Monitoring Metadata Changes Over Time

This technical documentation provides a guide on how to utilize the Snapshot product for monitoring metadata changes over time in Salesforce deployment pipelines.

Overview

Snapshot is a product that facilitates the monitoring of metadata changes in Salesforce organizations (orgs). It creates a metadata picture of an org through snapshots, which captures the state of the org at a specific point in time. Users can take snapshots at various intervals, and then compare these snapshots to understand how the metadata has evolved over time.

Taking Snapshots

To take a snapshot of a Salesforce org:

1. Navigate to the Snapshot product.
2. Select the Salesforce org you want to snapshot.
3. Initiate the snapshot process.

The product will then create a metadata picture of that org.

Managing Time Series

1. Within the Snapshot product, navigate to the ‘Manage Time Series’ section.
2. Here, you can view all the snapshots that have been taken over time for the selected org.

Comparing Time Series

1. Go to the ‘Compare Time Series’ tab.
2. This feature allows you to see differences between metadata timestamps.
3. Select two snapshots that you want to compare.
4. Choose the metadata types you are interested in (there are over 200 available, for example, ‘custom objects’).

Viewing Metadata Differences

1. After selecting the metadata type, a report will be displayed showing all the differences between the selected metadata in the two snapshots.
2. Expand the top section to see XML differences between the source (original snapshot) and the destination (later snapshot).
3. The report will show the number of differences and details on how specific objects have changed.

Viewing Sub-parts

1. To get more granular details, you can also look at sub-parts like field differences individually.
2. Remove identical rows to focus on the differences.
3. The report shows the individual fields that are different, such as changes in date fields or picklists.

Exporting Reports

1. You have the option to export the comparison report as CSV, PDF, or HTML.
2. Share the exported report with team members.

Scheduling Reports

1. You can schedule the comparison reports to be sent out automatically.
2. For instance, every time a new snapshot is taken, the report can be sent via email to the admins, analysts, developers, or any other group.
3. Reports can be conditional; you can configure them to be sent only if there are missing or different assets.

Benefits

1. Monitoring metadata changes helps in keeping track of developments in orgs, especially if multiple developer teams are working on the same org.
2. It is instrumental in maintaining compliance.
3. It is useful for detecting unauthorized changes. If such changes are made, the tool will detect them and send out an immediate report, indicating who made the changes.
4. It is helpful for testing differences between an org over time.

Conclusion

The Snapshot product’s Compare Time Series feature is a powerful tool for monitoring metadata changes in Salesforce orgs. By taking snapshots at different times, comparing them, and possibly scheduling regular reports, organizations can keep track of how their metadata evolves, ensure compliance, and promptly detect any unauthorized changes.