Salesforce CI/CD tools reduce errors and automate critical functionality to not only increase ROI from DevOps processes, but also expedite the time to value from the initial investment in these resources.
Why It Matters: Salesforce is a robust environment. DevOps processes take time to establish and refine. CI/CD tools enable teams to shorten the time between implementation and tangible value.
- Implementation, training, and balancing out the cost of new integrations result in long lead times for Salesforce users.
- Expediting releases without sacrificing quality is the best way for teams to work toward a positive ROI.
- Developers spend huge amounts of time distracted by side tasks that could be costing their companies up to $61 billion per year.
Here are eight things you can do with CI/CD tools to get more from your Salesforce investment.
1. Reduce Manual Processes
People make mistakes. There’s simply no way around that. And when it comes to integrating a huge amount of code changes into a single repository, errors are inevitable.
Automating CI/CD processes removes a major threat against quality and security: human error.
All automated DevOps tools expedite processes both by performing the task quickly as well as eliminating the need for rework.
2. Integrate Version Control
A network of support gives your team the tools they need to roll back incongruous coding updates and continue pushing new projects forward.
Version control is crucial to properly managing a large team of developers and keeping everyone on track.
These tools fit seamlessly within a CI/CD pipeline and have a positive impact on productivity.
3. Monitor Metrics to Identify Areas for Improvement
The clues to improving your DevOps pipeline are hiding in plain sight.
CI/CD tools offer metrics, dashboards, and reports that can be used to identify opportunities for improvement.
Analyzing these metrics on a regular schedule gives your team the information they need to optimize processes and expedite the value achieved through their DevOps efforts.
4. Eliminate Coding Errors with Static Code Analysis
Coding errors create costly misfires that lead to failed deployments, faulty applications, and data security vulnerabilities.
Static code analysis enables developers to fix errors the moment they are entered in the system, when they are easiest to rectify.
Going back to rework coding errors is a major drain on both developer time and ROI.
5. Automate Deployments with Scripts
Properly managing code changes and metadata within a DevOps project safeguards functionality and avoids costly surprises.
Create deployment scripts to push changes to sandboxes, staging, or production environments.
Manual deployments are time consuming and error prone. These scripts keep everything aligned.
6. Provide Continuous Training
We mentioned many times how manual errors pose a danger to both the structural stability as well as the ROI of your Salesforce DevOps projects.
Continuous training on Salesforce CI/CD tools eliminates confusion and avoids damaging mistakes.
Automated tools are a great way to avoid errors that impact security and productivity; highly skilled workers are another.
7. Set Up Automated Builds
Manually compiling, packaging, and preparing code for deployment is time-consuming. Automating this process increases your deployment velocity and potential for releases year over year.
Configure a CI tool to run build jobs whenever changes are committed.
Include dependency resolution for smooth package creation.
8. Leverage Metadata
The metadata in your Salesforce environment defines the processes and triggers throughout your DevOps pipeline.
Use CI/CD tools to automatically pull metadata from your Salesforce orgs into new environments to ensure consistency.
Avoiding lengthy configuration tasks supports an optimized and expedited release cycle.
Next Step…
Salesforce CI/CD tools provide the infrastructure your team needs to eliminate errors and streamline Salesforce DevOps releases. Strong management takes this another step forward by providing the guidance necessary to maintain strong processes.
Read our blog, 8 Ways Proper Sandbox Management Cuts Down on Wasted Time, to learn more about how to build a DevOps environment that enables teams to stay focused and productive.