My First Step Into Salesforce Development
In this post, I’d like to share how I started with Salesforce development in TeamSpirit.
Background
I’ve started my professional career as a Java developer and I’d been building ERP cloud services using AWS ecosystem during the past 4 years. I joined TeamSpirit Singapore on 1st October, 2020 and have been working on WSP (Workforce Success Platform) product, which is built on Salesforce’s PaaS Force.com platform. That marks the beginning of my journey with Salesforce development.
Getting started with Salesforce
As for someone with no prior knowledge about Salesforce, this is exactly the starting point where you want to begin the learning process — Trailhead.
It is the learning portal provided by Salesforce itself and ultimately, it is free! There are tons of tutorials or guided paths called Trails. You can also create custom tutorials by grouping multiple topics or Trails. It is called Trailmix.
For me, I started off with two Trailmixes designed by Ace for backend developers.
The first Trailmix equips me with necessary knowledge on Data Modeling, Apex, Salesforce CLI and Metadata Management while the latter one focuses on Big Data Strategies and Apex Enterprise Patterns.
I actually find it enjoyable working on Trail tutorials, collecting points and badges!
Learning how to program with Apex
Apex is a proprietary programming language of Salesforce. It is a strongly typed, object-oriented and case-insensitive language. The syntax is very similar to Java.
Apex is mainly used in our backend to implement complex business logic. One major advantage of coming from Java development background is that you will find it easy to learn Apex.
Of course, there are some differences like having functionalities to add inline database queries or data manipulation, etc. But, overall, I find the learning curve quite smooth.
What I’ve learned while writing Apex codes is to be aware of various Governor limits imposed by Salesforce. Basically, the platform is multi-tenant and Salesforce wants to guard against an individual tenant from monopolising available resources.
All in all, I found myself writing Apex codes quite conveniently in a day or so after learning a few Trailhead modules about Apex.
Getting better 🚀
“One learns from books and example only that certain things can be done. Actual learning requires that you do those things.” – Frank Herbert
Tutorials are great, but it’s never better than working on actual projects!
I started working from small tasks, like adding a new field to custom object, to understand more about existing implementations and underlying business logic of WSP, followed by implementing bigger stories.
With help from my teammates and solid PR reviews, I am able to quickly realise good practices and design patterns in Salesforce development and I’m truly thankful for that.
In addition, Salesforce also has strong communities like Salesforce Stack Exchange and Salesforce Developer Forums. When I have some doubts, I can mostly find my answers there.
Having completed my tasks, I’ve learned more about Force.com (Lightning) platform — how metadata are used to build customised applications, Apex Triggers, Batches, Approval Processes and so on.
Wrapping Up
“The first step is the most important. It is the most crucial and the most effective as it will initiate the direction you have chosen.”
― Steve Backley, The Champion in all of Us: 12 Rules for Success
To sum up, I’m really glad I’ve gained a lot from this very first step. Going forward, my next step is to gain more knowledge and become a certified Salesforce developer. Keeping up the momentum, I will continue many more steps and look forward to broaden my horizon.
