Author: Peggy Schael | Salesforce Trainer | WeLearnSalesforce
The Salesforce Certification Exams have just switched over to Summer ’21. What? Isn’t everyone already talking about Winter ’22? That’s right. However, we’re still in Summer ’21. The Salesforce Certification Exam cycles follow a slightly shifted time frame to give you a chance to catch up.
Whether or not you are planning to get certified, keeping up-to-date on the latest Salesforce features gives you a competitive advantage.
At WeLearnSalesforce we follow a declarative-first development approach which is in-line with what Salesforce recommends. It’s therefore with great excitement to see that Salesforce are adding more and more click-not-code functionality.
Here are my TOP 10 Summer ’21 favorites:
#1 Enable Topics for Objects in Lightning Experience Setup
Not only does Salesforce focus on integrating more click-not-code features, they also focus on providing the necessary productivity tools. Some of these tools already existed in the old Salesforce Classic interface and were loved by many, but haven’t gotten transferred over into Lightning. This included ‘Topics for Objects’ which is now available in Lightning Experience too. One less item to cross off your ‘Switch-to-Classic-items’ list.
Tip: Enable ‘Topics for Objects’ from Setup, then add ‘Topic’ component to Lightning Record Pages
#2 Power Up Recently Viewed Lists with Customizable Actions
There wasn’t much you could do with ‘Recently Viewed’ List Views apart from seeing a list of recent records. It’s now being recognized as a fully worthy list view and also allows Custom Actions to be made available.
Tip: From the Object Manager, select ‘Search Layouts for Salesforce Classic’ in order to manage which buttons appear on List Views. Even though it says Classic, it applies to Lightning Experience too. 😉
#3 Inline Editing in Reports (BETA)
For those Salesforce End Users who have been using inline editing on List Views, they will love this feature being available from within Reports too. Previously, you were able to include the record ID in the report to allow Users to open a record in a separate window for editing. This is no longer necessary. Just make updates right in the Report viewer.
Tip: This is currently in BETA. While you don’t necessarily need to contact Salesforce to use features in BETA, for this one though you will.
#4 Auto Add Fields to Custom Report Types
You might have noticed a new checkbox ‘Auto add to custom report type’ when creating Custom Fields. In organizations where you work with tons of Custom Report Types, this feature is super handy to have.
Tip: It’s pre-selected by default, which I personally think is a little too pro-active of Salesforce. You may have Custom Report Types where you do not want to add the field to, so you have to remember to deselect this checkbox.
#5 Download a Dashboard Image
You can now download an image of an entire Dashboard, not just an individual Dashboard component. This is a great addition and perfect to use in PowerPoint presentations or any other place.
No tip. Just use it. 🙂
#6 See Record Access Reasons
Have you been using the Sharing button in Classic? Not only is the Sharing button now natively available for many Objects in Lightning Experience, you can now also see the Sharing Hierarchy. You can choose to view the access shares using the ‘Sharing’ button or using the dedicated ‘Sharing Hierarchy’ button which Salesforce have added for your convenience. I’d say it’s one button too many but probably more intuitive to use for some.
Tip: You can see the Sharing and Sharing Hierarchy buttons when you are either the System Administrator, the Record Owner or a User in a Role above the Record Owner.
#7 Set Expirations for Assignments on Permissions in Permission Sets and Permission Set Groups (Beta)
Managing assignments of Permission Sets with Permission Set Groups has already been a major improvement. You can now even add an expiry date to the assignment to auto-expire the permissions. So you don’t have to worry about keeping track manually.
Tip: This is also currently in Beta. As a Customer you can opt to try this service at your own discretion.
#8 Dynamic Actions Bar for Your App Page (Pilot)
Dynamic Actions are getting even more dynamic. While you can dynamically adjust the action buttons in the Highlights Panel on Lightning Record Page, you can now add additional action items onto your record pages.
Tip: This is currently in Pilot and only available to selected customers. Enquire with your Salesforce Customer Support Rep.
#9 Build Multicolumn Screens in Flow Builder
Building meaningful Screen Flows can be so rewarding. With each release Salesforce are adding tons of new features to Flow Builder. One of which is that you can now add more than one column to your Screen elements. This not only gives you more freedom to build out Screen elements but also adapts dynamically to smaller screens like mobile devices.
Tip: Use the ‘Section’ component, add your columns, then drag other components into each column.
#10 Find Failed Flows Faster
When you have dozens or more Processes and Flows set up, you had to search your inbox to find the error emails for the ones that failed. No more tedious searching, you can now go straight to where the ‘Paused Flow Interviews’ were. This has been rename to ‘Paused and Failed Flow Interviews’.
Tip: Switch the List View selection to view either Paused or Failed Flow Interviews.
There are so many more features to explore. Go check them out and remember you can earn points for learning all about them: Summer ’21 Release Highlights
Let us know in the comments which features you enjoy the most. We’d love to hear from you!
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