Salesforce Features
October 2007
Introducing the Winter '08 Release...
Build and Run Any Application on the World’s First Platform as a Service
Introducing Force.com, the world’s only platform as a service that lets you build any application, any database, any logic, and run it all on demand on salesforce.com’s trusted, secure infrastructure.
The World’s First Multi-Category, Multi-Application SaaS Company
With Winter ’08, salesforce.com is the first company to deliver multiple categories of applications on demand. Built on the Force.com platform, Winter ’08 delivers the future of on-demand today, with new levels of usability, CRM functionality, and innovative new applications.
Force.com Metadata API enhancements
More Power and Flexibility in Configuring Salesforce
Developer Preview
- Use the Force.com metadata API to read setup configuration from any Salesforce instance
- Write setup changes to Developer Edition and Force.com Sandbox environments
The Force.com metadata API opens the door to new ways of interacting with setup and customization information for Force.com applications. This enables better developer tool experiences, team development systems, and change management processes. The Winter ’08 release offers metadata access to a subset of platform features including custom fields, custom objects, profiles, Apex code, Visualforce pages, and s-controls.
Visualforce
Create Any User Interface as a Service
- Customize the user interface for any Salesforce application
- Build new user interfaces and experiences for custom applications
- Design your own wizards
Note: Visualforce is available as a developer preview with Salesforce Winter ’08 and will not be generally available with this release. Visualforce is currently available in English only.
A breakthrough for the Force.com platform, Visualforce is a new technology that lets you design any user interface for Salesforce applications and custom applications. It’s everything a developer needs to build rich, interactive applications and user experiences for a variety of audiences, applications, and devices. With Visualforce, developers can build any user interface on demand so you’re finally free to reinvent traditional Salesforce interfaces or create new ones for your custom applications.
Case Escalation Monitor
Easy Management of Your Automated Escalations
Professional, Enterprise, and Unlimited Editions
- View a real-time log of pending escalations
- Delete escalations before they happen when appropriate
With Winter ‘08, administrators can easily monitor pending case escalations, giving better insight into escalations that are scheduled to occur, when they’re scheduled to happen, and what rule triggered them. This powerful new functionality gives administrators greater control over case escalations, as well as the enhanced ability to debug case escalation rules.
Campaign Sharing
Greater Control of Shared Campaigns
Professional, Enterprise, and Unlimited Editions, Except as Noted
- Conveniently who users only relevant campaigns
- Improve adoption while protecting sensitive campaign information
- Share one global account while limiting access between business units/regions
With Winter ’08, it’s easier than ever to control who within your organization can see specific marketing campaigns and their related information. With new campaign sharing, you have more flexibility to foster collaboration while maintaining confidentiality.
Account/Contact Audit History
Efficient Compliance Tracking for Key Customer Information
All Editions
- Audit changes to customer information
- Track and manage updates to account and contact data
- Increase data quality and compliance for customer-facing employees
Account and contact records in Salesforce hold your organization’s key customer information. In this era of emphasis on compliance, the Winter ’08 release empowers administrators with a detailed log of changes to these records. In addition to meeting regulatory requirements, you can improve data quality by tracking and managing the changes users make to customer information.
Automated System Log
Consolidated Visibility into the Execution of All Your Business Rules
Professional, Enterprise, and Unlimited Editions
- View a real-time trace of automated processes
- See behind-the-scenes details of Apex code, validation rules, and workflow
Your users rely on the power of Force.com’s workflow, validation rules, and Apex code. The Force.com system log allows you to quickly and easily analyze the execution of these powerful automated processes directly within Salesforce. View log information for specific users to troubleshoot their specific processes. Now you’re in control of everything that happens in your Salesforce instance.
Apex Email Services
Advanced Logic for Automated Email Processing
Developer Preview
- Automate key sales, marketing, and support processes via email
- Manage email messages in a way that matches your business processes
Expand the power of email approvals with Apex email services. With this new feature, entirely new levels of process automation can be achieved—all of it activated by email. You can define Apex code to process inbound email messages to Salesforce or Force.com apps so that your users can use email to do things like create or update records, mark tasks as complete, and much more.
Printable Lists
From Screen to Paper with Ease
All Editions
- View lists your way: online or on paper
- Enable users to print their own customized lists
Often, users need a printed list of leads, activities, or opportunities. With Winter ’08 users can easily print out the results of list views on Salesforce records like accounts, opportunities, or any record except setup.
Relational Business Rules
Formula-Based Rules that Span the Relational Data Model
All Editions
- Create powerful cross-object validation rules
- Incorporate relational criteria into workflow and approval rules
- Route cases for assignment based on account and contact fields
Relational business rules increase the power of formula-based logic available to Salesforce administrators. With this new feature in Winter ’08, you can define custom business logic that harnesses the power of the relational data model by referencing fields across parent-child relationships.
