Understanding the Gap in Coding and Release Practices Among Salesforce Developers Compared to JAVA or .NET Peers
Why do Salesforce developers often seem less aware of good coding and release practices compared to their counterparts in Java or .NET development? This article explores the unique nature of the Salesforce platform and how it affects the development process.
The Role of Salesforce as a Platform
Salesforce, being a platform, significantly differs from traditional development environments like Java or .NET. The Salesforce platform offers out-of-the-box functionalities and declarative features, allowing developers to accomplish much without writing code. This shift in the development process can lead to a disparity in the understanding and application of good coding and release practices.
Customizations and Out-of-the-Box Features
Most functionalities in Salesforce are provided out-of-the-box. This means that developers are encouraged to rely on the platform's built-in features rather than custom coding. As a result, many developers do not require deep coding knowledge, especially when dealing with simpler customizations. This environment fosters a focus on configuration rather than coding.
Ease of Release and Deployment
The ease of release and deployment in Salesforce further contributes to this gap. With robust tools like Change Sets and Metadata API, developers can push changes directly to production environments without the need for complex and cumbersome procedures. These tools simplify the process of moving configurations and code from sandbox to production, streamlining the development lifecycle.
Evolution of Developers in Salesforce
Many Salesforce developers start their careers without writing a single line of code. The platform's declarative features, such as Workflow Rules, Process Builder, and Flow, provide a low-code approach to customization. As they progress, these developers may transition to coding, but this often happens without a solid foundation in traditional coding practices. This non-traditional path of learning can lead to less familiarity with best practices and advanced coding techniques.
Comparing Development Communities
In contrast, developers in Java and .NET come from a more traditional coding background. They learn to write and test code from the beginning, which instills a strong foundation in coding practices, version control, and deployment procedures. The transition from junior to senior developers in these languages is often characterized by an increasing proficiency in these areas.
Conclusion
While Salesforce offers a powerful, out-of-the-box platform with minimal coding requirements, this can sometimes lead to a lack of comprehensive understanding and application of good coding and release practices among developers. The ease of release and deployment and the low-code approach to development foster a more configuration-based mindset, which can differ from the traditional development community's focus on coding practices.
Organizations must recognize this gap and invest in comprehensive training to ensure that Salesforce developers are equipped with the necessary skills to write and maintain high-quality, performant code. Providing exposure to traditional coding practices and emphasizing the importance of version control and deployment procedures can bridge the gap and ensure that Salesforce developers are as competent as their peers in other development ecosystems.