Salesforce - Customization Options
- Carrie Felton
Within Salesforce, every User has access to one or more standard or custom applications. Each application groups functionality according to the intention of that app and the use cases of its Users. Some aspects of apps are global, meaning that they apply to the entire organization. These aspects and features will only be minimally customizable and need org-wide consensus before any changes can be implemented.
However, there are a handful of features that can be customized on an app level. When the Users who regularly work in a given app identify a way to streamline or enhance that app, the Systems and Data Team can customize that app to make the work easier or more streamlined. Here are the main app-level customizations that are available.
Keep in mind that changes will be impact your entire team and will need to be requested through the Service Desk. As you are submitting your request, ensure that the customization you are requesting will work for your team for the foreseeable future.
Home Page
Within certain apps, there is a Home page. Each Home page is specific to that app and can be customized to match the needs of that Unit or Use Group.
Generally, default Home pages will include several or all of the following common components:
A list view for the most common object in that app
Rich text with common Unit links or text guidance
Recent Items or Recent Records
Today’s Tasks
Today’s Events
My Chatter Feed
There are a few simple customizations available for any home page. They include:
Changing the list view on the home page to one more relevant
Increasing or decreasing the number of records visible in a component
Updating the Rich text with an additional evergreen link or new process guidance
Adding or removing the components on the page
In addition to changing the content on your Home page, we can discuss a different layout or structure if you have something in particular in mind.
List Views
Within any app, there will be a handful of standard or basic list views provided for each object based on the preliminary needs for that app. As you begin using the app or referring to different list views, you will likely find customizations or adjustments that would be helpful to better complete your work.
As with the Home page, there are certain simple adjustments that can be made, including:
Adding, removing, or reordering the fields that show up on a given list view
Renaming a list view to be more intuitive or descriptive
Adjusting filters to increase or refine the records that are displayed
If you find the provided list views to be insufficient and these customizations will not meet your needs, submit a request to have one or more list views created for general use. As with the rest of the customizations listed here, they will be generally applicable to the app and all Users therein.
Good candidates for new list views are ones that your entire team can reference or an adjustment that several people on the team have created independently.
If the list view is one only for yourself, or if you have any questions about how to use list views, you can refer to the general guidance around list views: Salesforce - List View Walkthrough.
Light Reports
As with list views, for some use cases, certain basic reports will be included with the creation of your app. The same customizations that are available for list views will be available for those list views, including changing the fields, title, or filter of a given report.
The creation of new light reports will also be available as part of the customization of an app. A light report is a level beyond what a list view can provide. You may need a report to sort by more than one field, group data by a particular indicator, or summarize the data, to name a few use cases. Any custom reports will live within your team folder.
Light reports have certain limitations. Extensive reporting should be done using a different tool. Reach out to the Systems and Data team if you need a larger or more in depth report to discuss the best tool.
For support with subscriptions, creating your own reports, creating dashboards, or other more advanced report creation, submit a request or a project proposal depending on the scope of your needs, and the Systems and Data Team will follow up with you.
Here are some additional resources around Salesforce reports: