Code builder is a virtual development environment in the cloud. I primarily want it to define fields faster, potentially change sharing of list view and reports (when we’re ready), and to explore if a backup of all meta-data can be done.
For years, I’ve had the strategy of backing up Metadata once a quarter to a sandbox that I never touch. But now Salesforce deletes them after 6 months so I can’t keep a year. This seems unacceptable as a metadata backup. I’ve tried to log into them but to be honest, it’s very hard to log into an old sandbox when your password keeps changing. I’ve tried to make it my junior intern’s job, but they can’t do that unless they were in the org when it was created. So basically the sandbox as backup has failed for us.
Configuring Code Builder is simple. One click in setup and a package install.
Then you have to complete the configuration steps:
- Add users to Code Builder Permission Set Group. I added both our admins. I wish I already had User Access policies installed so this would be automatic.
- Make sure you are up to date on the version (apparently 1.2).
Now you switch into the App and click launch.
Once the Code Builder initializes, you have the option to connect to an org. For my inspection, I want to connect to production. You choose production, you have to accept a strange screen that has an 8-digit number pre-filled in, then you login as normal (with authenticator). You end up with notice that you’ve connected your org to the App.
Once connected, there are a couple of tutorials (5 minute tour). The tour helped me:
- Know where I can verify the org and switch orgs
- Find my metadata and browse it.
- Find the files that the code builder is using (text metadata source code)
- I found the forceapp directory. I right clicked and said download. After creating a destination directory on my hard drive, the app spent the next while downloading at 400kbps what I believe to be a full definition of our metadata. In theory I could then save it, compare it, or even modify it and upload. And it could be checked into Source Control (and there are ways to do that directly from Code Builder.
So already it seems we have no need for more quarterly sandboxes. I have my first quarterly backup for 2024. My org has 3.2MB of metadata in source code form (spread across more than 700 folders and 4000 files).
This is just the beginning but Code Builder makes it trivial for an admin to access DX source code! What an improvement over downloading tools that require constant upgrading, trying to figure out how to build a manifest (which was impossible last time I tried it due to size constraints) to download all metadata.
I welcome comments. There may be things not included but the idea is that this is full and total metadata needed to build a sandbox, a scratch org or enter into source control.
Video where you can watch and comment: CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO