As a Salesforce Admin, if your org uses triggers, even if you didn’t build them, you need to know how they work. This advanced webinar will help you decode the basic structure of a trigger, understand what role triggers play in your org, and how to modify them, if desired.

1. Decoding Triggers for Admins

2. Kieren Jameson
Trailhead Content Engineer
Salesforce
@KierenJameson
Marc Baizman
Admin Evangelist
Salesforce
@MBaizman
Today’s Speakers

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4. Connect with Us!
Salesforce Admins
@SalesforceAdmns
#AwesomeAdmin
admin.salesforce.com
Salesforce Admins
Salesforce Admins

5. Watch the Recording
The video will be posted to
YouTube & the webinar recap
page: bit.ly/DecodeTriggers
This webinar is being recorded!

6. Join the Admin Webinar Group for Q&A!
Don’t wait until the end to ask your
question!
• We have team members on hand to answer
questions in the webinar group.
Stick around for live Q&A at the end!
• Speakers will tackle more questions at the end,
time-allowing
bit.ly/AdminWebinarGroup

7. • Trigger overview & best practices
• Example trigger
• Resources
• Q&A
Today’s Agenda

8. Trigger Overview & Best Practices

9. Importance of Understanding Triggers
Triggers
Your Salesforce org
All the things you
know
And then there are
triggers

10. • Triggers kick off code-based automated
processes in Salesforce.
• They listen for certain database events
(e.g., a record being inserted, updated,
deleted, etc.).
• They link to the code that makes the magic
happen.
(Note: There are other ways this can an be
structured, but best practice is to link to the “magic-
causing” code.)
What Are Apex Triggers?
Change(s) made
to records in org
Trigger says, ”Oooh, I know what to do!”
END
Trigger sends all the records that were
just changed to a piece of code that does
something with these records.

11. Triggers let us do things like…
• Compare data before & after a change is made.
• Create new, and update existing, related (or unrelated)
records.
• Delete records.
• Interact with external data and web services
(e.g., external databases & SMS text message services).
Use Cases For Triggers

12. Before trigger = before “save”
• Work with data before it is committed
(saved) to the database.
• Are great for validating data or setting
values programmatically.
Difference Between Before and After in Triggers
After trigger = after “save”
• Work with data after the data is committed
(saved) to the database
• Are great for using the values you just
updated/created to create new or update
existing records.

13. Change(s)
made to
records in org
Trigger fires
END
That code does stuff:
validate data,
compare values,
change data before
“save”
BEFORE “SAVE”
Trigger fires linked
code
Trigger fires linked
code
That code does stuff:
create related
records, find related
records based on IDs
of new records
AFTER “SAVE”
saved
data
to org
Object
Trigger Chain of Events

14. Basic Structure of a Trigger
(after insert, after update) {
BEFORE
§ Insert
§ Update
§ Delete
AFTER
§ Insert
§ Update
§ Delete
§ Undelete

15. Where Does All This Code Go?
Why do this?
§ Easier to reuse code
§ Easier to understand code
§ Easier to write distinct
unit tests
Bonus best practice:
One trigger per object makes
it easier to control order that
each piece of code will run.
Best Practice
Change(s) made
to records in org
Trigger calls out to one
or more classes
Classes contains the
code that “does stuff”
END
Common Practice
^
Change(s) made
to records in org
Trigger contains all the
code that “does stuff”
END
but not so good

16. Trigger Example

17. Each recipe can have many reviews. Each review has one reviewer.
Cooking with Code: Example of a Trigger
Users
ID
First Name
Last Name
Review__c
ID
Recipe__c
Reviewer__c
Recipe__c
ID

18. When recipes are inserted or updated in our org, then…
1. Check each recipe for the Number_of_Reviews__c:
a. If there are reviews, then do nothing.
b. If there are no reviews, then create one and set some default data (review
name, reviewer, due date, status, etc.)
2. Save the new records back in the org
Trigger Scenario

19. trigger.new list
Stores affected records in
trigger.new, then calls a
method inside a class and
passes it the trigger.new list
new &
updated
recipes
listRecipes list newReviews list
For each recipe, if no
reviews, then create one
and add it to the
newReviews list
?
recipes from
trigger.new
reviews created
by method
Save new reviews
to the org
1,000 new &
updated recipes

20. Demo Time!

21. Today We Learned:
• Triggers and classes are just types of files that
contain code. Methods live within classes, and
contain the code that “does all the things”.
• Triggers can work on records before and after you
save them to your Salesforce org.
• Other coding concepts:
• Variables are like temporary storage containers.
• Lists are just like buckets, they can store a group of
data.
• Loops help you evaluate and work on records one-by-
one.
• IF statements ask a question.
Trigger best practices include:
• One trigger per object.
• Use code comments.
• Put the code that does all the things
in a class, and then point the trigger
to the code in the class.
• Don’t be a bad tenant, bulkify your
code. Don’t save records one-by-
one, but rather put them in a list,
then save the list to your org.

22. Resources

23. Trailhead.com
The fun way to learn Salesforce
Where Can You Go From Here?
WomenCodeHeroes.com
Helping awesome admins learn
to code (decoder ring included)
sfdc99.com
Apex coding for the 99%
RADWomen.org
Learn to code on the Salesforce
Platform with other women

24. Q&A
bit.ly/AdminWebinarGroup
Slides
bit.ly/DecodeTriggers
Wrapping Up
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29. recipe Trigger

30. RecipeUtility
Class
CONTINUED