The document discusses the use of generic sobjects in Salesforce Apex code, emphasizing their benefits for writing reusable code and handling multiple Salesforce objects efficiently. It provides various code examples, such as schema describe code and multi-object trigger handlers, as well as real-world applications like PromotionBuilder and Solomon365. Additionally, it outlines the pros and cons of generic sobjects, highlighting their potential for dynamic SOQL and common pitfalls like increased run-time errors.

1. Fun with Generic SObjects
​ Evan Kennedy
​ Senior Salesforce Developer/Technical Architect
​ evan@modacto.com
Writing code to work against any Salesforce object.

2. Evan Kennedy
Senior Salesforce Developer/Technical Architect

3. About Modacto
​ Implementation and optimization of the Salesforce platform for growth-minded
organizations.
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4. Overview of Topic
​ We all like to write re-usable code, one of the ways to do this is to use Generic
SObjects in our Apex classes.
​ Some code examples
• Schema Describe Code
• Multi-Object Trigger Handlers
• Apex REST endpoint for generic SObjects
• Crud Enforcement
​ A couple of real-world case studies
​ Pros and common pitfalls of generic SObjects

5. Code Examples
Let’s just jump right in, shall we?

6. Example 1
Using the Schema Describe Code, Dynamic SOQL

7. Schema Describe Code and Dynamic SOQL
​ This example will cover:
• Using the Schema describe code to get object and field information in Apex.
• Using this information to construct dynamic SOQL queries.

8. Example 2
Multi-Object Trigger Handlers

9. ​ In this example we’re going to look at:
• Writing simple trigger handler code to handle multiple types of objects
• Retrieving field data from a generic SObject.
Multi-Object Trigger Handlers

10. Example 3
Apex REST Endpoint for Lists of Generic SObjects

11. ​ Useful when needing to implement additional endpoint logic across many objects.
​ Good for Salesforce to Salesforce types of custom integrations.
Apex REST Endpoint for Generic SObjects

12. Example 4
Small examples: Crud Enforcement and Object Sorting

13. ​ Required for AppExchange security review
​ Good way to enforce profile/permission set object and field-level security.
​ Existing Package for this: https://github.com/ZergyPoo/SFDCCrudEnforcementUtils
Crud Enforcement

14. ​ Custom SObject Sorting where SOQL falls short.
​ Good for fields that contain numbers and text.
SObject Sorting

15. Real-World Case Studies
PromotionBuilder and Solomon365

16. ​ PromotionBuilder
• Gamification app
• Allows users to setup custom criteria against any
of their objects
• Runs the same trigger code against the objects to
check for gamification criteria.
​ Solomon365
• Hub and Spoke model
• Data syncing back from the spokes to the hub
organization
• Needed custom Apex REST endpoints to handle
multiple types of objects with complex logic
without having to duplicate code.
Cool Real-World Examples

17. The Good and the Bad
Pros and Common Pitfalls of using Generic SObjects

18. ​ Pros – What is great about using generic
SObjects
• Lots of re-usable code
• Covering common functionality without have to
copy and paste all the time
• Great for apps, lets your clients run your code
against their own custom objects
• Dynamic SOQL
​ Cons – The ugly
• Much more prone to run-time error
• Can be more confusing to read the code
• Object instantiation can get a little wonky
Pros and Cons

19. It’s a Wrap!

20. ​ Pros and Cons of using generic SObjects in Apex code.
​ Some awesome code examples
​ Some Real-world applications
What did we cover?
Wrap-Up

21. Any Questions?
​ Feel free to ask me anything (within reason)

22. Thank you