Phil's Salesforce Tip of the Week

TrailheaDX 2021 – Phil’s Salesforce Tip of the Week #457

by with No Comment Tip of the Week

Welcome to my Salesforce Tip of the Week #457

 

Tip 1 – TrailheaDX 2021

I only manage to catch a few snippets of Live TrailheaDX 2021 this week, so I’m still trying to catch up. But the highlights seem to be these (if you don’t know what they are, click and read up, and nobody will notice you watched the footy instead!):

1.  Diagrams

At TrailheaDX 2021 there was an announcement of a new partnership between Salesforce and Lucidchart. With this partnership, it will combine the power of the new Salesforce diagramming framework with Lucidchart shape libraries.

2. Salesforce Functions

New to the Salesforce Platform, Salesforce Functions let’s you deliver more scalable experiences.

3. AWS Partnership

“This is a milestone partnership for the technology industry, and one that will enable our customers to experience an even more powerful Salesforce Customer 360 and achieve a new level of success in their business”

Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO, Salesforce

“With this partnership, we are significantly simplifying developers’ lives and empowering them to develop applications however they want, from wherever they want globally, at any scale.”

Andy Jassy, CEO, Amazon Web Services

4. Dynamic Interactions

Dynamic Interactions is the latest low-code innovation for the Salesforce Platform. It’s part of Salesforce’s continuing aim to make Lightning pages more dynamic and interactive.

5. B2B Architect Cert

See below…

 

Tip 2 – New Certification

Also announced at TrailheaDX 2021, the B2B Architect Certification follows on from the B2C cert from last year. Building on top of your knowledge (and certs) on individual clouds, these certs focus on multi-cloud understanding and ability. Click here for the exam guide, and here for the best Trailhead study materials.

 

Tip 3 – UKI CEO

Zahra Bahrololoumi joined Salesforce as UK&I CEO in March, and before we hear her first big keynote at Salesforce Live on 7th July (click here to register), here is a great interview to introduce us.

 

FINAL TIP OF THE WEEK – SIGN UP

Remember if you have enjoyed this Tip of the Week then sign up for the weekly Friday email, direct to your inbox here.

Phil's Salesforce Tip of the Week

TrailheaDX, Trails, and even Dreamforce – Phil’s Salesforce Tip of the Week #448

by with No Comment DreamforceSalesforce EventsSF NewsTip of the WeekTrailhead

Tip 1 – TrailheaDX

June 23rd will be TrailheaDX, you can register now for free here. Originally a Developer focussed event, more recently it is aimed at the whole Salesforce audience…”Devs, admins, architects, partners, and IT leaders, join us as we gather globally with Trailblazers looking to expand their Salesforce skills”.

It is a 1 day virtual event, so don’t expect the same as the in-person events, but the agenda includes:

35 Product demos

27 Content Episodes

25 Expert led rooms

5 Broadcast channels

Tip 2 – SDGs

As part of our commitment to promoting sustainable development, I found this Trail very useful. Take a look at the sustainable development goals and see which you can help on. It’s everyone’s responsibility.

Tip 3 – Dreamforce!?

This week saw an article in The Business Journals quoting that Salesforce were ‘absolutely committed’ to holding an in-person Dreamforce this year, Sept 21st-24th. To say I am surprised is the understatement of the week!

Final Tip – Sign up

Remember if you have enjoyed this week’s tip then sign up for the weekly email, direct to your inbox here!

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Luke Menzfeld, Salesforce Consultant – Meet the Galacticos

by with No Comment Team Galacticos

Continuing in our series in which you get to meet and learn more about the Cloud Galacticos team, say ‘hello’ to Luke Menzfeld, one of our newest team members, and a Salesforce Consultant. I caught up with Luke via email to find out more about him and his experiences.

 

Luke Menzfeld, Salesforce Consultant

Hi Luke, thanks for finding a few minutes to help people learn a bit more about you. Can you give us a bit of background about yourself and your history with Salesforce?

I’m a self-certified super-fan of the Salesforce platform with a keen interest in technology, business and digital innovation. I was born and raised in the East Midlands before moving to the North East to attend university many years ago. My working career prior to joining Cloud Galacticos has taken me worldwide and allowed me to work in the USA, Paris and Norway in the private sector of both the automotive and oil & gas industries. 

I was first introduced to Salesforce in 2007. I worked briefly as an end user in the USA before working full time with the platform in 2017. I’m also a co-lead of the Newcastle Community Group. I’m keen to spread awareness, encouragement and learning potential to my local community and beyond!

 

Salesforce TrailheaDX Global Gathering August 2020

What’s your story behind meeting Phil and joining the Cloud Galacticos team?

I first met Phil as part of a shared North England Community Group Event that we were planning for TrailheaDX. Over subsequent meetings I also got to know Paul, and was impressed with the work and engagement coming from the Cloud Galacticos pair/team. Those initial meets sparked a conversation and it went from there.

 

What will your role be at the company, and what are you looking forward to most?

I’m joining Cloud Galacticos as a Salesforce Consultant.  I will be engaging with clients and delivering projects to make the best of their Salesforce system solutions. I’m most looking forward to the variety of projects that consultancy offers and working with organisations who are looking to create & deliver value with Salesforce.

 

Luke playing rugby for Novocastrians RFC

Aside from Salesforce and working at Cloud Galacticos, what else do you enjoy doing?

I’m a huge fan of Rugby Union and actively play for my local side Novocastrians RFC in Newcastle. This might be a career limiting statement at Cloud Galacticos but I’d argue there’s no better team sport . . ha! I also like to travel, and keep active outdoors.

 

What tips would you have on working remotely during the current Covid-19 situation?

Stay connected to your colleagues, be focused on what you need to achieve and dedicate your energy to one key task at a time. Listen to your body/mind and if you need some time out, get out for some fresh air or take an exercise break.

 

ABOUT CLOUD GALACTICOS

Cloud Galacticos is a Salesforce Consulting Partner with an all-star team. We are user and developer group leaders, bloggers, MVPs and all round Salesforce nerds. We have people all over the UK including Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Sheffield, and London. If you are looking for a Salesforce partner with experience who can help you make the most of your org, why not give us a call?

Phil's Salesforce Tip of the Week

The Exchange: Summer 2020 – Phil’s Salesforce Tip of the Week #411

by with No Comment Tip of the Week

This week I want to share the release of The Exchange: Summer 2020, the quarterly magazine from the appExchange team. In this edition, a “COVID-19 Special Edition”, the focus is squarely on celebrating how well everyone has continued to thrive and operate in these tumultuous times.

The Exchange: Summer 2020

Whether it is healthcare and essential workers on the front line, making the stand for equality, or simply working hard to continue collaborating or keep things normal, its celebrated. The magazine also includes:

  • A recap of the Virtual Dreamin’ event
  • Some tips on effective leadership during challenging times
  • A selection of TrailheaDX highlights

In other news…

Salesforce launches new feedback management solution

Salesforce have announced a new feedback management solution to help gather more effective feedback from employees and customers.

Must Read Blog – “Breezing Through the Upcoming @AuraEnabled Critical Update”

A must read blog on “Breezing Through the Upcoming @AuraEnabled Critical Update” from the Salesforce developer team to help ensure you don’t skip a beat from this critical update coming into force.

Phil's Salesforce Tip of the Week

Salesforce Anywhere Beta – Phil’s Salesforce Tip of the Week #408

by with No Comment Salesforce EventsSalesforce ProductsTip of the Week

In tip of the week #406 I mentioned that one of the big announcements from TrailheaDX 2020 was Salesforce Anywhere, a new tool from Salesforce that brings together a number of new features onto your existing Salesforce to make collaboration and work together much easier. The beta trial for Salesforce Anywhere is now open and you can sign up here!

Salesforce Anywhere Beta Signup

I have heard that there has been a high demand for this limited beta, so don’t be too disappointed if you are not selected, but remember, you have to have a ticket to win the draw so sign up anyway. And if you do get accepted please let me know – I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

In other news…

TrailheaDX Global Gatherings

The listings for all the TrailheaDX Global Gatherings community events is now live! Visit this page to join one of 150+ Global Gatherings to see cool demos, network, and give back with local Trailblazers. Share the fun with #TrailblazingTogether.

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trailheadx 2020 Roundup

by with No Comment Salesforce EventsTrailhead

A little over a week ago, Salesforce held its reimagined version of trailheadx. The videos for this are now live for you to watch and catch up with if you missed anything. A number of the team attended online and have shared their thoughts and highlights below to help give you some ideas of what to go searching for.

Mike Gill – Architect

My first TrailheaDX was a little different than expected. Having been to many Dreamforce’s over the years I made a mental promise to myself to to attend “TrailheaDX”. Gift a little Pandemic I was able to live up to the promise and attend a virtual version of the conference.

The format was condense and focused, I set aside some time to kick back with the iPad, watch, and learn some stuff. It was executed flawlessly. I had no connectivity issues at all compared to previous years trying to watch Dreamforce, which was a pleasant surprise. Maybe I got lucky there? Either way, here are some of my highlights:

App Development with Salesforce DX

As someone who lives in VSCode and sfdx cli daily this was a good session, the session presenters did a number of polls during the session asking questions like who has tried things like unlocked packaging and scratch org – it’s clear that these technologies are still in the nascent phase of maturity and people are only just getting their feet wet.

One of the key take-aways which isn’t new but worth keeping in mind – Adoption of DX doesn’t mean you have to go all in.

True to the code (TTTC)

And my other session – well would have been rude not to mention this one. I’m sure this is a big favourite of lot of people. I love it because it puts product managers on the spot quite literally. Parker is the master of deflection and deferring the relevant person on the product manager panel.

True to the Core

There were plenty of great comments and promises! I noted this one from Parker Harris himself:

We all know that file storage on the platform is something which if you don’t take care of, the costs sky rocket … maybe there are more efficient and cost effective storage coming our way…

And as promised by the man himself, “we’re not trying to make money on data storage… I promise you”

Neel Meghani – CTO

I was excited that TDX was virtual this year even though I had planned on attending in person for the first time. This was also my first Salesforce virtual event. I was very impressed how slick the UI was and how good the streaming and chat were.

The content was brilliant with some excellent new functionality revealed. Already very excited to learn more about Salesforce Anywhere, and to get my hands of Code Builder. The stand out sessions for me were ‘Digitizing your Business with Automation’ and ‘Unlock Developer Productivity with Modern Open Tooling’. This last one in particular showed me some plug-ins that I hadn’t previously discovered.

Salesforce Code Builder

Salesforce Code Builder – credit https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2020/06/introducing-code-builder.html

So that’s what Mike and Neel had to say about their experience of TrailheaDX 2020. Did you attend? What are your thoughts? Let us know on Twitter!

Phil's Salesforce Tip of the Week

Salesforce Anywhere and new JavaScript Certification – Phil’s Salesforce Tip of the Week #406

by with No Comment Salesforce EventsTip of the WeekTrailhead

Last week was TrailheaDX, Salesforce’s virtual reimagining of their developer focussed conference and there were a number of exciting new announcements. We have a more detailed blog coming up soon, but wanted to share in this week’s tip what we think are the two biggest announcements; Salesforce Anywhere and the new JavaScript Developer I Certification.

Salesforce Anywhere

Salesforce Anywhere

The biggest new announcement was Salesforce Anywhere, what looks to be a total reimagining of the Salesforce application to massively improve collaboration. The demos showed it featured one on one chat, group chat, voice, video and real time alerts all together in your Salesforce UI. For those familiar with Quip, the discussions feature seems to tie in heavily with how that operates, and the ability to see who else is collaborating on a record will be incredible for team discussions. Chat, voice and video in Salesforce will be great tools to add in to make it easier for teams to continue collaborating where they are already working without needing to context swap. I also think real time alerts are going to be extremely useful for me as an organisation leader, allowing me to keep abreast of what is happening.

The best part – it is an open beta – so if you want to try this out today you can go and sign up to participate in the beta here.

JavaScript Developer I Certification

Salesforce also announced the new JavaScript Developer I Certification which is designed for those working heavily with the Lightning Web Components framework. Like the Platform Developer II certification, this is a combinationTrailhead Superbadge and multiple choice exam so blends practical skills with a more standard exam. I know a few of our team are already looking into this and working away, so hopefully we can soon share some tips on achieving this new certification.

JavaScript Developer I

As I mentioned at the start, there was a lot more to unpack from TrailheaDX so look out for our blog coming soon!

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Phil's Salesforce Tip of the Week

TrailheaDX 2020 – Phil’s Tip of the Week #404

by with No Comment Tip of the Week

As I know has been mentioned a few times, Salesforce have cancelled all in-person events this year and moved them to virtual. One of the big events is TrailheaDX 2020 which is happening next week. If you haven’t signed up yet, you can register here.

TrailheaDX 2020

The Developer event for Devs, Admins, and Architects…i’m already confused.There are nearly 100 sessions and circles of success ‘tables’, the most interesting to me seems to be True To The Core (TTTC). And you can submit questions to the panel of Parker Harris, Bret Taylor, Sarah Franklin, host Jenny Sacks, and a panel of product managers, at this link.

In other news…

Sealsforce (!?)

Yes that typo was on porpoise! Moving on from the bad jokes…Yesterday was ‘Salesforce Live EMEA’ which in some way replaces the European World Tour events this year. Obviously nowhere near as successful or significant, and nothing replaces an in-person event! You can relive some of the sessions here…although the live performance from Seal is not up (yet) so my guess is if you couldn’t hang around for him to finally start then you missed out ☹️

Just in case – some blogging tips

If you would like to start your own blog, or want to keep motivated to keep on going, I wrote this blog post for you. It is my lessons learnt from 400+ weeks of blogging. Would be good to hear your feedback and any ideas you think I should add. Thanks for reading as always!

Phil's Salesforce Tip of the Week

#349 TrailheadX Highlights and Salesforce Blockchain

by Salesforce EventsTip of the WeekTrailhead
TrailheadX highlights

Tip 1 – TrailheadX Highlights

I could only cope with one huge event at a time, so chose the London WT instead of TrailheadX. Take a look at the Keynote here, with more sessions to follow. According to Tech Republic the highlights were Salesforce open sourcing Lightning web components, Salesforce Blockchain, and a new Trailhead module for tackling bias in AI.

Introduction to Salesforce Blockchain

Tip 2 – Blockchain

We are all experts in Blockchain now and see why we need this as part of our lives, right? Here is a good intro to Blockchain and then Salesforce Blockchain. Is it all clear now?

Salesforce Blockchain Trailmix

Tip 3 – Now I get it

Click here to follow a blockchain Trailmix… (BTW, I still don’t get it).