Slaesforce FAQ

what is metadata in salesforce with example

by Noel Emmerich Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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What is metadata? Metadata is data that describes other data. For example, in a Salesforce org, there is a standard object called Account. When you add a record with a customer's contact information to an Account, you are adding metadata and data. Field names, such as first name and last name are metadata.

Full Answer

How do I create a custom object in Salesforce?

Upload Your Spreadsheet

  • Open this spreadsheet and save it. ...
  • Click the setup cog and select Setup.
  • Click the Object Manager tab.
  • Click Create.
  • Select Custom Object from Spreadsheet .
  • Click Log in with Salesforce.
  • Enter your Trailhead Playground username (listed in the email you just received) and password that you reset in the previous section.
  • Click Log In.
  • Click Allow.

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What is OData in Salesforce?

  • Customers and prospects visit an eCommerce website.
  • A record of the visit is generated and converted into a format that works in Odata & Salesforce software (Contact record -> Activity log).
  • If a sale is made, a Customer Record and Sales Order are automatically generated.

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What is a master detail in Salesforce?

Salesforce - Master Detail Relationship. Advertisements. Previous Page. ... The Master Detail relationship is used when we want to control the display of detail records based on the value in the master record. For example, in the courier company model a delivery schedule is always linked to a delivery location. If we remove a delivery location ...

What is a custom object in Salesforce?

What is a Junction Object in Salesforce?

  • Salesforce Junction Object. Salesforce Junction Objects give you a way to create a many-to-many relationship between Salesforce objects.
  • Creating a Junction Object. Creating a Junction Object is simple, and once you’ve created your first one, the concept will become second nature.
  • Salesforce Example. ...
  • Summary. ...

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What does Salesforce metadata mean?

Salesforce metadata is an essential element of the Salesforce architecture. It involves different fields, code, configurations, logic, and page layouts used for building the key information architecture of your Salesforce org, making your Salesforce instance look the way it does.

Why is metadata used in Salesforce?

Metadata relates to the fields, configurations, code, logic, and page layouts that go into building the information architecture and look and feel of your Salesforce environment. Metadata can be imported into Salesforce, modified in the product interface, or manipulated via the Salesforce Metadata API.

Where is metadata in Salesforce?

In Salesforce.com, custom objects are used to store custom data which stores application metadata Metadata can be managed by custom objects. Custom settings are managed by the following settings. Go to Setup=>App Setup=>Develop=>Custom Settings.

What are metadata types in Salesforce?

Custom metadata is customizable, deployable, packageable, and upgradeable application metadata. First, you create a custom metadata type, which defines the form of the application metadata. Then you build reusable functionality that determines the behavior based on metadata of that type.

What is an example of metadata?

Some examples of basic metadata are author, date created, date modified, and file size. Metadata is also used for unstructured data such as images, video, web pages, spreadsheets, etc. Web pages often include metadata in the form of meta tags.

What's the difference between data and metadata?

Data is any sort of information which is stored in computer memory. This information can later be used for a website, an application or can be used in future. Metadata describes relevant information about the data.

What are the five types of metadata?

With that definition in mind, let's take a look at six types of metadata you'll encounter.Descriptive metadata. Descriptive metadata is, in its most simplified version, an identification of specific data. ... Structural metadata. ... Preservation metadata. ... Provenance metadata. ... Use metadata. ... Administrative metadata.

How do I create a metadata in Salesforce?

Create Custom Metadata TypesFrom Setup, enter Custom Metadata Types in the Quick Find box and select Custom Metadata Types.Click New Custom Metadata Type.For Label, enter Support Tier and for Plural Label, enter Support Tiers .Click Save. After you save, you land on the Custom Metadata Type Support Tier page.

What is called as meta data?

Often referred to as data that describes other data, metadata is structured reference data that helps to sort and identify attributes of the information it describes.

What is difference between custom object and custom metadata?

Similar to a custom object or custom setting, a custom metadata type has a list of custom fields that represent aspects of the metadata. Custom Object: Custom objects are custom database tables that allow you to store information unique to your organization.

What is difference between custom settings and custom metadata?

Main difference between custom metadata and custom setting is that custom metadata records are deployable and packagable. But we can not deploy custom setting data. Custom settings enable you to create custom sets of data, as well as create and associate custom data for an organization, profile, or specific user.

How do I query metadata in Salesforce?

How to Query/Report on Metadata in Your Salesforce OrgCreate a Simple SOQL Query.Create a Complex SOQL Query.Export Query Results to Excel.Review Available Tooling API Objects.

Why is metadata an important component of a data warehouse?

Why is metadata necessary in a data warehouses? First, it acts as the glue that links all parts of the data warehouses. Next, it provides information about the contents and structures to the developers. Finally, it opens the doors to the end-users and makes the contents recognizable in their terms.

What are the five types of metadata?

With that definition in mind, let's take a look at six types of metadata you'll encounter.Descriptive metadata. Descriptive metadata is, in its most simplified version, an identification of specific data. ... Structural metadata. ... Preservation metadata. ... Provenance metadata. ... Use metadata. ... Administrative metadata.

What is the difference between metadata API and tooling API?

While there is overlap, the Tooling API is specifically designed to help developers build IDE apps for salesforce, while the metadata API is more general purpose configuration migration. For example, you can get a symbol table for a class, such as it's members and functions, without writing your own parser.

What is meant by metadata API?

You can just think of a Metadata API is an interface that allows you to request data about data and get a response. An example could be a photo, when a raw photo is taken there is lots of metadata that stores values about exposure, contrast etc.

What is Salesforce Metadata API?

Salesforce Metadata API is used to assist developers in retrieving, creating, deploying, updating, or deleting the customized information. This can be such a thing that is done using custom object definitions and page layouts for the organizations. The Salesforce Metadata is meant to be used for management to make customizations and build tools to assist management at the mode of metadata.

What is metadata type?

A metadata type can be identified in the metadata WSDL as any complexType that extends the Metadata complexType. A complexType that is a metadata type includes the following element in its WSDL definition: <xsd:extension base="in:Metadata">.

What is installed package metadata?

A metadata type named Installed Packages is used to do this. These are named after the namespaces of the currently installed packages. If you employ any one of them or even only one, then the managed package will be installed in the target organization.

What is a component in metadata?

A component is an instance of a metadata type.

When does a wildcard apply in Salesforce?

The wildcard applies only when retrieving all settings and not an individual setting. The list of Salesforce metadata types is just the endless that can be used to prepare Salesforce metadata report, salesforce metadata backup, and export salesforce metadata to excel.

Can you use an asterisk in Metadata API?

Both managed and unmanaged packages can be employed with the Metadata API. The only difference comes in the process of working with unmanaged data. When you call for unmanaged packages, use of an asterisk (*) is prohibited in the package.xml file. Thumb Rule: Asterisks work great for retrieving assets, but it’s better to not use them ...

Salesforce Metadata

Metadata is data that describes other data. To understand how Salesforce defines metadata, contrast business data with Salesforce metadata. Business data includes the records that directly correspond to your company’s business such as an address, account, or product.

Metadata API Functionality

The main purpose of Metadata API is to move metadata between Salesforce orgs during the development process. Use Metadata API to deploy, retrieve, create, update, or delete customization information, such as custom object definitions and page layouts. Metadata API doesn’t work directly with business data.

What is metadata in data?

Metadata is simply data about data. It means it is a description and context of the data. It helps to organize, find and understand data. Here are a few real world examples of metadata:

What is the metadata field in email?

Every email you send or receive has a number of metadata fields, many of which are hidden in the message header and not visible to you in your mail client. This metadata includes: subject, from, to, date and time sent, sending and receiving server names and IPs, format (plain text of HTLM), anti-spam software details.

What is relational database?

Relational databases (most common type of database) store and provide access not only data but also metadata in a structure called data dictionary or system catalog. It holds information about: tables, columns, data types, constraints. table relationships,

What is metadata in Salesforce?

What is metadata? Metadata is data that describes other data. For example, in a Salesforce org, there is a standard object called Account. When you add a record with a customer’s contact information to an Account, you are adding metadata and data. Field names, such as first name and last name are metadata.

Why is metadata important in Salesforce?

Using metadata is pretty handy because it can be imported into Salesforce, modified in the interface, and manipulated using the Metadata API. Instead of storing hard-coded data, custom metadata types let you configure apps by building reusable functionality that determines the behavior based on metadata.

What is custom metadata type?

So, what is a custom metadata type? A custom metadata type is an object that is used to define the structure for application metadata. The fields of custom metadata types, and the values in the fields, consist only of metadata. The records of custom metadata types are also metadata, not data. Using metadata is pretty handy because it can be ...

Why use custom metadata?

They can make your application lifecycle management and compliance easier, faster, and more robust . In the next unit, you create your own custom metadata type.

Can SOQL be used to create metadata?

Developer Support. Developers can use SOQL to read custom metadata types. To create or update metadata records, they can use the Metadata API. Apex code can create, read, and update (but not delete) custom metadata records.

Can you deploy custom metadata?

You can deploy custom metadata types from a sandbox with change sets or packaged in managed packages. Unlike custom metadata types, when you deploy apps with custom objects and custom settings, the metadata for those objects (the header) gets deployed, but the records (definitions) are left behind.

Metadata API

Metadata API can be used to retrieve, deploy, create, update or delete customization information, such as custom object definitions and page layouts.It can be used to access things programmatically that were previously not accessible. We can create fields or update their specifications directly from Apex code.

Metadata API Uses

Let’s say that you support multiple orgs, and you’ve created a custom field. You want to add your new field to the page layouts in all your orgs. This type of configuration information is stored in metadata types and components in your org.

How to use Metadata API?

Metadata APIs are internally used in the workbench under migration Tab.

Calling Metadata API from third party

Metadata not only gives access from Salesforce but using any third party languages using the Metadata API all these operations.

Limitations

Currently only reading, updating and creation are possible from code deletion is not yet supported, still we can use workbench Retrieve and Deploy options to do the same.

Key Takeaways

Metadata API would be useful to create tools for admins to make their work a lot faster.

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