Insights - gettectonic.com - Page 95
08Jul

Is Prompt Engineering Dying?

The Rise and Fall of Prompt Engineering Prompt engineering is everywhere—it’s the hot topic in the AI world. The World Economic Forum, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, and the Twitterverse can’t stop talking about it. My feeds are filled with ads promoting courses that promise to make you a fortune with minimal effort. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: prompt engineering is already facing its decline. Don Giannatti originally wrote on this topic in June of 2023. Whic got us thinking, is prompt engineering dying? Why Is Prompt Engineering Fading? Reason 1: AI Is Getting Smarter AI is advancing rapidly. Machines are starting to understand our words and phrases just like we do, similar to a child learning to talk. The need for finely tuned prompts is decreasing because AI is developing the ability to generate its own prompts simply by interpreting questions. It’s learning all the time. Reason 2: AI Crafts Its Own Prompts SDon already usea minimal nudge prompts, which AI then expands into detailed, contextually accurate prompts. GPT-4 can do this, and GPT-5 will have it even more integrated. While prompt engineering has been trendy among marketers and tech enthusiasts, its relevance is quickly waning. Reason 3: Prompts Are Limited in Versatility Prompts are tailored for specific AI models and versions, limiting their flexibility. AI can overcome these limitations more efficiently than humans. Machine learning excels in reducing input and friction, and AI is quickly learning and improving upon human-made prompts. The Future: Problem Formulation The enduring skill in the AI age is problem formulation—how we identify, analyze, and define problems. When we can clearly illustrate a problem, AI can provide efficient solutions. AI cannot identify unquantifiable problems that aren’t part of existing systems—that’s still a human strength, for now. Prompt Engineering vs. Problem Formulation Prompt engineering focuses on the words, sentence structure, and punctuation. Problem formulation is about defining the problem—seeing the bigger picture and broader strokes. Without a well-defined problem, even the best-crafted prompt is just a set of words. Why Problem Formulation Matters Problem formulation has been overshadowed by problem-solving. It’s not easy, isn’t taught in universities, and isn’t popularized by futurists. Yet, it’s essential. Executives often struggle with diagnosing problems—85% of them say so. To stay ahead, we need better problem formulation. Four Ways to Enhance Problem Formulation Embracing AI Wisely AI is evolving quickly. To leverage its potential, we must clearly identify problems. Once defined, AI can generate prompts to find solutions. A Take on AI While one can appreciate the educational and helpful capabilities of GPT and other language models, be cautious about the rapid integration of AI into our lives without adequate discussion or input from society. I trust AI more than the billionaires driving its adoption, but be wary of their motivations. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more Top Ten Reasons Why Tectonic Loves the Cloud The Cloud is Good for Everyone – Why Tectonic loves the cloud You don’t need to worry about tracking licenses. Read more

Read More
July 8, 2023in Salesforce Einstein
Salesforce Service Cloud
07Jul

Back Up Service Cloud

Preventing Permanent Data Loss – Back Up Service Cloud Activate automatic daily backups of your Salesforce data to shield against unexpected system glitches and human errors. Ensuring Seamless System Upgrades Regular backups offer reassurance by enabling restoration to a stable state in the event of any issues during data modifications. Mitigating the Impact of Cyberattacks Restore data affected by security breaches to a backup prior to the incident, mitigating the fallout. Back Up Service Cloud Meeting Compliance and Legal Requirements Securely store data to meet industry data regulation standards, ensuring availability for audits or legal purposes. Statistics and Challenges 78% of CISOs report wielding 16 or more tools in their security portfolios, making data tracking, security, and recovery challenging. Additionally, 94% of organizations experiencing severe data loss fail to recover. Evolving Data Protection Challenges As AI adoption surges, data becomes an even more crucial strategic asset, necessitating protection against internal mishaps and external threats for seamless business continuity and customer trust. Salesforce Backup Salesforce Backup offers more than just data protection—it promises swift data restoration, top-tier performance, and robust resilience, safeguarding against data loss and corruption while preserving customer trust. There is a prevalent misconception that cloud platforms like Salesforce do not require backup solutions. While it’s true that cloud service providers manage disaster recovery scenarios, such support does not extend to everyday usage. Even in a cloud environment, data can still be inadvertently deleted or overwritten by users, necessitating an effective backup strategy. Previously, Salesforce offered a disaster recovery service as a last-resort option; however, this was discontinued effective July 31, 2020. In response, Salesforce introduced its native Backup & Restore service in 2022. Despite this, it’s generally advisable to have a third-party backup provider for enhanced data security, as Salesforce Backup & Restore is not included in the list below. Causes of Data Loss Data loss can occur due to various scenarios, including human error, erroneous data imports, workflow rule mishaps, or malicious user activity. Data vs. Metadata It’s crucial to differentiate between data and metadata. Data refers to stored values, while metadata encompasses configuration data specific to an organization, such as custom fields, layouts, and rules. Backup Methods Salesforce offers several options for simple backups, including manual data export, data export via reports, Data Loader import/export, and metadata backup via the Package Manager. Additionally, a full sandbox provides a complete mirror of the production instance, suitable for organizations heavily involved in Salesforce development. For organizations with development teams, managing metadata through development tools like IntelliJ or MavensMate enables effective versioning and backup on source code management systems like Git. Furthermore, mirroring Salesforce object data as a relational database using tools like Heroku or cData is an option, albeit without backing up metadata. Specialized backup tools offer the best solution, particularly for organizations using Salesforce extensively. These tools provide comprehensive backup solutions tailored to individual needs. Salesforce Backup Mechanics Salesforce backup solutions function as advanced data import/export tools rather than file-based backup/restore systems. They access data via APIs, necessitating the temporary disabling of triggers and workflows for effective restoration. Top Backup Solutions for Salesforce Several backup solutions are available for Salesforce, each offering unique features and benefits. Notable options include OwnBackup, AvePoint, CloudAlly, Odaseva, Spanning, and Skyvia. Restoring Salesforce Data vs. Relational Databases Restoring data in Salesforce differs from relational databases due to auto-generated IDs and names. Backup packages can handle lookup fields but may encounter challenges with auto-generated fields. Additional Benefits of Backup Tools Backup tools for Salesforce offer additional features like alerting, diff generation, cross-instance restoration, and anonymization, enhancing Salesforce administration capabilities. Conclusion Despite Salesforce being a cloud-based platform, implementing a backup strategy remains crucial. It should be an integral part of the overall Salesforce development strategy to ensure data security and continuity. Like1 Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
July 7, 2023in Salesforce Service Cloud
Leverage AI and Machine Learning in Your Data Warehouse
06Jul

Leverage AI and Machine Learning in Your Data Warehouse

5 Reasons to Leverage AI and Machine Learning in Your Data Warehouse Incorporating AI and machine learning (ML) into a data warehouse transforms it into a powerful tool for decision-making and insight generation across the entire organization. Here are five key benefits of integrating AI and ML into your data warehouse: 1. Improved Efficiency AI and ML streamline data warehouse operations by automating time-consuming tasks like data validation and cleansing. These technologies can manage repetitive processes, such as extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL), freeing data teams to focus on higher-priority tasks that drive business value. AI and ML ensure that inconsistencies are addressed automatically, which boosts overall operational efficiency. 2. Faster Performance ML can monitor query performance in real time, identifying bottlenecks and optimizing processes to increase speed and accuracy. Automating data ingestion and delivery enables users to act on insights faster, making real-time decision-making possible. Faster data processing leads to more timely and effective business strategies. 3. Increased Accessibility for All Users AI and ML enhance data quality and simplify data queries, making insights accessible even to non-technical users. By allowing natural language inputs and generating easy-to-understand visualizations, these technologies empower employees at all skill levels to interact with data. When everyone in the organization works from the same data foundation, decision-making becomes more aligned and consistent. 4. More Accurate Forecasting ML’s predictive capabilities allow data warehouses to anticipate trends and proactively solve problems before they arise. Predictive models and anomaly detection help prevent downtime, improve customer demand forecasting, and enhance overall accuracy. The more these algorithms are used, the more refined and effective they become, improving insights and forecasts over time. 5. Reduced Data Storage Costs AI and ML analyze data usage to optimize storage solutions, identifying and eliminating redundant data to free up space. These technologies can also optimize data architecture, making the warehouse more efficient and reducing operational costs. As an organization scales, AI and ML help manage growing data volumes without increasing expenses, ensuring cost-effective data storage and processing. By integrating AI and ML into a data warehouse, organizations can enhance speed, efficiency, and accuracy, driving better decision-making and improving business outcomes. Content updated October 2024. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more Top Ten Reasons Why Tectonic Loves the Cloud The Cloud is Good for Everyone – Why Tectonic loves the cloud You don’t need to worry about tracking licenses. Read more

Read More
July 6, 2023in Data
Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud
06Jul

Salesforce Grantseeker Collaboration in Grants Management Nonprofit Cloud

Utilize Salesforce Grants Management for the collaborative collection and review of funding requests. Salesforce Grantseeker Collaboration tool empowers nonprofits. Allow Funding Request Collaborators: Update Invitation to Collaborators: Key Functions of Salesforce Grantseeker Collaboration: Nonprofit Cloud and Nonprofit Success Pack Like Related Posts Top Ten Reasons Why Tectonic Loves the Cloud The Cloud is Good for Everyone – Why Tectonic loves the cloud You don’t need to worry about tracking licenses. Read more 50 Advantages of Salesforce Sales Cloud According to the Salesforce 2017 State of Service report, 85% of executives with service oversight identify customer service as a Read more Salesforce Government Cloud: Ensuring Compliance and Security Salesforce Government Cloud public sector solutions offer dedicated instances known as Government Cloud Plus and Government Cloud Plus – Defense. Read more Salesforce SOAP API Salesforce provides programmatic access to your org’s information using simple, powerful, and secure application programming interfaces (APIs). Before reading more Read more

Read More
July 6, 2023in Salesforce Experience Cloud, Salesforce for Nonprofits, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, Salesforce Optimization
Salesforce Success Story
05Jul

Case Study: Google Cloud and Tableau Ecommerce Success

An industry leader in lifesciences research and ecommerce, is tasked with integrating recent acquisitions, standardizing processes, and improving marketing return-on-investment. Ecommerce company moves to the cloud and adopts Google Cloud and Tableau to improve sales and operational efficiency. Google Cloud and Tableau Ecommerce Success to the rescue. Industry: Lifesciences and Biotechnology Research Problem: Leadership requested help driving an improved culture of proactive decision-making, rather than reactive. Implemented : Our solution? Results: Salesforce offers customized solutions for the ecommerce industry, assisting companies in this field to provide outstanding customer experiences, optimize workflows, and spur growth and brand loyalty. Salesforce offers digital transformation technology for life sciences, ecommerce, and biotechnology research industries. If you are considering a Salesforce health and life sciences implementation, contact Tectonic today. Like2 Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
July 5, 2023in Salesforce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Salesforce Health and Life Sciences Solutions, Salesforce Implementation Services, Salesforce Optimization, Salesforce Success Stories, Salesforce Tableau
Salesforce Automation Guide
02Jul

Salesforce Automation Guide

Salesforce Automation Guide. I cannot lie. There was a time when I thought the greatest thing about Salesforce was that it prevented leads from falling through the cracks. I was a marketing opps person. There was a time I thought readily available information at your fingertips and integration with an email platform was the greatest thing. I was in sales management. Today, as a Solutions Architect, I think Salesforce Automation Guide is the best. Automation provides the tools necessary to automate repetitive processes and daily tasks for your business, such as creating follow-up tasks, sending reminder emails, or updating records. Automations help users save critical time and reduce errors by creating automated processes to complete repetitive tasks. Below, you’ll find resources to help you decide which automations to use depending on your needs. An Intro to Salesforce Automation Before determining which automation best suits your business’s needs, you must first understand what automation means. These resources will help paint a clear picture of what the automation of processes, approvals, and tasks can look like for your organization. They aren’t just time savers. They can be game changers. Why Should You Love Automation?Check out this article highlighting the positive global impact of automation across different industries and countries. Review the customer story on how automation helped digitize an approval process during a time of especially high-volume requests. After reading this, you will understand why automation is so beneficial! Intro to AutomationExplore this documentation to get a high-level overview of the different automation methods. Automation Tools Salesforce provides multiple automation tools depending on the level of complexity needed to achieve your goals. These resources will help you understand which automation tool will best help you reach your business objectives. Automation Tool: FeaturesScroll down within this article to check out the matrix for a breakdown of all the features and actions supported within each automation tool: Approvals, Flow Builder, Einstein Next Best Action, and Apex. Automation Tool: Which One to UseView this video from one of the leading cloud experts that walks you through each automation tool and when and why to use each one. Architect Decision GuideThe Architect Decision Guide will help you evaluate the pros and cons of the different automation tools. Get recommendations from Salesforce product teams on which tools best address different use cases. Automation Implementation A hands-on approach is the best way to learn how to implement automation tools. Dig right in by exploring guided Trailhead modules that will help you understand the steps to enable these tools. Flow BasicsGet to know Flow Builder, the primary tool for creating flows. Learn when to use flows to automate business processes. Automate ApprovalsLearn how you can automate simple approval processes using Flow Builder. Automation Deep Dive As you begin to think about your automation journey, it is useful to study use cases to help guide your automation strategy and energy. Check out these resources to learn how to take your automations even further than you imagined to streamline your business processes. Building a Simple FlowExplore this video to learn how to build a simple visual flow using Flow Builder for a donation request example via an input screen, fields, and choices to collect required customer information. Five Pro Tips for Salesforce FlowFollow these quick tips to get up and running with Salesforce Flow. Troubleshooting Resources Before rolling out your automations to users, make sure you validate and test them just like any other customization. Should you encounter a bug while validating, don’t worry! These resources will guide you through troubleshooting tips if you run into any blockers during the validation process. Troubleshooting Flow Errors Using the Debug ButtonCheck out this helpful Salesforce video on how to fix errors using the Debug button in Flow Builder. Flow TroubleshootingFurther your education with this Trailhead module to learn how to diagnose and fix common flow issues. Go Further with Automation Manage ProductivityDetermine how much time you’re saving your team with the Process Automation Tracker in Salesforce AppExchange. Flow OrchestrationStreamline complex workflows with Flow Orchestration. Our experts will guide you on rolling out multi-step processes that interact with multiple users. Join the Customer Success CommunityConnect with Salesforce experts and other Trailblazers like you. The community is a great place to ask questions, get answers, and share your experiences. Become a TrailblazerConsider blazing your own trail by completing this Trailhead superbadge on process automation. Automation Use Case StridePride makes comfortable sneakers, designed and customized for its customers. The company’s online retail business has grown rapidly in the past year domestically; as a result, they have decided to use Salesforce to help launch their sneakers in international markets. Linda Rosenson, StridePride’s admin, needed to quickly set up Salesforce to create sales processes for all of the additional international markets. As Linda was creating these processes, the Sales Leaders asked her to include a discount on the sneakers if certain criteria were met to help promote sales for the new markets. The tricky part was, each market had its unique set of criteria and rules before the discount could be applied. After mapping out each region’s unique criteria for the discounts, Linda determined that tracking this all manually or on a document for sales reps would be a logistical nightmare. Linda began thinking of automation. She was determined to find a more efficient way to automatically apply the discounts if criteria were met, lessening the chance for human error or missteps. Her goal was to make the process as seamless and efficient as possible. Because Linda had already reviewed the resources on choosing the right automation tool, she knew that Salesforce Flow made the most sense for her use case. This flow would help automate the discount by evaluating criteria based on customer inputs and then automatically applying the discount if applicable. She could even create or update records, create quotes, and send emails through flow elements. She teamed up with StridePride’s business analyst to create a Salesforce Flow. Together, they had it up and running

Read More
July 2, 2023in Salesforce
Salesforce Field Service
01Jul

Understanding Salesforce Field Service

Salesforce Field Service is an expansive addition to Salesforce Service Cloud, offering a 360 degree perspective on workforce management, especially in scenarios where services extend beyond the office or work site into the field. This typically involves mobile employees such as service technicians, alongside service agents, dispatchers, and service managers. Let’s dive into the nuances of Salesforce Field Service, addressing key aspects like its definition, user roles, reporting, scheduling, optimization, and more. Salesforce Field Service is also a popular tool in public sector solutioning. Understanding Salesforce Field Service will help to decide if it is right for your service teams. Understanding Salesforce Field Service: Salesforce Field Service, formerly known as Field Service Lightning (FSL), is an extension of Service Cloud designed to provide a comprehensive workforce management view. It seamlessly manages services delivered in the field, such as a electrical installer arriving to fulfill a customer’s order. Field Service Lightning evolves with each Salesforce release, continually enhancing functionality. Salesforce Field Service enhances customer engagement with real-time personalization, optimization of field teams with a scheduling engine, and access to offline data. Components of Salesforce Field Service: Field Service comprises various components, including Service Appointments, Salesforce Service Cloud integration, Territory and Scheduling functionalities, the Field Service Dispatcher Console, and the Field Service Mobile App for Android and iOS with offline capabilities. A detailed data model diagram illustrates the relationship between Service Cloud and Field Service. Users of Salesforce Field Service: Salesforce Field Service is particularly valuable for organizations with mobile field technicians supporting customers. It excels in scenarios with intricate service delivery involving multiple individuals like dispatchers, field technicians, service agents, and service managers. Each user persona interacts with Salesforce Field Service in distinct ways, utilizing tools like the Dispatcher Console or Field Service Mobile App tailored to their roles. Use Cases for Salesforce Field Service: Field Service proves beneficial in diverse service scenarios, including repairs, maintenance, sales visits, and healthcare care visits. It facilitates efficient coordination among dispatchers, field technicians, service agents, and service managers, streamlining processes and enhancing customer satisfaction. Key Terms in Salesforce Field Service: Understanding key terms such as Work Orders, Service Appointments, Contracts, Entitlements, Work Types, Service Territories, Operating Hours, Resources, and Scheduling Policies is essential. These terms collectively form the foundation of Salesforce Field Service’s robust data model and optimized usability. Scheduling and Optimization: Scheduling in Salesforce Field Service is managed through the Dispatcher Console, empowering dispatchers to make informed decisions. Various methods, from manual to fully automated, enable the creation of service appointments, optimizing resource allocation and ensuring efficient service delivery. Forecasting and Planning: Use real-time data to quickly assess the impact of global or in-day optimization on travel time and resource utilization. Refine scheduling policies, get an instant view of optimization results, and KPI changes. Asset Service Management: Move from reactive to proactive service with real-time asset tracking. Monitor service outcomes and create preventive maintenance plans based on asset use, condition, age, and specific criteria. Service Territory Design: Service Territories, categorized as Primary, Secondary, and Relocation Territories, define where teams can perform work. Well-defined territories are crucial for efficient dispatcher satisfaction, requiring thoughtful initial design and ongoing maintenance. Field Service Mobile App: The Salesforce Field Service Mobile app is essential for on-the-move workforces, offering technicians essential information to optimize job execution. Offline capabilities ensure uninterrupted work, and the Visual Remote Assistant feature enables two-way video and audio communication between agents, technicians, and customers. Slack for Field Service: Empower your mobile workforce with seamless connectivity and timely assistance whenever it is needed. Mobilize for service appoints and tap into the expertise of colleagues throughout the organization with the user-friendly Slack interface. Reporting in Salesforce Field Service: Monitoring service efficiency and success involves leveraging Salesforce reports, list views, and other platform analytics. Work Order List Views and Field Service Report Types provide insights into service call-outs and overall performance. Enabling Field Service Lightning: Setting up Salesforce Field Service involves installing it as a Managed Package, assigning licenses to users, and configuring standard objects like Products, Assets, Service Contracts, and Entitlements. Creating records for Service Territories, Service Resources, and Operating Hours establishes the framework for the service model. Field Service Deployments: Deployments in Salesforce Field Service can be time-consuming due to its reliance on object data. Considerations for complex relational data movement between environments and potential risks, such as resistance to automation, require careful attention. Tectonic, as a Salesforce Consulting Partner, can assist your company in deploying Salesforce Field Service. Salesforce Field Service projects, while intricate, can be highly valuable when executed correctly providing a large ROI. Adequate planning, phased implementations, and a long-term perspective contribute to the success of organizations leveraging the capabilities of Salesforce Field Service. If you are looking for a more robust solution, consider Field Service Plus combining dispatch and technician functionality along with Service Cloud and Sales Cloud. Tectonic looks forward to helping your field service team utilize this Salesforce tool. Tectonic is please to announce Salesforce Service Cloud Implementation Solutions. Like1 Related Posts Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more CRM Cloud Salesforce What is a CRM Cloud Salesforce? Salesforce Service Cloud is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform for Salesforce clients to Read more Salesforce Government Cloud: Ensuring Compliance and Security Salesforce Government Cloud public sector solutions offer dedicated instances known as Government Cloud Plus and Government Cloud Plus – Defense. Read more Why Your Company Isn’t Like a Baseball Team Recently, Chris shared an excellent post about the new World Series Champion Houston Astros. In short, it was a reminder Read more

Read More
July 1, 2023in Salesforce Manufacturing Automotive Energy, Salesforce Public Sector Solutions, Salesforce Service Cloud
Salesforce Technical Architect
29Jun

Salesforce Technical Architect Explained

Salesforce Technical Architects are highly sought-after professionals within the Salesforce ecosystem, leveraging their expertise to meticulously map the structure and functionality of Salesforce solutions. Their role ensures that the solution remains efficient, secure, cost-effective, and tailored to the specific needs of the business. A Salesforce Architect A Salesforce Architect plays a pivotal role in designing and implementing robust solutions for enterprise-grade customers utilizing Salesforce products. Their primary responsibility involves recommending optimal solutions based on specified requirements and articulating the trade-offs inherent in selecting one solution over another. Becoming a Salesforce Architect is a combination of experience, deep knowledge of best practices, and to some extent, instinct. Attaining the Certified Technical Architect (CTA) certification is considered a challenging feat within the Salesforce ecosystem, demanding high levels of technical expertise, communication skills, and leadership capabilities to design and implement intricate solutions aligned with business requirements. Certified Salesforce Technical Architect As of recent data, there are approximately 300+ Salesforce Certified Technical Architects worldwide, making it an exclusive and esteemed certification. Technical Architects engage in hands-on execution during IT projects, focusing on a single implementation and specializing in specific domains while defining best practices. The demand for technical architects is substantial, especially those adept at designing, implementing, and managing cloud architectures meeting business expectations. Knowledge of cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, or Salesforce is essential for technical architects. The Salesforce Architect career path is experiencing rapid growth, with a staggering 1,292% annual growth rate in the past five years. Successful architects are not only big-picture thinkers but also adept problem solvers. Generally possessing a broad and deep technical knowledge complemented by soft skills such as listening, communication, and presentation abilities. Is This Person a Developer? Contrary to common belief, becoming an architect doesn’t necessitate being a developer. However, architects should be able to read code, and recommend coding best practices. They should excel in the declarative (clicks not code) aspects of the platform. Integrating Salesforce with other technologies, governance, and development operations expertise are additional facets that architects bring to the table, blending technical prowess with business acumen for a collaborative and robust future. A Salesforce Architect serves as a trusted advisor and leader, collaborating with business stakeholders to envision and architect solutions to business challenges. Generally acting as the technical team leader. They educate the team on technical best practices, translating business needs into a technical vision for low code or pro code builders. Architects also design organizational strategies and data models. They implement integrations, and provide solutions for large data volumes and data privacy considerations. Their role extends to identifying optimal solutions for business requirements and recommending the use of clicks, code, or a combination based on the business use case. With their extensive problem-solving skills, architects often serve as the final escalation point for production issues. When you work with a Salesforce partner, like Tectonic, a Salesforce Technical Architect will be a part of your team. If your core Salesforce team is missing a solid Salesforce Technical Architect, reach out to Tectonic today for assistance. Like1 Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
June 29, 2023in Salesforce
Salesforce JSON
28Jun

Salesforce JSON

Today we are diving into JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) and exploring why it’s a crucial concept for you to understand. JSON is a data representation format widely used across the internet for APIs, configuration files, and various applications JSON Class Contains methods for serializing Apex objects into JSON format and deserializing JSON content that was serialized using the serialize method in this class. Usage Use the methods in the System.JSON class to perform round-trip JSON serialization and deserialization of Apex objects. Roundtrip Serialization and Deserialization Use the JSON class methods to perform roundtrip serialization and deserialization of your JSON content. These methods enable you to serialize objects into JSON-formatted strings and to deserialize JSON strings back into objects. What does JSON serialize do in Salesforce? JSON. serialize() accepts both Apex collections and objects, in any combination that’s convertible to legal JSON. String jsonString = JSON. What is the difference between JSON parse and JSON deserialize? The parser converts the JSON data into a data structure that can be easily processed by the programming language. On the other hand, JSON Deserialization is the process of converting JSON data into an object in a programming language. What is the difference between JSON and XML in Salesforce? JSON supports numbers, objects, strings, and Boolean arrays. XML supports all JSON data types and additional types like Boolean, dates, images, and namespaces. JSON has smaller file sizes and faster data transmission. XML tag structure is more complex to write and read and results in bulky files. Which is more secure XML or JSON? Generally speaking, JSON is more suitable for simple and small data, more readable and maintainable for web developers, faster and more efficient for web applications or APIs, supports native data types but lacks a standard schema language, and is more compatible with web technologies but less secure than XML. What is Salesforce JSON heap size limit? Salesforce enforces an Apex Heap Size Limit of 6MB for synchronous transactions and 12MB for asynchronous transactions. How to store JSON data in Salesforce object? If you need to store the actual JSON payload in Salesforce for audit purposes, Tectonic would recommend just using a Long Text Area field to store JSON content. You wouldn’t have any performance impacts when interacting with records, and if required you could add this to the layout of the child object storing this data. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
June 28, 2023in Salesforce
web content accessibility guidelines
27Jun

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

WCAG and ADA compliance While compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and WCAG conformance have become almost synonymous over the years, it’s important to understand the distinction. Since WCAG itself is not a law, but a set of accessibility standards, there is no such thing as “compliance” with WCAG. However, WCAG was designed to help website owners achieve the level of accessibility that is required by laws like the ADA. It can be helpful to think of accessibility laws such as the ADA as the end destination—i.e., web accessibility for all—while WCAG maps out how to get there. Web content accessibility guidelines follow. Republished from www.w3.org Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 covers a wide range of recommendations for making Web content more accessible. Following these guidelines will make content more accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities, including accommodations for blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, limited movement, speech disabilities, photosensitivity, and combinations of these, and some accommodation for learning disabilities and cognitive limitations; but will not address every user need for people with these disabilities. These guidelines address accessibility of web content on desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. Following these guidelines will also often make Web content more usable to users in general. WCAG 2.1 success criteria are written as testable statements that are not technology-specific. Guidance about satisfying the success criteria in specific technologies, as well as general information about interpreting the success criteria, is provided in separate documents. See Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Overview for an introduction and links to WCAG technical and educational material. WCAG 2.1 extends Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 [WCAG20], which was published as a W3C Recommendation December 2008. Content that conforms to WCAG 2.1 also conforms to WCAG 2.0. The WG intends that for policies requiring conformance to WCAG 2.0, WCAG 2.1 can provide an alternate means of conformance. The publication of WCAG 2.1 does not deprecate or supersede WCAG 2.0. While WCAG 2.0 remains a W3C Recommendation, the W3C advises the use of WCAG 2.1 to maximize future applicability of accessibility efforts. The W3C also encourages use of the most current version of WCAG when developing or updating Web accessibility policies. Status of This Document This section describes the status of this document at the time of its publication. A list of current W3C publications and the latest revision of this technical report can be found in the W3C technical reports index at https://www.w3.org/TR/. This is a Recommendation of WCAG 2.1 by the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group. This incorporates errata and are described in the change log. At some point additional changes might be incorporated into an Edited or Amended Recommendation. To comment, file an issue in the W3C WCAG GitHub repository. Although the proposed Success Criteria in this document reference issues tracking discussion, the Working Group requests that public comments be filed as new issues, one issue per discrete comment. It is free to create a GitHub account to file issues. If filing issues in GitHub is not feasible, send email to [email protected] (comment archive). This document was published by the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group as a Recommendation using the Recommendation track. W3C recommends the wide deployment of this specification as a standard for the Web. A W3C Recommendation is a specification that, after extensive consensus-building, is endorsed by W3C and its Members, and has commitments from Working Group members to royalty-free licensing for implementations. This document was produced by a group operating under the 1 August 2017 W3C Patent Policy. W3C maintains a public list of any patent disclosures made in connection with the deliverables of the group; that page also includes instructions for disclosing a patent. An individual who has actual knowledge of a patent which the individual believes contains Essential Claim(s) must disclose the information in accordance with section 6 of the W3C Patent Policy. This document is governed by the 12 June 2023 W3C Process Document. Requirements for WCAG 2.1 Introduction This section is non-normative. Background on WCAG 2 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 defines how to make Web content more accessible to people with disabilities. Accessibility involves a wide range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities. Although these guidelines cover a wide range of issues, they are not able to address the needs of people with all types, degrees, and combinations of disability. These guidelines also make Web content more usable by older individuals with changing abilities due to aging and often improve usability for users in general. WCAG 2.1 is developed through the W3C process in cooperation with individuals and organizations around the world, with a goal of providing a shared standard for Web content accessibility that meets the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments internationally. WCAG 2.1 builds on WCAG 2.0 [WCAG20], which in turn built on WCAG 1.0 [WAI-WEBCONTENT] and is designed to apply broadly to different Web technologies now and in the future, and to be testable with a combination of automated testing and human evaluation. For an introduction to WCAG, see the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Overview. Significant challenges were encountered in defining additional criteria to address cognitive, language, and learning disabilities, including a short timeline for development as well as challenges in reaching consensus on testability, implementability, and international considerations of proposals. Work will carry on in this area in future versions of WCAG. We encourage authors to refer to our supplemental guidance on improving inclusion for people with disabilities, including learning and cognitive disabilities, people with low-vision, and more. Web accessibility depends not only on accessible content but also on accessible Web browsers and other user agents. Authoring tools also have an important role in Web accessibility. For an overview of how these components of Web development and interaction work together, see: Where this document refers to WCAG 2 it is intended to mean any and all versions of WCAG that start with 2. WCAG

Read More
June 27, 2023in Salesforce Sales Cloud
Marketing Cloud
26Jun

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Package Manager

Introducing the Marketing Cloud Package Manager Enhance efficiency, scale best practices, and expedite time-to-value by bundling tailored solutions for your company or industry, effortlessly deploying them across diverse environments using Marketing Cloud Package Manager. You can even deploy assets from one business unit to another. Salesforce has continuously refined, upgraded, and enriched the deployment options for Package Manager over the past year. Updates to Package Manager Marketing Cloud Package Manager now facilitates the packaging and deployment of automations containing import activities utilizing subscriber lists. Optimize the inclusion of images in packaged solutions by configuring them as reference URLs, eliminating the need to store them individually within the package. Monitor the deployment progress with the newly introduced progress bar, providing real-time insights into the completion timeline. Additionally, shared data extensions are now usable for packaging items, and users with Journey Builder access can package journey templates using Package Manager. Enhancements to Marketing Cloud Package Manager Package Manager ensures automatic inclusion of in-app messages when packaging a journey. Furthermore, any content referenced by the ContentBlockByName AMPscript function is seamlessly integrated into your package. Significant performance improvements have been implemented for package deployment, specifically for attribute group and attribute set creation and updates. Industry Solutions Templates in Package Manager Industry Solutions represent meticulously crafted campaign templates featuring industry-specific journeys, content, automations, landing pages, and more, facilitating accelerated workflows for marketers. These templates are designed to streamline Marketing Cloud setup times and accommodate various instances for distinct business units. Available solutions encompass: Retail Re-Engagement How to Deploy: To initiate the solution deployment process in Package Manager, navigate to the Industry Solutions tab. Choose the relevant solution, and with a simple click, deploy the chosen solution for seamless integration into your Marketing Cloud environment. Like1 Related Posts Salesforce Data Studio Data Studio Overview Salesforce Data Studio is Salesforce’s premier solution for audience discovery, data acquisition, and data provisioning, offering access Read more How Travel Companies Are Using Big Data and Analytics In today’s hyper-competitive business world, travel and hospitality consumers have more choices than ever before. With hundreds of hotel chains Read more Integration of Salesforce Sales Cloud to Google Analytics 360 Announced In November 2017, Google unveiled a groundbreaking partnership with Salesforce, outlining their commitment to develop innovative integrations between Google Analytics Read more Overlooked Costs of a Salesforce Implementation Let’s look at some frequently overlooked Salesforce costs. The goal is to provide businesses and decision-makers with a comprehensive understanding Read more

Read More
June 26, 2023in Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Salesforce Data Cloud
22Jun

Salesforce Data Cloud Terminology

The Data Cloud remains one of Salesforce’s most enigmatic products, often touted for its seemingly ‘magical’ capabilities. Recently, Salesforce made waves by announcing complimentary Data Cloud licenses (albeit with certain restrictions), prompting numerous organizations to explore this platform’s potential. Salesforce Data Cloud Terminology. When diving into any significant facet of the Salesforce ecosystem, navigating a learning curve is par for the course. Familiarizing oneself with the terminology and its practical implications is a crucial starting point to feeling confident with the technology. Introducing Your Guide to Salesforce Safety Net 3 Within this guide, we explain essential terminology to grasp data modeling concepts and elucidate how data traverses through various stages within the Data Cloud, culminating in the activation of refined segments. Understanding these foundational concepts in data sourcing is pivotal when working with the Data Cloud. Given the diverse origins of streamed data, akin to Marketing Cloud data extensions, a grasp of these terms proves invaluable. Primary Key: A distinguishing field within a dataset, such as the Salesforce record ID. Foreign Key: Facilitates linking data across distinct tables or sources; for instance, correlating an OrderID between customer records and order details datasets from an eCommerce platform. To satiate the voracious appetite of the Data Cloud, ingestion serves as the conduit for feeding it with data. Various methods, including SDKs, Connectors, and the Ingestion API, facilitate this process. SDKs: Accelerate integration setup, with examples like the Interactions SDK and Engagement Mobile SDK from Salesforce. Connectors: Pre-built integrations simplifying connections between Salesforce products and Data Cloud. Ingestion API: Enables developers to construct integrations from scratch for data sources not covered by SDKs or connectors. Datasets from disparate sources enter the Data Cloud as data streams, with their frequency of updates dictated by operational needs and API capabilities. Real-time data streams: Immediate data updates. Batched data streams: Data updates occur at predetermined intervals, such as hourly or daily. Visualize the Salesforce data model, where objects relate to one another; these objects collaboratively manage ingested data within the Data Cloud. Data Source object: Initial repository for ingested data in its raw format. Data Lake object: Facilitates data mapping to other sources and applies transformations. Data Model object: Resembles Salesforce objects structurally, facilitating relational data management without storing data internally. The mapping canvas provides a visual interface for aligning disparate data points, crucial for rendering ingested data usable through mappings from data source to data lake objects. During this process, primary keys and match/reconciliation rules are specified. Data Cloud’s strength lies in resolving discrepancies to compile comprehensive records, essential for maintaining unified profiles across platforms without merging records. Building upon traditional Salesforce duplicate and matching rules, Data Cloud offers deterministic and probabilistic matching, catering to various data representation nuances. Similar to Salesforce deduplication concepts, reconciliation rules determine the preferred value for fields, aiding in mass deduplication. Ranking data sources according to reliability helps prioritize trustworthy data over less accurate sources within the Data Cloud. Identity resolution culminates in unified profiles, representing the ‘golden record’ of individuals, adaptable to evolving data streams. Comparable to Salesforce roll-up fields, calculated insights derive new data points from existing ones, enriching data analysis capabilities. Streaming insights offer real-time or near-real-time analysis, suited for smaller datasets requiring swift insights. Activation transpires when perfected segments are dispatched to destinations for personalized interactions, spanning Marketing Cloud, advertising platforms, and other repositories. Data actions trigger alerts or events based on streaming insights and engagement data, fostering automation and integration across Salesforce platforms. In Summary Mastering the Data Cloud entails navigating its terminologies and understanding how data evolves through its lifecycle, culminating in the activation of refined segments for personalized interactions. Like1 Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
June 22, 2023in Salesforce Data Cloud

Subscribe to our mailing list. Join our mail list to receive our newsletter

We'll keep you up to date with our latest news, insights, free resources, and much more.
Don't worry, we won't spam you.
gettectonic.com