Remedyforce Implementation: My top 13 tools to help you manage Remedyforce Salesforce orgs
By Kedar Zavar, Senior Consultant, Cloudaction
As a veteran of numerous Remedyforce implementations, large and small, I’ve come to understand that one of the more common challenges for administrators is the ability to efficiently manage Remedyforce Salesforce orgs. Remedyforce is built on the Salesforce1 (formerly Force.com) platform, which is huge and often intimidating for new admins. The good news is, there are tools available to help you as an admin, and many of the best are free. In this blog I want to put the spotlight on my top 13 favorite tools to help you better manage your Remedyforce Salesforce orgs. And all of these tools are free.
1) Dataloader
Dataloader is an easy-to-use graphical tool that helps you get your data into Salesforce objects. It supports all objects, including custom objects. Common Remedyforce operational use cases for Dataloader are uploading users, exporting data, and importing categories, CMDB or data in any other object. Dataloader supports large data from CSV files. You can download the Dataloader from the Setup menu, under Administer heading – Data Management. More information is available here.
2) Dataloader.io
Dataloader.io is a web-based tool for importing, exporting, deleting, and updating. It also allows you to schedule the tasks. To me, Dataloader.io’s advantages over Dataloader are that it’s online, it gives you the ability to schedule tasks, and it is able to reference look up objects without having to input actual ids. You can access Dataloader.io here. Click here for complete documentation.
3) Force.com Explorer
Force.com Explorer gives you a very easy way of looking at the database. You can browse the org database schema, custom objects and fields. You can also build and test SOQL queries. It can also generate a simple schema report. I love the simplicity of this tool. To download Force.com Explorer, click here. More information is available here.
4) Force.com IDE
If you like coding and especially if you come from world of Java development, Force.com IDE will make you very comfortable with Salesforce. Force.com IDE is a powerful client application for creating, modifying, deploying apex code, and applications. I find it very useful for triggers and custom development. It allows you to code, test, and deploy with very powerful and easy Eclipse interface. It is very useful in migrations, too. To download Force.com IDE, click here. More information is available here.
5) Pentaho
Pentaho is a very powerful tool for ETL. Remedyforce uses Pentaho for all primary integrations like LDAP, CMDB. The predefined packages are available on the Remedyforce community site. It is a very powerful ETL tool with Salesforce. You can download Pentaho here. More information is available here.
6) The Permissioner
Ever struggle to assign permissions sets in bulk? The Permissioner is a great tool to assign permission sets in bulk based on profiles. As an admin, you can easily assign or revoke permission sets. This tool allows you to process up to 1000 records in seconds. The Permissioner can be downloaded here. Click here for more information.
7) Salesforce1 App Simulator
The Salesforce1 app simulator is one of the easiest, best ways to test the Remedyforce app and train users during a Remedyforce rollout. To get the Salesforce1 app simulator, click here. More information is available here.
8) Force.com Logins
Tired of entering user names on sandboxes orgs or test users? Use this to quickly log in.
This extension passes Force.com login username and password via POST when logging in with new tab, and via GET when logging in with new window. I love this for managing multiple orgs or test users. CAVEAT: While using this tool for production orgs or on public computers do take note of this security information. Get Force.com Logins here.
9) Perm Comparator
Perm Comparator is a great admin tool for comparing users, profiles, and permission sets. To get the tool, click here. More information is available here.
10) Field Trip
Field Trip is a very useful for Salesforce/Remedyforce administrator to analyze fields and usage for any objects. You can also run reports on fields. Download Field Trip here.
11) Notepad++
Notepad++ is a great tool for scripting or editing any piece of code when working on configurations, etc. Download it here.
12) Graphics Pack
Graphics Pack is very useful when you need images for formulas or icons for applications. Access Graphics Pack here.
13) Profile Comparator
Profile Comparator enables you to compare any two profiles for differences. This simple tool can be a great time saver for an admin. Download it here.
Closing thought: While any of these tools will help you raise your game as an admin, it is always a best practice to try it in Sandbox first to get comfortable with the tool.
At Cloudaction, our goal is to help you get maximum value from your Remedyforce experience. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at 1-844-2CLOUDA (1-844-225-6832) or via Ask Us NOW!, a complimentary service from Cloudaction to provide expert answers to your product capability, functionality, and implementation questions. We promise to respond to your inquiry or question within 24 hours.