The Weekend Picklist ?? Multi-Select Picklist Limitations, Marketing Cloud on Core, and TDX 2024

Salesforce Multi-Select Picklist Limitations?

The humble picklist. A well known feature for any admin, and this newsletter’s namesake! But how about multi-select picklists? Well, these are as simple as they sound in terms of what they do: allowing users to select multiple values from a predefined list instead of just one. All sounds fairly straightforward…surely??

Yes and no. While multi-select picklists can be useful in some cases, this might not be the best functionality to use in every situation. At this point, it’s worth considering a custom object alternative to meet your specific requirements.?

It’s always useful to have limitations in mind when deciding the best way forward. In fact, Salesforce has even started displaying a helpful warning message. You’ll see something along these lines:?

There are some limitations when you use multi-select picklist data in:

• Automation
• Reports
• Formulas
• Data import
• Integration

Thanks for the heads up, Salesforce!??

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?? Breaking: Salesforce Announce Marketing Cloud Edition Built on the Core Platform

News, news, news! May we introduce Marketing Cloud Growth Edition – the first iteration of Marketing Cloud on the ‘core’ Salesforce platform. And it's a pretty big deal.?

Leveraging the first "non-admins flows", Data Cloud, Salesforce's AI technology, Salesforce CMS (and more!), this really is a heck of an announcement. Not only is this a brand-new edition, it’s a whole new world…

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Salesforce TrailblazerDX 2024: Our List of Must-See Sessions

Heading to TrailblazerDX this year? Salesforce’s annual conference for the builders of the Salesforce world is rolling back around (6-7 March), and there are hundreds of sessions to enjoy, both in person and online via Salesforce+.?

Here are a handful of events to look out for:?

For admins:

• Build Your Own Copilot
• Check Out Report and Dashboard Recent Features and Roadmap
• Automate This! Record-Triggered Flow Patterns

For developers:

• Apex: What’s New and What’s Coming
• Deep Dive into LWC Best Practices
• How to Code with Einstein for Developers

For architects:?

• A Look at What’s Next For Well-Architected
• Architect Effective Roadmaps for Project Success
• Architect’s Overview of Data Cloud Best Practices

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The Great Salesforce Lead Source Debate

As a standard picklist in Salesforce, which is available by default, Lead Source is very simple at first glance. However, things begin to get a little murky when it comes to defining what it actually means.??

For example, is it the technical mechanism by which a record came to exist in the database? Or does it refer to what action initiated the prospect to engage in the first place? Can both be correct?

The trouble is, this picklist offers a single field, which is the same field across Leads, Contacts, Accounts, and Opportunities. In reality, “Lead Source” for an Opportunity could mean something very different to “Lead Source” on a Lead or a Contact record.

So what should you do? First things first: decide what you really need. Then customize your org and educate your users. Without a clear and universal understanding of what is truly meant by lead source, it will be difficult to provide meaningful metrics, and decision making will be all the more difficult.?

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Salesforce Customization vs. Configuration: What’s the Difference?

To customize or to configure… that is the question. When modifying the platform, both are valid options, but it depends what you’re looking for (and why). The most important thing is understanding the difference between them.?

Customization: Changing out-of-the-box Salesforce components or adding newly developed pieces to adapt the CRM system to a company’s specific demands.

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Here are some examples of popular customizations:?

• Creating custom objects, triggers, classes, and other components with Apex
• Setting up custom code-based automation workflows?
• Enabling batch operations to process large amounts of data
• Creating trigger-based automation processes
• Designing unique Visualforce user interfaces and pages for tailored user experience
• Developing low-code applications
• Sending report data to other applications inside or outside Salesforce using Reports and Dashboards REST API

Configuration: Adjusting Salesforce’s settings, features, and workflows using the platform’s built-in tools and interfaces so that the system better suits the needs of your business.

Here are some of the most common configurations:

• Page layouts
• Processes and workflows
• User permissions
• Reports and dashboards
• Email templates
• Security settings?

There’s no right or wrong here. It’s just a case of picking the best approach for your company’s business requirements and ensuring that whoever’s ‘behind the wheel’ is proficient in Salesforce.

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