank12
Matthew Frank is the Director of Technology Evangelism over at Blackthorn.io. In this interview, we share some mutual opinions and experiences on evangelizing technology, especially Salesforce, and the impact it can have on the community.
Being a natural showman, he came into evangelism easily and combined it with a love for marketing. He puts the customer at the center of every project he does.
Tune in to hear more from Matthew about his vast experience and what his current role looks like, including various aspects of event management.
Show Highlights:
- Why learning Apex is key to getting into the Salesforce ecosystem.
- How Matthew found his way into marketing.
- What Blackthorn.io does.
- What Matthew does day-to-day in his Director role.
- His unique perspective on the beginning of the pandemic.
- What he’s learned about how to host successful virtual events since the pandemic began.
- How Salesforce can help you improve your attendee experience when you host virtual events.
Links:
- Matthew on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewlfrank/
- Matthew Trailblazer: https://trailblazer.me/id/mfrank12
Christian “Szandor” Knapp is the head of development at Appirio in Germany. He holds a degree in Philosophy but got into coding based on his childhood love for video games. From there, he experimented with various platforms and training until he ended up where he is today.
Szandor has a unique perspective in this community. He has intersected his many passions throughout his life and they make him who he is. We talk about many of these things in today’s episode and discuss his various experiences with computers and Salesforce. Join us to hear a great conversation on philosophy, gaming, and more.
Show Highlights:
- Szandor’s background and introduction to Salesforce.
- How his passions for philosophy, literature, and gaming all intersect.
- His reaction to Trailhead opening up.
- How he started getting actively involved with the Salesforce community.
- What he does in his current role.
Links:
- Szandor on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ch_sz_knapp
- Szandor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/szandor/
- Szandor on Github: https://github.com/szandor72
- Szandor on Trailblazer: https://trailblazer.me/id/szandor
Jean-Michel Mougeolle has a long history of building applications and selling them on the AppExchange. He has also performed in many Demo Jams and been involved with the French Developer Community for years. In this episode, he’s joining us to talk about all of this extensive experience.
We also discuss building apps and getting on the AppExchange. If you’re thinking about becoming an ISV and trying to put an app on the AppExchange, Jean-Michel gives some fantastic tips throughout our conversation on how you can make this happen. Tune in to learn all about it.
Show Highlights:
- Jean-Michel’s first introduction to Salesforce.
- What the application SharinPix does.
- Why you should think about a business problem you can solve when trying to build an app.
- How to identify a problem that needs to be solved.
- What Jean-Michel’s participation with Demo Jams has been like.
- How to actually sell your app on AppExchange.
Links:
- Jean-Michel on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jmmougeolle
- Jean-Michel on Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/jmmougeolle
- Jean-Michel on Instagram: http://instagram.com/jmmcloud
Parth Vasani is a Salesforce architect and consultant. He joined a Salesforce course in college and became hooked instantly. At the time, there were only three developer groups in India. Now, Parth is a long-time member of the user group community in that part of the world.
In this episode, Parth and I discuss his long history with Salesforce. He shares all of the ups and downs of learning the program and starting his career in this field. We also discuss more about the work he does with Salesforce and how he ended up in his current role. Tune in to join our conversation.
Show Highlights:
- What it was about Salesforce that got Parth fired up.
- How he’d describe his current role in the Salesforce ecosystem.
- How much work it takes to keep developer groups running.
- How Trailhead changed the Salesforce ecosystem.
- How the pandemic impacted developer groups.
- How many certifications Parth has.
- Recommendations for studying for certifications.
- How Parth got his first job in Salesforce.
Links:
- Parth Vasani (@parthv4u) on Twitter
- Parth Vasani on LinkedIn
Today, we sit down and talk with Jung Mun, certified Salesforce Administrator, consultant, and developer. She talks about her long history in technology, her journey to learn Salesforce, and also her current work in various open-source projects, including Snowfakery and CumulusCI.
Jung built her first HTML site from scratch when she was in tenth grade. Eventually, she went to grad school in New York City and got exposed to art and technology. She explored interactive installations with microcontrollers and sensors reacting to people's gestures. Then she ended up developing a mobile app for virtual and augmented reality. At a hobbyist level, Jung just loves having fun building things and showing up as a piece of artwork in a show.
Having been immersed in her art career her whole life, it actually took her months until she finally decided to move into Salesforce in her current role.
Show Highlights:
- Her transition from art to Salesforce
- Why she finds it easy to learn to code in the Salesforce environment
- How she got involved in RAD Women
- Her Open Source Commons experience & her fourth Sprint
- What is Snowfakery?
- What her Snowfakery project looks like
- The concept of scratch org
- How Snowfakery impacts the role of an admin
- What makes a good README of a successful repo
- Her data dictionary project on her GitHub repo
Links:
- Jung on Twitter
- Jung on Github
- Snowfakery-Recipe-Templates Github Repo
This is part 2 of our conversation with Dan Appleman, author, software engineer, and entrepreneur, where he shares some things he has learned about developing on Salesforce over the years. We pick up talking about his Advanced Apex book, which is now in its fifth edition, and what the new updates look like.
Dan notes that while there have been many new changes in Apex programming such as improved platform events and easier metadata updating, most of the changes are in the triggers. He also foresees the future of Salesforce development for any medium to large application.
Show Highlights:
- Updates in Apex programming including triggers
- Things to consider when creating a framework
- Why focus on principles instead of frameworks
- The question of modularization
- The future of Salesforce development for medium to large application
- Custom metadata driving a trigger dispatch system
- The benefits of SFDX
- The power of focusing on foundational concepts
- Dan’s favorite presentations
- What makes the process builder evil
Links:
- Dan on Twitter: http://twitter.com/danappleman
- Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danappleman/
- Dan on Github: https://github.com/DesawarePublishing
- Personal blog: https://danappleman.com
- Advanced Apex blog: https://advancedapex.com/
- Custom search engine for all things Salesforce: https://searchtheforce.com
- Pluralsight courses: https://www.pluralsight.com/authors/dan-appleman
This is Part 1 of our conversation with Dan Appleman, author, software engineer, and entrepreneur. Dan has created several PluralSight courses out there and is very well known for his books on Advanced Apex.
Not having any background in writing software in Salesforce, Dan spent months just experimenting and thinking about how one translates existing standard design patterns into the world of cloud computing with limits, different use of static variables, and execution contexts. He ended up creating an architecture around what he had learned and built the very first instance of their response management application based on that architecture.
Show Highlights:
- Dan’s early years and his love for computing
- His introduction into Salesforce/cloud computing
- Dan’s first experience doing Apex trigger
- His passion for education
- How he got involved in Pluralsight
- The impetus behind developing materials targeting admins
- Why SFDX source is the center of the universe in the modern world
- The impact of automation on developers
- The power of admins and developers working together
Links:
- Dan on Twitter: http://twitter.com/danappleman
- Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danappleman/
- Dan on Github: https://github.com/DesawarePublishing
- Personal blog: https://danappleman.com
- Advanced Apex blog: https://advancedapex.com/
- Custom search engine for all things Salesforce: https://searchtheforce.com
- Pluralsight courses: https://www.pluralsight.com/authors/dan-appleman
Today, we sit down and talk with Jenh Vo about her long experience with Salesforce, her beginnings of learning admin and developer skills, and eventually getting deeply involved in various communities such as their local Women in Tech, Salesforce Saturdays, Li'l Trailblazers Book Club, and RAD Women, which jump-started her developer path.
Jenh is doing such amazing work in the Salesforce community and she got awarded The Golden Hoodie at Dreamforce 2021. Jenh also started Superbadge Sundays with her mentor where they share great tips and tricks to get started with getting superbadges. Jenh now has seven superbadges – all of them as a result of starting Superbadge Sundays.
Show Highlights:
- Jenh’s first experience with Salesforce
- How she built up her resume learning more about Salesforce
- Getting involved in the community
- The format of Superbadge Sundays
- How RAD Women jump-started her developer path
- The impetus behind the Li'l Trailblazers Book Club
- Her Dreamforce 2021 experience
- The inclusion presentation which talked about Asian women in tech
Links:
- Jenh on Twitter - http://twitter.com/sfdcKokua
- Jenh on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sfdckokua/
Salesforce developer and technical consultant Atlas joins us today, and he shares his journey into the Salesforce ecosystem. Atlas talks about the opportunities he's getting from the ecosystem, some things he is learning along the way, and how he is giving back to the community.
Through his blog articles on Salesforce Ben, Atlas brings community members to the spotlight. Atlas is also part of The Salesforce Discord Exchange (SFXD), a community-first platform, which facilitates technical and informal discussions for operators and nonprofits. SFXD is a decentralized community that focuses on helping each other out. This involves summarizing release notes and organizing learning sessions, among others.
Show Highlights:
- His introduction to computers at an early age
- His first consulting job experience
- His passion for online learning
- What he loves about the culture at Salesforce
- What is SFXD?
- How the pandemic impacted his work
- Breaking the barrier of impostor syndrome
- Atlas’ current projects
- The future of online community
Links:
- Atlas on Twitter - https://mobile.twitter.com/atlascansf
- Atlas on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/atlascan
- Atlas on Github - https://github.com/AtlasCan
- SFXD Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/sfxd/
- SFXD Join Link - https://join.sfxd.org
- Blue Canvas - https://bluecanvas.io/
- Blue Canvas CPQ Deployer - https://bluecanvas.io/cpq
- EMPAUA Salesforce Partner - https://www.empaua.com/
- SalesforceBen - https://www.salesforceben.com/author/atlascan1/
Today, we sit down and talk with Aaron Crosman, a Specialist Leader at Attain, about a variety of topics including his experience with PHP and some projects they’re working on in Open Source Commons. We take a deep dive into how Snowfakery fits into the Data Generation Toolkit and some challenges in integrating Drupal and Salesforce.
Aaron initially got into Drupal as part of his first job out of college working at a nonprofit. Drupal is a content management platform built on PHP, which is one of the older and more established platforms. But as the web has gotten more powerful and more sophisticated over the years, so has Drupal.
Show Highlights:
- How he became a web developer and got involved in Drupal
- Working with PHP as a modern language
- Challenges in integrating Drupal and Salesforce
- How they wrap the API from Drupal to Salesforce
- How he got involved with the Open Source Commons
- His first impression of the Open Source Sprints
- How much time and work it would take to do data generation
- Some projects they’re working on with the Sprint
- How Snowfakery fits into the Data Generation Toolkit
Links:
- Aaron on Twitter: https://twitter.com/acrosman
- Aaron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-crosman/
- Aaron on Github: https://github.com/acrosman
- Aaron's Personal Blog: https://spinningcode.org/
This is the second half of our conversation with Cori O' Brien, senior manager of Open Source Commons at Salesforce.org. Picking up where we left off, we’re going to talk about what their process was like to move to virtual during the pandemic and how they're translating that into a Zoom experience.
Cori also talks about the many benefits of moving to virtual space, including how they went global and how it helped diversify the community. Not just a bunch of developers in a room building something cool, it takes a team to create a framework for sustainability and spark a new idea that will help you bring your ideas forward.
Show Highlights:
- The benefits of moving to virtual
- What the transition looks like from virtual to in-person
- Moving from virtual sprint to hybrid (in-person + virtuals)
- Examples of Sprint projects for people to join
- About the animal shelter starter pack
Links:
- Cori on Twitter
- Cori on Linkedin
- Cori on Github
- Snowfakery Webinar
- May Open Source Sprint Registration
This is a two-part episode as we go over the Open Source Commons and the Open Source Community Sprint, including the amazing projects that have come out from them. Joining us today is Cori O' Brien, Senior Manager of Open Source Commons at Salesforce.org.
While Sprint events provide an opportunity for people to come together and improve or build on software, Open Source Commons is the program that encompasses the Sprint events. That includes the training opportunities, mentor-mentorship opportunities, access to tooling and review, and AppExchange. At the heart of Open Source Commons are Community Sprint events where people get to engage directly and work side by side.
Cori’s role is to make sure the Salesforce community has what they need to contribute in whatever way they want to contribute. What started out as “just events” providing space for people to contribute has ultimately become a powerhouse for training and tools to ensure they’re building trust and sustainability.
Show Highlights:
- Cori’s introduction to Salesforce
- Partnering with the Salesforce Labs program
- Sprint vs. Open Source Commons
- Open Source Commons package is free and managed
- Breaking the silos between nonprofit success pack and the education community
- Types of roles for people to participate
- Why running sprint events is a profitable use of time
- The move to virtual
Links:
- www.salesforce.org
- Cori on Twitter
- Cori on LinkedIn
- Cori on Github
- Snowfakery Webinar
Today, we sit down and talk with Abhi Samantapudi, Associate Product Manager here at Salesforce, about Bulk API 2.0 – what it means for developers, what's in pilot, and what's on the roadmap.
Bulk API 2.0 is not just an iteration on an old friend, the original Bulk API. Abhi discusses the advantages of moving to the 2.0 version being the optimal way to perform asynchronous, large-scale CRUD (create, read, update, and delete) operations with Salesforce.
We also talk about the Associate Product Manager (APM) program at Salesforce, which allows new graduates in fields related to STEM and business to join Salesforce as Associate Product Managers.
Show Highlights:
- The benefits of the Associate Product Manager program
- New features of the Bulk API 2.0
- What is PK Chunking?
- Developing with Bulk API vs. Bulk API 2.0
- Tips for developing queries that go against large datasets
- How to figure out the right tool for the job
- Other things on the Bulk API 2.0 roadmap
- How the composite graph payload works (now in pilot)
- Examples of where you might run into locks and how to minimize them
- How to handle auto-handling of locks
Links:
Abhi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhilash-samantapudi/
In this episode, we sit down and talk with Tyson Read, the Director of Product Management at Salesforce, about Event Relays, and specifically, how they can help your integration between Salesforce and Amazon.
Tyson previously worked as a conservation biologist and in biomechanics until he transitioned into computers and coding. Tyson's first project with Salesforce was building a mobile app with a mobile SDK to help biologists go out into the field and record different kinds of observations.
In his current role at Salesforce, Tyson works on different eventing technologies using platform events and change data capture, working on the runtime for those products and figuring out how to use events, not only to empower customers but also to actually build Salesforce products.
Show Highlights:
- Learning Python as his first language
- His introduction to Salesforce
- Different products using events right now
- Salesforce’s current partnership with Amazon in terms of eventing
- Using the AWS EventBridge for directing events to your services
- The working parts of an Event Relay
- Grouping function for channels and authentication
- How Event Relays are integrated into a flow
- Possible use cases
Links:
Connect with Tyson Read on these platforms:
- Tyson on Twitter - https://twitter.com/tysonreads
- Tyson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tysonread/
Today, we sit down and talk with Ross Belmont, the Director of Product Management at Salesforce, about his products – Salesforce Connect and the new DynamoDB Connector.
Salesforce Connect provides data virtualization, surfacing structured data inside the Salesforce UI and declarative tools experiences, even though data resides outside the four walls of Salesforce. Their vision is to get to a point where it no longer matters that external objects are external.
Ross also shares the current status of DynamoDB coming in pilot. Their team is currently working with Amazon Web Services, extending Salesforce Connect ideas over to Amazon's DynamoDB, a super high-volume, NoSQL datastore.
Show Highlights:
- Ross’s first-ever computer
- His entry into programming and product design
- What enables Salesforce Connect?
- The role of OData
- Other examples of entities Salesforce Connect is attached to
- Our current relationship with Amazon: why and how are we working with them?
- Challenges around DynamoDB
- Authentication and decomposing credentials for more flexibility
- The evolution of world identity and access management
- Examples of standard use cases for SQL
Links:
Connect with Ross Belmont on these platforms:
Kiril Seksenov is the Senior Director of Product Management here at Salesforce. In this episode, Kiril discusses Lightning Web Security (LWS), our next-generation security architecture, which will eventually replace the current Lightning Locker service. Find out what that means for you as developers and how we're keeping JavaScript secure using standards. Kiril previously worked at Microsoft. Wanting to move up the stack and start building on the platform he had been helping develop over the past seven years, Kiril started exploring roles and found an amazing opportunity at Salesforce. Tune in to hear how Salesforce is leveraging web standards to create a faster and more secure web experience.
Show Highlights:
- The elevator pitch for Lightning Web Security
- How the Locker service pushed this evolution
- Challenges in the Lightning component framework
- Ensuring components are isolated in sandbox
- The notion of distortions on top of existing APIs
- Isolating code execution through JavaScript sandboxes
- Considerations for enabling Lightning Web Security
- How enabling LWS makes components run faster
Links:
- Kiril on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiril-seksenov-61047854/
- Kiril on Twitter: https://twitter.com/k_seks
- Kiril on Github: https://github.com/seksenov
In this episode, we continue our conversation with Don Robins, a technical educator with a long history of training people on Salesforce. Don specifically explains the difference between just presenting to people versus teaching. He believes that what helps make great instructors is empathy since you're watching for the light to come on over someone's head and it’s a joyous feeling.
Don also talks about how specialization is becoming more and more important in the industry, a natural trend when something begins to grow exponentially the way Salesforce has. Ultimately, at the core of Salesforce is a knowledge-sharing community and the technology that they have built to support it.
Show Highlights:
- The difference between presenting and teaching
- The importance of specialization in the industry
- The motivation behind his PluralSight courses
- The impact of a knowledge-sharing community built around Salesforce
- Why it's not just translation, but localization when speaking to an audience with a different language
- Don’s formula for success
- The nature and dimensions of engagement
- Don’s favorite non-technical hobbies
Links:
Connect with Don Robins on these platforms:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/donrobins
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/donaldrobins
- Github: https://github.com/forcementor
Pluralsight course on "Salesforce Platform for Developers, the Big Picture": https://pluralsight.pxf.io/C0150
LinkedIn course on "The Serious Stack behind Salesforce": https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/serious-stack-behind-salesforce-developers-don-robins/
Punta Dreamin' 2018 Closing Keynote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2kZmlAfTRY&t=1611s
Play by Play catalog: http://www.sfplaybyplay.com
Forcementor Training Partnership: www.forcementor.com
Don Robins is a Salesforce MVP, technical educator and instructor, author, and speaker. With over 35 years of experience in the software development space, Don has an extensive background in custom business applications. Having zero CRM background, Don navigated his way through Salesforce, fell in love with it, and has been with Salesforce ever since.
An award-winning Salesforce Instructor, Don has presented at annual Dreamforce conferences since 2010 and has been facilitating Salesforce developer classes and workshops.
This is a two-part conversation where Don shares how he got into Salesforce, his long career educating people, some of his thoughts on the platform, and finally, an interesting formula.
Show Highlights:
- Don’s early years and his career doing voice-overs
- Building business applications and creating a relational database
- His first Salesforce experience having zero CRM background
- What he loves about Salesforce
- Productivity tools in the early days
- Mastering the complexities and the interdependencies in the metadata
- Why we need to put our focus on DevOps
Links:
Connect with Robin on these platforms:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/donrobins
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/donaldrobins
- Github: https://github.com/forcementor
Pluralsight course on "Salesforce Platform for Developers, the Big Picture": https://pluralsight.pxf.io/C0150
LinkedIn course on "The Serious Stack behind Salesforce": https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/serious-stack-behind-salesforce-developers-don-robins/
Punta Dreamin' 2018 Closing Keynote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2kZmlAfTRY&t=1611s
Play by Play catalog: http://www.sfplaybyplay.com
Forcementor Training Partnership: www.forcementor.com
Daniel Ballinger is the Director of Product Management for Apex. In his role, he spends the majority of his time balancing options and making decisions about what problems his team should pursue and which they can afford to wait on.
There are plenty of exciting things on the Apex roadmap for Daniel and his team right now. In this episode, we discuss some of these updates, including Data Wave and user mode database operations. Tune in to learn all about these new features and when you can expect to see them rolled out.
Show Highlights:
- Daniel’s earliest experiences modding maps.
- His earliest opinions on Apex.
- What it takes to break something at Salesforce.
- How Daniel and his team promote scalability, growth, and performance with transparency.
- How Apex users can make Daniel’s job easier.
- What Data Wave is and how to use it.
- How big of a difference Data Wave makes in doing CSV to JSON operations.
- What user mode database operations are and their benefits.
- How to switch between safe mode and system mode.
- The timeline for these Apex updates.
Links:
- Daniel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FishOfPrey
- Daniel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielballinger/
- Daniel on Github: https://github.com/FishOfPrey
- Daniel's Blog: https://www.fishofprey.com/
- Information on the pilot programs: https://sforce.co/df21-dev-apex
Today’s show is going to be a little different. Julián Duque, a Lead Developer Advocate at Salesforce, is taking over the host chair. He interviews Jonathan Jenkins, the Senior Regional Success Architect here at Salesforce.
In their conversation, they discuss Salesforce functions. They also get into Jonathan’s path to working for Salesforce which actually began with electrical engineering and hacking. Tune in to learn from Jonathan’s many insights into functions and more.
Show Highlights:
- What Jonathan’s current role at Salesforce is like.
- The advantages of the advocate role for customers and the future of products.
- What Salesforce functions are and how they save developers loads of work and time.
- What Elastic Compute is.
- The benefits that elasticity provides to Salesforce customers who are doing computations.
- Examples of ways you can use Salesforce functions on your products.
- How Salesforce functions allow a wider range of people to work on the Salesforce platform and on its projects.
- How Salesforce functions provide a great opportunity to learn new languages.
- How to get started using Salesforce functions.
Links:
- Welcome to Salesforce Functions: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/functions/overview
- Discover Salesforce Functions: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/content/learn/trails/discover-salesforce-functions
- Salesforce Functions is Generally Available: https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2021/10/salesforce-functions-is-generally-available
Adrian Larson is a Salesforce developer over at Counsel. Today we talk with him about his insights into Apex development.
Throughout our conversation, we also get into some of Adrian’s earliest experiences including working with Python and what the transition from there to Java was like. We have a great discussion about StackExchange and optimizations as well. Tune in and learn from Adrian’s years and depth of experience.
Show Highlights:
- What Adrian’s current role looks like.
- How he got involved in StackExchange.
- What constitutes a good answer on StackExchange.
- How Adrian became a moderator for Salesforce.
- What a fluent pattern is and what it can help with.
- How Adrian and his team use micro-optimizations.
- What fluent query and fluent syntax mean.
- How Adrian utilizes dependency injection for performance increase.
- Why he works out an API first and then writes rigorous tests for it.
- The benefits of having a trigger handler class.
Links:
- Adrian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-larson-a17a856/
- Adrian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apexlarson
- Adrian on GitHub: https://github.com/apexlarson
Adrian on StackExchange: https://salesforce.stackexchange.com/users/2995/adrian-larson
Geoffrey Bessereau is a Technical Architect over at Persistent. He founded a Discord community called SFXD which we discuss in this episode. We get into the Wiki for this community, other writings around it, and architectural and developer lessons that have been learned along the way.
In Geoffrey’s current role, he gets to work internally doing training and on projects as a sort of “process evangelist.” He brings a lot to the table so tune in to learn all about his community, flow, and data migration.
Show Highlights:
- Geoffrey’s elevator pitch for SFXD.
- How the community got started.
- How Geoffrey balances guiding his community with just letting it be.
- Why he decided to put a Wiki together.
- All about flow naming conventions.
- Recommendations for testing flow.
- What a data migration actually is.
- Best practices for data migration.
- What the cloud information model is.
Links:
- Geoffrey on Twitter
- Geoffrey on LinkedIn
- Geoffrey on GitHub
- SFXD Wiki
Eric Kintzer is a Salesforce Architect over at Helix. Today I talk with him about FFLib and Apex design patterns. We discuss how his discovery of Andrew Fawcett’s book on the topic changed his entire perspective on architecture and development.
Eric describes himself as an all-singing, all-dancing Salesforce developer, architect, and admin. He has had to identify business needs, architect around them and then develop the solution himself. As a result, he has a very interesting journey and unique insights to bring. Tune in to learn more from him.
Show Highlights:
- Eric’s Salesforce journey.
- His approach to Apex and other complex programs.
- How Andrew Fawcett’s design architecture book changed Eric’s career and life.
- The four key design patterns in that book.
- How enterprise patterns impact testing.
- What a mock object is.
- How the FFLib project works and its many advantages.
- How to migrate to FFLib well.
- Why FFLib is important if you care about your craft as a developer.
- How Eric got involved with Stack Exchange.
Links:
- Eric on Twitter
- Eric on LinkedIn
- Eric Kintzer SFDC Blog
- Salesforce Lightning Enterprise Platform Architecture book by Andrew Fawcett
- apex-enterprise-patterns (aka FFLib) GitHub repo
- Apex Enterprise Patterns Trailmix
- Salesforce Developer Survey (through Nov 30th, 2021)
Natalija Pavic is an Industry Solution Leader for Commerce Cloud. Today I talk with her about the digital trends she is seeing in B2C. We also discuss the Salesforce partners who are implementing these trends.
After being “headhunted” by Salesforce for five years, Natalija finally joined us in 2016. Now, she is part of the go-to marketing team and, as her husband says, works on the stuff that doesn’t exist yet. Tune in to hear more about her experiences in this role and learn about where technology is driving the future of B2C.
Show Highlights:
- The correlation between high-performing companies and those that are leveraging digital experiences.
- What contextual commerce is.
- The solutions that Threekit is useful for.
- How to balance in-person sales and human interaction with the ease of digital connection.
- What live shopping is.
- How virtual storefronts work.
- Shout-outs to some of the current digital trends.
Links:
- Natalija on Twitter
- Natalija on LinkedIn
Suraj Pillai is a Salesforce Architect and Senior Developer at Vertex Computer Systems. He has done a variety of projects around Apex and lightning web components in his career. Today we discuss many of them.
Throughout our conversation, you will also hear a lot about using JavaScript with Flow and utilizing constructs like universal mocking. We even broach the topic of how you can get work done really quickly using Neovim. Tune in to learn more from Suraj.
Show Highlights:
- All about Suraj’s journey with Salesforce and his current job.
- What got him into JavaScript.
- What sparked the idea for his repo and what it does.
- Use cases for using JavaScript and local action to improve flow.
- Real-world examples for using JavaScript buttons.
- What Apex Mocks are and their benefits.
- The tooling he’s been building around Neovim.
- Some of the work he’s done with external services.
Links:
- Suraj on LinkedIn
- Suraj on Github
Kyle Tobener is the VP of IT and Enterprise Security over at Copado. Today we talk about his experience in getting into enterprise security, how Salesforce and cloud computing play into security, and some general advice on security.
On top of fulfilling his role at Copado, Kyle runs a very popular Tik Tok account where he delivers some interesting facts on security. Tune in to hear it all.
Show Highlights:
- How Kyle became an IT professional.
- What his transition from a support role to an engineering role was like.
- The unique challenges of managing the security of cloud companies.
- How Kyle paved roads at Salesforce for people to do things flexibly but also safely.
- What Copado does.
- Why early developers should learn and integrate security as soon as possible.
- Why it’s cheaper to prevent security vulnerabilities early on.
- What can happen if we ignore SOQL injections.
- What the static code analyzer PMD does.
- How Kyle got into Tik Tok and what he does on his channel.
- What bug bounties are.
- How “Capture the Flag” prepares people for cybersecurity careers.
Links:
- Kyle on Twitter
- Kyle on LinkedIn
- Kyle on TikTok
David Reed is an elite member of the technical staff over at Salesforce.org. Today I talk with him about all things CumulusCI, the open source continuous integration engine that they created and support. Tune in to learn details about how developers can leverage its many features and companion applications.
David is not only interested in computers but also very into history and classics. He even has a Master’s degree in ancient Greek. Tune in to hear more from him and learn tons of information on CumulusCI.
Show Highlights:
- How David learned Salesforce.
- What he does in his current role.
- What drew him to automation and the DevOps cycle.
- Why CumulusCI can be called portable automation.
- Why it’s easy to reproduce in Cumulus.
- The pain points that it can solve.
- Tasks that it can automate for both admins and developers.
- The advantages of Python.
- How to layer CumulusCI on top of your current process.
- What Program Management Module is.
- Goals for the future of CumulusCI.
Links:
- David on Twitter: http://twitter.com/aoristdual
- David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidreed-salesforce/
- David on GitHub: https://github.com/davidmreed
- Build Applications with CumulusCI on Trailhead: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/content/learn/trails/build-applications-with-cumulusci
- CumulusCI repo: https://github.com/SFDO-Tooling/CumulusCI
- CumulusCI documentation: https://cumulusci.readthedocs.io/
- PMM repo (example CumulusCI project): https://github.com/SalesforceFoundation/PMM
A MetaDeploy instance for customer delivery (runs CumulusCI automation to install complex products): https://install.salesforce.org/
We’ve reached an incredible milestone: 100 episodes of this podcast have been recorded, produced, and released. Today I take a little victory lap to celebrate all that has happened over the past couple of years.
In this episode, I reflect back on the early episodes, talk a little bit about how we got here, and thank a few people who have helped me out along the way. Tune in to celebrate with us and hear some of the background behind our show.
Show Highlights:
- The origin story of the Salesforce Developer Podcast.
- Gratitude for the many people who have supported the show.
- How the format of the podcast came to be.
- Why diversity is so important to us.
- Exciting things coming up for the podcast.
Links/Shout Outs:
- Mary Scotton: https://twitter.com/rockchick322004
- Arabella David: https://twitter.com/darabella
- Ariana Faustini: https://twitter.com/arianafaustini
- Karen Datangel: https://twitter.com/KarenDatangelSF
- Peter Chittum: https://twitter.com/pchittum
- Mike Gerholdt: https://twitter.com/MikeGerholdt
- Gillian Bruce: https://twitter.com/gilliankbruce
- Leah McGowen-Hare: https://twitter.com/leahbmh
- Christophe Coenraets: https://twitter.com/ccoenraets
- Heather Storm: https://twitter.com/iamheatherstorm
- Valerie Um: https://twitter.com/SalesforceVum
- Anthony Tavan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-tavan02018
- Nikki Talbot: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nstalbot/
- Reid Carlberg: https://twitter.com/ReidCarlberg
- Danny Ozment: https://twitter.com/DannyOzment
- Emerald City Productions: https://emeraldcitypro.com/
Jeff Douglas is a Principal Member of the Technical Staff for Trailhead. I’ve had our interview in my back pocket for a while now because I wanted to save it for today’s special occasion: our 100th episode. Jeff and I go back a long way and Trailhead has a special place in my heart.
In this episode, you will learn all about Jeff’s experience with Trailhead from its earliest days until now. We also discuss some of the new things coming out with Trailhead including Trail Boss and Trail Tracker. Listen to this special episode to hear more about the secrets to Trailhead’s success and how the engineering team keep it running and keep improving it.
Show Highlights:
- Jeff’s experiences at Dreamforce.
- How Trailhead challenges work now compared to how they worked in their early days.
- What Trail Boss is.
- The design goals of Trail Boss.
- The tooling that goes into Trail Boss and how much of it is built on the Salesforce platform.
- The features of Trail Tracker.
- How Trail Tracker acts as an upgrade to leaderboards.
- The huge impact Trailhead makes in the world.
Links:
- Jeff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffdonthemic
- Jeff on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffdouglas/
Jeff on Github: https://github.com/jeffdonthemic
Sue Berry is a Senior Director of Product Management here at Salesforce. She started her career in cardiology but as soon as she was introduced to computers she was hooked. Now she gets to interact with every side of Salesforce in her current role: the developers, the customers, and everything in between.
Today Sue and I are talking about the many different features and benefits that Salesforce Mobile SDK brings. We also discuss some new things coming out with mobile development. Tune in to hear our insightful conversation.
Show Highlights:
- How Salesforce release cycles affect mobile development.
- Everything Mobile SDK takes care of for you.
- What mobile sync and smart store are and how they assist with offline syncing.
- The platforms that SDK is for.
- How paneling multiple windows works.
- Improvements Sue and her team have made to landscape and portrait modes.
- The benefits of the Cordova platform.
- What React Native is.
- How to build lighting web components with mobile in mind.
- What the Visual Studio Code experience is like.
- Mobile developments on the roadmap.
Links:
- Sue on Twitter: https://twitter.com/suzetteaberry
- Sue on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-berry/
- Mobile SDK on Trailhead: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/mobile_sdk_introduction
- LWC Mobile Developer Center: https://developer.salesforce.com/developer-centers/lwc-for-mobile
- Mobile SDK Developer Center: https://developer.salesforce.com/developer-centers/mobile
Mitesh Mistry is an Associate Partner over at IBM. In this role, he works with design architecture and helps customers understand how best to use the Salesforce platform to deliver their core use cases.
Today I am talking with Mitesh about his long journey to becoming a Certified Technical Architect. In our conversation, he shares some great tips and tricks that he learned along the way. Tune in to learn from this developer turned architect who has been with Salesforce for years.
Show Highlights:
- Why Mitesh transitioned from pure development to broader technical architecture.
- The career value of working on user-centric projects.
- What pushed Mitesh to become a Certified Technical Architect.
- Why the journey to CTA is so long.
- The nine domains of Salesforce.
- What the CTA exam day looks like.
- Why the exam isn’t knowledge-based.
- Mitesh’s best tips for studying and preparing for the exam.
- The importance of practical experience in the journey to CTA.
- Resources to help you on this journey.
- Why study groups are so important.
Links:
- Mitesh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitesh-mistry-3a288718
- Mitesh on Github: https://github.com/miteshmistry86
Big Family Cooking Showdown on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80186090
James Hou is a Salesforce Technical Architect at Google. Today I’m talking with him about his long history with JavaScript and Lightning Web Components. Specifically, we’re discussing a repo he has out there called LWC Utils.
In his early years, James started learning object-oriented programming and spent a lot of his time poring over Help Docs and Google search results. He is now no stranger to complex solutions and specific microservices. Tune in to learn from his incredible expertise and the great utility code he has created to help working with LWC.
Show Highlights:
- How James transitioned from reading Help Docs to working for Google.
- How he learned jQuery.
- How he left Visualforce and picked up Aura.
- What inspired him to start learning lightning components.
- The gap between lightning message servers and full state management libraries.
- What full state management libraries offer application layers.
- The problems James is trying to fix with LWC Utils.
- How the SOQL data table component works.
- The other data tables James is working on.
- What makes a good leader.
Links:
- James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshou/
- LWC Utils on Github: https://github.com/tsalb/lwc-utils/
Presentation on Leadership: https://tsalb.github.io/ncd/leadership-influence-2019/slides.pdf
Amanda Nelson is the Senior Director for Comms and Community over at Salesforce AppExchange. In this position, she spends her time helping customers solve their challenges with apps. She listens to their pain points and then creates content to solve their problems.
In this episode, Amanda and I talk about Demo Jams. We discuss what they are, their long history, and most importantly what they can do for you. Demo Jams are one of my favorite things so tune in to hear all about this fun way to learn about apps.
Show Highlights:
- What Demo Jams are and how long they’ve been happening.
- How Amanda and her team kept them going during the pandemic.
- Why they give participants three minutes to pitch their app.
- How they coach their partners to perform well.
- Why they don’t allow people to use slides.
- How they do live voting.
- What a Mega Demo Jam is.
- How Demo Jams benefit partners.
- How the community can repurpose Demo Jams.
- How to sign up for Demo Jams.
Links:
- Amanda on Twitter: twitter.com/amandanelson13
- Amanda on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandanelson13/
- SalesforceLabs Github: https://github.com/SalesforceLabs
- Register for the Demo Jam/watch past Demo Jams: www.appdemojam.com
Nadina D. Lisbon is a Systems Capability and Salesforce Architect over at Tradeshift. Having started back in the Visualforce days, she has had the chance to work with wide range implementations and integrations.
In this episode, I’m talking with Nadina about her long experience working with developers, architects, customers and partners.. She explains what she does in her current role, how she accomplishes projects for her clients, and her business interests. Tune in to hear some great insights on architecture, automation, and coding.
Show Highlights:
- The experience that made Nadina realize she wanted to be an architect instead of a developer.
- What she does in her current job.
- The challenges of working with people from so many different regions.
- How Nadina ensures that there is functionality that’s reusable across her many client projects.
- How she decides if automation is necessary when working with clients.
- What you should always try to automate.
- Why code needs to be user-centric.
- Best practices for junior developers writing code.
- Nadina’s experience joining RAD Women.
- Leading a user/developer group during COVID.
Links:
- Nadina on Twitter
- Nadina on Linkedin
- Nadina on Github
- More on Knitforce
James Simone is a Senior Software Engineer here at Salesforce. He has done a lot of work around engineering for Agile teams which we are talking about today. Specifically, James and his team develop applications on the Salesforce platform with the goal of increasing the Agile health of software development teams.
James also has a blog called Joys of Apex which we are discussing in this episode. On his blog, he provides much-needed clarity for developers who are trying to work within Apex. Listen in to learn more about it and other great tips for working within Apex.
Show Highlights:
- What James does in his position at Salesforce.
- What made him want to write a blog about Apex.
- What test-driven development is.
- How James designs a failing test with no Apex to compare it to.
- The benefits of using a mock system for testing.
- Tips for making testing easier and quicker.
- What inversion of control means and what it does.
- What Invocable Apex is and how it works with Flow.
- What a Singleton is and how it helps developers.
- The benefits of using factory patterns.
- How James and his team are keeping the joy in Apex.
Links:
- James on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrwordsmith
- James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrwordsmith/
- James on Github: https://github.com/jamessimone
- Joys Of Apex: https://jamessimone.net/blog/joys-of-apex/
Emmett Chen-Ran is an Associate Product Manager here at Salesforce. Today I’m sitting down to talk with him about the upcoming Pub/Sub API. We also discuss what will be required from an infrastructure perspective to make it work and work without breaking things.
The Pub/Sub API is a brand new API for developers to allow them to do bidirectional streaming events. Based on gRPC, it offers new features and has an updated messaging protocol from traditional clients like CometD. Currently in pilot, tune in to find out how you can leverage this API for your solutions.
Show Highlights:
- What drew Emmett to pursue the people-centric side of development.
- How the Associate Product Management program works.
- What Apache Kafka is and how Salesforce is leveraging it.
- Why we’re expanding the infrastructure on Salesforce’s Streaming API.
- How to move tons of events to a new runtime without a failure.
- What the Pub/Sub API is and the benefits it brings.
- Why gRPC is more efficient for developers.
- How the Pub/Sub API works with and complements CometD.
- Resources to help you learn about and start using this new API.
Links:
- Emmett on LinkedIn
- Emmett on Github
- New Salesforce Event Bus Blog Post: https://medium.com/salesforce-architects/the-new-salesforce-event-bus-f82165cb0585
- Pub/Sub API Blog Post: https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2021/07/pub-sub-api-building-event-driven-integrations-just-got-even-easier.html
Alba Rivas is a Lead Developer Evangelist at Salesforce and former Salesforce MVP. While in the past, Alba has presented frequently on migrating to Lightning Web Components (LWC) - today, she talks about data security on the platform. We chat about some best practices to prevent leaking data or creating dangerous app security vulnerabilities when coding with Apex and with LWC. She also shares some tips and tricks for handling secrets in encryption.
Alba believes any developer should think about data security right from the very beginning and that applying best practices is crucial for having a high quality application to prevent vulnerabilities and attacks, which could be a big issue for any company.
Show Highlights:
- Moving from Visualforce to Lightning Web Components (LWC)
- Creating a Trailhead Module
- CRUD field level security vs. record level security
- The importance of Apex and how it works within SQL queries
- How to use schema to check if somebody has access to a record
- What the Apex recipes project does and what functions support security
- What Apex’s pilot user mode does and what the SOQL injection is for
- An example of a successful injection attack and what it does to a web application
- What is a cross-site scripting attack?
- Lightning Locker vs. content security policy (CSP)
- How to enforce security in LWC
- Some edge cases LWC developers need to worry about
- Tips for securing data back in the database itself and protecting custom metadata
Links:
- Migrating Visualforce to LWC
- Alba on Twitter: @AlbaSFDC
- Alba on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alba-rivas/
- Alba on Github: https://github.com/albarivas
- Alba's post on security: https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2021/07/security-for-salesforce-developers.html
Bonny Hinners is a Senior Member of Technical Staff at Salesforce. In this episode, we sat down and talked about our shared love for test-driven development, what it is, how you can utilize it, and how it can improve your developer experience. After many years in the community and having been introduced to Salesforce with her work on a nonprofit, Bonny is now working at Salesforce. Her team works in conjunction with internal teams and Agile coaches with primary focus on process, improvement and experimentation.
Bonny discusses the importance of teamwork – learning about the code base together and preventing the silos – as there shouldn't be any one developer who knows more about any part of the code.
Listen to the show to learn from Bonny’s experiences that can help any developer process.
Show Highlights:
- How mob development works
- What test-driven development is
- How to consider the role of unit tests
- Test-driven development vs. acceptance test-driven development
- The user doing the acceptance testing
- The 3 basic ways an application can have a bug
- The benefits of testing and retesting your debugging process
- How to own your own Agile process
- Why consider taking Bonny’s Pluralsight course
Links:
- Bonny on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SNUGSFBAY
- Bonny's Pluralsight course: https://www.pluralsight.com/courses/salesforce-admin-essential-testing-techniques
- Salesforce Saturday/Forcelandia presentation "Think Like a Developer" : https://zoom.us/rec/share/wf1UAa_w5FJIQonG7Rr-U4UYLLy4eaa81SRK_vEOz0tjH4VhJTaM6m9ThgSk_cod Password: 1Y*d=Le@
- Github account https://snugsfbay.github.io/df18/
Chris Stolt is one of the original founders of Enterprise Heroku Support and the co-founder of Elm Insights. Today we are sitting down to talk with both him and his fellow co-founder, Phil Ripperger. In our conversation, we talk through the early days of Enterprise Heroku Support including some of the horror stories they’ve been through. We also discuss their current product, Platform Experts, over at Elm Insights.
These two men were a part of the original customer support team for Heroku when it was first bought by Salesforce and have worked together ever since. Tune in for an incredible conversation between us three.
Show Highlights:
- How Chris and Phil built the customer support department for Heroku during its acquisition.
- The benefits of engineers going into customer support.
- The unique technical challenges Heroku presents.
- How the Enterprise Heroku Support team had to practice transparency.
- How Shaq boosted their traffic.
- How they plan for big events like Shaq’s Twitter announcement.
- How they supported Trailhead’s success.
- Why they started Elm Insights and what Platform Experts does for developers.
- Why Slack was their tool of choice.
Links:
- Platform Experts: https://platformexperts.dev
- Platform Experts Heroku Add-On: https://elements.heroku.com/addons/platform-experts
- Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherstolt/
- Phil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pdsphil/
Paul Prescod is a performance engineer at Salesforce.org. He is also involved with a project called Snowfakery. This program is capable of creating complicated and unique data records for testing.
In this episode, Paul and I are talking about everything Snowfakery. We also get into some of his background, including his work with a company that created mobile games which motivated behavioral change. Listen in to hear about all this and more.
Show Highlights:
- How Paul got into his role at Salesforce.org.
- His impetus for building Snowfakery.
- How complex data models are and why.
- Where the name Snowfakery came from.
- How Snowfakery works.
- How much the program scales.
- The outputs Snowfakery is capable of.
- The benefits of Python.
- How the developer community is involved with the creation of Snowfakery.
Links:
- Paul on Twitter: https://twitter.com/prescod
- Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulprescod/
- Paul on Github: https://github.com/prescod
- CumulusCI Trailblazer Group: https://trailblazers.salesforce.com/_ui/core/chatter/groups/GroupProfilePage?
- Snowfakery Github Repo: https://github.com/SFDO-Tooling/Snowfakery/
- Snowfakery Docs: https://snowfakery.readthedocs.io/en/stable/
- Paul's blog post on Snowfakery: https://medium.com/salesforce-architects/generate-realistic-datasets-with-snowfakery-5349225b033d
Karishma Lalwani is a Senior Director of Project Management here at Salesforce. Today I’m talking with her all about scalable architecture. In our conversation, we discuss what scalable architecture means on an enterprise level and some takeaways for developers.
Karishma was also once known as the “queen of encryption,” a title her former coworkers gave her as a result of her work on a pilot product for platform encryption. Karishma has a long history helping customers be successful at scale and advocating for them internally, tune in to hear from her wealth of knowledge and experience.
Show Highlights:
- What the frontier scale team does.
- What elastic infrastructure is and how it helps meet demand.
- What connected platforms are.
- How the “always on” model works.
- Best practices for developers working with SOQL.
- What not to do as a developer working with a 10 record query and why.
- Why row locking and sharing are problematic.
- What developers need to know about “bulkifying” code.
- What big objects are and how developers can use them to scale.
- What Vaccine Cloud is and the challenges it presented to architecture.
- All about Karishma’s upcoming podcast.
Links:
- Karishma on Twitter: https://twitter.com/karishmalalwani
- Karishma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karishmalalwani/
Mitch Spano is an Application Engineer over at Google. After running into orgs with complex problems juggling automated processes and triggers, Mitch created the Trigger Actions Framework project and that is what we are discussing today. We also get into some best practices for Apex, which Mitch is very experienced in learning and using.
In the episode, Mitch shares a fun story about how he got started writing computer programs just so he could make his math tests easier. From there he was forever hooked on the coding ecosystem. We’ll go into the use cases for the Trigger Actions Framework, how both developers and admins can adopt it, and what makes it tick. Tune in to learn more.
Show Highlights:
- Things that developers who are new to Salesforce should know.
- The difference between an “object” in Salesforce and computer programming.
- The first thing Mitch does when starting a Salesforce project.
- The issues with using opportunity trigger handlers as solutions for automation and order of execution.
- What the Trigger Actions Framework is.
- The metadata structure of this framework.
- How developers can replace what they’re doing with this new framework.
- Advanced features the framework for controlling the flow of actions
- Options for testing with this framework.
- When you would use the feature within the framework that allows you to limit any further actions on an object.
Links:
- Mitch on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MitchSpano
- Mitch on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchspano/
- Mitch on Github: https://github.com/mitchspano
- Trigger Actions Framework: https://github.com/mitchspano/apex-trigger-actions-framework
Vivek Chalwa is a Principal ISV Platform Expert here at Salesforce. Today I’m sitting down with him to talk about second-generation packaging and what it means for developers. We also get into how 2GP connects to things like declarative packing configuration, Apex, and orgs.
Vivek has a strong evangelistic angle to him and he even made his way into the Salesforce ecosystem by getting involved in the developer community and eventually becoming a developer group leader. Tune in to hear more from Vivek on the features of 2GP, how it works with your source control and what’s on the roadmap with it.
Show Highlights:
- Why Vivek started off being a developer group leader.
- How he came to actually work for Salesforce.
- What is 2GP and how it is different from 1GP.
- How declarative packaging configuration works with 2GP.
- How all of this helps with structuring solutions.
- How 2GP pairs with SalesforceDX and source centric development.
- The benefits of flexible versioning and how it works with 2 GP.
- How package bundles will work.
Links:
- Vivek on Twitter: https://twitter.com/VivekMChawla
- Vivek on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/VivekMChawla
- Vivek on Github: https://github.com/VivekMChawla
- Deep Dive: 2GP for ISVs (Trailmix): https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/users/isv-platform-experts/trailmixes/deep-dive-2gp
- 2GP AMA - April 2021 (Trailmix): https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/users/isv-platform-experts/trailmixes/apr-2021-2gp-ama
- Documentation for Second-Generation Packaging (2GP) (Trailmix): https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/users/isv-platform-experts/trailmixes/documentation-for-2gp
- 2GP Deep Dive Video Series: https://salesforce.vidyard.com/watch/tgk3WYUrpxc2SiLRrrsLSS?&_ga=2.52820139.26567925.1619449638-1751578069.1619449638
Greg Whitworth is the Director of LWC’s application and backend services. He’s also the Director of Standards and Web Platform here at Salesforce. Today, I am talking with him about his long history of working with web browsers. Specifically, we get into his experience with web standards committees, discuss how these standards come about and the benefits they can have for Salesforce and it’s developers.
Greg has a very unique perspective and history with these topics. Tune in to hear it and lots of great background information on web standards.
Show Highlights:
- What Greg’s job looks like day to day.
- All about web browser committees and how to join one.
- How something becomes a web standard.
- How his input on standards benefits Salesforce, its developers, and its customers.
- Examples of standards that are helpful to Salesforce.
- How standards improve developers’ skills and user experience.
- What the composite layer is.
- What polyfills are and how to work with them.
Links:
- Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregwhitworth/
- Greg on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregwhitworth?lang=en
- Greg on Github: https://github.com/gregwhitworth
- Greg's blog: https://www.gwhitworth.com/posts/
- Braces to Pixels: https://alistapart.com/article/braces-to-pixels/
- Braces to Pixels video: https://vimeo.com/182528420
- Customizable Control Presentation: https://noti.st/gregwhitworth
- The story of CSS Grid: https://alistapart.com/article/the-story-of-css-grid-from-its-creators/
- Open UI: https://open-ui.org/
Kalina Tyrkiel is a user experience writer in Poland. Though she is not a part of our Salesforce community, she does use her background in psychology to write content about neurodiversity and how it impacts user experience design.
In this episode, we discuss some of the ins and outs all of us must think about when it comes to accessibility. This includes some of the different ways we need to build out our interfaces when considering the neurodivergent. Tune in to learn more.
Show Highlights:
- What neurodiversity is and how broad neurodivergent symptoms can be.
- Some accessibility guidelines for typography.
- Why plain language is one of the biggest allies for neurodiverse user groups.
- Why metaphors can be confusing for many people.
- How to create neurodiverse user-friendly buttons.
- How colors and animation impact a neurodiverse user.
- Why closed captions are good and autoplay is bad when considering neurodiverse users.
- Resources to help you improve the accessibility of your pages.
Links:
-
Kalina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalinatyrkiel/
-
Kalina’s author profile: https://www.editorx.com/shaping-design/author/kalina-tyrkiel
-
Neurodiversity in Web Design: https://www.editorx.com/shaping-design/article/what-is-neurodiversity-in-web-design
Sources:
-
On people with autism and their greater ability to process information
-
W3C Guidelines for cognitive accessibility
-
W3C notes on creating content for people with cognitive and learning disabilities
-
Recommendations from Living Autism
-
LexAble – solutions for neurodiverse users
-
Rachel-Morgan Trimmer, neurodiversity consultant
-
TED Talk by Tim Goldstein, a neurodiverse communication specialist
-
Interview with an autistic user
Related Tools:
- Hemingway: https://hemingwayapp.com/
- Stark: https://www.getstark.co/
- Contrast Checker: https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Chuck Liddell is the CEO of Valence App Incorporated. In that role, he has the opportunity to leverage his skills in both business and technology. These are skills he has developed throughout his life and the multiple roles he has filled.
In this episode, I’m talking with Chuck about the work he has done in fostering, curating, and teaching others about advanced topics on Salesforce architecture. We highlight his many community engagements and get into some detail about Valence the company and the app. Tune in to learn all about the many projects Chuck has done and how they might be able to help you.
Show Highlights:
- How Chuck learned to combine business and technology.
- How he helped Cactusforce identify great technical content.
- How to communicate your strong technical ability.
- How Chuck knows when something is good technical content.
- What The Extracurricular is and how it came to be.
- Why they structured The Extracurricular the way they did.
- What Open-Force.org is and what brought Chuck to start it.
- The JSON Parser he made.
- Why custom metadata types are so powerful.
- Courses that can help you learn Salesforce architecture.
- How Chuck uses Salesforce to help his community.
- What the Valence platform is and some of the tech behind it.
Links:
- Chuck on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckliddell/
- The Extracurricular: http://theextracurricular.org/
- Good Day Sir Slack Signup: https://www.gooddaysirpodcast.com/community,
- Open-Force.org: https://www.open-force.org/
- Open-Force on Github: https://github.com/open-force
- Chuck's London Calling Session: https://www.londonscalling.net/sessions/advanced-custom-metadata-types-down-the-rabbit-hole-alice/
- Valence: https://valence.app/s/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Paul Battisson is the Chief Operating Officer for Cloud Galacticos. In this episode, we are talking about the convergence of two of his favorite things: “super hardcore nerdy math” (as Paul puts it) and Apex.
Paul has performed some unique experiments that combined his love for math with his love for Apex. In our conversation, we talk about those experiments at length. We go into some detail about what factors can affect Apex performance and weirdly, talk a lot about pigeons.
Show Highlights:
- Paul’s inspiration for learning how to code.
- What Machine Learning is and how it is architected
- Why Paul wanted to get Machine Learning (ML) in Apex.
- The difference between Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
- Where matrices fall into the toolset of creating Machine Learning.
- How linear regressions are utilized in Machine Learning.
- All about Paul’s Virtual Reality (VR) experiment in Apex.
- The pitfalls of enterprise VR and where Paul sees it going in the future.
- Specifics on how to increase performance in iterators
- What heap size is and how it affects performance
- What Paul’s two books are about.
Links:
1. Paul's Blog Posts on Machine Learning in Apex:
-
Part 1: https://paulbattisson.com/blog/2018/ai-for-salesforce-developers-part-1/
-
Part 2: https://paulbattisson.com/blog/2018/ai-for-salesforce-developers-part-2/
-
Part 3: https://paulbattisson.com/blog/2019/ai-for-salesforce-developers-part-3/
-
Better Performance in Loops:
-
Part 1: https://paulbattisson.com/blog/2014/force-com-cast-episode-6-faster-loops/
- Part 2: https://paulbattisson.com/blog/2014/force-com-casts-episode-7-faster-loops-part-2/
3. Follow up blog on performance: https://paulbattisson.com/blog/2020/Salesforce-Performance-Some-Thoughts/
-
Dreamforce deck of doing VR in Visualforce: https://www.slideshare.net/pbattisson/salesforce1-vr-immersive-data-visualization
-
Learning Salesforce Development With Apex: https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Salesforce-Development-Apex-English/dp/9389898188/
6. Mastering Apex Programming: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1800200927
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Francis Pindar is a Cloud Architect and platform owner for NetStronghold. On top of managing those roles, he is the author of his own site over at Admin to Architect.
In this episode, Francis is sharing some of his best tips and tricks for learning Salesforce. We discuss a variety of other topics, as well, such as Francis’ work in the movie industry, his co-founding of the London’s Calling conference, and the Salesforce certification process. Tune in to hear it all!
Show Highlights:
- How Harry Potter brought Francis into the Salesforce ecosystem.
- Why he went into the training segment of Salesforce.
- What led to the creation of London’s Calling.
- The challenges COVID brought for London’s Calling in 2020.
- Why a hybrid conference model is harder to put on than an all-live event.
- Why admins and developers should look into getting the architect certification.
- How much time you need to get your architect cert.
- The kind of content Francis has online to help people study for their certifications.
- What the Salesforce capability map is.
Links:
- Francis on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/radnip
- Francis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francisuk/
- eLearning Site: https://www.AdminToArchitect.com/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com\
Rob Baillie is a Senior Technical Architect over at makepositive. Rob is passionate about extreme programming, something he has developed throughout his career. We discuss how that came to be in this episode.
Rob’s experience with extreme programming has always had a solid foundation in unit testing. We go into how mocking works and specifically how his project, AMOSS, helps developers implement it. Tune in to hear more about this from the very knowledgeable Rob Baillie.
Show Highlights:
- How Rob got interested in computer science.
- How he eventually got into the Salesforce ecosystem.
- What his transition from PHP to Apex was like.
- What mocking and test doubles in unit testing are.
- What StubProvider does and why it’s so powerful.
- What AMOSS is and how it makes unit testing easier.
- The difference between test stubs and test spies.
- What a brittle unit test is and how to avoid it.
- Why we should view unit testing as documentation.
Links:
- Rob on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BobaliciousBob
- Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertbaillie/
-
Rob on Github: https://github.com/bobalicious
- AMOSS: https://github.com/bobalicious/amoss
- SObject Fabricator: https://github.com/bobalicious/SObjectFabricator
- Is a fork of https://github.com/mattaddy/SObjectFabricator
- AMOSS: https://github.com/bobalicious/amoss
-
Rob's London Calling Talk: https://www.londonscalling.net/sessions/stop-trying-to-mock- me-and-mock-me/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Kris Harrison is a Director of Product Management here at Salesforce. Specifically, he works with enterprise API’s and external services.
Kris used to be a Consultant with The Gap until his abrupt transition to Product Management. In his past, he also led a charge to begin thinking about services that are called from multiple customer touchpoints instead of standalone website features. In this episode, we’re talking more about his historical experience, what his current role at Salesforce looks like, and some great insights into API. Listen in to get an angle on the current state of API's for 2021, including what is going to be retired and what the roadmap looks like.
Also if any developers would like early preview access to the GraphQL pilot, they can tweet Kiril Seksenov (@k_seks).
Show Highlights:
- How Kris came to join Salesforce’s enterprise API team.
- What teams within Salesforce he is the Product Manager for.
- What a “day in the life” looks like for him in his current position.
- Characteristics of a good API.
- How developers can use an API effectively.
- What a Composite Graph is and how it can help developers.
- The roadmap for the upcoming Composite Graph API.
- The problem Kris and his team are trying to solve with the fields function in SOQL.
- Why the SOQL character limit was recently upped.
- Why they have decided to retire old versions of API and what those retirement phases will look like.
- What else is on Kris’ roadmap going into the future.
Links:
- Kris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GETkharrison
- Kris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krissirk/
- Kris on Github: https://github.com/krissirk
- Readiness Release Live on SOQL Fields: https://www.salesforce.com/video/16254714/
- Blog Post on SOQL: https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2021/01/new-soql-fields-function-is-ga.html
- OpenAPI 3.0 Pilot blog: https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2021/01/learn-moar-with-spring-21-openapi-3-0-spec-for-rest-api.html
- Readiness Release Live on Composite Graph: https://www.salesforce.com/video/12954039/
- Composite Graph blog: https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2020/09/learn-moar-with-winter-21-composite-graph-api.html
- Good API Trailhead module: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/content/learn/trails/architect-solutions-with-the-right-api
What to know about API retirements:
- 7.0 thru 20.0 - https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=000351312
- 21.0 thru 30.0 - https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=000354473
- TDX '20 “Do More with Less” session - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c2NS4V9lxk
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Anil Jacob is a Principal Engineer here at Salesforce. He is on the Frontier Scale Team, a group that works with complicated customers who have lots of users, records, or both. They work with these customers to help them increase performance on various levels.
In this episode, Anil shares some of the tips and tricks he gives to his customers with all of us. Whether you’re a “complicated customer” or not, his insights will surely be helpful for you.
Show Highlights:
- What a single-page application is and how it’s helpful.
- What an acceptable page speed looks like.
- How the number of components affect page performance.
- The difference between list components and simpler components.
- How to divide up your lists for faster rendering.
- How to utilize pagination to speed up the DOM.
- The benefits of creating custom components for different personas or users.
- What platform caches are and how they speed things up for large customers.
- The difference between org and session cache.
- Additional tips for designing Lightning Web Components.
Links:
- Anil on the Salesforce Developer Blog
- Anil on LinkedIn
- Anil on Github
- Blog post on LWC Scale: https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2020/02/designing-lightning-pages-for-scale.html
- Blog post on Platform Cache: https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2020/06/caching-in-the-salesforce-platform.html
- Blog post on scaling data access: https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2019/08/scaling-data-access-with-app-layer-cache.html
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Gemma Blezard is the CEO and founder of The Architect Club. In this episode, we leverage her extensive experience in crafting solutions for Salesforce as we go through a “solution jam” for a fictional company, based on her recent Cactusforce presentation.
We also detail her passion for helping others in the community, particularly with her involvement in Ladies Be Architects - a program which has helped people around the world ramp up their Salesforce skills. Tune in to hear how and why Gemma tackles complex business challenges with Salesforce.
Show Highlights:
- How she transitioned from data analyst to architect.
- What the Ladies Be Architects community is and what led her to start it.
- How to practice Salesforce sustainability.
- A solution jam for a fictional B2B company that is bleeding money.
- When to address training, procedure, and communication needs before finding solutions.
- How Salesforce can replace technologies like shared drives and spreadsheets.
- The advantages of having a collaborative sales team.
- Advice for architects who are approaching clients with problems.
Links:
- Gemma on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gemziebeth?lang=en
- Gemma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemmablezard/?originalSubdomain=uk
- Ladies Be Architects: https://ladies-be-architects.com/
- Gemma's Website: http://gemmablezard.com/
- Cactusforce: https://www.cactusforce.com/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Richard Clark is the Chief Innovation Officer for Provar Testing. He recently spoke at the 2021 Cactusforce virtual conference and, in his talk, he discussed integrating Slack and Salesforce together.
Today we continue that conversation on the podcast. Richard shares why Slack was an attractive solution for their sales teams, the various forms that the integration took, and some of the pros and cons of “low” vs “pro” code solutions for working with Salesforce. Have a listen and learn how you can build a Slack integration.
Show Highlights:
- How Richard got into the Salesforce ecosystem.
- Why he chose Slack as the integration point for Salesforce.
- The problems he was trying to solve with the integration.
- What the AppExchange plugin does.
- How webhooks open up more functionality within Slack.
- What External Services are and how they help with integration.
- The considerations to take within Flow while integrating Slack and Salesforce.
- Where Apex is needed in this process.
- When to use Queueable Apex vs. the Future Method.
- How users are reacting to this integration.
Links:
- Twitter account: https://twitter.com/RichClark808
- LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richclark808/
- Github account: https://github.com/rclark-provar
- Cactusforce Presentation: https://www.cactusforce.com/2021-session/2021/1/15/richard-clark-u-can-slack-2
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Aditya Naag Topalli is a Lead Developer Advocate here at Salesforce. He started out building web pages and applications but didn’t stop there. Those beginnings led Aditya to amazing things such as building a snake game with lightning web components. Today we broke down why and how Aditya built the game and the lessons learned along the way about things like performance and controlling the DOM.
Throughout the show, we also discuss what Aditya’s role as a developer advocate looks like and talk through everything LWC.
Show Highlights:
- Why Aditya shows himself building code from scratch in his demos.
- Why he wanted to build a snake game in LWC.
- Why not being in charge of manipulating the DOM is a best practice for lightning web components.
- How to control the flow when it comes to rendered callbacks.
- The performance benefits of using LWC instead of classic.
- How to decide which data to present to a client.
Links:
- Twitter account: https://twitter.com/adityanaag
- LinkedIn account: https://in.linkedin.com/in/adityanaag3
- Github account: https://github.com/adityanaag3
- LWC Snake Game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSdU3WQbm7c
- LWC Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXg61yUqPgo
- Home Page: http://adityanaag.com/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Mike Gerholdt is the Senior Director of Admin Evangelism here at Salesforce. His voice may sound very familiar to you. Mike is one of the longest-running podcasters in the Salesforce community and currently hosts the Salesforce Admin Podcast. Aside from Mike, I will also be joined by Gillian Bruce, a Principal Admin Evangelist at Salesforce, and another host of the Salesforce Admin Podcast.
Though we usually hear from developers, today we’re bringing in the admins. The roles of developer and admin may be different, but there are a few places where they overlap. That is what we are talking about in this episode. Mike, Gillian, and I are discussing our shared experiences and perspectives.
Show Highlights:
- How both Mike and Gillian got exposed to Salesforce.
- Why neither of them has dived into learning code.
- How the modern version of Flow helped Gillian figure it out.
- How developers can get better about their blind spots.
- The benefits of taking on aspects of and understanding the admin mindset.
- How to analyze your available tools based on their pros and cons.
- What admins have domain over that developers don’t.
- Why we need both skills and mentors to become better at our jobs.
Links:
- Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeGerholdt
- Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikegerholdt/
- Gillian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gilliankbruce
- Gillian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilliankbruce/
- Salesforce Admins: http://admin.salesforce.com
- Salesforce Admin Podcast: https://admin.salesforce.com/salesforce-admin-podcast
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Melissa Hansen is the co-founder and principal architect for the HiFi Consulting Group. In this episode, we discuss her experiences working with nonprofits since she started the group. The HiFi Consulting Group also built out an application using Experience Cloud, and we break down the architectural and development decisions made while creating that app. Tune in for great information from Melissa.
Show Highlights:
- How Melissa got her foot in the door at Salesforce.
- What the HiFi Group does.
- Melissa’s journey from admin to developer.
- How she first started learning programming languages.
- The users she created her application for.
- The maintainability benefits of using an app that’s almost purely on the platform.
- What Melissa considered when it came to the data model of her app.
- Why she thinks about who’s going to inherit a project as she’s working on it.
- Tips for making data-bound Apex classes perform.
- When to use base components vs. custom components.
- The performance gains you get from using the asynch/await model in JavaScript.
- What RAD Women is.
Links:
- Melissa on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MellyCodes
- Melissa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-hansen-2b725612/
- The HiFi Group: http://www.thehifi.group/
- Melissa at Cactusforce 2021: Custom Apps at Scale with LWCs in Experience Cloud - Melissa Hansen — Cactusforce | Trailblazer Community & Conference Salesforce Developers and Architects
- RAD Women: http://radwomen.org/
- RAD Women on Twitter: https://twitter.com/radwomencode
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Katie Kodes is a Data Developer and the author of the Katie Kodes blog. Today, I’m sitting down with her to talk about APIs, integrations, and dealing with data.
After being introduced to the world of database design at a young age, Katie shifted gears and studied French in college. However, she eventually found her way back to the tech industry. Tune in to learn more from Katie about automation, data modeling, and more.
Show Highlights:
- How Katie’s fast typing abilities led her to enter the world of technology.
- Her journey from data entry to Salesforce.
- Why she got interested in automation.
- What admins really do.
- The benefits admins get by using Apex.
- Similarities between Apex and Flow.
- Why you should run Flow tests.
- How Katie does data modeling.
- A simple description of API.
- What a schema is and how you create it.
- Why you should always get lots of people involved in the projects you take on.
- Why she posts her blogs in English and French.
Links:
- Katie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/katiekodes
- Katie on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/katiekodes
- Katie on GitHub: https://github.com/kkgthb
- Katie on Trailblazer: https://trailblazer.me/id/katiekodes
- Katie’s website: https://katiekodes.com/
Some of Katie's articles:
- https://katiekodes.com/cactusforce21
- https://katiekodes.com/flow-external-services/
- https://katiekodes.com/introduction-salesforce-rest-apis
- https://katiekodes.com/http-intro/
- https://katiekodes.com/intro-xml-json-1/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more athttps://emeraldcitypro.com
Shane McLaughlin is a developer for the Salesforce CLI. He started out in product marketing where he was mainly responsible for building demos. These were the kinds of things you would see on a Dreamforce stage or at a Dreamforce booth.
That role directly influenced his current one as he started to use the CLI to help build demos. Today we are discussing how he made his way here. We also talk a lot about plugins, especially the plugins library that Shane created along his journey. Shane has a rich background and depth of knowledge, so listen in.
Show Highlights:
- How Shane got introduced to Salesforce and ended up working here.
- His journey from being a Sales Engineer to doing product marketing.
- Why he started building CLI plugins.
- The main categories of plugins in his repo.
- Tools that help the CLI interact with browsers.
- Plugins that save you from having to do repetitive tasks that take up so much time.
- Shane’s favorite community plugin that helps migrate data.
- What Shane’s talk at Cactusforce was about.
- Why it’s helpful to look around a repo like his before building your own plugin.
- What the OCLIF format is and what it does.
Links:
- Shane on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mshanemc
- Shane on Github: https://github.com/mshanemc
- Shane's plugins: https://github.com/mshanemc/shane-sfdx-plugins
- Awesome plugins: https://github.com/mshanemc/awesome-sfdx-plugins
- Shane's Cactusforce session: https://www.cactusforce.com/2021-session/2021/1/15/shane-mclaughlin-into-the-bowels-of-salesforce-cli-plugins
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Marisa Hambleton is a Managing Partner at MH2X. In this episode, we are discussing the Cactusforce conference. We talk about its origins and the recent virtual version of it.
Marisa was introduced to Salesforce after both she and her husband lost their jobs at IBM. The instant delivery and cloud aspect drew her to the company. She now has a long history of being an entrepreneur in the Salesforce ecosystem. Tune in to hear all about that and Cactusforce.
Show Highlights:
- Why Marisa decided to run her own business.
- The bigger purpose entrepreneurship provides for her.
- Her greatest advice for those who want to strike out on their own.
- When she first got involved in the Salesforce and Trailblazer community.
- Her experience leading the Phoenix user group.
- How leading that developer group led to the Cactusforce conference.
- The kinds of advanced and holistic content they include in the conference.
- The decision process that went into making Cactusforce virtual in 2021 and how it went.
- How to access Cactusforce content now.
Links:
- Marisa on Twitter: https://twitter.com/marisahambleton
- Marisa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisahambleton/
- Cactusforce: https://www.cactusforce.com/
- Cactusforce Shirts: https://www.cactusforce.com/products
- Marisa’s company, MH2x: https://www.mh2x.com/
- More about Marisa: https://www.marisaforce.com/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Andrew Lawrence is a Director of Product Management for Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Today I am sitting down with him to talk about a wide range of topics related to B2C Commerce. We discuss how Salesforce has adopted a headless commerce approach, the new developer portal, and experience for commerce developers and some of the new tools coming out.
Andrew also explains how the pandemic has impacted commerce in general for developers. It brought a variety of challenges for retailers and changed the way they navigated commerce. Tune in to learn more.
Show Highlights:
- His early experience with technology and how that brought him to Salesforce.
- The challenges and shifts the pandemic brought to B2C commerce.
- How curbside pickup affected retailers.
- How headless commerce wove many different systems together to make contactless commerce easier.
- How developers can navigate all the different APIs and options being introduced.
- What the new Commerce Developer Portal does for developers.
- The community features of Commerce Cloud.
- How the upcoming Omni Channel Inventory Microservice will help retailers manage inventory at a massive scale.
- What Mobify is and what it will bring to Commerce Cloud.
Links:
- Andrew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew9990/
- Commerce Developer Portal: Home | Commerce Cloud Developer Center
- Trailhead Module on Commerce Web Apps: Discover the Commerce PWA Kit & Commerce Managed Runtime Unit | (salesforce.com)
- Spring '21 Developer Release Readiness Live: Developer Preview Live – Release Readiness LIVE, Spring '21 - YouTube
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Tony Jiang is an Associate Product Manager for Salesforce. He joined an Associate Program right out of college. In the program, he’s learned about product management and he is now in his first rotation working on platform APIs.
In this episode, Tony and I are talking about implementing the OpenAPI specification, an ongoing project here at Salesforce. We discuss what it is and the various benefits that come with it. Tune in to learn all about how it will impact you.
If you'd like to participate in the “OpenAPI 3.0 Spec for sObjects REST Resources” pilot, contact your Salesforce Account Executive or open a support case. Your feedback is very important to us, so that we can give you the best developer experience possible.
Show Highlights:
- How Tony got involved in the Associate Program.
- What made him want to transition from engineering to product management.
- What OpenAPI is and where it originated from.
- The advantages of implementing OpenAPI.
- How OpenAPI implementation will affect other projects.
- How they are developing OpenAPI right now.
- How OpenAPI supports Apex REST.
- The relationship between External Services and OpenAPI.
- How to get access to the spring pilot version of OpenAPI.
- The impact OpenAPI will have on SDKs.
Links:
- Tony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TonyJiang_
- Tony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-jiang/
- Learn MOAR about OpenAPI: Learn MOAR with Spring ‘21: OpenAPI 3.0 Spec for REST API | Salesforce Developers Blog
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Lexis Hanson is a Senior Software Engineer here at Salesforce. In this role, she is also the primary front-end developer for Trailhead Live.
Lexis’s interest in coding started with building Myspace pages. Eventually, she came to work for the customer support side of Salesforce. In this episode, we talk about how she went from there to becoming a software engineer. We also discuss various technologies such as JavaScript and React. Tune in to hear it all.
Show Highlights:
- Lexis’s side passion for finance.
- How she transitioned from an interest in coding to a determination to make it her career.
- The struggles she encountered when she started her journey towards becoming a software engineer.
- The difference between good and bad context switching.
- What to do when you get emotional about difficult coding.
- Why you should stick to a single language when starting out.
- Why Lexis is such a fan of JavaScript.
- Tools and resources that help when learning how to code.
- How Lexis got into networking and got other people involved in her journey.
- How to show experience if you’re applying for your first tech job.
- What reverse recruiting is and how Lexis used it to get her current job.
Links:
- Lexis on Twitter - https://twitter.com/lexishanson
- Lexis on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexishanson
- Lexis on Github - https://github.com/lexishanson
- So, You’re Thinking of Becoming a Developer
- Modern JavaScript Features Every Developer Should Know
- Acting on Daydreams: From Customer Success to Software Engineering
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more athttps://emeraldcitypro.com
Abraham David Lloyd is a director at Salesforce. He is also the lead evangelist for the B2C Solution Architect program. Abraham encourages everyone to become an architect to expand their sphere of influence, practice their skills, and support the creation of new customer experiences.
Today, Abraham and I are talking about the B2C Solution Architect program. We also discuss solution architecture in general. Abraham shares about his earliest experiences with computers and programming in which he realized his skill for listening to and practicing empathy with people. Tune in to learn how empathy applies to his work at Salesforce and more.
Show Highlights:
- Abraham’s time in the business of getting night clubs up and running.
- His current role at Salesforce.
- The 3 kinds of leadership Solution Architects practice.
- The overlap between business and technology in solution architecture.
- What the B2C Solution Architect certification covers and why it’s so essential.
- How to create a seamless customer experience.
- Why we should data model profiles as humans instead of modeling them as system-specific profiles.
- How to leverage solution architecture to augment your transactional experiences.
- The importance of calculating your customers’ total lifetime values.
- What Customer 360 Data Manager and Audience Manager do for both developers and architects.
Links:
- Abraham on Twitter: https://twitter.com/djb2c?lang=en
- Abraham on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrahamlloyd/
- Credentials on Trailhead: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/credentials/
- Abraham on Github: https://www.github.com/b2csolutionarchitect
B2C Solution Architect Certification LinksBlogs and News
-
B2C Solution Architect Certification: Guiding Companies Through Digital Transformation
-
New Ways to Skill Up for Digital Transformation
-
Driving Customer and Partner Success with the New Salesforce B2C Solution Architect Certification
Trailhead Resources
-
B2C Solution Architect Credential
-
B2C Solution Architect Exam Guide
-
B2C Solution Architect: Preparation Trailmix
-
B2C Solution Architect: Study for Trailmix
-
B2C Solution Architect Certification Curriculum (26 courses on B2C use-cases)
Video Resources
-
Salesforce Architect Success: Program Overview
-
Grow Your Career: Become a Solution Architect
-
The Partner Journey to B2C Solution Architect
-
B2B and B2C Architect Careers and Scenarios
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Mohith Shrivastava is a Lead Developer Advocate here at Salesforce. His main role is to inspire our developers. In this episode, we talk about modern application development. We also discuss the content that Mohith has been producing himself in order to get that information out to you.
Mohith has a background in hardware engineering and consulting. Eventually, however, he learned about Salesforce and transitioned into the world of software engineering. Now he produces relevant content and answers questions for developers and gets their feedback on the technologies they use. Tune in to hear more.
Show Highlights:
- How Mohith was first introduced to Salesforce.
- His exposure to product development.
- How he learned about and started hosting weekly Trailhead Live sessions.
- The goal of the modern app development series.
- How Mohith uses Heroku to scale his applications.
- How using tools besides Apex help with scaling and efficiency.
- How Salesforce functions simplify coding work.
- How Schema Builder helps with building data models.
- When to use Salesforce, Heroku, Heroku Connect, and Redis.
- How the Apex piece fits into the jigsaw puzzle of modern app design.
- The benefit of having unit testing in place.
- What sketch tools and plugins allow you to do.
Links:
- Mohith's Twitter account
- Mohith's LinkedIn account
- Mohith's Github account
- Modern App Development YouTube playlist
- Sketch Plugin
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Ines Garcia is an Agile coach and the author of a book on using Agile with Salesforce. In this episode, I’m discussing Agile with her.
Throughout our conversation, Ines and I talk about Agile in general as well as how it can be used with Salesforce. We also touch on the book and the game she has created. Tune in to learn more about Ines, her early years, and her extensive experience with Agile.
Show Highlights:
- How Ines went from studying communications to the ecosystem of software engineering.
- How she got introduced to Salesforce.
- The 4 values of Agile.
- The process to becoming a certified Scrum Master.
- How the Scrum framework abates some of the risks in software delivery.
- What extreme programming is.
- How Agile breaks time down when it comes to things like sprints.
- What timeboxing is and how it’s being used to be more efficient.
- Agile’s perspective on documentation.
- The advantages and disadvantages Salesforce creates when working with Agile.
- Good resources for those who have been entrenched in Waterfall but are now interested in Agile.
- Why Ines decided to write a book and what the process of designing it was like.
- How Ines’ game can play into improving your team and projects.
Links:
- Ines on Twitter: https://twitter.com/inescapinezka
- Ines on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inesgarciaagile/
- Ines on Github: https://github.com/GarciaInes
- Ines’ Author Page: amazon.com/author/inesgarcia
- Ines’ Game Page: https://birdsnerdsandturds.com/
- Get Agile Company Page: http://getagile.co.uk
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Joe Andolina is a Director of Technical Marketing here at Salesforce. Today, I’m sitting down to talk with him about his long history of doing some pretty crazy experiments with the Internet of Things. We also discuss how some of that has dealt back into Work.com and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joe even created his own degree in visual computer science to blend the real world with the digital world. Tune in to hear all about his ingenuity and what he’s doing today with IoT and Work.com.
Show Highlights:
- Joe’s earliest experiences with computers.
- What his 11 years at Adobe were like.
- How he started getting interested in the hardware side of things.
- The swarm of wireless devices he built that use mesh networking for audience interactivity.
- Some of the hardware that you can use to set up something like a fever-testing kiosk.
- How flow streamlines things to the point of moving away from programmatic code and towards visual code.
- What Density.io is and how it can help with tracking occupancy.
- How Joe structured Salesforce data to be able to track occupancy.
- Tricks for tracking proximity.
- IoT hardware to pick up if you’re interested in trying that architecture out.
Links:
- Joe on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeandolina
- Joe on Instructables - https://www.instructables.com/member/joe.andolina
- Joe on Github - https://github.com/jandolina
Joe's Demos:
- Nissan Connected Car - https://salesforce.vidyard.com/watch/Natcj6SjW8wxgb4ziz51BY
- Touchless Kiosk - https://salesforce.vidyard.com/watch/wnU9qHTXncgum1Cs1KsYYU
- Compliant Wash Station - https://salesforce.vidyard.com/watch/YSsDE1t4ntfN64EC1pYxqu
- Room Occupancy - https://salesforce.vidyard.com/watch/i2dNBepExsptHYoyqGKJDf
- Manual vs Automated Thermal Scan - https://salesforce.vidyard.com/watch/CiAQb3aNJvV4RcPpmfL8vV
- Workspace Crowding - https://salesforce.vidyard.com/watch/s8DqzxH3AqMnc2wA5nVaww
- Proximity Masks - https://salesforce.vidyard.com/watch/J7LYjtXCFq5oxwpDGqaWU6
- Iron Maiden AR - https://salesforce.vidyard.com/watch/Uzrp2jMBYke33pVsZZwS7s
- Van Build: http://www.andomation.com/van-build
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Today’s guest is Aidan Harding. He is the Technology Director for Nebula Consulting. In this episode, we’re sitting down and talking about a variety of topics. Above all, we’re discussing how Flow and Apex can start being friends and working together.
In the episode, we also touch on Aidan’s experience with programming, his time at Salesforce, and his current job at Nebula. Listen in to learn from his expertise with Flow and Apex.
Show Highlights:
- Aidan’s early days in the Salesforce ecosystem.
- What his current job is like.
- When he decided he needed to really look at Flow as a developer.
- How Flow aligns with programming.
- Skills that make it easier to pick up and go with Flow.
- What Flapex is.
- How to bring the concept of a unit test to Flow and how Apex can help with that.
- How important naming conventions are with Flow.
- How this has all changed Aidan’s approach to Apex.
- What lazy evaluation is and how it applies to Apex.
Links:
- Aidan on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AidanHarding
- Aidan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidan-harding/
- Aidan on Github: https://github.com/aidan-harding/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.
Joey Chan is the Principal Consultant for Cloud Jedi Solutions. He also organized the Philippines Trailblazer Community Group and Philippines Dreamin. Though he is focusing more on business and marketing now, Joey has attained 15 certifications.
In this episode, we’re sitting down with Joey to talk about a wide range of subjects. We especially focus on the Philippines Trailblazer Community Group and Philippines Dreamin and how we went about organizing both. Tune in and you’ll learn a lot from his diverse experiences.
Show Highlights:
- Advice for people looking to get certified.
- How Joey has been training with Salesforce and interacting with the community.
- How he transitioned from learning and researching to organizing community groups and events.
- The benefit of holding live events.
- The challenges he’s faced in forming community groups and keeping them going.
- How the pandemic has affected his work and what kind of new content and interactions he’s seen as a result.
- The 5 free Salesforce tools that can help both admins and developers in their daily work.
- The drawbacks of the virtual interaction layer.
- His motivation for organizing Philippines Dreamin and when he began doing so.
- Advice for those who want to organize community events like Joey but have no experience.
Links:
- Joey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeyqchan
- Joey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cloudjedi__c
- Joey on StackExchange: https://salesforce.stackexchange.com/users/314/joey-chan
- Philippine Dreamin' Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21WFqzYZzCw
- Cloud Jedi: https://www.cloudjedi.com/#services
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Nina Rosen is a Salesforce developer and an architect for Neomatic over in Germany. She has built integration apps for a variety of platforms and companies in the past and is currently working on a partner relationship management system based on Salesforce data.
In this episode, Nina and I talk all about integration with Salesforce. Specifically, we discuss the various aspects of integrating Salesforce with other platforms. Listen in and learn how you can do it yourself.
Show Highlights:
- What OAuth is.
- The distinctions she has found across implementations with OAuth.
- How to get the API you’re integrating with.
- What she does to structure Apex to make it friendly with different call-outs.
- Tips for handling the different kinds of incoming and outgoing data formats.
- Considerations for the API being called into by Salesforce.
- How to protect yourself from an attack vector.
- Microsoft’s new Graph API.
- Things to consider when working with user interfaces.
- How she has worked around the lack of a patch method in Salesforce up until now.
Links:
- Nina on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nina__mdt
- Nina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-rosen93/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Pekka Klärck is the founder of the Robot Framework. He is also currently the Lead Developer for the Robot Framework Foundation. In this episode, I’m sitting down to talk to Pekka about this framework, it’s origins and how it can help automate testing and other tasks for applications on the Salesforce Platform. If you never made it to a Robocon, take a seat and get acquainted with this great tool to put in your toolkit.
Show Highlights:
- Why it was always important to Pekka to make his framework open source.
- How the framework came to be and its current state.
- What languages the framework supports.
- What it means for it to be a keyword-driven approach.
- The common design pattern people use with the framework.
- The design goal for the framework.
- New features on the roadmap for the Robot Framework.
Links:
-
About Pekka: http://eliga.fi/
-
Robot Framework: https://robotframework.org/
-
Robot Framework Foundation: https://robotframework.org/foundation/
-
Robocon: https://robocon.io/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Ankit Taneja is a self-described Salesforce solo-preneur. He also co-leads the Berlin User Group. In this episode, I’m talking with Ankit about his experiences as an entrepreneur. He also shares some tips and tricks for all of us.
Not only is Ankit a successful entrepreneur, but he also wrote a master’s thesis in IT forensics and almost got his PhD in that field. It was when he took a break to decide what he was going to do that he found his way to Salesforce. Tune in to hear all the amazing knowledge Ankit has to share.
Show Highlights:
- Ankit’s early experiences with computing.
- How he veered to Salesforce from IT forensics.
- How he got involved with and eventually became the leader of the Berlin User Group.
- What it has been like to lead that community during a pandemic.
- The pros and cons of the freelancer/entrepreneurial lifestyle.
- What he does to control his day and create a good work/life balance.
- Tools all freelancers should have.
- How he divides his tasks to keep his business up and running.
- The importance of having business licenses and other legal protections in place.
- How he finds customers and maintains his client base.
- How to figure out what to charge and how to structure your budget as an entrepreneur.
Links
- Ankit on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankit-taneja-68229128
- Ankit on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nkittaneja?lang=en
- Forcepreneur Podcast: https://forcepreneur.com/
- Forcepreneur Course: https://learn.forcepreneur.com/
- Code for 10% off the course: SFPOD10
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Joe Kutner is a Software Architect here at Salesforce working on the Heroku Platform. In this episode, I’m sitting down and talking with Joe about Cloud Native Buildpacks and they are powering cloud based deployments and trends like microservices. We talk about their origins at Heroku, and how Kubernetes, Docker, and all sorts of other really cool technology allow developers to convert their apps into images that can be easily served to users. With all of his experience at Heroku, Joe has incredible insights to share with all of us on how Cloud Native Buildpacks have evolved from their beginnings. Tune in to receive great value and learn a lot.
Show Highlights:
- How Joe got started at Heroku and what the Heroku platform actually is.
- The impetus of Buildpacks and what they were like in the early days.
- A basic level walk-through from detection to compilation on the Heroku server.
- API competition and how Cloud Native Buildpacks are resolving it.
- Capabilities in the new API that weren’t supported in the old one.
- What Docker and Kubernetes are and how they work with Buildpacks and each other.
- How this technology helps enable microservices.
- The prerequisites to moving your applications to a Cloud Native Buildpack.
Links:
- Joe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/codefinger
- Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joekutner/
- Joe on GitHub: https://github.com/jkutner/
Special Update!
Cloud Native Buildpacks have been promoted to incubation. Read more here: https://www.cncf.io/blog/2020/11/18/toc-approves-cloud-native-buildpacks-from-sandbox-to-incubation/
Special shout out in this episode to James Ward (https://twitter.com/_jamesward)
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Kevin Poorman is a Senior Developer Evangelist with Salesforce. Today, we sit down and talk with him about his CodeLive series where Kevin and a guest pair program interesting and unique solutions and ideas for Salesforce. Kevin gives a general overview of the show, but we also dig a little deeper into some highlighted topics from it.
And while Kevin is mostly known for his Salesforce skills, he actually has a Master’s in Divinity, as well. Tune in to hear all about CodeLive as well as his experience with the diverse combination of software engineering and religion.
Show Highlights:
- What CodeLive is and why he started doing it.
- Why he wanted to go the direction of pure programming.
- The few rules he gives to his CodeLive guests.
- Tips and tricks to get debugging into your normal lifecycle of development.
- Tools that help with peer programming.
- What null coalescence is and specific cases where it helps.
- What unlock packages are and how Kevin used them in CodeLive.
- The journey he went through with moving Visualforce to LWC.
- What Apex Recipes is and how he sees people using it.
- What he wishes people did and didn’t do with Apex.
Links:
- Kevin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/codefriar
- Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinpoorman/
- Kevin on Github: https://github.com/codefriar/
- John Daniel Episode: https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2020/07/codelive-with-salesforce-developer-john-daniel.html
- Julian Duque episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMmd9yPZ63c
- Brian Kwong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdtgYCCjHkw&list=PLgIMQe2PKPSJWQxIF9BJSAaWdh6eUl37f&index=8
- Apex Recipes: https://github.com/trailheadapps/apex-recipes
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Sarah Khalid is a Salesforce Technical Architect for the MedPro Group. In this episode, Sarah and I talk about her experiences integrating and developing with MuleSoft. She also explains how she solved a clutter problem for her son’s school by getting them to stop using physical paper and start working with Salesforce. Sarah taught herself MuleSoft out of curiosity for technology and is now her company’s lead expert on it. Tune in to learn great insights from someone with a comprehensive background.
Show Highlights:
- What Supermums is and Sarah’s involvement in it.
- What MuleSoft is and how it’s different from other programs.
- Early cases for which MuleSoft provided a solution.
- Tips and tricks to consider when using MuleSoft to log in to many different systems.
- What Okta is and what solutions it provides.
- When an Apex trigger would have more of an advantage than CDC.
- How using the Bulk API and MuleSoft plays into designing.
- What OData is and how it works with MuleSoft.
Links
- Sarah on Twitter: http://twitter.com/sarahSFDC
- Sarah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khalidsarah/
- Sarah’s blog: https://sarahinthecloud.wordpress.com/
- MuleSoft Training: https://training.mulesoft.com/
- Supermums: https://supermums.org/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
In today’s episode, I’m sitting down to talk with Neha Ahlawat. She is a former Tesla intern who learned about Salesforce when she went to a career fair. She ended up becoming an engineer with us and now she is the Product Manager for Custom Metadata. Today we’re talking about that product, the new CLI plugin for it, and the feature roadmap. Tune in to learn from Neha’s experiences and the latest on Custom Metadata.
Show Highlights:
- What it’s like being a Product Manager at Salesforce.
- The shape of custom metadata.
- A comparison of custom metadata and custom settings.
- Where custom metadata can be used right now.
- Pitfalls people fall into when using hardcoded values and how custom metadata can help them out of that.
- Ways metadata can be used with flows and processes.
- How VLOOKUP works with custom metadata.
- Features that the new CLI plugin rolls out for developers.
- Where hierarchical custom metadata and working with custom metadata through Apex exists on the roadmap right now.
- High priority things on the roadmap.
Links:
- Neha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ahlawat_neha
- Neha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahlawatneha/
- Neha’s blog: https://nehaahlawat.wordpress.com/2016/08/09/where-does-a-thought-go-when-its-forgotten/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
In this episode, I’m talking with the CTO of BrightGen, Keir Bowden. We sit down and discuss the different tools you can use for automation and testing, including Keir’s own Salesforce CLI plugin. We also talk about the frequent role JavaScript plays in these tools.
Keir worked for a number of startups before finding his way to BrightGen. He first worked with them on a Java implementation and later got involved in their partnership with Salesforce. Tune in to hear his experiences and insight around Salesforce CLI, JavaScript, Selenium and more.
Show Highlights:
- How Keir got into the Salesforce world.
- Suitable users for the Salesforce CLI.
- The main tasks he uses the CLI for.
- What compelled him to write the Electron UI and how he got it up and running.
- An elevator pitch for the plugin he wrote for the CLI.
- What the Heroku framework is.
- What kind of tests are run with Selenium.
- Tips for working with a more asynchronous user interface.
Links:
- Keir on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bob_buzzard
- Keir on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keirbowden
- Keir on Github: github.com/keirbowden
- Keir’s Blog - http://bobbuzzard.blogspot.com/
- NPM - https://www.npmjs.com/~keirbowden
- Dedicated page on blog for Documentor Plug-in:https://bobbuzzard.blogspot.com/p/org-documentor.html
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Martie Burris is a Senior Project Manager here at Salesforce working on our Work.com solution helping businesses with the pandemic. In this episode, we talk about the process of developing Work.com, the core features it has, and how developers can customize it.
Martie started as a consultant, always knowing she wanted to work at the intersection of business and technology. At one point, she tried to explain to her manager what she wanted to do, and that ultimately led her to her role as a project manager. Tune in to learn from her story and expertise and how Work.com could be a unique opportunity for developers.
Show Highlights:
- Why Salesforce is uniquely qualified to deliver Work.com.
- How Work.com came together.
- The working parts of Work.com and how they all flow together.
- The new normal for employees today.
- Best practices for the implementation of Work.com.
- A walk-through of the entity-relationship diagram and what it does for Work.com.
- The role of Trailhead and MuleSoft in Work.com.
- Things developers can experiment with and extend in the program.
Links:
- Work.com Development Guide: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.workdotcom_dev_guide.meta/workdotcom_dev_guide/wdc_cc_overview.htm
- Martie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/martieburris
- Martie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetmartie/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Michael is a lead member of the technical staff over at Salesforce.org. In this episode, Michael and I talk all about the Nonprofit Success Pack. We discuss its history, development cycle, and new features and how Salesforce.org manages to maintain new features as well as the diversity of size and shape of nonprofits.
Michael has been developing on the Salesforce Platform since the early days, so tune in to hear his stories of getting into the ecosystem and lessons learned over the years.
Show Highlights:
- How Michael got into the Salesforce ecosystem.
- The first thing he built on the Salesforce Platform.
- What his time as a consultant looked like and words of advice for those going into consulting today.
- Features of the Nonprofit Success Pack.
- The distinction between a constituent and a customer.
- What nonprofits on the larger end of the spectrum look like.
- How recurring donations work.
- What the accounting sub-ledger is and how it works, including the new payment solution, Elevate.
Links:
- Michael on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Force2b_Mike
- Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mgsmithnj/
- Michael on Github: https://github.com/force2b
- Open Source Sprints: https://powerofus.force.com/s/article/SFDO-OSC-Get-Started
- Nonprofit Success Pack: https://www.salesforce.org/nonprofit/nonprofit-success-pack/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Brandon Ferrua is a UX architect for the Design System team here at Salesforce. In this episode, we discuss the history of the Salesforce Lightning Design System. He teaches us what a design system really means. Brandon also reveals a cool new feature in the form of styling hooks.
If you’ve ever wanted a more detailed understanding of design systems, Brandon has been here since the bootstrap days and has a lot to teach us. Tune in to hear a great conversation with lots of useful information.
Show Highlights:
- The history of SLDS.
- What makes a design system a design system.
- How Salesforce started getting organized with accessibility-friendly components.
- What a design token is and how it works.
- The core products and users they were specifically designing for Lightning Experience
- What styling hooks are and how they help the adoption problem.
- What kind of freedom the new styling hook feature gives people.
- The advantages the Trailhead design team will experience.
Links:
- Brandon on Twitter: @bferrua
- Salesforce UX Github: https://github.com/salesforce-ux
- SLDS Styling Hooks: https://www.lightningdesignsystem.com/platforms/lightning/styling-hooks/
- Salesforce UX Blog: https://medium.com/salesforce-ux
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
In this episode, Rupesh Bhatia and I talk about his various experiences in web development. As a Specialist Master, he has worked with many developers and consultants and has a lot of career advice for us. He also shares how to have a consultant mindset.
Rupesh wasn’t always destined to be a programmer. Having grown up in a barber’s family, he eventually fell into web development. Tune in to hear all about his career journey and current expertise in the field.
Show Highlights:
- What D2C (or developer to consultant) is.
- What’s involved in the presale cycle and why that’s important to a developer.
- Tips for developers interacting with tech leads and technical architects.
- Advice for people working with clients and communicating back to offshore people.
- How to document the information you receive from clients.
- How to make sure the escalation process goes smoothly as an offshore developer.
- How to navigate the challenges that come up with language and culture barriers.
Links:
- Rupesh on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/RupeshBhatia85
- Rupesh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rupesh-bhatia/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
In this episode, Jennifer Lee and I talk about her experiences as a Lead Solution Designer at John Hancock. There are a lot of considerations when it comes to adding Flow into Salesforce applications and today, Jennifer helps us navigate through the different kinds of Flow and relevant use cases for them.
Jennifer is also one of the most ardent fans of Trailhead. Tune in to hear her experience with that program and her insight on all the different aspects of Flow.
Show Highlights:
- How Flow fits into application design.
- A description of Flow from a technical point of view.
- The different high-level ways we can invoke a flow.
- When to use screen flows, when to use Lightning Web Components, and when to use both.
- What unofficial SF is and how it’s useful.
- Good use cases for flows triggered by record actions, flows triggered by platform events, and scheduled flows.
- UI interactions that can kick off a flow.
Links
- Jennifer on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jenwlee
- Jennifer on LinkedInt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejenniferwlee/
- Jennifer’s blog: Jenwlee.com
- Automation Hour: AutomationHour.com
- UnofficialSF: UnofficialSF.com
- NorthEast Dreamin’: https://northeastdreamin.com/
- Architect Decision Guides: https://sforce.co/arch-guide-clicks-code
- Guide on Forms: https://sforce.co/forms-arch-guide
- Guide on Triggered Automation: https://sforce.co/trigger-arch-guide
Shout Outs
- Charlie Isaacs: https://twitter.com/charlieisaacs
- Rakesh Gupta: https://twitter.com/rakeshistom
- David Litton: https://salesforcesidekick.com/aboutme/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
In this episode, Andrew Davis and I talk all about DevOps. A Senior Director of Product Marketing at Copado, Andrew helps us go beyond thinking about it as tools or lifecycle management to viewing it as a philosophy. DevOps is really a way of approaching the process of work and thinking about the development lifestyle.
During his time at Copado, Andrew has had the opportunity to learn a lot of customer stories.
Tune in to leverage his experience when it comes to tips, tricks and strategies on having a more efficient and positive development experience with the Salesforce Platform.
Show Highlights:
- Andrew’s definition of DevOps.
- What the three ways of DevOps are and how they’re important beyond a technical level.
- The key metrics that prove how effective DevOps is.
- What Lean is and how it plays into DevOps.
- How failure works into the continuous flow of this philosophy.
- How a blameless post-mortem works.
- A description of some of the Trailhead content centered around Copado.
Links:
- Andrew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndrewDavis_io
- Andrew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewdavis-io/
- Mastering Salesforce DevOps (book): https://go.copado.com/devops-book
- Salesforce DevOps with Copado Badge: https://go.copado.com/badge1
- Continuous Innovation with Copado Badge: https://go.copado.com/badge2
- Copado Virtual Learning Center: https://go.copado.com/learning-center
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
The role of the Architect Evangelist at Salesforce is to inspire and empower. In general, the architect is the most trusted digital advisor and technical influencer in the ecosystem. Because of this, the person in this role must always be looking for ways to engage with architects. He has to help them understand how to use our products and if they’ll be successful using them.
As an Architect Evangelist, Marc leverages his experience with Salesforce to help people learn best practices and make wise decisions with technical architecture. In this episode, we’re talking about the recently developed team and cover some of the team’s early content - especially the very popular Decision Guides. We also lean on Marc’s lengthy experience dealing with technical debt.
Tune in to learn more about what he does and how he can help you.
Show Highlights:
- What decision guides are and how they put them out there.
- How to know if you’re using a Process Builder in the right way.
- The limitations of a Lightning Web Component.
- The future of Decision Guides.
- What technical debt is and the common symptoms of it.
Links
- Marc on Twitter: @mlbrag
- Marc on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbraga/
- Salesforce Architects LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/salesforce-architects/
- Salesforce Architects Blog: https://medium.com/salesforce-architects
- Architect Decision Guides Post: https://medium.com/salesforce-architects/introducing-architect-decision-guides-609ae5d7b5da
- Tech Debt Webinar Recording: http://salesforce.vidyard.com/watch/nhSDFZB7RmxUTNdSQq4sEp
- Tech Debt Webinar PDF: https://org62.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/000000000062/a/0M000000QpLL/YlKxYEEvSMxcT0fxLzPF.HxVRF3Gnw5XV_KXY_2IbA8
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
The whole point of software as a service is to allow our customers to not have to worry about all of the ins and outs of a program’s workings. Thanks to this, there are many things that Salesforce customers simply never need to worry about. We make sure everything works so that they experience no interruption.
Multitenant architecture is a program that allows Salesforce to accomplish just this. Ian Varley is a Principal Architect here at Salesforce and he has been working on this program for the last 10 years. Beyond software engineering, Ian has also earned degrees in philosophy and music. In this episode, we discuss multitenant architecture and all of its facets.
Show Highlights:
- The core idea of what multi-tenancy is.
- How we can architecturally define the tenant.
- How to go about grouping the kinds of services that operate with multi-tenancy.
- The complicated world of microservices.
- How acquisitions look and work together within Salesforce.
- What the application Salesforce core looks like.
- How metadata works from a physical database layer point of view.
- Why awareness of cognitive bias is important to this field of work.
Links
- Ian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefutureian
- Ian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianvarley/
- Brains Considered Harmful: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/oreilly-software-architecture/9781492050605/video325607.html
Shout Out
- Steven Tamm: https://twitter.com/tammforce
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Amy Oplinger-Singh is a senior Salesforce consultant with The Crevalle Group and the leader of the Akron WIT group. She is also a speaker who talks to her audiences about imposter syndrome. When she first brought her knowledge to the stage, she realized she was experiencing imposter syndrome about imposter syndrome. Since then, she has received support and community that has helped her overcome her fears.
Today, we talk all about this topic. Imposter syndrome is widespread within the technical community. It’s a common denominator for many within this ecosystem. Amy and I discuss what it is, how to identify it, and what to do about it.
Show Highlights:
- The indicators that show we have fallen prey to imposter syndrome.
- Coping mechanisms that can help us overcome imposter syndrome.
- The hesitancy of many to call themselves technical people.
- How the fear of failure plays into this.
- Amy’s definition of the fear of success.
- How imposter syndrome affects the people around us.
Links
- Amy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SalesforceAmy
- Amy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoplinger/
- Amy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalesforceAmy
Virtual Trailblazer Events/Meetups: https://salesforce.quip.com/7MtlAuTv14ya
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Gigi Zanolli is a developer advocate and her mission is to enable Tableau’s developers to be successful in their usage of our APIs and developer tools. Before moving to Seattle, she helped customers all around EMEA with their Tableau adoption. Prior to that, she worked in IT management and completed a double masters in information systems and computer science. Originally from Mauritius, Gigi decided to trade sunny days for new adventures in Europe and now the US.
Today, I’m sitting down to talk with Gigi about her early days, what she’s currently working on at Tableau, e-learning opportunities, and what’s coming soon.
Show Highlights:
- The mission statement for Tableau.
- The skills required to get into data development.
- The APIs Tableau offers.
- Examples of what people have built using Tableau.
- The developer environments that Tableau offers.
- The history of the Lightning Web Component that allows Tableau to be embedded in Salesforce.
Links
- Gigi on Twitter: http://twitter.com/illonage
- Gigi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gzanolli/
- Gigi on Github: http://github.com/illonage
- Tableau Developer Program: http://tabsoft.co/SFDevPodcast
- Tableau on Trailhead: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/the-tableau-workflow
- Play Super Mario in Tableau: https://infotopics.nl/blog/mario-in-tableau-using-tableau-extensions/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
John Daniel is a Salesforce architect for the B3 group. Even before working with Salesforce, he had encountered programs that had constant issues and technical debt. He found that Salesforce projects brought unique challenges when it comes to designing at the org level and maintaining properly divided applications that respect a separation of concerns.
John was also part of the group of developers who brought about the first-ever Salesforce DX implementations. Today, we’re talking about his experiences using Salesforce DX for technical architecture.
Show Highlights:
- What happy soup is and why it’s a favorite among the Salesforce community.
- What vertical slicing the next phase, horizontal slicing, are.
- John’s styles and suggestions for naming apex classes, Visualforce pages, and lightning web components.
- How he handles things that are dependent upon each other.
- How functional aspects play into the declarative side of the veil.
- What the open-source group is and what it does.
Links
- Twitter account: @ImJohnMDaniel
- Linkedin account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imjohnmdaniel/
- Github account: https://github.com/ImJohnMDaniel/
- Apex Enterprise Patterns: https://github.com/apex-enterprise-patterns
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Thomas Dvornik is a principal member of the technical staff here at Salesforce. He has always known that he wanted to work with computers in some way, but had a hard time choosing between computer graphics and computer science. Ultimately, he came to choose the math side of things, which brought him to Salesforce.
In the episode, Thomas and I talk about his long career working on developer tooling at Salesforce. He has seen the Developer Console morph into its current form and talks about how it and the Tooling API influenced each other. We also talk about the role of the upcoming Code Builder and how the layering with the Salesforce CLI works. Tune in to learn all about the Salesforce hierarchy of tools has been built out for Salesforce DX.
Show Highlights:
- How the old school developer console worked as a reference application for the tooling API.
- How the tooling API works, including how containers function.
- The shift that started with the Salesforce DX initiative.
- How the CLI interacts when it comes to the tooling vs. metadata API.
- The functionality and power that plugins can bring.
- How the concept of going open source plays into the overall strategy for the CLI.
- Some of the challenges that come with moving the CLI into open source.
- What’s next on the Salesforce roadmap.
Links
- Thomas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/amphro
- Thomas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasdvornik/
- Thomas on Github: https://github.com/amphro
- Thomas's talk on Salesforce DX productivity: https://www.salesforce.com/video/1111044/
- Shane's plugin library: https://github.com/mshanemc/shane-sfdx-plugins
Shout Outs:
Shane on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MShaneMc
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
David Liu is a Salesforce technical architect at Google. He began his career as a Salesforce developer and ended up at Google in his dream job. Throughout his career, he’s learned a lot about success and what it actually looks like. He’s also helped many others through the interview process.
In this episode, David shares his story with us. He reveals his failures and how they brought him to where he is today. He also gives a peek behind the curtain into Salesforce careers. Listen in to hear his unique insights.
Show Highlights:
- How to frame questions to discover how people are thinking about their job.
- The things he looks for in the people he interviews.
- What his website, Salesforce for the 99%, means.
- The importance of targeting a really small niche in marketing.
- How to frame technical content for non-technical people.
- His encounters with imposter syndrome.
- The role of failure in coming through a career.
Links
- David on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dvdkliu
- David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dvdkliu/
- sfdc99: https://www.sfdc99.com/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Narender Singh is a Salesforce developer over in Berlin. He is also the author of the ForcePanda blog, which acts as a source where those with commonly asked coding questions can get answers in one place. Narender is also an animal-lover and football fan.
In this episode, we talk about his experiences with the community and learning the platform, as well as his experiences with External Services. Tune in to hear this self-confessed coding addict’s expertise.
Show Highlights:
- How ForcePanda came to be.
- What External Services are and Narender’s experience with them.
- The difference between REST and SOAP APIs.
- How to generate a good schema.
- Authentication protocols and named credentials.
- How Flow plays into the use of External Services.
Links
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nads_P07
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/narendersingh07/
- ForcePanda: https://forcepanda.wordpress.com/
- GitHub: https://github.com/forcePanda
- Session at London DUG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX4sI9KBY20
- Session at Noida, India DUG: https://trailblazercommunitygroups.com/events/details/salesforce-noida-in-developers-group-presents-virtualgupshup-iii/
Shoutouts:
- Deepak Anand: https://twitter.com/deepak_kanand
- Steve Molis: https://twitter.com/SteveMoForce
- Jessica Murphy: https://twitter.com/jessicarmurphy
- Amnon Kruvi: https://twitter.com/KruvMan
- Sunil Sarilla: https://twitter.com/sunilsarilla
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Corey Snow is the Senior Director for Higher Education over at Salesforce.org. He has been with Salesforce since its pioneer days. He has seen first hand how it has grown up and become a professional business unit.
In his time at Salesforce, Corey has also overcome his fear of public speaking. He now gives presentations for a variety of events, webinars, and summits. In this episode, he shares with us his story and stagecraft strategies.
Show Highlights:
- The custom products for higher education Salesforce is producing.
- Higher Ed Summit and how it plays into the production of Salesforce products.
- Corey’s empowerment journey towards public speaking.
- The challenges and lessons Corey has learned through the submission process.
- His process for practicing for his speaking sessions.
- How he views and overcomes imposter syndrome.
Links
- Corey on Twitter: http://twitter.com/corey_snow
- Corey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/snowcorey/
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
In today’s episode, I talk with Claire Bianchi about a new product that was just announced: Code Builder. Claire is a Director of Product Management for Developer Tools and Experience here at Salesforce. She has experienced the frustration of configuring new code and knows the benefits of this new product.
During our conversation, Claire explains what Code Builder is and how it can help less technical people work on the platform. If you know the basics of Salesforce but don’t feel comfortable with the more complex functions, listen in. You will learn how Code Builder can help you take that next step into development.
Show Highlights:
- What Code Builder is and how it saves you time and energy.
- The targeted audiences for Code Builder.
- The ease and access that Code Builder provides.
- The integration that Code Builder has for the org you’re signed into.
- What the experience coding directly within the org is like.
- How DevOps interplays with Code Builder.
- What the future of Developer Console is and how will it impact Code Builder.
- Why Code Builder isn’t daunting but gives you power instead.
- The features Claire’s hoping to get into by DreamForce.
Links
- Claire on LikedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairebianchi/
- Developer blog articles by Claire: https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/author/claire-bianchi
- Claire on Twitter: https://twitter.com/clairesfdx
- Claire on Gitlab: https://gitlab.com/clairebianchi
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
In today’s episode, I sit down with Skip Sauls, the Senior Director of Product Management for Einstein Analytics. We talked about a wide variety of topics, including the recent acquisition of Tableau and what it has been like integrating Einstein Analytics with them. Skip also shares some of the unique challenges of working with large datasets and how a new license may help ISV’s get on board with Analytics.
Whether you are a long term data dev or have only focused on Apex, this chat with Skip will help you understand developing with Einstein Analytics.
Show Highlights:
- The different kinds of analytics for non-technical users of Salesforce.
- The touchpoints that allow for easy integration.
- What an analytics template is and how it works.
- The challenges analytics and metadata present to the Salesforce cycle.
- The typical persona of an analytics data developer.
- What skills are useful in using Einstein Analytics.
- The new embedded license they are releasing.
Links
- Twitter account: https://twitter.com/SkipSauls
- Linkedin account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipsauls/
- Github account: https://github.com/skipsauls
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
In today’s episode, I talk with Christian Menzinger about his experience with SalesforceDX. He addresses the specific pain points he has been able to address using SalesforceDX, especially the Salesforce CLI. Christian describes a lot of the flexibility and functionality that comes with the tools that can help both admins and developers..
Christian is a freelance Salesforce trainer, developer, and consultant in Germany. He is also a co-leader of the Munich Developer Group and the father of two boys. He has extensive experience with and knowledge of SalesforceDX. I’m confident his tips will be very useful for all of us.
Show Highlights:
- How to make developing easier with multiple developers all working on different branches.
- How to maintain a large code base.
- The benefits of unlocked packages.
- Why dependencies are so crucial and how to untangle them.
- The pain points Christian has resolved using SalesforceDX.
- Time-saving plug-ins and where to get them.
- Christian’s experience co-leading the Munich Group in this interesting time.
Links
Christian on Twitter
Christian on Linkedin
Christian on Github
Shaun's Awesome Plugin Repo
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Joe Castro is Chief Technology Officer at Appirio and Co-founder of the Merivis Foundation. He is a Salesforce Certified Technical Architect who continues to pursue programming as a hobby and professionally whenever possible. Today, Joe and I discuss his passion for educating others, and his work with Merivis, an organization dedicated to helping military veterans get back in the workplace through Salesforce skills.
Show Highlights:
- The story of how Hector Perez Jr. and Joe came together to co-found Mervis Organization, fulfilling the desire to provide veterans an opportunity to transition into great jobs at Salesforce.
- Some advantages that military experience brings to somebody trying to learn the Salesforce ecosystem.
- Joe describes the Mervis method and why he thinks it's been so successful.
- We talk about specific solutions Joe, Hector, and the team are using to help with training and education.
- After Hector and Joe realized they couldn't run the Mervis program on email, they decided to run it on Salesforce. Joe shares that story.
- How Trailhead changed the strategy of training Veterans on Salesforce.
- Some of the strategies Joe uses for training people in architecture.
Links:
Joe on Twitter
Joe on Linkedin
Mervis
Merivis is a Trailblazer
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Sébastien Colladon is a Technical Architect for Salesforce over in France. In this episode, Sébastien and I discussed one of his recent projects; a series of templates for Postman, a popular tool for working with API’s. The templates cover a variety of use cases for Salesforce. The project is open-source and available online through Github. We also talked in-depth about what he is doing to make integration and testing more accessible for developers.
Show Highlights:
- Sébastien describes the Salesforce Postman Collection.
- We explore some of the many useful features of Postman.
- Why a Salesforce developer might use Postman over something like Workbench.
- There are just under 200 templates in Postman, Sébastien provides some examples, like the REST API, and how they can be used.
- The challenges and triumphs of building the Postman Collection.
Links:
Sébastien on Twitter
Sébastien on LinkedIn
Sébastien Github
Blog Post on the Postman Collection
Postman Collection repo
Shoutouts:
Philippe Ozil
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Jason Lantz is the Senior Director of Release Engineering for the nonprofit arm at Salesforce.org. Today, Jason and I talk about managing and releasing open source projects for the nonprofit community. We also discuss the Nonprofit Success Pack (or NPSP), open source tools for automation, and hosting open source community sprints.
Show Highlights:
- How NPSP transitioned from a repository of metadata to a managed package.
- Some early efforts creating open source tools for automation and building them on the platform.
- The challenges in finding a cloud storage solution for open source release management.
- The building and developing side of open source projects.
- Open Source Sprints, what it has been like taking sprints virtual and one side project that came out amazing
- An overview of the Open Source Commons
Links
Jason on Twitter
Jason on LinkedIn
Jason GitHub
Get Started with Open Source Commons
Nonprofit Success Pack
The 4 C’s of a Open Source Community Sprint
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
This week, Salesforce Engineer for Google, Adam Olshansky, joins us on the show. In this episode, Adam and I take on a wide range of topics, including getting certified and why Adam believes everyone should use Trailhead to get certified. We also discuss the many perspectives admin and developers can have on various tasks and technologies within our industry.
Show Highlights:
- Some certification recommendations for developers.
- Perspectives on certifications: when taking a certification test, failure is sometimes part of the process, learn, and try again. And, don't go after certification to have it. Go after the certification to determine the content in-depth.
- For those hoping to speak at a future conference, Adam offers some tips and advice for speaking or presenting on stage.
- Adam's share of how using the perspective of one role for a different role's task, for instance, being an admin and looking at code, can prove helpful to developers.
Links
Adam on Twitter
Adam on Linkedin
Why You Should Submit a Dreamforce Presentation Idea Blog Post
Pluralsight
Shout Outs
Don Robins
Amy Oplinger
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
This week on the Salesforce Developer Podcast, we are joined by Gaurav Kheterpal, Chief Technology Officer at MTX. Together we have an in-depth conversation about Commerce Cloud. We also discuss the commerce ecosystem as a whole and the rise of mobile development.
Show Highlights:
- The growing importance of mobile when it comes to commerce development.
- Some distinctions between B2C versus B2B.
- The Commerce Cloud: what it is, what developers can expect, and a realm versus an org.
- The MVC model, both old and new, developers experience with Commerce Cloud
- Einstein AI for Commerce and the Commerce Cloud
- Integrations and available API’s for Commerce Cloud
- Considerations around GDPR and privacy laws with Commerce Cloud
- Gaurav shares some things developers starting their first enterprise commerce cloud project should know.
Resources:
Gaurav on Twitter
Gaurav on Linkedin
Gaurav’s Github
Gaurav’s Trailblazer Story
Gaurav’s Blog
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Svatka Simpson is VP of Architecture at Appirio. Svatka is a full stack developer turned architect, with experience in JavaScript, HTML, ASP, .Net, and Salesforce. Today, she shares her journey from a brief career in the culinary art to the world of technology and offers some advice about development and architecture as well as discussing the influences and allies she has met along the way.
Show Highlights:
- Svatka’s introduction to Javascript, Salesforce, and Bulk API.
- Some ways in which Svatka looks at repeatable processes for data and data migrations, as well as some ways in which she and her team at Appirio, we can bring in the script alongside mapping.
- Her transition from a developer to an architect.
- Svatka shares some influencers and amazing women and VPs that are a part of the technology ecosystem.
- We discuss data privacy, owning your digital footprint, and why Svatka is so passionate about it.
Resources/ShoutOuts:
Svatka Simpson on LinkedIn
Svatka Simpson on Twitter
Charly Prinsloo
Gina Marques
Susannah Kate St Germain
Alex Sutherland
Mid-Atlantic Dreamin'
Grace Hopper Conference
Dr. Fei-Fei Lee
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Today, I have the pleasure of sharing my conversation with Kevin Hill, Senior Director of Product Management for Lightning Web Components at Salesforce. Kevin and I discuss the development of Lightning Web Components as well as some upcoming LWC features. We begin our conversation with a discussion about migrating Aura components over to Lightning Web Components.
Show Highlights:
- Some of the features and ideas Kevin and his team considered when migrating Aura components to LWC.
- How Mysore is different from LWC.
- The core technology of LWC is developed in open source.
- Kevin talks about the origin story of LWC recipes and why you want to use them as a catalyst for writing the best components in Salesforce.
- Lightning Web Components roadmaps are open source in the form of RFCs and are publicly available.
- LWC upcoming features: CSS-only modules and server-side rendering.
- Kevin's effort to have office hours with developers.
Resources:
Kevin on Twitter
Kevin on LinkedIn
Kevin on Github
LWC OSS (with create-lwc-app)
LWC Recipes
LWC Sample Apps
LWC RFC
Kevin's Calendly
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Fragforce is the global charity gaming team started at Salesforce that is raising money to support kids facing scary stuff like social mistreatment, medical issues such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, and severe accidents. Today, I share my conversation with the co-founder of Fragforce, Siebren Bakker, and two of its organizers, Paulson McIntyre, and Mike Parker. We discussed how Fragforce began, it’s first fundraising event, and what they are doing within the gaming and Salesforce community today, to help raise funds for children’s charities.
Show Highlights:
- How a workplace conversation laid the foundation for what was to become Fragforce.
- Six months later, they had their first event - you’ll hear what that event was like and some of the challenges they experienced early on.
- Expectations versus reality: “We were expecting [to raise] $3,000 to $5,000 for the year. So, when we went up to $7,000 at the one event, it was like, well, our expectations are wrong, in a good way.”
- Fragforce from an organizational point of view: the complexities of gaming for charity.
- The various kinds of games played, including board gaming, tabletop gaming, and role-playing games. Plus, people can get involved.
- The growth of Fragforce: their international reach, the average number of gaming hours spent, and the average amount of money raised per year.
- Using the platform with their site: running on Heroku, provided by Salesforce, how they view event data, participant data, and more.
Resources:
Fragforce
Fragforce on Twitch
Your host on Twitch
Siebren on Twitter
Paulson on Github
Mike Parker on Github
Shout Out:
Heather Dykstra
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
As developers, we need to be aware of what security features are available in Salesforce and how we can keep the organization safe and secure. Today, Doug Merrett, Manager of Security and Compliance Advisors for Salesforce in Australia, joins me to talk about org security. Together we explore the importance of keeping your data safe, how to keep it safe, and why you should be doing your own backups in addition to Salesforce daily exports.
Show Highlights:
- Some of the things you should be considering regarding field-level security, including maintaining a level of confidentiality for users within your company or organization.
- What to do if somebody has stolen your org credentials and gets in the “front door.”
- Using IP restrictions and two-factor authentication as layers of org security.
- How two-factor authentication and the Salesforce authenticator application work.
- What you should consider when it comes to securing an auth loop within a connected app.
- Some day-to-day procedures you can do to make sure your data is going to be safe.
- Event monitoring and how it materially increases the security of your Salesforce org.
Resources:
Doug on LinkedIn
Developer Security Portal
Trailhead Security Basics
Trailhead Data Security
Customer Data Best Practices
Salesforce Trust Security Resources
Episode 17: Spring ’20 Apex with Chris Peterson
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Today, Nate Totten, Product Manager for Developer Tooling at Salesforce, is on the show to share his insight and wisdom on some of the various tools now available to developers. We discuss a few changes that have come to tooling, especially VS Code and the Salesforce CLI, and what we can expect to see on the developer roadmap in the months ahead. We also have a conversation about the developer release cycle, how it works, and how it helps to keep Nate and his team on track, week after week.
Show Highlights:
- How a weekly release works when it comes to communications and new features
- Updates for VS Code, including new autocomplete
- Convenience features recently added including improved support for ApexDocs
- Updates to the tools that help managing your local code with orgs
- Release of local development as a beta: how it works and how developers can take part
- The desire to bring more development of the Apex platform locally
Resources:
Nate on Twitter
Nate on LinkedIn
Nate on Github
Force.com Github
Blog Post on Tooling Updates
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Today, Bhavana Singh, Solution Architect and the founder of Three Moons Consulting, joins me to discuss her technical career. Her journey began with one of the coolest titles ever, Payload Commander for NASA. Bhavana has nine Salesforce certifications and was the first recipient of the coveted developer Golden Hoodie award. During our time together, she described how she became a developer and why she made the jump to Solution Architect.
Show Highlights:
- Bhavana recollected on her time at NASA, working in a satellite control center
- What it has been like for her to move from one programming language to another or from one framework to another
- How she went from Java to being introduced to Salesforce
- Seeing things as a developer and how as an architect she can step out of the project and see the bigger picture
- Some of the common pitfalls unique to Salesforce itself
- How she transitioned to working for herself and what she means when she says you need to invest in yourself
- Bhavana’s experience as the first developer Golden Hoodie recipient
- How she got involved in RAD (Radical Apex Developers) women and some of the work she does as a coach for the group
Resources:
Bhavana on Twitter
Bhavana on LinkedIn
RAD Women
Shout outs:
Alison Park
Charlie Isaacs
Our episode with Charlie
Parker Harris
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Today, I sit down and talk with David Norris, Solution Engineer for Salesforce, about web component development. We specifically discuss his experiences in building a complex and highly visible lightning web component in the form of a timeline that renders a visualization for related data like events, tasks, and opportunities. In this episode, we break down the component creation process, from conceptualization to release.
Show Highlights:
- David’s conceptualization of component development
- Going from the ideation phase into the actual design phase
- David’s philosophy on user-centered design: “If you have access to people that do user-centered design for a living, you should use them.”
- By designing on paper first, you can iterate much faster.
- Some of the tools David found useful during the design and mock-up phases
- His experience incorporating a third-party library into a web component
- The testing and replication process
Resources:
David on Twitter
David on LinkedIn
David on Github
David on Medium
David on Trailblazer.me
Timeline Component Repo
Blog Post on Ideation
Blog Post on Design
Blog Post on Scaling
Blog Post on using D3.js
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Today we are discussing Trailhead Superbadges with Technical Credential Developer at Salesforce, Matheus Gonçalves. He began his career as a Java developer and one fateful day at work, and he was ‘voluntold’ to learn Salesforce. Not long after he found and loved Trailhead, and now he gets to work on the creation of Superbadges. We talk about how Superbadges fit into the overall credentialing ecosystem and how you can leverage them to power up your career.
Show Highlights:
- Matheus’ introduction to Salesforce and later Trailhead
- Breaking down Trailhead: Projects, Trails, and Superbadges
- How Matheus and his team create Superbadges
- Superbadges test your real-world usage of your Salesforce skills
- Compared to units or projects, Superbadges operate on a whole different level
- Challenge checking Superbadges
- The link between Trailhead, Superbadges, and Web Assessors
- Matheus’ own podcasts, including the Toadcast
Resources:
Matheus' website
Matheus on Twitter
Matheus on Github
Matheus on LinkedIn
Prepare for the PD1 Trailmix
Toadcast
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Today we are talking about 100 Days of Trailhead and 100 Days of Apps with its co-founder Rachel Watson, a Technical Architecture Delivery Associate Manager with Accenture. 100 Days of Trailhead challenges developers within the Salesforce community to code for 100 days straight. Participants can choose to focus on any tracks available and for 2020 the tracks are learning, app building, automation, and hybrid. Rachel and I go into some detail into the 100 Days of App Building and how you can get involved. We discuss how the initiative got started and how Rachel, along with her co-founders, turned the idea into a reality.
Show Highlights:
- The story behind how Rachel got involved both in Salesforce development and the Salesforce ecosystem
- How Rachel along with co-founder Jessica Murphy started 100 Days of Trailhead
- Why accountability, coding, and community lead to 100 Days’ success
- Why Rachel and Jessica made the transition from 100 Days of Code for Salesforce Developers to 100 Days of Trailhead
- A reminder that if you are jumping into the initiative a little late, do it! The goal is to become better professionally, whether you participate for one day, ten, or one-hundred.
Resources:
Rachel on LinkedIn
Rachel on Twitter
100 Days of Trailhead
100 Days of AppsJessica Murphy on Salesforce Developer Podcast
Shout Outs:
Paula Nelson
Jessica Murphy
Chris Duarte
Stephanie Herrera
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Today, we sit down with Daniel Hoechst, a Salesforce Architect at Instructure, to talk about his experiences on the platform, including how he got started and how an MBA has factored into his approach. Plus, we talk about some of his latest projects like the Limits Monitor, an app for monitoring Salesforce org limits and Test Factory, a utility that can be used in unit tests to create test data.
Show Highlights:
- How being an MBA has factored into his approach to Salesforce
- The importance of watching for edge cases that can break limits
- Pitfalls that developers get into that can cause troubles for orgs
- Limits Monitor: an application that helps you monitor limits and then send out warnings
- Test Factory: A data factory based on an older test factory project called SmartFactory
Resources:
Daniel on Twitter
Daniel on LinkedIn
Daniel on Github
Daniel's Limit Monitor
Daniel's Test Factory
Snowforce
Shout out:
Matthew Botos
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Salesforce is committed to upskilling the military community with high demand technology skills and providing our partners with a diverse and trained talent pipeline. Today, Alex Sutherland, Air Force Veteran and Salesforce Practice Director at Liberty IT Solutions joins us. Together we talk about some of his time with Salesforce, experiences with the military, and the intersection of the two worlds.
Show Highlights:
- Hear how Alex got his start as an IT Professional and about his first introduction to Salesforce
- Alex’s enlistment into the Air Force at 17, going overseas, supporting contingency operations, and learning the limits of Ethernet cables
- Getting reacquainted with Salesforce following his military duty and discovering the intersections with the Salesforce ecosystem and being overseas
- Supporting veterans in the exploration of opportunities in the Salesforce ecosystem
- Salesforce Military’s partnership with Hiring Our Heroes
- The launch of the Philadelphia User Group
Resources:
Alex on Twitter
Alex on LinkedIn
Alex on Github
Salesforce Military
Hiring Our Heroes
Philadelphia User Group
MidAtlantic Dreaming
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Today we are talking about what’s new in Spring ‘20 Base Components. Greg Rewis, Director of Product Management for Lightning Components is no stranger to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. He joins me today to share some of the latest additions to the Base Component Library, including the ability to develop locally with Salesforce DX. He also shares his take on what it means to make Base Components open source. Spring ‘20 is shaping up to see a huge shift and new frontier for development.
Show Highlights:
- Why the Component Library is your one-stop-shop for development
- The Component Playground as a resource and tool for finding and reproducing bugs
- The introduction of the local development extension
- Open-sourcing of base components: what it takes to go through an official Lightning Base Component and making it open source
Resources:
Greg on Twitter
Greg on LinkedIn
Greg on Github
Learn MOAR about Spring '20
Base Components Open Source
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Chris Peterson, Director of Product Management for Apex at Salesforce, joins us this week to discuss Spring ‘20 Apex. Chris’s day-to-day is often complex; it includes approving increases in Apex limits, sometimes putting out developmental “fires,” and overseeing Apex product development.
In today’s episode, we highlight some key elements about Spring ‘20 Apex, including Apex Finalizers. We also discuss some of the security enhancements coming, including the addition of WITH_SECURITY_ENFORCED for SOQL and an Apex method called stripInaccessible. Join us for an informational and interesting conversation about some of the new features coming to Apex in Spring ‘20.
Show Highlights:
- Why Chris believes it’s important to take action quickly
- How important Hammer is to the ongoing stability and development process of Apex
- Apex Finalizer - what it is and how developers can use it
- One private API Chris added: logging
- The Apex Finalizer pilot phase
- A security enhancement for SOQL
- The stripInaccessible() security feature is a “Swiss Army Knife” method Chris always wished existed
- Apex Describe performance issues addressed
Resources:
Chris on Twitter Chris on LinkedIn Chris on Github Learn MOAR about Spring '20 Chris on Describe Calls
TDX '19 Security and FLS session
Episode 6: Hammer Testing with Roopa Mohan
Shout Out:
Kevin Poorman
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Ryan Brainard, Principal Member of Technical Staff at Heroku, joins me on The Salesforce Developer podcast to talk about the curious history of Workbench. While never an officially supported aspect of Salesforce (it’s technically an open source reference application) it has still found a place as something of a Swiss Army knife of debugging utilities for working with Salesforce and its related API’s. Follow us along for an origin story of this toolset and it’s evolution over the years. Towards the end we’ll get a little teaser into what Ryan’s working on over at Heroku.
Show Highlights:
- The early days of Workbench, running Workbench open source from his laptop computer, and its evolution from his laptop to the cloud
- How Workbench has helped developers debug, investigate, and work with Salesforce features and APIs
- Workbench as a demonstration of the open source project
- When he realized Workbench was becoming more than just a “pet project” and gaining momentum
- Ryan’s favorite Workbench feature, the Matrix Cycle View
Resources:Ryan on Twitter
Ryan on LinkedIn
Ryan on Github
Ryan's website
Workbench on Github
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
This week our guest on the podcast is Steven Herod is a Certified Technical Architect and Managing Director at Accenture where he is responsible for Global Salesforce Operations. In this episode, Steven shares some distinctions between being a developer and an architect and some of the roles that architects play in creating successful applications and strategies used to get across the finish line. Additionally, together we talk about the term architect and how it has gained momentum within the Salesforce ecosystem.
Show Highlights:
- Steven explains how architecture is like an onion
- Areas of Responsibility, including the ability to understand and create system boundaries and how it fits into the layered concept of what an architect is and does
- How the architect works within a team, plus the architect and developer relationship, how to be on the same team and work together in a positive environment
Resources:Steven on Twitter
Steven on LinkedIn
Shout Outs:
John Ives
Matt Lacey
Code Coverage Podcast
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
This week Shreyans Jain, Senior Member of Technical Staff at Salesforce, joins me to discuss
his passion for technological equality. This drives him to continue to work on and innovate on the Salesforce Platform and other technologies on accessibility. Together we talk about the use of various AI technology and APIs to achieve the goal of broader equality across the internet and platforms.
Show Highlights:
- Shreyans’ experience and passion for making information accessible through a variety of modes (other than visual) and some of his research on audio versus spatial language
- Using the Einstein Vision AI as inspiration to create a Chrome extension which converts images into text, even when alternative text for an image does not exist
- Shreyans’ quip voice assistant and its ability to interact with your documents and some ways you can extend the assistant by using the quip API platform or Quip Live Apps platform
Resources:Shreyans on Twitter
Shreyans on LinkedInShreyans on Github
Shrey’s WebsiteThe Chrome Extension
The Voice Assistant
Catchafire
Shout Outs:
Adam Rodenbeck
Adam Rodenbeck on Salesforce Developer Podcast
QingQing LiuQingQing Liu on Salesforce Developer Podcast
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
This week I welcome Kris Gray, Principal Software Engineer at Salesforce, to the show. He shares how JavaScript frameworks have been used at Salesforce throughout the years. In the early years, the main challenge was a wild west of different frameworks. Then as development standards were changing, Salesforce was trying to get its own component framework up and running. It’s been a long and complicated route to get to Lightning Web Components, so enjoy this brief history of JavaScript frameworks at Salesforce.
Show Highlights:
- Kris shares the evolution of JavaScript Frameworks, including the technology and programming used originally and how it shifted over time
- Why the difficulty with versioning and the desire for a less bulky framework wins out over a highly complex interface every time
- JavaScript is just one of the aspects used in rendering a web interface, another important component is CSS
- The current iteration of JavaScript with Salesforce in the form of Lightning Web Components
Resources:Kris on Twitter
Kris on LinkedIn
Kris on Github
LWC Basics on Trailhead
LWC OSS
Shout Out:
Nicole Sullivan
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
This week Charlie Isaacs, VP and CTO of Customer Connections, joins me on the Salesforce Developer Podcast. Over the last 5 years, he has been evangelizing the Internet of Things (IoT) for Salesforce and has helped incubate dozens of Salesforce customers into the world of IoT.
Together we talk about Charlie’s experiences with prototyping new features, working with customers, and demonstrating Salesforce IoT. We also delve into the concept of prototyping work with engineers. Charlie likes to say he has the most fun job at Salesforce, and after this episode, you might actually have to agree.
Show Highlights:
- Charlie’s love for the way Salesforce engineers develop new features
- Some key aspects of IoT, especially handling and filtering date
- The node management app Node-RED
- Charlie’s highlight of utilizing IoT and what a hot tub has to do with it
Resources:
Charlie on Twitter
Charlie on LinkedIn
Salesforce IoT on TrailheadNode-RED
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com
Today’s episode features Julia Doctoroff, a Managing Implementation Consultant at makepositive. She is a San Francisco native who made the move to London several years ago.
After moving to London, she soon realized she wanted to have a deeper understanding and better communication with the development teams at her organization. So, she decided to get Dev Certified.
Together we discuss her experiences in getting a developer certification from the perspective of a Salesforce Admin. Julia also talks about the importance of getting support and how she found support for her goal from a group known as RAD Women. She shares her experience with learning to code; including the most frustrating and most rewarding aspects of getting Dev Certified.
Show Highlights:
- How she discovered RAD Women and getting her Salesforce Application Architect. certification
- Her first hands-on coding experience with RAD Women, including DML statements
- The importance of having a safe place to experiment, practice, hone your developer skills and be outside of your comfort zone
- Demystifying the concept of programming and how it's a lot like learning a new language
- What it’s like being a Salesforce Admin with a Dev Certification
Resources:
Julia on Twitter
Julia on LinkedIn
Beginner Developer Trial on Trailhead
RAD Women
LadiesBeArchitects on Twitter
Shout Outs:
Heather Dykstra
Bonnie Hinners
Gemma Emmett
EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.
He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.
Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com