It is no secret that Salesforce deployments can encounter problems. When that happens, people usually go into panic mode working in a rush trying to fix something that should have been done days before.
How to Stop Deployments from Falling Apart?
So how do you prevent things from falling apart? Follow our deployment guide below to make things a lot smoother.
Will following the guide below make everything 100% error free? Well, you can’t really tell but it will reduce the risk of failure.
Deployment Guide
- Track The Changes
Make sure to have a single document or place where all the changes that have been made are recorded. A spreadsheet will be your best friend. Track everything from work flows to rule validation.
Make sure to annotate your record. Indicate who made the change, why was the change needed, what file was changed, and the time and date when the change was made.
- Deploy Early and Allot Time for Maintenance
Never deploy when you’re really close to your deadline. You’re setting yourself up for a lot of trouble. Expect errors and allow time for maintenance. Starting your deployment about a week before the deadline should be enough to make the process a lot less stressful.
- Compose Unit Tests for Both Quality and Coverage
Make it a goal to hit about 75% code coverage. A code should never be considered complete until the class passes all tests.
- Take Care of Custom Fields and Triggers
Do paired programming and code reviews of triggers. Make sure not to overuse page layouts. Be sure to test how your automation rules affect one another.
- Keep an Eye on User Profiles
User profiles contain a lot of important data. Take care of the order of deployment. If you have to, you should break down your deployment process into smaller stages. Don’t forget to use tools like Change Sets, Eclipse, and the Force.com Migration Tool.