Practical Salesforce Architecture

Chapter 13. Roll-up and Summary

The goal of this book was to draw an outline of the shapes of the systems that are part of the Salesforce platform. We’ve reviewed only some of the core elements, but these are the power tools and building blocks that will comprise many of the solutions you build with Salesforce. Due to the scope and fast-changing nature of the ecosystem, I’ve chosen to focus on what in my experience are the most commonly used and licensed tools, and those that have the clearest analogs to existing and perhaps better-known offerings. The tools and their capabilities will change over time, as will their presentation in Salesforce’s marketing materials. This book won’t help you pass Salesforce exams, but it will help you understand them and start to prepare.

If you have worked with any of the major cloud providers, you understand that they have all expanded far beyond their original roles: Amazon is not just a shopping system. Microsoft doesn’t just sell software. Google isn’t just a search engine. Salesforce isn’t just a CRM system. New capabilities continue to emerge, and the pace of evolution is staggering.

If you have a background in other technologies and systems, hopefully you are now able to see through the branding fog. There are many capabilities to harness within the Salesforce ecosystem, and equipped with an understanding of where they shine, you should do so. The architectural practices that relate to Salesforce are the same that would apply to any other ...