Maximize Your Salesforce Efficiency with These 5 Lesser-Known Admin Tools

ByPrince Ghosh

April 5th . 12 min read

Maximize Your Salesforce Efficiency with 5 Lesser-Known Admin Tools

As a Salesforce Admin, you're always looking for ways to improve your workflow and be more efficient. While you're probably familiar with many of the standard Salesforce tools, there are some lesser-known apps and features that can help streamline your work even further. Here are five of them:

1.Field Trip:

Field Trip is a Salesforce app that helps you analyze and manage the fields in your Salesforce org. The app scans your org and identifies fields that are not being used, as well as fields that are being used frequently. This information can be incredibly useful for Salesforce Admins who want to streamline their org, improve performance, and make their data more manageable. With Field Trip, you can generate detailed reports that provide insights into your org's data usage. These reports can help you identify areas of your org that may need cleanup or optimization. You can also use Field Trip to analyze the usage of fields and objects, and to identify fields that may be causing performance issues. Field Trip is incredibly easy to use. You can install the app from the Salesforce AppExchange, and it integrates directly with your org. Once installed, you can run scans of your org to identify unused fields, and generate reports that provide insights into your data usage.

Some of the key features of Field Trip include:

Scan your org to identify unused fields
Analyze the usage of fields and objects
Generate reports that provide insights into your data usage
Identify fields that may be causing performance issues
Integrate directly with your Salesforce org

Overall, Field Trip is a valuable tool for Salesforce Admins who want to manage their org's data more effectively. By using Field Trip, you can streamline your org, improve performance, and make your data more manageable. Field Trip is a powerful app that scans your Salesforce org to identify unused fields. This can be incredibly helpful for cleaning up your org and making it easier to navigate. You can also use Field Trip to analyze the usage of fields and objects, and to generate reports that provide insights into your org's data. Utilize this app when you want to streamline your Salesforce org by cleaning up unused fields or analyzing usage of fields and objects. This is particularly helpful when you inherit a Salesforce org from another admin or when you want to streamline your current org.

2.Metadata API:

The Metadata API is a powerful tool provided by Salesforce that allows you to manage and deploy metadata, such as custom objects, fields, workflows, and more, across your Salesforce orgs. Metadata is essentially the configuration information of your Salesforce org, and the Metadata API provides a programmatic interface to access and manipulate this information. Using the Metadata API, you can retrieve metadata components from your org and create, update, or delete them programmatically. You can also deploy metadata changes across different orgs, such as from a development sandbox to a production org, or between two production orgs.

Some of the key features and benefits of the Metadata API include:

Automate the deployment of metadata changes between different Salesforce orgs
Ability to retrieve, create, update, or delete metadata components programmatically, without the need for manual configuration in the Salesforce UI
Support for various metadata types, such as Apex classes, Visualforce pages, Custom objects, Custom fields, Workflow rules, and more
Ability to create and manage metadata records in bulk, which can save time and reduce manual errors.
Ability to retrieve metadata in a package format, which can be useful for version control and managing multiple changes simultaneously
To use the Metadata API, you need to have a Salesforce Developer account, and you need to create a connected app in your org to enable access to the API. You can also use various Salesforce-supported tools, such as the Force.com IDE, Workbench, or the Salesforce CLI, to interact with the Metadata API.

Overall, the Metadata API is an essential tool for Salesforce Admins and Developers who want to automate the deployment and management of metadata changes across different Salesforce orgs. By using the Metadata API, you can save time, reduce manual errors, and improve the efficiency of your development and deployment processes. The Metadata API allows you to retrieve and deploy metadata between different Salesforce environments, such as between a sandbox and a production org. This can save you a lot of time and effort when setting up new environments or making changes to your org. Utilize this tool when you want to deploy metadata between different Salesforce environments, such as when you want to set up a new sandbox environment or when you need to make changes to your production org. This is also helpful when you have complex metadata that is difficult to deploy manually.

3.Process Builder:

Process Builder is a Salesforce automation tool that allows you to create automated business processes and workflows without the need for coding. With Process Builder, you can automate complex processes that require multiple actions and trigger them based on certain conditions and events in your Salesforce org. Using Process Builder, you can create processes that perform a wide range of actions, such as creating records, updating fields, sending emails, posting to Chatter, or calling Apex classes. You can also schedule actions for specific times and set criteria for when the process should or should not run.

Some of the key features and benefits of Process Builder include:

Easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interface that allows you to create processes without coding
Ability to automate complex processes that require multiple actions and trigger them based on specific conditions and events
Support for a wide range of actions, including creating records, updating fields, sending emails,posting to Chatter, and calling Apex classes
Ability to schedule actions for specific times and set criteria for when the process should or should not run
Integration with other Salesforce automation tools, such as Workflows and Flow

Process Builder can be used in various scenarios, such as automating lead qualification processes, automating account creation and updating, sending alerts or notifications when certain conditions are met, and much more. It is a powerful tool that can help you streamline your business processes and increase your productivity as a Salesforce Admin.

To use Process Builder, you need to have a Salesforce account with the necessary permissions to create and manage processes. You can access Process Builder from the Setup menu in Salesforce, and create new processes using the drag-and-drop interface. Overall, Process Builder is a valuable tool for Salesforce Admins who want to automate their business processes and workflows without the need for coding. By using Process Builder, you can save time, reduce manual errors, and increase the efficiency of your Salesforce org.

While many Admins are familiar with Salesforce's workflow automation tool, Flow, fewer may know about Process Builder. This tool allows you to automate complex processes with a simple drag-and-drop interface. You can use it to trigger actions based on record changes, schedule actions for specific times, and more. Utilize this tool when you want to automate complex processes that require multiple actions or when you want to schedule actions for specific times. This is particularly helpful when you have complex business rules or when you want to automate repetitive tasks.

4.Lightning App Builder:

Lightning App Builder is a powerful Salesforce tool that allows you to create custom user interfaces and pages for your Salesforce org without the need for coding. With Lightning App Builder, you can customize your Salesforce pages to fit your business needs and make them more user-friendly and intuitive for your users.

Using Lightning App Builder, you can create custom pages and components by dragging and dropping pre-built or custom Lightning components onto your page canvas. You can also customize the layout, style, and branding of your pages, and add custom actions and buttons to them.

Some of the key features and benefits of Lightning App Builder include:

Easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface that allows you to create custom pages and components without coding
Ability to customize the layout, style, and branding of your pages to fit your business needs
Support for a wide range of pre-built and custom Lightning components, such as charts, tables,forms, and more
Ability to add custom actions and buttons to your pages to automate your business processes and workflows
Integration with other Salesforce tools, such as Lightning Experience, Salesforce Mobile App, and Community Cloud
Lightning App Builder can be used in various scenarios, such as creating custom home pages for your users, creating custom dashboards, creating custom object pages, and much more. It is a powerful tool that can help you enhance the user experience in your Salesforce org and make it more efficient and productive.

To use Lightning App Builder, you need to have a Salesforce account with the necessary permissions to create and manage custom pages and components. You can access Lightning App Builder from the Setup menu in Salesforce, and create new pages and components using the drag-and-drop interface. Overall, Lightning App Builder is a valuable tool for Salesforce Admins who want to create custom user interfaces and pages for their Salesforce org without the need for coding. By using Lightning App Builder, you can enhance the user experience in your Salesforce org, improve productivity, and streamline your business processes. If you're still creating custom Salesforce pages using Visualforce, you may want to check out the Lightning App Builder. This tool allows you to create custom pages and components using a drag-and-drop interface. You can also use it to customize standard pages and components. Utilize this tool when you want to create custom pages and components using a drag-and-drop interface. This is particularly helpful when you want to customize standard pages and components or when you want to create custom pages quickly.

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5.Salesforce Inspector:

Salesforce Inspector is a browser extension that allows you to inspect and debug your Salesforce org from within your browser. With Salesforce Inspector, you can quickly and easily view the details of any Salesforce record, object, or field, and make changes to them in realtime. Using Salesforce Inspector, you can perform a wide range of actions, such as querying records, updating fields, creating new records, and deleting records. You can also view and debug Apex code, debug JavaScript, and troubleshoot issues with your Salesforce org.

Some of the key features and benefits of Salesforce Inspector include:

Ability to inspect and debug your Salesforce org from within your browser
Support for a wide range of actions, such as querying records, updating fields, creating new records, and deleting records
Ability to view and debug Apex code, debug JavaScript, and troubleshoot issues with your Salesforce org
Integration with other Salesforce tools, such as Developer Console, Workbench, and Lightning App Builder
Support for multiple orgs and environments, including production, sandbox, and developer orgs

Salesforce Inspector can be used in various scenarios, such as troubleshooting issues with your Salesforce org, debugging Apex code, updating records in real-time, and much more. It is a powerful tool that can help you save time, increase productivity, and improve the overall performance of your Salesforce org. To use Salesforce Inspector, you need to install the browser extension and log in to your Salesforce org. You can then access Salesforce Inspector from the browser toolbar and start inspecting and debugging your Salesforce org. Overall, Salesforce Inspector is a valuable tool for Salesforce Admins and Developers who want to inspect and debug their Salesforce org from within their browser. By using Salesforce Inspector, you can save time, increase productivity, and improve the performance of your Salesforce org. Salesforce Inspector is a Chrome extension that allows you to view and edit Salesforce data directly in your browser. This can be incredibly helpful for debugging and troubleshooting, as well as for making quick changes to your org's data without having to navigate to different pages. Utilize this Chrome extension when you want to view and edit Salesforce data directly in your browser. This is particularly helpful when you need to quickly make changes to your org's data without navigating to different pages or when you need to debug and troubleshoot issues.

Conclusion

Salesforce is a powerful CRM platform that offers a wide range of tools and features to help businesses manage their customer relationships more effectively. As a Salesforce admin, it is important to stay up-to-date with the latest Salesforce admin tools and technologies to ensure that you are making the most of your Salesforce investment and delivering the best possible experience to your users. The 5 lesser-known Salesforce admin tools we discussed can help you streamline your workflow, save time, and increase your productivity. Field Trip can help you better understand the data model of your Salesforce org, Metadata API can help you automate deployment and migration of metadata, Process Builder can help you automate your business processes and workflows, Lightning App Builder can help you create custom user interfaces and pages, and Salesforce Inspector can help you inspect and debug your Salesforce org.

By leveraging these tools, you can enhance the user experience in your Salesforce org, improve productivity, and streamline your business processes. So, take the time to explore these tools and incorporate them into your Salesforce admin toolkit to stay ahead of the curve and achieve your business goals.