For those of you that missed the Winter ‘10 webinar yesterday, here’s what you missed!  A recorded version should be available next week at http://developer.force.com.

 

New Platform Features

Lookup Filters – BETA

 

Formula Enhancements

• Inline Comments (Yeah!  I asked for this one.)
  • /* Comment */
  • Will count against character size limits of formulas
• ISBLANK() – test if any field type is blank
• BLANKVALUE() – will return a default value if the field is blank
• ISNUMBER – Check to see if a text field contains a number
• Increased Cross Object Reference Limit from 5 to 10 (YES!  Ran into this limit in my org.)

 

Batch Code (Batch Apex) – Generally Available

• Process huge data sets native on the platform
• Separate limits from API limits
• Steps:
  • Batch Apex submitted
  • Force.com asynchronously initiates the Batch Apex request (processes as computing time is available)
  • Start() method executes – defines scope
  • Batch 1 passed into execute() method
  • Batch 2 passed into execute() method
  • Batch n passed into execute() method
  • Finish() method executes (could send out email, etc.)

 

Code Scheduler – PILOT

• Schedule batch apex to run on a schedule
• Batch apex code must have code within to enable the option of apex scheduling

 

Custom Settings – Generally Available

• Provides a layer of flexibility to leverage the platform for static data, user, profile, or org-wide settings to define rules that are then referenced by custom code.
• Two types:
  • List – static data
    • E.g. shipping data – a list of country codes.  Reference the custom setting instead of creating a separate object to house the list.
  • Hierarchy – Can reference user, profile, or org-wide setting
    • In webinar example, the user Andrew Albert was granted the “Show Map” attribute, which is referenced in the map program.

 

Code Summary

• Class summary view added to apex classes

 

Bulk Loader

• Optimized to update huge data sets (millions of records) asynchronously
• New check box on the data loader:
  
• New Bulk Data Insert, Update, and Upsert monitoring:

 

Additional Code Enhancements

• Empty Recycle Bin Method
• Password Methods
• Trigger support for case comments

 

Content API

• Use Content API to synchronize or upload content in bulk

 

Enhanced Profile Management

• Option to turn on/off through User Interface
  
• Brings enhanced list views to profiles
  
• Enables ability to print profiles
• Enables ability to mass update profiles

 

Security

• OAuth Support v1.0.a – open protocol for secure authentication
• Email Enhancements – Support TLS and inline attachments

 

User Interface Features

• Customize the help on standard objects
  

 

Sandbox to Production (BETA)

• Migrate customizations from sandbox to production (or sandbox to sandbox) through the platform natively
• Steps
  • From the production org, make a connection to the sandbox and allow changes

  

  • Login to sandbox
  • Add Object to Change Set and accept
  • Accept at Production

 

Distribution Features

• Package anything on standard objects

 

Sites Enhancements

• Google Analytics Support
• Custom Messages for site Outages
  • Zip file less than 1 MB, maintenance.html file at root
• Easy Secure URL (e.g. https://mysite.secure.force.com)
• High Volume Portal User (PILOT) – First to build an ecom package around it wins!
  • Scale into millions of authenticated users (e.g. shopping cart application)
  • No profile associated with user
  • New console for configuration

 

 

 

Sales Cloud

 

Quotes – PILOT

• C
  reate quote with a few clicks
• Pulls in products from opportunity

• Create PDF in the quote record
• Email quote in PDF
• Not bi-directional (Opp and Quote do not update each other, that bi-sync is on the product roadmap)
• API access is enabled to quote object

 

Campaign Scoreboard

• New campaign rollup fields
• New options in UI upload
  • Map custom fields on campaign during upload
  • Initiate triggers and workflow during upload
  • Upload up to 50k records

 

Content Delivery

• Determine what content can be delivered to certain users, workspaces, and other granular security controls
• API access to content
• Enhanced document view
  • Zoom in/out
  • Page width fit
  • Jump to pages

 

Salesforce to Salesforce

• Share attachments through Salesforce to Salesforce
  • Parent record automatically shared
• Log Salesforce to Salesforce Exceptions
• Partner finder
  • Send partners an email
  • Partners respond via landing page
  • Invite partner to Salesforce

 

Email Enhancements

• Improved email exceptions handling
• Define attachment as an inline attachment
• Enhanced security by giving option to require SSL

 

Analytics

• Combine two chart types
• Choose colors that remain the same for certain values across a dashboard
• Hover details on dashboard report

 

 

Mobile

 

Mobile – Content

• Open content and send
• Document previewed over web, not stored on phone
• Above features to be released on iPhone and Blackberry

 

 

Service Cloud 2

 

Answers – PILOT

• Users can post questions and reply to questions
• Can be asked on Facebook, Twitter

 

Knowledge

• Allow you to deliver personalized knowledge to your customers
• Put into folders and tag knowledge articles
• Publish knowledge to sites
• Attach article to case and email to case contact
• Maintain same set of articles for your customer-facing website and your CSRs

 

Salesforce for Twitter

• Free on Apexchange now
• Monitor and Join Conversations
• Pull tweets in from different account
• Create cases from tweets
• Leverage knowledge base and send tweet to case owner

 

 

That’s it!  Looks like another great release from the Salesforce team.