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As a Salesforce Developer, you have encountered this scenario many times: Your unit tests depend on objects with lookup values populated. This means multiple DML statements during test setup and tests that are often broken when admins change validation rules or process builders.

This will show you how to make tests with complex data more reliable by using *Test.loadData* to load records **that are linked to each other**.

## How most people use Test.loadData()

You might be using *Test.loadData* method to load records from Static Resources ([Official salesforce docs on Test.loadData](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.apexcode.meta/apexcode/apex_testing_load_data.htm)), but the official docs don’t explain how to link records.

Most often, developers fix this by doing DML on the records after running Test.loadData(). This, unfortunately, erodes the benefit of even using this test data harness because now you have *some* test setup data in CSV and *some* in Apex.

## How to fix it: Populate IDs in your test data files

The key to populating relationship fields through Test.loadData method is setting the value of the lookup field to the Id of the linked record. This might sound obvious, but you’re probably wondering “how will I know the id??”.

This is the part that needs a bit of explaining: Test.loadData will accept ID values for your data, so you can know in advance what the IDs will be! Even better, is that they don’t have to be valid salesforce IDs so that you can invent your own IDs (any text) so you can use values that are easier to read for you, the developer. I have used integer values for Ids and they worked well for me.

The main gotcha here is that all IDs must be unique across all static resources in the transaction. If you load Accounts and Opportunities, then you can’t have an Opportunity with ID=1 and Account with ID=1, they must be globally unique IDs.

## A Real-World Example

Here is a walk-through to explain the above point further:

Let’s try to understand this with help of an example using the above schema. and say I want to create:

1. One Account record.
2. One Project record and link this record to the Account record created in step 1.
3. Three Milestone records and link these records to the Project record created in step 2.
4. Two Milestone Task records for each of the three Milestone records created in Step 3. Also, link them to both the Milestone records from Step 3 and the Project record from Step 2.

## Setup Data and Populate Relationship Fields

As we know, we load the data from CSV files uploaded as Static Resources using Test.loadData method, so we need to setup CSV files with data that we will upload as Static Resources.

Here is how the data looks like:

Image 1: Account record with Id field value set an Integer

Image 2: Project record with Account\_\_c lookup set to the Id the record from Image 1

Image 3: Milestone records with Project\_\_c lookup set to the Id of the record from Image 2

Image 4: Milestone Task records having unique Id for each record; Project\_\_c field set to the Id of record from Image 2 and Milestone\_\_c field set to the Id of records from Image 3.

The data shown in the above screenshots are available in this [Google Spreadsheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uGXls7S6JIbgBB31DVJZ5AEKNQP6liW3eGyE3uklWaI/edit?usp=sharing).

Key things to note in the above screenshots:

1. All the records (even for different type of objects) have a unique Integer value for Id field.
2. Relationship fields are set to Id field values of that particular type of object.

**Create Static Resources**

The next step is to export the above data into different CSV fields and upload them into your Org as Static Resources.

Here is how it looks like in my dev org:

## Loading Test Data

We have setup the data, the relationship fields, and uploaded the CSV files as Static Resources. Now, we can start using this data in our test classes. All the source code including object schema, static resources, and test class is available in this [GitHub repo](https://github.com/cloudanswers/populating-relationship-fields) for you to try out in your Org.

## Conclusion

We can populate relationship fields with Test.loadData to simplify the apex test setup and make our tests more reliable. We need to make sure that all records (across all different tables) have unique IDs, and make sure the ID is already loaded in a previous step.

If you have a scaling challenge or need help optimizing your salesforce systems, we can help! Contact us at help@cloudanswers.com or chat with us.

Read also [Custom domains and free SSL on Force.com Sites](https://cloudanswers.com/custom-domains-and-free-ssl-on-force-com-sites/)


Hack Test.loadData() to accept relational data


In this article, we are going to share some known tips and tricks which can make your **Salesforce reports** run faster. Most reports load in a matter of seconds. In certain cases, it can take longer. On very rare occasions, reports can hit the timeout limits. This can happen due to any of the following reasons:

- Querying too many columns
- Querying objects with too many records
- Using inefficient filters / operators

Now, let's focus on keys areas on which we can work and how we can leverage various options available on Salesforce platform to overcome the above problems.

## Exclude unnecessary data

We should only query data that is relevant to the report we are building. We can take note of the following key points to exclude any unnecessary data from our reports:

1\. Choose a report type that only includes the objects you need.

2\. Remove any unnecessary columns from the report.

3\. Whenever possible, use "My…" or "My Team's…" option rather than "All…". For example, My Accounts.

![Screen Shot 2020-07-20 at 9.09.01 pm.png](/uploads/Screen-Shot-2020-07-20-at-9.09.01-pm.png)

4\. When you are only interested in the summary data, click on the Hide Details button under Advanced Filters to hide detail rows.

![Screen Shot 2020-07-20 at 9.12.55 pm](/uploads/Screen-Shot-2020-07-20-at-9.12.55-pm.png)

## **Use efficient filters / operators**

##### **Narrow your filters**

Use _equal to_ or _not equal to_ instead of _contains_ or _does not contains_ filters. For example, use the Contact Owner equal to John Smith instead of the Contact Owner contains John. This limits the amount of data retrieved and makes the report load faster.

##### **Focus on the right time period**

Queries with fixed time frames run faster than open-ended queries. We should always set a start and end date values to limit the report data. If that’s not possible, then try using relative date values such as - THIS WEEK, LAST MONTH or YESTERDAY. This works well for saved reports. Also, this becomes very handy for activity reports to eliminate future recurring activities.

## **![](/uploads/Screen-Shot-2020-07-20-at-9.14.06-pm.png)**

## **Optimize your Salesforce environment**

##### **Consider the storage size of your objects**

Do you know how many records exist for each object in your report queries? The more records, the bigger the object's storage size and the longer the report takes to run. To determine the size of an object, from **Setup**, enter **Storage Usage** in the **Quick Find** box, then select **Storage Usage** and see each object's Storage value in the **Current Data Storage Usage** section. As storage usage increases, reports that include that object will take longer.

##### **Empty your Recycle Bin**

Data you've deleted still gets queried when you run your report unless you permanently delete it by emptying the Recycle Bin. Make sure to empty the Recycle Bin after pruning your data.

##### **Filter on fields that are optimized for search**

There are some standard fields that are optimized for a search like Id, Name, OwnerId, CreatedDate, SystemModStamp, RecordType. Master-detail and lookup fields are also optimized for search. Unique and External Id fields are also optimized for search. By using optimized fields in the filters, we can save some time during the report runs.

## **Schedule reports and dashboards**

A dashboard refreshes data for everyone who has access to it whenever anyone clicks the Refresh button. If you have a report which takes a long time to run, add it in a dashboard. This way you will have more people seeing fresh data with fewer report runs. Also, encourage your users who have "Schedule Dashboards" permission to have their dashboards refresh on a **scheduled basis daily, weekly, or monthly**, so that users don't always have to wait for data to refresh.

Try the above tips to make your reports more efficient and load faster. If you have any other tricks which worked for you, we would like to hear from you in the comments section.

Looking for more knowledge, check also other articles that are covering Salesforce reporting topics

[Effective data storage in Salesforce for every business size](https://cloudanswers.com/effective-data-storage-in-salesforce-for-every-business-size/)

[Salesforce – Reporting Tips and Best Practices](https://cloudanswers.com/salesforce-reporting-tips-and-best-practices/)

[Creating automated reports in Salesforce](https://cloudanswers.com/creating-automated-reports-in-salesforce/)

[Report Sender](https://appexchange.salesforce.com/appxListingDetail?listingId=a0N3A00000EJdlFUAT) - app for quick scheduling and sending Salesforce reports

## **Report Sender Plus lets you easily schedule and send reports to any email address.**


Get some some known tips and tricks which can make your Salesforce reports run faster. Most reports load in a matter of seconds.

How To Make Your Salesforce Reports Run Faster


### Who is this for? Salesforce Administrators

A flow is an application usually built by Salesforce administrators that asks you for inputs and does something in Salesforce based on those inputs. Flows are designed using Cloud Flow Designer which has a bunch of tools that allow for automation of business processes without the use of custom code. You can do many things from a flow like execute logic, interact with Salesforce, call Apex classes, collect data from user with screen elements, etc. Recently, in Winter 18, a new feature was released to allow the use of Lightning Components in Flows which is the focus of this blog post.

### **Using Lightning Components in Flows**

The ability to add Lightning Components in Flow means that the flow screens can do much more than just inputs, choices and outputs. With the use of Lightning Components inflows we can make the flow much more interactive and achieve more. Here are a few examples of what we can do with Lightning components inflows

- A progress tracker
- Ask different input based on previous values
- Record selection
- Displaying data
- Embedding video, images, etc

### **How It Works**

Once the Lightning Component is developed and ready to use, you can follow the following steps to add a Lightning Component to your flows.

1. Open the flow screen on which we want to add the lightning component. The key points to make lightning components available for flow screens are as follows:
   - Lightning component should implement **lightning:availableForFlowScreens** interface
   - To make an attribute’s value customizable in the Cloud Flow Designer, add it to the component's design resource. This will allow the flow admins to pass values between that attribute and the flow when they configure the screen field.
2. Drag and drop the Lightning component element on to the screen.![Screen Shot 2018-07-23 at 2.43.14 pm](/uploads/Screen-Shot-2018-07-23-at-2.43.14-pm.png)
3. Map the flow variables to Lightning Component attributes
   - Set a unique name for the component
   - Select the lightning component
   - Use the Inputs tab to set an attribute using values from the flow. Use the Outputs tab to store an attribute’s value in a flow variable.
   - Save the screen, save and activate the flow.

![Screen Shot 2018-07-23 at 3.45.51 pm](/uploads/Screen-Shot-2018-07-23-at-3.45.51-pm-1024x411.png)

Here is how this flow looks when we run it using the Debug option.

![Screen Shot 2018-07-23 at 3.44.48 pm.png](/uploads/Screen-Shot-2018-07-23-at-3.44.48-pm.png)

### **Embed flows in Lightning Communities**

In Winter’18, there was another new feature that allows users to embed flows in Lightning Communities. There are multiple use cases for this feature. The ability to publish surveys for community users to complete is one such use case.

### **Using Quick Actions to launch Flows**

Lightning Flows with screens can also be launched using Action. Here are key points to keep in mind while setting up Quick Actions to launch Flows.

- **Flow Type**: Flow actions support only flows that include screens.
- **Flow Status**: The flow must be active. If you later deactivate the flow, the action doesn’t appear at runtime.
- **Action Types**: Flow actions are available only as object-specific actions.
- **Action Title**: The title that appears on the modal is the action’s label instead of the flow name. We recommend entering the flow name as the action label.
- **Input Variables**: Flow actions let you pass the value of the record's ID field into the flow, but that's it. If your flow has a Text input variable called recordId, the action passes the record's ID into that variable at runtime. If not, it doesn't and the flow tries to run anyway. This is a very useful feature that users can utilize to build flows using lightning components to accomplish lots of different things.
- **Help Text**: A flow action’s screen-level help text isn’t available for feed-based page layouts.

### **Resources:**

- [Configure Components for Flow Screens](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.lightning.meta/lightning/components_config_for_flow_screens.htm)
- [Trailhead: Add a Flow As an Action on a Record](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/modules/screen_flow_distribution/units/screen_flow_distribution_action)

Read also [Salesforce Lightning components overview](https://cloudanswers.com/salesforce-lightning-components-overview/)


How to use Lightning Components in Flows? A flow is an application usually built by Salesforce administrators.

How to use Lightning Components in Flows


## **Avoiding Custom Development**

Recently, one of our customers asked us to make an update to their custom “wizard”.

Here's why we decided to replace a custom-coded solution with one built with Salesforce's point and click configuration tool, Flows.

**Barr Foundation** is an amazing organization that supports non-profits. Among them, there are groups working on education, the environment, and economic equality. In order to track their engagements and measure the impact of their support, they rely on Salesforce as their system of record.

Their “**wizard”** was a custom development project launched through a button click on an Opportunity. It presented the user with two Visualforce pages and created records that are children and grandchildren to an Opportunity. In addition to the wizard, **Process Builders** were used to keep the tool up to date as the underlying processes change.

Wizards are great because they help simplify laborious processes for users. In this case, rather than creating 5 child records manually, with the right data, _then_ creating two child records for each of _those_ records, you can have a process build them in the background with minimal input. You don’t need to worry about people forgetting to enter the last records or making a mistake dividing values from the Opportunity.

Barr also has a full-time **Salesforce Admin** that is capable of using all of the points and click features. So, ideally, they would not need to reach out to their former consulting partner or us to help them make little updates to their process over time; their Admin should be able to update this in the same way that he updates a **Workflow Rule.**

So, instead of editing someone else’s code or having us rebuild the project and spend a lot of time and effort, we used Flows.

In Salesforce, Flow is a tool that can show screens to users, ask questions, and process their input. A common use case is scripting calls for support agents. When you start a Flow your users will get a screen with the right fields, text, or images. Then your Flow can take that data and update/create things in the background. This is different than standard records because your Flow can take data from one screen and update several other related records without you needing to manually find them.

In this scenario, we were able to convert 1000 lines of code into a point and click tool that prompts the user for input on two screens and creates a dozen related records.

One of the major benefits of converting to Flows was the ease of maintenance. Rather than needing a developer to make changes. An Admin can open the Flow to add a new field or take one away. They can easily add a new related task for follow up. Flows don’t require a Sandbox with Test Coverage as custom code does.

The other major benefit is cost. Rather than needing to pay an expensive developer and wait for weeks for changes, they can make changes in minutes with someone who already works in their org. This means that they are saving money as well as the time to make the change, avoiding mistakes speeding up data entry.

While a Flow is a great efficiency tool, it doesn’t fit every use case. If you need to edit hundreds or thousands of records, you are going to want custom code. If you need a very custom look and feel, you might also want code. Outside of these edge cases, Flows are a great way to empower users to work faster, make fewer mistakes, and avoid confusion.


In Salesforce, Flow is a tool that can show screens to users, ask questions, and process their input. A common use case is scripting calls for support agents. %

Replace Code with Flows

This article is for running a force.com site to get data in or out of your salesforce database.

You might already be using a force.com site with a custom domain, but browsers are now preferring SSL (https) and users might even be warned if they visit your force.com site if it doesn’t use SSL.

## Create an SSL Certificate:

## Download the Certificate Signing Request (CSR)

This will download a text file to your computer. Make sure you can open it in notepad (or a text editor of your choice) because later you will need to copy and paste the content.

## Create an SSL Certificate with ZeroSSL

Sign up for a free account at [ZeroSSL.com](https://zerossl.com/?fpr=james37) which includes 3 free SSL certificates. Once you reach the dashboard, click “New Certificate”:

At the step “CSR & Contact” you should “paste existing csr” instead of creating a new one:After you’ve finalized your order and confirmed you own the domain name, you will be able to download the certificate file (zip):

## Combine Certificate Chain

The zip file you downloaded from ZeroSSL contains two files: certificate.crt and ca_bundle.crt. These are both text files and you need to copy and paste them together like this ( certificate.crt on top, ca_bundle.crt on bottom).

Here I’m using Sublime Text, but you can use Notepad.exe, VSCode, or any editor you like:

## Upload Certificate to Salesforce

The combined certificate can now be uploaded to your certificate record in salesforce (where we generated the CRT earlier):

The upload form will reject your certificate file if you copy and paste the values in the wrong order, so you will know immediately if you did it right.

## Update your domain from your force.com site

If you are already using a custom domain, then your DNS should already be correct, but double check in case it’s an old domain.

## Wait for Provisioning Status

This step can be as fast as 30 mins, but can also take hours…

Wait for the “Activate” button to be clickable, then click it to deploy the certificate. The “Provisioning Status” will change from “Awaiting Custom URL” to “Provisioning”.

## Update your force.com site to prefer https

At this point, your domain will start to show with HTTPS and you’ll get that nice little pad lock on the address bar!If you have any questions or need help in marching Salesforce to your business needs, contact us at [help@cloudanswers.com](mailto:help@cloudanswers.com) or by email or phone  [www.cloudanswer.com/contact/](https://cloudanswers.com/contact/)

You are using a force.com site with a custom domain, but browsers are now preferring SSL (https) and users might even be warned if they visit your force.com site if it doesn’t use SSL. Built a custom domain and free SSL on Force.com - in this article we show you how

Custom domains and free SSL on Force.com Sites


Salesforce is a lot of things. You can store contacts, track products, manage automation, create complex reports, and then-some.

When you are just getting started, the set up can feel overwhelming and expensive. Even if you are teaching yourself after hours, you are spending a lot of time looking at features that you have survived without.

There is one feature you need to master before any other. It is not automated emailing; it's not validation rules of making a site. What you need now are accurate Reports. Insightful and timely, a report on team data gives you insight into your coworker's actions and your own. You can see who is covering which bases and who needs help.

Some companies need up-to-date pipeline reports for stockholders; others need metrics to help coach their sales people. There are many cases where summarizing your data will offer extra insight.

In [Trailhead: Reporting](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/modules/reports_dashboards) you get a deep dive into the most prominent features. From reporting on related records to building dashboards, you practice using these tools to solve complicated problems.


Salesforce is a lot of things. You can store ...

Must Do - Trailhead: Reporting


Email: The easiest way to either a high marketing ROI or the easiest way to ruin someone’s day. [According to a survey ran by Crain BtoB Magazine](http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/survey-shows-many-marketers-are-behind-in-use-of-data-targeting-and-measurement-143303436.html), 59% of marketers say that email is the highest revenue generation channel in their company. However, over 50% of people who receive subscription based emails unsubscribe because they never expected communication from the company.

Even if you have a loyal subscriber list to your content, there may be other factors in the way of your email marketing. These other factors can be summarized into one general issue: technical optimization. Emails are much more than sending awesome copy and a great content offer, they have several other properties that affect how they are sent, where they will get sent, and even the first impression people make of them in their inbox!

Luckily, we have a prescription if you think you’re suffering from the ailments of poor technical email practices:

**Your Email Technical Prescription:**

1. One verified sender to email from — If you’re using a CRM or marketing automation software for email campaigns, that’s great! BUT… you have to make sure you have a verified sender in that software. Using the default sender tools in CRMs will insert a @company.image: /uploads/.com at the end of your sender line! Your recipients will immediately know that you’re sending an automated email, which can lead to unsubscribes and unopened emails. There is a cure though! Just make sure you have a dedicated email address, and verify it through your CRM! Not only will you agree to be compliant with CAN-SPAM law, but your subscribers will feel as if a person is sending over the content they love!
2. KISS: Keep it Sweet and Simple (for subject lines and preview text) — So you’ve made a killer subject line, your preview text does a great job describing your content, but when you send the email it cuts off. Generally, you want to aim for 50 or so characters when writing subject lines! Hopefully you tweet a lot because 140 characters is tough enough, but 50 is less than half of that! Meeting this challenge creates a simple but effective outcome: your subject lines and preview texts can be fully read without needing another click. This also ties into our next item…
3. Optimize for mobile devices always! — Did you know that almost 80% of email recipients open email on their mobile device! Yes, you’re reading that correctly! Over the last five years, email opens have greatly shifted from desktop to mobile! Hence why we say optimize your emails for mobile always! Those short but sweet subjects? Already optimized for mobile and desktop! CTAs? Make your CTA a square button to perfectly accommodate mobile screens! Always test your templates and see what they look like on phone screens. Apple Mail dominates mobile opens (over 55%!) because they integrate with every client. Now another nice transition (two for two) as clients are hugely important in technical optimization…
4. Make sure your emails are viewable in any email client! — There is an ongoing argument about HTML vs. plain text and which one is better. While most subscribers (people who have already dedicated their time to see your content) wish to see HTML emails from companies, colder leads are generally more inviting to plain-text. However, there are even people who still use basic clients that can ONLY VIEW PLAIN TEXT! So what do you do? Make an HTML and plain-text version of course! This increases not only how many emails you are able to send, but also allows “client-challenged” email users to view your content!

If you use CRM software or similar tools, you should be in great shape to use technical features of email marketing to your advantage! And as always, make sure to double up on CloudAid prescriptions to supercharge your CRM/marketing automation!


Email: The easiest way to either a high marke...

The four technical supplements that will help your email open rates reach peak performance

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