In the Salesforce landscape, DevOps tools are readily available. Developers leverage powerful resources like Visual Studio, SFDX, Git, and various CI tools. However, successful DevOps implementation goes beyond having the right tools—it requires every team member to play their part.

The challenge arises when admins, who may not be familiar with these technical tools, need to integrate them into the DevOps workflow. This gap can lead to DevOps breakdowns, with admin-driven changes potentially bypassing crucial steps like code reviews, approvals, validation, and Git documentation.

Furthermore, for DevOps to be truly effective, it must encompass all changes made to the Salesforce org. When modifications are made directly in the org—whether out of necessity or convenience—they often go unrecorded in Git. This can result in conflicts with ongoing development work and disrupt the carefully orchestrated DevOps workflow.

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This disconnect creates significant challenges for developers:

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1. Version control Issues: When admins make changes directly in production or sandboxes without using Git, developers lose track of these modifications. This can lead to conflicts when merging code or deploying new features.
2. Overwritten changes: Developers may unknowingly overwrite admin changes during deployments, as these modifications aren't captured in the version control system.
3. Incomplete CI/CD pipelines: Automated testing and deployment processes may not account for admin-driven changes, potentially leading to failed deployments or unexpected behavior in production.
4. Reduced collaboration: Without a shared platform for tracking changes, developers and admins may work in silos, hindering effective collaboration and knowledge sharing.
5. Compliance and audit challenges: When admin changes bypass the standard DevOps process, it becomes difficult to maintain a comprehensive audit trail for compliance purposes.
6. Increased troubleshooting time: Developers often spend extra time investigating issues caused by undocumented admin changes, reducing overall productivity.
7. Release management complications: Coordinating releases becomes more complex when some changes are tracked in Git while others are made directly in the org.

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These challenges underscore the need for a unified DevOps approach that accommodates both developers and admins, ensuring all changes are properly tracked, reviewed, and deployed through a standardized process.

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Unifying admins and developers in the DevOps process

Enter Salto, a solution designed to incorporate Salesforce admins into the existing DevOps process without disrupting the established workflows of developers and with a minimal learning curve for admins. Salto acts as a unifying platform, allowing admins to add their work to the DevOps pipeline without requiring them to become Git experts overnight and without compromising quality.  

Seamless Pipeline Integration

Salto streamlines the change management process by channeling all changes through a single, established pipeline, regardless of their origin. This pipeline includes reviews, approvals, and CI jobs as specified by team leads or architects. 

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Admins can use Salto’s inuitive interface to deploy changes. Salto automatically generates a pull request to integrate these changes into the pipeline. 

Developers can maintain their preferred workflows using VS Code and SFDX, initiating the process by creating a pull request in Git followed by a Salto deployment. 

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Whether changes are deployed by admins or by developers, they all funnel into the same pipeline. Once these deployments reach a shared environment, they can be collectively promoted and validated, ensuring a unified and consistent process for everyone on the team. 

Ensure all changes make it to Git

We know how important it is for developers to work on an up-to-date version of the SFDX project. That’s why we’ve built a mechanism that ensures all changes make it to Git, even if done outside the process. We’ll also let you document these changes retroeactivly and mention the relevant Jira ticket. 

Here's how it works:

1. Comprehensive change tracking - Salto tracks all changes whether done through a Salto deployment or directly to the org. The direct org changes are tracked via Salto fetch operations which retrieve the org’s metadata at predefined intervals. 

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2. Automated branch syncing - Salto pushes all the detected org changes to Git automatically to ensure all changes make it to Git regardless of their origin. 

3. Pull requests for approvals, reviewals and automation - Salto can be configured to automatically create pull requests for every deployment. This ensures changes are deployed only after the PR is mergeable and passes all required approvals and checks.

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4. Promotion bundles - Salto provides a unified view of all deployments initiated by admins and developers. This enables joint promotion of multiple deployments to higher environments. During this process, Salto performs an overall validation to ensure combined changes don't conflict. 

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5. Intuitive conflict resolution - In big teams, conflicts are inevitable due to direct org changes or multiple people working on the same metadata. Salto's intuitive conflict resolution feature simplifies identifying and resolving conflicts, making it accessible to all team members

6. Revert and restore - Salto enables quick restoration to previous versions with just a few clicks. Every Salto deployment can be easily reverted. These features ensure rapid recovery from production issues, providing peace of mind and operational stability.

To conclude 

The benefits of Salto’s unified approach:

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• DevOps for the entire team: Admins can participate fully in the DevOps process without needing to learn complex Git commands or navigate XMLs, while developers continue to work how they’re used to. 
• Comprehensive change tracking: All changes, including those made directly in the org, are captured and represented in Git, ensuring everyone is working against an up-to-date version of the metadata. 
• Streamlined CI/CD: The automated PR creation ensures that all changes go through proper reviews, approvals and automations, maintaining code quality and compliance.
• Enhanced collaboration: Developers and admins can work more effectively together, with a clear view of all changes across the Salesforce orgs.
• Simplified, high-quality promotions: The ability to promote changes jointly to higher environments streamlines the release process and reduces the risk of conflicts and validation issues.

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Implementing effective DevOps practices requires more than just tools—it demands a unified approach that includes all team members and all changes. By leveraging Salto, Salesforce teams can eliminate the divide between developers and admins, ensuring that everyone participates in a streamlined, efficient DevOps process. This inclusive approach not only improves collaboration but also enhances the quality, reliability, and speed of Salesforce deployments, ultimately leading to better outcomes for the entire organization.

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Ready to transform your Salesforce deployment process? Book a demo with our DevOps experts