10 Coding Problems and Their DevSecOps Solutions

10 Coding Problems and Their DevSecOps Solutions_CodeScan
Updated 11/9/22

DevSecOps solutions address common problems so you can deliver consistently high-quality Salesforce code

Why It Matters: Coding errors lead to bugs in your updates and applications, data security vulnerabilities, and costly production cycles. Sourcing DevSecOps tools that best fit your needs eliminates common issues. 

  • Coding errors become 150 times more expensive to fix in a live environment versus the production stage. 
  • Technical debt creates data security vulnerabilities in your live environment. 
  • Faulty applications degrade your end-user’s experience. 

10 Coding Problems and Their DevSecOps Solutions_CodeScan

1. Code Overwrites

Working on a multi-developer team is a great way to split a larger project into smaller pieces so different areas can be addressed simultaneously. However, this also increases the chances of code overwrites when these various sections are being created. 

Systems need to be put in place to align efforts and keep team members on track when working on a multi-developer team. 

Working in separate sandboxes is standard practice for large Salesforce development teams. However, there must be systems in place to guarantee these lines of code don’t negatively interact with each other when merged into the main repository. 

Scanning code for overwrites or conflicts will increase deployment success and keep your updates free of bugs. Utilizing a version control system makes it easy to roll back any changes and adjust your project as necessary to avoid causing problems down the line. 

2. Tedious Integration

The work of compiling these various updates into a single main code repository can involve the analysis and integration of thousands of lines of code. When performed manually, this review process is extremely monotonous and thus prone to error. 

Continuous integration is a DevSecOps solution that automates the process of integrating these changes into a single software release. 

This allows developers to work in their own sandboxes and test additions against each other before deployment. Streamlining the process of compiling changes from multiple sources is one of the most significant touchpoints for DevOps teams.  

Any errors in this process will have ripple effects on other aspects of the pipeline. Solving these issues with the help of automation is the most reliable way to maintain a secure—and repeatable—application development lifecycle.  

3. Unnoticed Errors

10 Coding Problems and Their DevSecOps Solutions_CodeScan

Bugs and errors in your code can degrade functionality, create data security vulnerabilities, and lead to failed deployments. And even the best developers make mistakes. 

Finding and addressing errors as soon as possible keeps operating costs low and eliminates bugs before they have a chance to impair your update. 

Static code analysis is an essential DevSecOps solution that provides real-time insight into code health from the moment it’s written. Developers are alerted to errors as soon as they’re entered into the repository. 

The automated tool does this by checking Salesforce languages and metadata against more than 600 rules that adhere to OWASP, SANS, and CWE standards. This DevSecOps solution is one of the most powerful ways to streamline your operations.

4. Disorganized Metadata

Metadata exists behind the scenes to describe other types of data as well as impact functionality. The information can be used to create causational relationships between objects, such as automated form fills. 

Failing to keep your metadata organized creates misplaced data and can even impact compliance with data security regulations. 

Properly migrating metadata between environments and orgs, including metadata in backup snapshots, and then scanning the metadata for errors, keeps your system operating smoothly. 

Failures in metadata structures can lead to lost information, improper functionality, and even data security vulnerabilities. Metadata isn’t often seen as a priority, which is a major miscalculation. Although it might exist behind the scenes, it is every bit as important as more prevalent types of Salesforce data and must be protected just as vigorously.  

5. Untracked Changes

It’s incredibly difficult to roll back an update once an error is found, if there is no log of what changes were made, when they were made, and by whom. Untracked changes are messy and take hours to clean up, increasing time spent on a singular project, reducing ROI, and limiting release velocity. 

Source code management—or version control—is a method of managing software revisions or updates over time. 

Every update to the source code is tracked with a time stamp as well as a personal identifier indicating who made the change. This allows the data to be compared, restored, and merged. Flexibility with code updates allows a team to be sure they get things right before moving on to the next stage in the DevOps pipeline.

6. Out of Sync Sandboxes

It’s becoming more and more common to find dev teams are split across vast geographic areas. This exposes you to potential bugs and errors if organization is not properly maintained. And as the number of your sandboxes grows, so does the level of difficulty in managing them. 

Properly synchronizing and organizing various sandboxes for your team avoids confusion, overwrites, and errors. 

Utilizing tools such as version control and CI/CD reduces manual errors and keeps your developers’ sandboxes coordinated. These tools guard against code overwrites, automate essential testing, and mitigate the potential for errors.

7. Repetitive Reviews

10 Coding Problems and Their DevSecOps Solutions_CodeScan

We’ve acknowledged that mistakes are inevitable when writing code. So then it becomes a battle of finding these errors as early as possible to reduce the cost of correcting them and avoiding any negative consequences. However, this review process shouldn’t eat up your developers’ time and take them away from other important tasks. 

Manual code reviews are time-consuming, repetitive, and just as prone to error as initially writing the code. 

Utilizing DevSecOps solutions like static code analysis takes this tedious task off your team members’ hands so errors don’t sneak through. This guarantees total code coverage while also giving your team members time to push new projects forward. 

8. Accidental Deletions

Data loss is a serious concern. Losing client data is a nightmare for your company and your customers. Losing development data and code creates redundant work a drain on team member time. 

Create a schedule for frequent data backups to guard against accidental deletions and minimize the potential for adverse outcomes. 

Data loss can come from many sources—employee error, bad actors, system outages, and more. And while we tend to focus on causes like cybercrime, something as innocuous as an accidental deletion can also have wide-ranging effects. 

A strict training program helps avoid costly accidents, but the possibility for error can never be completely eliminated. Ensuring you have a recent data backup is the only way to guarantee nothing is ever lost. 

9. Complex Data Migrations

Working with multiple sandboxes or Salesforce orgs means a lot of time is spent making sure these various environments are set up in the same way. Failing to do this correctly leads to incongruous updates and difficulty with deployment. 

Data and metadata migrations between orgs creates consistency, while failing to do this properly can be costly. 

Transferring large amounts of records and files is a time-consuming task. However, automated release management tools minimize errors and create stable processes for your developers. 

Populating new environments requires strict attention to detail to avoid confusing components. Automating this process ensures you know what you’re getting every single time. 

10. Inconsistent App Integration

The Salesforce App Exchange is a great source for managed packages to customize your Salesforce environment. However, deploying these apps can be time consuming, error-prone, and frustrating. 

An automated migration tool greatly reduces the strain of deploying these managed packages, so you can expedite the gap between sourcing and utilizing your new capabilities. 

There are many DevSecOps solutions to common Salesforce coding problems. Equipping your dev team with automated tools reduces the potential for costly problems. 

Coding errors won’t go away by hiring better developers. The infrastructure you provide your team through DevSecOps solutions gives them the foundation they need to create value in your applications and updates. A well-supported DevOps team results in better products, a higher ROI, and happier end users. 

Next Step…

Are you ready to learn more about how DevSecOps solutions can support quality while also keeping you safe?

Click here to read our blog 8 Essential DevSecOps Security Tools.

FAQs

Speak with your team to find areas of the dev pipeline that experience frequent bottlenecks. Then research your options for automated solutions to speed things along without sacrificing quality.

This will depend on the size of your company and the industry in which you operate. Highly regulated industries will need to take multiple snapshots every day. However, a general guide would be at least once per week but once every day would be even better.

Errors in the code in your updates and applications that make it through production can open backdoors to cybercriminals. These errors can also impact functionality and create misfires that expose or delete essential data.

Develop high quality, secure code!

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