A Guide to Salesforce Source Control

Today, 150,000 companies are using Salesforce for a variety of different business needs. Behind the scenes of this tool is Salesforce source control, which gives operations teams the ability to manage their codebase effectively, collaborate seamlessly with other team members, and maintain a clear history of changes to their overall Salesforce configurations and customizations. 

‍

In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore more about how Salesforce source control works, its importance, choosing the right version control system, best practices, and how to implement effective branching strategies. Additionally, we'll cover the concept of Salesforce metadata management within version control.

Defining Salesforce Source Control

Source control - also known as version control or Source Code Management (SCM) - is a term that refers to tracking and managing changes to code in the realm of software engineering. More specifically, Salesforce source control, is a systematic approach to tracking and managing changes to your Salesforce configuration, code, and metadata.

‍

In Salesforce Source Control, the entire history of changes, who made them, and when they were made, is meticulously documented. This ensures that you can always refer back to previous versions of your Salesforce environment, enabling you to troubleshoot issues, understand past decisions, and maintain a high level of transparency within your development team.

Importance of Version Control in Salesforce

Version control is essential to any business utilizing software for their day-to-day operations. Without it, IT teams cannot easily find issues in the backend, which can have a major impact on potential downtime or system problems. When it comes to Salesforce’s source code, what stands out in terms of importance includes:

1. Collaboration

Version control systems enable teams to collaborate efficiently without the risk of overwriting each other's work. Developers can work on their local copies and merge changes when they are ready, reducing conflicts and facilitating teamwork.

2. Change Tracking

Version control allows you to track changes at a granular level. You can see what changes were made, who made them, and why. This is vital for auditing, compliance, and debugging issues that may arise during development or after deployment.

3. Rollback and Recovery

With version control, you can easily roll back to a previous state of your Salesforce configuration or code if something goes wrong. This safety net provides peace of mind, especially in complex and ever-evolving Salesforce projects and the keeping the status quo of the business running. 

4. Code Review and Quality Assurance

Version control systems often come with tools for code review, making it easier to maintain code quality by allowing peers to review and comment on changes before they are merged into the main branch. 

5. Continuous Integration and Deployment (CI/CD)

Integrating version control into your CI/CD pipeline streamlines the process of deploying changes to your Salesforce environment. It ensures that only thoroughly tested and approved changes are deployed, reducing the risk of introducing bugs into your production environment.

Choosing the Right Version Control System for Salesforce

Within Salesforce, DevOps teams can choose the version control system that fits their needs best. Selecting the right version control system for your Salesforce projects sets the stage for operational efficiency going forward.

‍

Here are some considerations:

1. Git

Git is by far the most popular version control system used for Salesforce, as well as other software systems. This is because it offers a distributed model, making it easy for developers to work offline and merge changes later. Copado, for instance, provides its own Git-based source code repository hosting service called Copado Version Control.

2. Salesforce DX

Salesforce DX - a set of tools for Salesforce developers - comes with built-in version control capabilities that are specific to Salesforce, which make it a natural choice depending on the situation. 

3. Version Control Hosting

CTOs can also consider if they’d want their teams to use their own version control repository, which is another option for Salesforce source control. Options like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket offer excellent collaboration features and integration possibilities.

‍

Deciding which Salesforce version control to use will depend on what your team’s main goals are, as well as their own coding strengths and background. Because it’s important to have that ease of collaboration, it’s important that teams are familiar with what they’re using together. 

Best Practices for Git in Salesforce Development

Though there are different version controls to choose from, Git is generally the de facto choice. So, If you do end up going with Git for Salesforce Source Control, here are some best practices to follow:

‍

• Initialize a Git Repository: Before you begin, you’ll want to start by initializing a Git repository in your Salesforce project folder. This creates a local repository where you can track changes going forward.
• Use Branches: Branches in Git allows you to work on new features or fixes independently. Follow a branching strategy, such as Gitflow, to organize your development process effectively. Also, create separate branches for development, testing, and production. Consider a branching strategy like Gitflow (feature branches, release branches, etc.) for managing changes effectively.
• Commit Frequently: A "commit" is a fundamental operation that records a snapshot of the changes made to a set of files in your Git repository. It represents a specific point in the history of your project and serves as a checkpoint or a save point for your work, which other members of your team can access. Each commit has a unique identifier, often a long alphanumeric hash, that distinguishes it from other commits in the repository. Regular commits help maintain a clear history and make it easier to track changes, which helps improve operational efficiency. Each commit should have a clear and concise message describing the change.
• Pull and Merge Regularly: Keep your local copy up to date by pulling changes from the remote repository regularly. Merge changes into your branches to resolve conflicts early.
• Code Review: Leverage Git's code review features to ensure the quality of your code. Review and comment on your colleagues' code, and encourage peer reviews. And, encourage peer code reviews to ensure code quality, compliance with best practices, and to catch potential issues early.
• Ignore Metadata That Doesn’t Need Versioning: Utilize .gitignore to exclude unnecessary metadata files like logs, temporary files, and credentials.
• Use Scratch Orgs or Sandboxes: Leverage scratch orgs or sandboxes for development and testing to isolate changes before merging into the main branch.
• Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD): Implement CI/CD pipelines to automate the build, test, and deployment processes. Tools like Jenkins, CircleCI, or GitHub Actions can be integrated to automate deployments.
• Versioning and Tagging: Use tags to mark important milestones (e.g., releases, major updates) in your repository.
• Documentation and Wiki: Maintain a comprehensive README file and wiki within your repository to document important information, setup instructions, and guidelines for contributors.
• Handling Merge Conflicts: Regularly pull changes from the main branch into feature branches to minimize merge conflicts. Resolve conflicts promptly and communicate with team members if necessary.
• Backup and Disaster Recovery: Implement a backup strategy for your Git repository, considering cloud-based backup solutions or redundant backups.
• Security Considerations: Avoid committing sensitive information like passwords, API keys, or personal data. Use Git hooks or pre-commit hooks to prevent such information from being committed accidentally.
• Training and Onboarding: Provide training to team members on Git best practices, workflows, and Salesforce-specific considerations.Ensure new team members are onboarded properly into the Git workflow.
• Monitor and Optimize: Regularly review and optimize your Git workflow based on feedback, changes in project requirements, or emerging best practices.

Implementing Branching Strategies in Salesforce

Branching is a method of creating separate code paths (branches) for different features or versions of a project. In order to effectively implement branching strategies in Salesforce, it's essential to understand the concept of branching in software development.

Key Principles of Branching Strategies

• Balance between Isolation and Integration: Isolation allows developers to work on different features independently, reducing merge conflicts. However, continuous integration is crucial to ensure changes are consistently merged back into the main codebase, even though this might cause conflicts.‍
• Simplicity: Complex branching strategies can lead to confusion. It's essential to adopt a strategy that is straightforward and easy for all team members to understand.

Types of Branching Models

• Trunk-Based Development: Involves a single main codebase with short-lived branches for specific features or bug fixes, emphasizing continuous integration.‍
• Feature Branching: Permits creation of long-lived branches for each feature, allowing independent development but possibly leading to merge conflicts.

‍

To understand the pros and cons of each branching model, read A Guide to DevOps Branching Models.

Implementing Effective Branching Workflows

In order to effectively implement branching workflows, aim to choose a strategy aligning with the project’s needs. Trunk-Based Development (TBD) is simpler and supports continuous integration, while Feature Branching allows for isolated development but requires careful management. Then, assess factors like team size, project complexity, and release cadence.

Best Practices for DevOps Branching

• Short-Lived Feature Branches: Encourage frequent merging into the main branch.
• Release Branches and Versioning: Use release branches for production deployments while continuing development on the main branch.
• Documentation and Communication: Keep clear documentation and ensure effective team communication.
• Automated Testing: Implement robust testing for each commit or merge.
• Iterative Improvement: Continuously refine strategies based on feedback and metrics.
• Pull/Merge Requests and Code Reviews: Ensure code quality through mandatory reviews.‍
• Monitoring and Rollback Procedures: Have tools and procedures for quick response to issues.

Salesforce Metadata Management in Version Control

Salesforce metadata encompasses all the configurations, customizations, and code that make up your unique Salesforce environment. Therefore, properly managing the metadata in version control is necessary in order to maintain a robust development workflow and keep operations running efficiently. 

‍

Here are some tips to help:

1. Metadata Types

Identify the various types of metadata used in your Salesforce project, such as objects, fields, workflows, and Apex classes. Ensure that all relevant metadata is included in your version control system.

2. Metadata Retrieval and Deployment

Use Salesforce CLI or tools like Salesforce DX to retrieve and deploy metadata from your version control system to your Salesforce organization. This ensures that changes are tracked and can be deployed consistently across environments.

3. Versioning

Assign version numbers to your metadata to maintain a clear history of changes. Use tags or labels in your version control system to identify specific versions of your Salesforce configuration.

The Bottom Line

Embracing the right version control system is a strategic business decision that enhances collaboration, ensures quality, and maintains the reliability of your Salesforce environment. By implementing best practices and managing Salesforce metadata efficiently, you're setting the stage for project success.

‍

To employ Salesforce Source Control, check out Copado’s Git integration for Salesforce. Explore the various ways Copado can streamline your deployments and revolutionize your development process. Elevate your Salesforce environment today with Copado – where innovation meets efficiency.