Architects

A Mind Mapping Tool is a visual way to organize your thoughts and ideas and is great for brainstorming. You can use a combination of texts, pictures, colors, icons, drawings, videos, and link everything together. 

Experts say that there are two sides of the brain. One side that is more analytical and methodical and another side is more creative and artistic. A mind map tool will allow you to engage both sides of the brain in your thought process. 

In Salesforce Context, I have used it to organize my thoughts on coming up with solution approaches. For example, as an Architect, if I need to design how to share records in Salesforce, I created a mindmap and listed 20 ways to do it. Next time when I need to design a solution for sharing records, I just need to look at this mindmap and choose the most appropriate solution.

Or as an admin, if I need to know what are the different monitoring and auditing tools in Salesforce, creating a mindmap gave me a quick way to recap all the different options in just under a minute or two.

I have found it to be quite useful, not only in my work, but also in my personal life. So why not give it a try and see if sticks with you. If not, just throw it away.

Here is the list of some of the most popular mind mapping tools for you to choose from. 

(Tools, that I personally use or have used and recommend are marked with a heart)

1. Ayoa (previously known as iMindMap from Tony Buzan) (♥)

• Cloud-based
• Features include
  • Options to create different mind maps that includes speed mind map, organic mind map, radial map
  • Public Mind Map Sharing
  • Gantt Timeline View
  • Visual Task Management
  • Real-Time Collaboration
• Introductory video (2:05 minutes) – https://youtu.be/aNSm5TGVpf4
• Has a free plan with limited features
• Paid plan starts with US$ 10/user/month

2. Mindomo

• Features include Collaborative mind maps, concept maps, outlines and Gantt charts
• Available on Cloud, Desktop (Windows, OSX), Android, iOS, Linux
• Has a free plan with limited features
• Paid plan starts with €6/user/month

3. XMind

• Features include
  • Fishbone Chart, Matrix, Timeline, Org Chart
  • In-depth comparative analysis, track milestones and schedules in chronological order
  • Use a combination of different structures
• Available on macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
• Paid plans start from US$ 39.99/user for 6 months

4. MindMeister

• Online Mind Mapping
• Features include
  • Collaborating brainstorming, customizable designs
  • Multimedia attachments, history view
  • Task Management, Presentations
• Has a free plan with limited features
• Paid plan starts from US$ 4.99/user/month

5. Coggle

• Online tool for creating and sharing mind maps and flow charts
• Features include
  • Realtime Collaboration
  • Save Every Change
  • Add floating text and images
  • Create loops and join branches
  • Multiple starting points
• Introductory Video (1:30 mins) – https://coggle.it/
• Has a free plan with limited features
• Paid plan starts from US$ 5/user/month

6. Mindmup

• Free Online Mind Mapping
• Features include
  • Keyboard shortcuts 
  • Convert maps to PDF, PowerPoint outlines
  • Publish and share maps online
  • Save to Google Drive and manage using Google Apps
• Free

7. MindJet MindManager

• PC Based Mind Mapping Tools for Windows & MAC
• Features include
  • Collaborating brainstorming, customizable designs
  • Multimedia attachments, history view
  • Task Management, Presentations
• US$ 349 with (free trial for 30 days)

Don’t see the tool of your choice listed here? Please feel free to mention it in the comments below for other readers’ benefit.

Want to see a list of more of such useful resources & tools under different categories? Please do take a look at the resources page.

In simple terms, you will use a CI/CD (stands “Continous Integration” & “Continuous Delivery”) tool in Salesforce to deploy metadata from one org to another org. CI/CD help you deliver configuration & code changes frequently, reliably, and automatically. It also helps you catch errors early in the development process and not right before deployment. 

Here is the list of some of the most popular CI/CD tools for you to choose from. 

(Tools, that I personally use or have used and recommend are marked with a heart)

1. Jenkins

• Open-source, extensible automation server for implementing continuous integration and continuous delivery
• Requires a computer to run Jenkins Server
• Free

2. Bamboo (Atlassian) (♥)

• A continuous integration and deployment tool that ties automated builds, tests and releases together in a single workflow
• Seamless integration with other Atlassian suite of products like JIRA & BitBucket
• Free trial for 30 days
• Paid plan starts from USD 10 for 10 jobs

3. CircleCI

• Continuous integration and delivery platform for Linux, macOS, and Android, in the cloud or self-hosted.
• Has a free plan with limited features
• Paid plans start from US$ 30/user/month

4. TravisCI

• A hosted continuous integration service used to build and test software projects hosted at GitHub and Bitbucket
• Provides various paid plan for private projects, and a free plan for open source
• Paid plans start from US$ 63/user/month
• Free trials available

Don’t see the tool of your choice listed here? Please feel free to mention it in the comments below for other readers’ benefit.

Want to see a list of more of such useful resources & tools under different categories? Please do take a look at the resources page.

Here is a list of resources where you are going to find videos on webinars, sessions, tutorials, tips & tricks on Salesforce. This list contains the channels from Salesforce itself and channels from the community

Salesforce Official YouTube Channels

1. Salesforce (YouTube)

• Publishes videos on product demos, tutorials, release readiness, etc.
• Find video playlists such as Salesforce Events, How-tos, Who Sees What series, etc. 

2. Trailhead (YouTube)

• Trailhead is THE place to learn in-demand technology and business skills
• Creates videos on Salesforce features, Trailhead content etc.

3. Salesforce Admins (YouTube)

• Dedicated channel to the Salesforce Admins!
• Find webcasts, webinar replays, how-tos, presentations from Dreamforce, and other great content created especially for Salesforce Admins.

4. Salesforce Developers (YouTube)

• Dedicated channel to the Salesforce Developers!
• Find webinar replays, CodeLive sessions, ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) videos series, etc.

5. Salesforce Support (YouTube)

• Your one-stop shop for all how-to and troubleshooting video content 
• Features top-viewed videos from other Salesforce teams and MVPs

6. Salesforce Releases (YouTube)  

• Only one place for all videos and demos relating to new Salesforce features
• Find video playlists created for a particular release

7. Salesforce Events & Dreamforce (YouTube)

• Publishes videos of Dreamforce keynote, breakout sessions, fireside chats, etc.
• Find videos of other events like Salesforce World Tour, Connections, etc.

8. Salesforce Live (Salesforce)

• Has featured sessions and playlists from various Salesforce events across the world
• Watch all videos, filter by product, industry, and role.

9. Trailhead Live (Trailhead)

• Watch live and on-demand videos from experts on today’s most in-demand skills.

10. TrailheadX (Salesforce)

• Recording of Videos from TrailheadX 2020
• Channels for Developers, Admins, Architects

Other YouTube Channels

1. Salesforce Apex Hours (YouTube)

• It is a program Of the community, For the community and led By the community
• A space that helps Salesforce experts across the globe share their expertise in various areas with an intent to help the Ohana thrive!
• It is a one-stop platform to learn Salesforce skills and technology. 
• Some of the popular tutorial series are:
  • Salesforce Admin Tutorial (13 session recording)
  • Salesforce Development Tutorial (19 recordings)
  • Salesforce Advanced Apex Tutorial (8 Recording)
  • Lightning Web Component Development Tutorial (8 recordings)

2. Ladies Be Architects (YouTube)

• Publishes videos on Architectural concepts, conference sessions, mock videos, etc.

3. Salesforce Automation Hour (YouTube)

• Webinar series organized by Salesforce MVPs Rakesh Gupta, Jennifer Lee and David Litton
• Focuses on bringing process automation solutions to attendees with a Q & A session at the end
• Knowledgeable Salesforce sessions delivered for the Trailblazer community by community leaders
• Features guest speakers and other MVPs from the community regularly

4. Salesforce Hulk (YouTube)

• Run by Shrey Sharma, Salesforce MVP. Produces video content every week to help people start their career in Salesforce and also learn from the knowledge & experience of its team
• Helps people visualise the concepts of Salesforce & entertain them a little bit while teaching so that learning & working in Salesforce can be fun

Have I missed any other useful channel here? Please feel free to mention it in the comments below for other readers’ benefit.

Want to see a list of more of such useful resources & tools under different categories? Please do take a look at the resources page.

There are two important aspects of testing. Test the new features and functionalities that you are introducing and test the existing features and functionalities to ensure that nothing has broken. Problems and bugs encountered in a live system can quickly shake and erode stakeholder’s confidence resulting in poor adoption and even abandonment. 

This is where you can benefit from a testing automation tool. Testing automation tools will help you increase the quality of your Salesforce system by detecting issues earlier in the project lifecycle. With a testing tool, you will be able to automatically run a series of tests QA and/or UAT sandbox and ensure that everything works fine and as intended. 

Here are a few testing automation tools that you can consider. Some of these are generic tools that can be used across the different technologies and some have specific features and functionalities for Salesforce 

1. Selenium

• Open-source testing automation tool
• Used by Salesforce itself
• Free

2. AccelQ

• Supports manual, automated & API testing
• Listed on AppExchange
• Video (2:21 mins) – accelQ Salesforce Universe – Automate 3x faster
• Has a free plan with limited features
• Paid plans start from US$ 30/user/month

3. Provar

• Testing automation tool built specifically for Salesforce
• Point-and-click test creation
• Integrates with CI/CD solutions and release management tools
• Video (2:02 mins) – Why Provar?
• Pricing not mentioned on the website. Please contact the company directly for pricing

4. Worksoft

• Validate End to End Salesforce Business Processes
• Schedule and Run Unattended Remote Testing
• Pricing not mentioned on the website. Please contact the company directly for pricing

5. Tricentis

• Replace 100s of hours of test case maintenance with a 90 second Salesforce Scan
• Run tests seamlessly across both Salesforce Classic and Lightning
• Free trials available
• Pricing not mentioned on the website. Please contact the company directly for pricing

6. Testcraft

• Drag and drop elements to intuitively create test flows
• Reuse existing elements to quickly create new flows
• Run your tests on a programmed schedule to help you manage repetitive test actions
• Free trials available
• Pricing not mentioned on the website. Please contact the company directly for pricing

7. Smartbear

• Offers a suite of different testing products. For Example
  • SoapUI for API (Integration) Functional & Security Testing
  • LoadUI for API Performance Testing
  • TestComplete for Automated UI Functional Testing and
  • Others
• Free trials available
• Different products have different pricing. Please navigate to the company’s website for more details on pricing

Don’t see the tool of your choice listed here? Please feel free to mention it in the comments below for other readers’ benefit.

Want to see a list of more of such useful resources & tools under different categories? Please do take a look at the resources page.

Salesforce economy is growing like never before. It’s going to create 4.2 million jobs by 2024. If you have not started yet, then this is the best time to learn Salesforce and kick-start your journey to Salesforce. There are many Salesforce Training Websites available on the internet. Some are totally free and others are paid.  

Here is the list of some of the most popular Salesforce Training Websites that you can choose to learn Salesforce skills.

(Salesforce Training Websites, that I personally use or have used and recommended are marked with a heart)

1. Trailhead (♥)

• Salesforce’s official, self-paced, online training 
• The fun way to learn Salesforce
• Learn In-Demand Skills, earn Resume-Worthy Credentials, join the Trailblazer Community for mentorship along the way, and help to find jobs.
• Trails – Guided learning paths around a particular topic
• Trailmixes – Create and/ or follow a custom learning playlist
• Superbadges – Prove your skills with real-world business challenges
• Filter content by role, your level, Salesforce products, tags, etc.
• Free 

2. Salesforce Certification Days (♥)

• A program offered by Salesforce geared towards learners who are interested in certifying with Salesforce
• Get prepared for a Salesforce certification exam by attending the certification preparation webinars (Not recorded)
• After attending, you get a coupon code for extra savings which you can use during your exam registration
• Offers webinars on certifications such as Administrator, Advanced Administrator, Platform App Builder, Platform Developer I, Marketing Cloud Email Specialist, Sales, and Service Cloud Consultant 
• Has new schedules across different time zones every month and conducted in English, Spanish and Portuguese
• Free

3. Trailhead Academy

• Salesforce expert-led training courses
• Delivers in-person and virtual learning experiences around the world
• Offers courses for beginners and experts across various Salesforce products 
• Paid

4. Focus On Force

• Founded by Martin Gessner, 12x Salesforce Certified
• Helps you develop your career with Salesforce Training and Certification Preparation
• Offers realistic, up-to-date Practice Exams and Study guides
• Content updated as per Salesforce standard after every release
• Paid courses with 1-year access to the course

5. Mike Wheeler Media

• Provides Salesforce Certification Training and Cloud Career Coaching services worldwide
• Offers video-based training material for Salesforce user and certification courses, 
• Live Salesforce Administrator Certification course with replays available for rental
• Paid membership for US$ 27.99/month or US$ 149/year (Free 7 days trial) with access to all courses 
• Mike Wheeler’s courses available on Udemy at discounted prices

6. SFDC 99

• Most popular website and blog for Salesforce Development training
• Started by David Liu, 20x Certified Salesforce MVP and Technical Architect at Google 
• Apex programming language tutorials for point-and-click admins
• Beginner tutorials on Apex, Certifications, etc, 
• Offers 15-week Salesforce Developer Curriculum to prepare for Platform Developer I Certification
• Apex Academy – Video Courses to learn Salesforce Development hosted on Pluralsight (Paid)

7. Udemy

• Online learning platform aimed at professional adults and students
• It has over 100000 courses across different technologies and streams such as IT & Software, Business, Development, etc.
• Offers more than 600 courses across Salesforce Administration and Development
• Free and paid

8. Pluralsight

• Publicly held an online education company that offers a variety of video training courses
• Over 7000+ video-based courses aimed at software developers, IT administrators, and creative professionals
• Offers Salesforce paths containing various courses 
• Paid membership starts at US$ 19/month (Free 10 days trial)

9. Simplilearn

• Salesforce Certification – Administrator & App Builder Course
• Offers Hands-on practice on the latest Lightning Experience
• Learn how to manage and develop apps in Salesforce
• Enables you to pass two Salesforce certification exams and transform your career
• Paid

10. Edureka

• Provides world-class quality education to working professionals globally, through Instructor-led live online courses.
• Offers 4 courses on Salesforce
• Courses aimed at Administrator and Developer roles
• Paid

Don’t see the website of your choice listed here? Please feel free to mention it in the comments below for other readers’ benefit.

Want to see a list of more of such useful resources & tools under different categories? Please do take a look at the resources page.