Salesforce Packages: Do you want to create, distribute, and oversee apps on Salesforce? Packages make developing, distributing, and managing apps on the Salesforce platform easy. All of the app’s components are bundled together as Salesforce packages. These packages are installable, updateable, and uninstallable by various organizations.
Salesforce packages come in two varieties: managed packages and unmanaged packages. Every bundle has advantages and disadvantages, which makes it suitable for various purposes. Which Salesforce AppExchange plan is the right one for you to choose?
The requirements and use cases inform the decision. We will contrast managed and unmanaged Salesforce packages in this article. forYou can grasp their fundamentals and use them to your advantage. But first, let’s get a thorough grasp of Salesforce packages and the essentials.
What are Salesforce packages?
Codes, components, objects, fields, automation, analytical layouts, and other resources that offer extra features or services inside Salesforce are gathered together as packages in Salesforce.
Using the Salesforce AppExchange site or installation link, you may generate a Salesforce package with metadata and send it to other users and your company. Various Salesforce editions, including Developer, Enterprise, Essentials, Professionals, and Unlimited, are available for download and installation.
Before moving on, let’s first review the essential vocabulary that forms the basis of Salesforce packages.
Components: Custom fields or objects in a package are called components. A feature or application that is incredibly powerful can be created by combining various components.
Attributes: An attribute is a field on a component. For instance, it may be the name of an email template or the Allow Reports checkbox on a custom object.
Package version: The number denotes the components posted to the packages.
Various Kinds of Salesforce Packages
A package is a collection of connected applications or a bundle containing components. We can share these packages with other Salesforce users and organizations. Two different kinds of packages exist.
1. UnManaged Package
2. Managed Package
What is the Unmanaged Package for Salesforce?
Open-source projects accessible to everybody for modification are distributed using Salesforce unmanaged packages. After components are installed from an unmanaged package, they can be edited within the organization. The unmanaged package’s developer has no control over the installed components and cannot update or modify them.
Unmanaged packages frequently offer code samples, templates, and other features that can be altered by the developers who install them.
Unmanaged packages frequently offer code samples, templates, and other features that can be altered by the developers who install them.
The following are some traits of the Salesforce unmanaged packages:
- Since they are free, they move unconnected components from one organization to another.
- Upgrading unmanaged packages is not possible. You should reload the package each time a new version is made available.
- Since they lack a namespace prefix, name disputes inside the organization may arise from creating numerous packages with the same name.
What are Salesforce Managed Packages?
Salesforce partners primarily use Managed Packages in Salesforce to market and supply apps to clients. These packages are produced by a company that uses Salesforce Developer Edition. Developers may exchange and manage user-based licenses for their apps using the AppExchange platform and the License Management Application (LMA).
Salesforce partners who wish to sell or distribute their apps through AppExchange frequently employ Salesforce-managed bundles.
Among the features of Salesforce’s managed packages are:
- Only the developers who built managed packages can make changes to them. The package cannot be altered by the end users who install them.
- Upgrading these packages is possible. As a result, the company that developed them can improve upon them and distribute them to the companies that installed them. The final users can choose whether to accept or reject the update.
- Salesforce-managed packages have a prefix on their names. This eliminates the possibility of name conflicts because each component in the package has a unique identity.
- A security review is also performed on these packages before their listing on the AppExchange platform. Installing the program is acceptable for enterprises since it indicates that it poses no security risks.
First-Generation Packages with Management
Salesforce partners use managed packages to provide and deploy applications to clients. Developers can manage and sell app user-based licenses through AppExchange and the License Management Application (LMA). Packages that are managed can be updated.
Why Convert to Managed Packaging of the Second Generation?
Since you’ve been developing your apps with first-generation managed packages, you’re probably familiar with what functions well and what is more complex than you’d want. You may wonder why converting to second-generation managed packaging (managed 2GP) will enhance your package creation experience, even if you know that second-generation managed packages are our more advanced technology. So let’s discuss that.
Configure Your Environments for Managed Packages of the First Generation
First-Generation Packages with Management
The Dev Hub and Environment Hub are critical components of your package development process.
Set Up a Namespace for a Managed First-Generation Package
A namespace is an alphanumeric designation that ranges from one to fifteen characters that you can use to set your package and its contents apart from other developers’ packages on AppExchange. Prefixes from namespaces are case-insensitive. ABC and ABC, for instance, are not acknowledged as being distinct. Global uniqueness is required for your namespace in all Salesforce orgs.
Make a Managed First-Generation Package Making Use of a UI
Managed packages are used while developing an app and distributing it via AppExchange. Your app’s packaging is the container you fill with metadata, containing all the related features, schema, and customizations.
In Salesforce, How do I Generate Packages?
- Go to setup and use the quick find box to look for packages.
- Next, select the “New” button.
- Provide a name and a description for your package.
- Add components to the package by clicking the Add button.
- Complete the package details by adding the following information.
- Name and version number of the version
- Links to release notes and post-install guidelines, if any
- Password (not required)
- Package requirements specifying what has to be configured in the receiving environment for your package to be installed
- Notifications of the object needs about modifications to record types, sharing, field history tracking, or feed tracking
In summary
Salesforce packages enable organizations to fully utilize the platform as catalysts for efficiency, innovation, and growth. The goal of this blog article was to give a thorough rundown of Salesforce packages, including their categories, descriptions, benefits, use cases, and best practices for installation.
Businesses may maintain a competitive edge, stay ahead of the curve, and provide outstanding value to their stakeholders and consumers by carefully using Salesforce packages.
