Salesforce Summer release ‘22: top highlights for Admins
20 min
Salesforce Quarterly releases include a wide variety of major enhancements, minor tune-ups, community requests, and bug repairs. This year’s Summer Release doesn’t have the flash of some updates, but for admins, users, developers, and others in the Salesforce ecosystem, these seemingly minor enhancements have people excited. Let’s just say . . . if you know then you know.
List View and Related Lists
The first announcement is the general availability of dynamic list views. Single related lists on Lightning Record Pages can now include a variety of filters and other features that make the list views significantly more valuable for users.
First, we can now add and remove columns directly from the Lightning Page editor, rather than navigating back and forth to the Object Page and applying it. Of course, we can still opt for the table view or tile view if that is preferred. Next is the ability to edit record count, meaning we can quickly and easily create long or short customized lists. This works well in combination with the next feature – which is sort order. So for example we could have a dynamic single related list for Opportunities on an Account Lightning Record Page. Now we can sort by a field like Amount, to give us a list of the biggest (or smallest) Opportunities by order of Amount or Weighted Revenue.
- Introducing Dynamic Related Lists- Create, Manage, and Add Filters on Related Lists in App Builder
- No More Page Layout Editor: Skip Setup and head straight to the Lightning App Builder to migrate and customize your Related Lists.
- Fully Featured: Add, remove, reorder columns and configure sort order and dynamic actions right in App Builder.
- New Admin Filters: Add Filters to your related list so your users only see what you want them to. For example On Accounts, filter the Opportunity related list to: Amount > $50.000
The Single Related list can be upgraded to this new Dynamic version just by upgrading lists that are already on the Lightning Record Page. There’s also a new Dynamic Related list component that an admin can drag and drop right onto the canvas. This relatively minor enhancement will have major implications for user experience within the platform.
Flow
It seems like enhancements are being made to flow faster than we can track, and this release is no different. While it won’t have the splash of something like Flow Orchestrator. There are still some practical improvements that admins and developers will love.
First, we can now use formulas as part of entry conditions. One of the few remaining attributes of Workflow that wasn’t possible in Flow, is now in place, allowing more complex logic to define when to start a flow. Global variables and related records can also be utilized, rather than just the record that triggered the flow. There is also a new formula editor that includes functions and other simple-to-use features to make formulas quickly and easily. And lastly, no more needing to save the flow to see if the formula was legit. The “Check Syntax” button will be there too.
Next is a feature to Convert Debug into reusable test. For some of our more complex flows, we may need several criteria to be true for the flow to trigger. When it’s time to debug, that might mean setting several field values up just to run. It’s never a good feeling when you take the time to update 9 fields just for a debug . . . only for the test to epically fail. Now you can take those Debug settings and “Convert to Test”. If the test fails you can try multiple times with the same debug details. The great news is that this is enabled directly from flow. The next time you run a debug, just use that saved Test Debug without having to re-enter everything.
Like many recent enhancements in Salesforce, the interface is improving, too. Most recently this applies to Flow Trigger Explorer. Now we can view flows in the order they will execute in this specific transaction, including multiple record trigger flows on the same object. With the Flow Trigger Explorer, you can drag and drop to reorder record trigger orchestrations
Also, in beta now, but generally available this summer are Slack messages directly from flow. One of Salesforce’s newest acquisitions, this includes Slack actions. A flow can create a Slack team, message a user, and more. On the flip side, you can also imbed a screen flow into Slack. Users can then launch the screen flow directly from Slack conversation. It will function as a normal screen flow but with a Slack look and feel to it. The inputs to the screen flow will then update records back to Salesforce. On the Flow editor, just check a button to make it available in slack.
There also is new detail regarding the retirement of Workflow and Process Builder. The first step will be to disable the ability to create new Workflow rules starting in the fall of 2022. If you haven’t done so already, make sure you are migrating those items over to flow. Migration of Workflow/Process Builder to Flow is a good time to review the org’s automation, and see if there might be more efficient ways to solve those same problems given the new features available. If you have several Processes and Workflows, an Object by Object approach is a good way to phase over to 100% flow.
Finally, with respect to flows, there are a few other minor enhancements. Individual screens can now have collapsible sections – much like a page layout – giving the ability to make the screens more dynamic. More information can be displayed or hidden based on the users open or collapsing a section on the page. For address fields, the auto-complete feature will work much like it does on a record page. Lastly, customizable icons for actions. This is pretty minor in the grand scheme of things, but could signal the beginning or a more customized canvas display that could be useful in the future.
Picklist Value Management
Another benefit that certainly means more to the admins of the world . . . We now have the ability to perform mass operations – such as delete, activate, deactivate, and replace. This is invaluable when need to take action on anything more than a couple of values. Just select the checkbox next to the value and then click the button for the corresponding action such as “deactivate”.
Next, there is vastly improved error messaging when inserting new values. Ever tried to add 20 new values to a picklist set that already included 50 values? The dreaded duplicate error message historically didn’t tell you anything . . . like which value was the duplicate!?!?! Now the message will help you out by specifically informing you when values are duplicates, so the other 18 or 19 that you are trying to insert don’t go to waste.
Another scenario that can create nightmares for an admin has been solved. When uploading a bulk list or records, they may include values for a picklist field that aren’t part of the picklist value set. If the settings allow for the upload without rejecting the records, those values just pass into the picklist’s inactive values. In Summer Release ‘22, we can bulk delete unused values, identify clean-up candidates (by getting an email notification when custom picklists have more than 4000 inactive values), and caching inactive values.
Authorization Experience
Previously in Beta, Permission Set and Set Group Assignment Expiration is now generally available. This allows admins to give a permission set for a fixed amount of time with a defined expiration date, so we don’t have to remember to come back in and deactivate. This also comes with a new UI for managing Permission Set assignments. This extremely useful UI – Permission Analyzer – allows us to search permissions for an individual user, combining their permission sets and profile to see in aggregate of what they can and cannot Create, Read, Edit, and Delete, as well as system permissions, too. Likewise, we can use look at access to an object, field, or system action, and see which profiles and permission sets allow access to it.
Next is a feature for Permission Set Event. For an overall organization lead or salesforce manger, this enables us to block or alert when permissions have changed. For example, we may not want any of the org’s admins to give a permission set with “Modify All” to users without a System Administrator profile. This uses the Condition Builder to identify a criteria that triggers a policy that prevents the permission from being granted.
Rapid Fire . . .
- A few other odds and ends from the Admin Evangelist that are worth noting.
- Overdue tasks can now be highlighted in red. This works on the task view as well as Kanban, Split View, and the Activity Timeline.
- A few other odds and ends from the Admin Evangelist that are worth noting.
- Search manager now has an improved UI to view all searchable objects and see whether a field is searchable
- Formulas now have triple the compile size, which is extremely useful for more complex equations and working with items like dates and times that take up a lot of compile size space. There are 18 new formula functions, too
- Restriction rules have been expanded to allow more concise and specific security settings. Also in security, you can make child/related records private even if you see a parent record.
- There are now four Security Policies – one for health check baseline (existing), and new 3 types => trusted IP ranges, session settings, and password policy. You can export data from metric detail pages. Also, Security Center users can create standard reports and dashboards on logins, permissions, and monitor metrics.
Lots of great enhancements and improvements for the Salesforce community. It will be exciting to see how the awesome admins put these tools to use!
