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Understanding metadata: The key to unlocking a healthy Salesforce org

Understanding metadata: The key to unlocking a healthy Salesforce org

Author:

Director of Product Strategy

Last Updated:

September 12, 2024

Salesforce is a powerful platform that enables businesses to manage their data and drive their day-to-day operations. While most users focus on the actual data stored in Salesforce, it's the metadata that holds the key to unlocking valuable insights. In this blog post, we'll explore what metadata is, the challenges Salesforce teams face in managing it, and a recommended solution for optimizing your org.

What is metadata?

Metadata refers to a set of data that describes and provides information about other data. In the context of Salesforce, it encompasses the code and configuration that determines how records are displayed, how automation processes are triggered, and the overall look and feel of your org.

The overwhelming task of managing metadata.

Salesforce administrators find themselves immersed in a vast sea of metadata. According to the 2023 Benchmark Report on Salesforce Optimization, on average, a Salesforce org contains 24,000 metadata items that need to be managed. This sheer volume of information makes it challenging for individuals to process and handle effectively.

To put it into perspective, if an admin were to manually review each metadata item, spending just five seconds on each, it would take over four business days to complete the task. This staggering statistic highlights the overwhelming nature of managing metadata.

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CONTINUED READING: The seven most critical org optimization insights for Salesforce teams.

Impact on users and organizations.

The magnitude of metadata management has several implications for Salesforce teams and end-users alike. Striking a balance between maintaining the org's stability and addressing new feature requests becomes a significant challenge. Communication breakdowns can occur when explaining the complexity of an implementation to non-technical users, leading to end-user frustration and adoption issues. These challenges are amplified for Salesforce center of excellence teams managing multiple orgs.

The situation worsens during org merge or migration projects, where the need to navigate and understand vast amounts of metadata becomes crucial for planning and orchestrating the new org. The intricate details of coding, automations, and field utilization demand meticulous attention and can greatly impact the success of the project.

"Anyone who has gone through an org merge or migration project knows the immense amount of metadata you need to wade through to effectively plan and orchestrate the new org. The importance of the detailed nuisance in coding, automations, field utilization… the list goes on. Each change implemented must be tested and retested by admins and super users alike. Having a tool to distill this complex metadata into executive-level visualizations saved us hundreds of hours of work.” — Lauren Margolin, Salesforce Manager, Microbiome Labs 

Recommendation: A solution for efficient metadata management.

To address the complexities associated with managing Salesforce metadata, Salesforce teams require a faster and more streamlined approach. Enter Hubbl Diagnostics, a powerful tool that distills large volumes of complex Salesforce metadata into intuitive visualizations. This solution not only helps Salesforce teams understand their org's configuration quickly but also generates recommendations based on Salesforce’s Well-Architected framework for optimizing the org.

How Hubbl Diagnostics helps.

  1. Simplified Visualizations: Hubbl Diagnostics provides executive-level visualizations of your org's metadata, enabling easier comprehension and communication with stakeholders. It helps bridge the gap between technical and non-technical users, facilitating smoother collaboration. 
  2. Time Savings: With Hubbl Diagnostics, the time-consuming process of manually reviewing each metadata item is eliminated. Administrators and super users can leverage the tool to gain actionable insights, saving hundreds of hours of work.
  3. Optimization and Improvement: By visualizing the way users interact with the Salesforce platform, Hubbl Diagnostics helps identify areas for optimization and improvement. This enables Salesforce teams to enhance functionality and tailor the org to meet users' needs more effectively.

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Hubbl Diagnostics Summary Dashboard

View a snapshot of your Salesforce org metadata for free.

If you're ready to gain a deeper understanding of your Salesforce org's metadata and unlock its full potential, take advantage of Hubbl Diagnostics' free org scan. Discover actionable insights and recommendations that can transform the way you manage and optimize your Salesforce platform.

Read the 2023 Benchmark Report on Salesforce Optimization.

This blog explored one of seven key insights uncovered in the 2023 Benchmark Report on Salesforce Optimization. Discover the rest by downloading the full report. 

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Insights