And just like that, warmer days are here. Wasn’t it only yesterday that we covered the Salesforce Spring ‘21 release on our blog? But in typical Salesforce fashion, we are ready to move on to greater things. That is, the Salesforce Summer ‘21 release.
There are quite a few new features available to developers within this release. Below you will find some of our favorites that we think should be on your radar. Of course, this isn’t the full list and many more features were included. Head over to Salesforce Help & Training to read the Salesforce Summer ‘21 release notes. The release dates are scheduled for May 15th, June 4th, and June 11-12th, but be sure to check Trust to find out when your Salesforce org will get access to the new features.
Quick Actions now work with Lightning Web Components
This is our favorite new feature by far! Starting in Summer ‘21, quick actions can run Lightning Web Components. All you need is a bit of new syntax using the invoke() method to run the JavaScript that can be called directly from a button.
Currently, this functionality is only available for object specific actions, so unfortunately you can’t yet call JavaScript directly from a global action yet. However, if you wanted to call JavaScript or Apex directly from a record, the easiest way to accomplish this was to use a flow, then connect your flow to Apex through an invocable method. Now, it’s possible to call any necessary JavaScript or Apex directly from a button without having to build a flow as an intermediary between a declarative button and the code you wish to run.
Here’s an example of the syntax you will need in the JavaScript file for your Lightning Web Component.
After the Lightning Web Component has been created, a user can add the Lighting Web Component directly to a Quick Action.
With access to code that you can launch from just the click of a button on a record, the possibilities are endless. Here’s an example of a quick action that calls a Lightning Web Component. In this example, a user clicks the Update Rating button to update the value of the Rating field to Hot.
Transaction Finalizers
With the Salesforce Summer ’21 release, the Transaction Finalizers feature is generally available. Transaction finalizers can help you perform some type of action regardless of whether a queueable job succeeds or fails. This is very similar to the finish() method in a batch class or the finally() method in a promise chain. The finalizer provides developers with a guarantee that the code within the finalizer will run, which is perfect for logging the status of your asynchronous operations.
For example, at the end of a queueable job, you can configure the finalizer so that it creates a task for a user to verify that all accounts were given a rating of Warm and have been moved to Hot.
Here is an example of what that could look like.
New Data Masking Features
Not to be confused with data encryption, data masking allows Salesforce admins to obfuscate data by changing the characters that are visible to the user within Salesforce. The Summer ‘21 release has expanded upon their existing data masking capabilities by adding the option to include two new types of data : checkboxes and usernames.
Providing developers with access to all necessary tools while keeping sensitive data secure is a common problem for admins of Salesforce orgs. After all, how can companies utilize a partial or full Salesforce sandbox without exposing the PII of their users?
Data Masking within sandboxes addresses issues around providing an environment as close to production as possible for developers to test in, without having to compromise on security. As Salesforce enhances its current masking capabilities, it seems that this feature will become better known throughout the community.
Run apex in User Mode
Using the “with sharing” keyword in apex enables security in regards to record level access. However, to ensure users have the proper access to objects and fields, a developer will have to extensively use the isAccessible() , isUpdateable(), and isCreateable() checks before running SOQL or DML. Without these checks, it’s possible that a user could run a piece of Apex code that alters data that their profile does not have access to. This is because Apex runs in system mode by default.
With the ability to run apex in user mode, we can ensure that a user will only be able to run queries and updates on records they have access to. The ability to run code in user mode will simplify much of the defensive checks used in writing secure code, particularly for those developing AppExchange products.
Getting Access to Salesforce Summer ‘21 Release Features
As mentioned before, the release dates are scheduled for May 15th, June 4th, and June 11-12th. Always check Trust to find out when your Salesforce org will get access to the new features.
If you’re eager to get your hands on the Salesforce Summer ‘21 release, you can sign up for a pre-release org. To see the full list of new features included with this release, refer to the release notes.
Contact CRM Science Salesforce Consultants
Do you share in our excitement about the Salesforce Summer ‘21 release? Are there any particular features that you believe will be helpful for your Salesforce instance?
At CRM Science, we make every effort to stay in the know when it comes to the latest and greatest on the Salesforce platform. Let us help you navigate the world’s #1 CRM in the world!
Contact the CRM Science Salesforce Consultant team to schedule a call.
