How to use Git and version control as a Salesforce Admin

Hutte expert panel

Sushrut Kumar Mishra

Salesforce Developer, Technical Writer, and Entrepreneur

About

Sushrut is a skilled Salesforce Developer, Technical Writer, and Entrepreneur. His expertise includes front-end dev, Web3, and DevRel. He leverages technology to craft exceptional digital experiences.

Harald Mayer

Hutte CEO & Founder

About

Harald is the Co-Founder of Hutte, bringing his vision of no-code DevOps to life. His passion enables teams and individuals to focus on what matters most – bringing value to the users they build for.

Refrain from assuming that you don't need to learn about version control as a Salesforce Admin. I recommend that you do. As an Admin, you manage changes, ensure data integrity, and facilitate collaboration among team members. By using Git (and version control), you can efficiently track modifications, work alongside Developers, integrate the changes in the CI/CD process up to production, and maintain a reliable history of all changes made to your Salesforce setup.

In this article, I will discuss the nuances of using Git and version control as a Salesforce Admin. I will cover everything from the basics to its benefits in Salesforce processes.

The evolution of DevOps in Salesforce

Salesforce Admins relied heavily on native tools like change sets for managing releases. These tools allow you to move metadata between different environments, such as from a Sandbox to production.

While change sets were an improvement over manual processes, they had their limitations. The process was often cumbersome, requiring manual selections and multiple steps to ensure successful deployment.

Challenges with traditional Salesforce deployment methods

Over time, Salesforce environments grew more complex, and the limitations of traditional deployment methods became more evident. One major challenge was the need for more automation. Each deployment required manual intervention, making it time-consuming and prone to human error.

For instance, missing one dependency easily disrupts the whole deployment. Additionally, there was no easy way to track changes, leading to potential conflicts and confusion, especially in larger teams.

Moreover, it's impossible to easily track any of the deployments done or automatically keep a list of what needs to be included in the change set. Therefore, this requires maintaining documents (such as Excel sheets) where the Developer or Admin annotates what must be included in the change set.

Another significant challenge was maintaining consistency across various environments. Without automated testing and continuous integration, ensuring that changes in a Sandbox environment would work seamlessly in production was challenging. This often resulted in unexpected issues that required urgent fixes, disrupting the workflow and increasing downtime.

These challenges highlighted the need for a more robust, automated approach to managing Salesforce deployments, making way for the integration of DevOps practices in the Salesforce ecosystem.

The role of version control in Salesforce DevOps

Version control is vital for managing Salesforce Org configurations and keeping Git as the source of truth, which is the purpose of Scratch Orgs and, in general, Salesforce DX. It provides a reliable way to track changes, maintain a history of modifications, and collaborate effectively.

With version control, you have a single source of truth for your configurations, improving organization and transparency. This system helps prevent conflicts, as you can see who made changes and when. Additionally, version control enhances deployment through automated testing and continuous integration. When ready, you can create branches for new features, test them, and merge them into the main branch. This reduces the risk of bugs and ensures stable deployments.

Transition to source-driven workflows and industry adoption trends

• In source-driven development, the source of truth is stored in a version control system rather than directly in the Salesforce Org. This improves collaboration by allowing multiple team members to work on different features simultaneously using branches.
• Source-driven workflows also facilitate automation, making implementing continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines easier. This reduces manual effort, minimizes errors, and speeds up release cycles.
• Industry trends show increasing adoption of source-driven workflows, with tools like Salesforce DX, Gearset, and Copado gaining popularity. These tools integrate with version control systems, making adopting modern DevOps practices easier and achieving greater efficiency and reliability in Salesforce development.

Understanding version control and Git

Many people confuse Git and version control. Let's clarify:

• Version control is a system that tracks file changes over time.
• Git is a specific and distributed version control system designed to handle projects of all sizes with speed and efficiency.

For Salesforce, Git offers a way to manage and track changes in your Salesforce environment. It allows you to maintain a history of modifications, collaborate with Developers, and revert to previous versions if needed.

• Using Git in Salesforce involves storing your metadata in a Git repository. This setup lets you record all changes made to your Salesforce configuration, including objects, fields, Flows, and other customizations.
• Git for Salesforce helps you work more systematically, ensuring every change is documented and traceable.
• Git's branching and merging features allow you to work on different features or fixes simultaneously without interfering with the main project. This is particularly useful in a Salesforce environment where multiple team members (including Salesforce Admins) might work on various configuration aspects.

More about version control for Salesforce

1. The primary benefit of version control for Salesforce Admins is maintaining a history of changes. This history is invaluable when you need to understand what was changed, why it was, and who made it. It also allows you to revert to previous versions if a new change causes issues.
2. When multiple team members work on the same Salesforce instance, it's easy for changes to overlap and conflict. Version control systems like Git help manage these situations by providing tools for branching and merging.
3. Each team member can work on their branch, and Git will integrate these branches into the main project. This process minimizes overrides and conflicts and ensures everyone works with the most up-to-date project version.
4. Using Git, you can also see exactly what changes your colleagues are making and understand their impact on the overall project.

But what's in it for Salesforce Admins?

In short:

• Version control is an important practice for Salesforce Admins.
• It helps you manage changes efficiently and ensures team collaboration.
• It maintains the integrity of your Salesforce environment.

However, many Salesforce teams need dedicated DevOps personnel. Instead, Salesforce Admins and Developers manage the whole development and release cycle. However, many Salesforce Admins fear the terms "DevOps" and "version control."

Implementing version control in Salesforce

By setting up a repository and understanding branching strategies, using Git hosting platforms, and managing deployments with click-based DevOps solutions, you can streamline your development process and ensure consistency across environments.

Setting up a repository and understanding branching strategies

• To implement version control in Salesforce, start by setting up a repository on a Git hosting platform.
• Once your repository is ready, you will understand branching strategies like feature, development, and main branches.
• Use feature branches for new developments and merge them into the main branch once they're tested and ready.

Using Git hosting platforms for Salesforce Projects

Platforms like GitHub and GitLab are essential for hosting your Salesforce Projects. They offer features for managing your code and collaborating with your team.

Managing deployments and integrating changes via click-based DevOps solutions

Managing deployments can be streamlined with click-based DevOps solutions like Hutte. It allows you to integrate changes, manage deployments, and automate processes without extensive coding. Hutte provides a user-friendly interface for Salesforce Admins to handle version control and CI/CD pipelines efficiently, ensuring smooth and reliable deployments.

Why is it essential for team-based development?

Visualizing the process: Sandbox development, commits, and pull requests

• The process begins in a Sandbox or Scratch Org environment in a source-driven development workflow. Here, you can develop and test your changes without affecting the production environment.
• Once you are satisfied with the changes, commit them to your Git repository. This ensures that all modifications are documented and tracked.
• After committing the changes, create a pull request. A pull request is a way to propose changes to the codebase and have them reviewed by your team. It allows for thorough review and testing of changes before merging into the main branch. This step is crucial for maintaining the integrity and stability of the production environment. By using pull requests, you ensure that all changes are evaluated, tested, and approved, minimizing the risk of introducing errors.

Scratch Orgs and Salesforce DX for enhanced source control

As we know, Scratch Orgs are temporary, configurable environments for development and testing. They make it easy to work on isolated changes without affecting other work or the production environment. Using Scratch Orgs helps reinforce Git as the source of truth. You can create Scratch Orgs from specific branches or commits in Git, ensuring the development environment matches the source code.

After development and testing, commit changes back to Git, keeping it the central source of truth. Moreover, Salesforce DX provides tools to manage source code, create and manage Scratch Orgs, and automate deployment. This makes your development process more efficient and aligned with best practices.

Admins and Developers into a unified deployment cycle

Source-driven development integrates both Admins and Developers into a unified deployment cycle, promoting collaboration and efficiency. Admins can focus on configuration changes such as Flows, permissions, and page layouts, while Developers handle code updates, including Apex classes, Visualforce pages, and Lightning components.

The unified deployment cycle facilitated by source-driven development helps maintain a stable production environment. It ensures that all changes – configuration or code – are tested and reviewed before deployment. This reduces the chances of errors and enhances the overall quality of the Salesforce Org.

Benefits of using Git for Salesforce Admins

As a Salesforce Admin, you handle complex tasks involving customization, configuration, maintenance, and management of the Salesforce platform. Including Git (version control systems) in your workflow can significantly enhance efficiency and effectiveness. Here are some specific benefits:

Tips and best practices for using Git as a Salesforce Admin

Now that I have discussed how using Git as a Salesforce Admin can significantly enhance your workflow, here are some tips and best practices to help you get the most out of Git.

Learn the basics of SFDX CLI

• Apart from using Git, you must learn the basics of the Salesforce DX (SFDX) command-line interface (CLI). The SFDX CLI is essential for retrieving changes to your local machine before committing and pushing them with Git.
• We recommend using Visual Studio Code (VS Code) along with the Salesforce Extension Pack, simplifying SFDX operations through a user-friendly interface in VS Code.
• For further simplification, consider exploring tools like Hutte, which can streamline the use of Git commands.

Regular commits

• Make it a habit to commit to making changes regularly.
• This practice ensures that your progress is saved frequently, allowing you to revert to earlier versions if something goes wrong.
• Committing regularly also makes tracking what changes were made when easier.

Clear commit messages

• Always write clear and descriptive commit messages.
• A good commit message briefly explains what changes were made and why.
• This practice helps you and your team understand the history of changes and their reasons, making collaboration and troubleshooting more efficient.

Proper branching strategy

1. Use branches effectively to manage different tasks and features.
2. For example, create separate branches for new features, bug fixes, and experiments.
3. This keeps your main branch clean and stable and allows you to test and develop features in isolation before merging them into the main project.
4. You can use a simple release branching such as "scaled trunk-based development."

Utilize Git commands

Even if you have little to no experience with code, understanding a few basic Git commands can be incredibly helpful. However, before diving into Git commands, I recommend using Visual Studio Code (VS Code) and VS Code extensions for Git, such as GitLens. These tools provide a user-friendly interface that makes it easier for Admins to manage Git operations. Furthermore, tools like Hutte can simplify both Git and Salesforce DX (SFDX) operations by explicitly providing an intuitive UI for Salesforce Admins.

Here are some essential Git commands for Salesforce Admins:

1. "git clone [repository URL]:" Clones a repository to your local machine. Use this to get a copy of your project.
2. "git add [file/folder]:" Adds changes in specified files or folders to the staging area. This is the first step before committing changes.
3. "git commit -m 'Your commit message:'" Commits the changes you have added with a descriptive message.
4. "git push:" Pushes your committed changes to the remote repository. This updates the project for everyone else on your team.
5. "git pull:" Fetches the latest changes from the remote repository and merges them into your local branch. Use this to keep your local copy up-to-date.
6. "git merge [branch name]:" Merges the specified branch into your current branch. This is used to integrate changes from different branches.

Regularly pull updates

• Ensure you regularly pull updates from the remote repository to keep your local environment in sync with the latest changes.
• This helps prevent conflicts and ensures that you are always working with the most current version of the project.

Collaborate with your team

• Git is a powerful tool for collaboration. Use pull requests and code reviews to discuss changes with your team before merging them into the main branch.
• This practice not only improves the quality of the project but also fosters a collaborative environment.

Documentation and training

• Take the time to document your Git workflows and best practices.
• Provide training for your team to ensure everyone understands how to use Git effectively.
• Good documentation and training help maintain consistency and efficiency in your project's version control practices.

Seek Developer support

• As a Salesforce Admin, seek help and support from Developers or the Developer community to troubleshoot basic issues quickly and efficiently.
• Collaborating with experienced Developers can accelerate problem-solving and enhance your understanding of Git and SFDX CLI.

Get going with Git

Using Git and version control as a Salesforce Admin can transform your workflow. But again, managing Salesforce development and deployment can be a complex and time-consuming process.

This is where Hutte comes into play. Designed by Salesforce professionals for Salesforce professionals, Hutte is a powerful DevOps tool that simplifies and accelerates the development lifecycle for Administrators and Developers. Whether you're a Developer or an Admin, Hutte offers the tools and features you need to enhance your Salesforce experience and achieve your project goals.