Build a Battle Station App
These are technical notes I compiled while studying using Trailhead, Salesforce's free self-learning portal.
- Create the app and a data model for the application. This simple application requires only a few custom objects with a small number of fields.
- Modify the user interface on the browser and on the Salesforce mobile app using page layouts, compact layouts, and global actions.
- Implement business logic using formulas, validation rules and a process builder.
- Build reports and dashboards to track the status of supplies and analyze how well the company manages resources.
Create the Battle Station App
- Create a new Object via: Setup » Object Manager » Create (top right) » New Object
- Create a custom tab via: Setup » Quick Find » “Tabs” » Tabs
- Create a new app via: Setup » Quick Find » “app manager” » App Manager » New Lightning App
Build the Object Model
Add fields to the Battle Station custom object. Create a Resource custom object and fields. Create a Supply custom object and fields.- The Salesforce Platform provides a powerful database, with many features that make it faster and easier to create applications.
- Unlike spreadsheets or relational databases that store data in rows and columns, the Salesforce Platform uses objects to store data.
- This project involves creating several custom objects and modifying their fields.
- Master-Detail relationships are a special type between two objects. One is the child, or “detail,” and the other is the parent, or “master.”
- Master-detail relationships can be used whenever there is a tight binding between two objects. Ex: blog and blog posts.
- Master-detail relationships provide some functionality for free. You can create a roll-up summary field that automatically displays the total number of children on the parent object.
- Formula Fields are calculated at run-time like a formula in a spreadsheet.
Modify the User Experience
Modify the Battle Station page layout. Add a Roll-up Summary for Resources.- Page layouts allow admins to customize the look and feel of detail and edit pages in Salesforce. They also control:
- Fields, related lists, and custom links that users see,
- Which standard and custom buttons appear on detail pages and related lists, and
- Determine whether fields are visible, read only, or required on detail and edit pages.
Add Business Logic
Create a Validation Rule Create an automated process with Lightning Process Builder- Validation Rules verify that the data a user enters in a record meets the standards you specify before the user can save the record.
- The validation rule in the example prevents users from saving a record for a Exhaust Port Inspector if the utilization is less than 150%.
AND(Name = "Exhaust Port Inspector", Utilization__c < 1.5)
- Create validation rules via: Setup » Object Manager » Select an Object » Validation Rules section
- Lightning Process Builder is a workflow tool that helps you easily automate your business processes by providing a powerful and user-friendly graphical representation of your process as you build it.
- The Process Builder in the example updates the project as “Complete” when the weapons system is changed to “Fully Operational”.
Create Reports and Dashboards
Create a Report for Supply costs. Create a Dashboard to display reports.- A dashboard is a visual display of key metrics and trends. The relationship between a dashboard component and report is 1:1; for each dashboard component, there is a single underlying report. Multiple dashboard components can be shown together on a single dashboard page layout, creating a powerful visual display and a way to consume multiple reports.