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Do I Really Need Static Code Analysis for Salesforce?

Josh Rank
March 16, 2022

Sourcing new tools is often a multi-level decision within an organization. Value needs to be proven in more ways than one in order to get everyone to sign off on it. And the main question everyone will be asking is, “Do we really need static code analysis?”

Static code analysis is an integral part of optimizing your DevSecOps pipeline to produce high quality applications and updates.

However, this single line isn’t going to be enough of a sales pitch to prove its worth and gain approvals throughout an organization. But the more you dig into static code analysis for Salesforce, the more you wonder how you’ve gotten along without it in the past.

So how can you decide if static code analysis is a good fit for your organization? Taking some time to analyze current trends and processes will give you an idea of your existing areas that could use some improvement. From there, asking yourself a series of questions and being honest with the responses will tell you all you need to know about if static code analysis is right for you.

Here are 7 questions to ask yourself about static code analysis for Salesforce:

Is High Quality Code a Priority?
Do I Want Faster Release Cycles?
Does Technical Debt Exist in My System?
Is Regulatory Compliance a Concern?
Do I Have Total Visibility into Code Health?
Are My Operations Streamlined?
Am I Giving My Dev Team Every Available Advantage?

1. Is High Quality Code a Priority?

The quality of code that makes up your applications and updates are the greatest factor into the success of your DevOps projects. Consistently producing high quality code needs to be made a priority in order to communicate the importance of this aspect. Skilled developers are a major part of accomplishing this but enabling them with automated tools increases your chances of success.

Static code analysis enables Salesforce developers to produce the best possible code by alerting them the moment an error is introduce into the project.

Sourcing a tool that integrates with popular IDE plugins maintains a consistent interface, so team members are comfortable enough to produce their best work while also having adequate support.

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2. Do I Want Faster Release Cycles?

How quickly can you bring an update or application to market? And how confident are you in the stability of these applications? It’s important to be seen as a leader in your industry and the ability to be the first to introduce a service goes a long way to accomplishing this. However, producing more releases per year can lead to a degradation in quality if the focus is on speed alone.

Don’t sacrifice quality for speed. Both of these factors need to be maintained in order to guarantee a positive experience for your end users.

Static code analysis performs constant quality checks so your team can focus on pushing Salesforce DevOps projects through the pipeline.

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3. Does Technical Debt Exist in My System?

Hidden dangers are likely existing within your Salesforce environment. Technical debt is a frequent byproduct of rushing applications and updates through deployment without giving them an adequate amount of testing. This can lead to bugs, errors, and even data security vulnerabilities if they are not rectified before going live.

A system that has a large amount of technical debt simply isn’t operating as well as it could.

Static code analysis can scan your environment to locate existing technical debt so it can be addressed and rectified. This strengthens your applications and improves end user experience by avoiding disruptions in service. It also contributes to an optimized Salesforce environment.

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4. Is Regulatory Compliance a Concern?

Do you handle sensitive information? This won’t apply to every business, but for those that are subject to regulatory guidelines on handling sensitive data, compliance needs to be a top priority. This includes the financial and healthcare industries, but it stretches beyond that. Anybody that handles financial information or personal identifiable information needs to be aware of how they handle their data.

Existing technical debt, data security vulnerabilities, and potential harmful bugs are all examples of compliance issues that can be addressed with static code analysis in Salesforce.

A failure to properly address how your data is handled and the environment in which it exists can result in fines or penalties if you’re found out of step with regulatory guidelines.

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5. Do I Have Total Visibility into Code Health?

Information is power. The more you know about your Salesforce environment, the better you’ll be able to make the best decisions on how to address future issues. This includes everything from the moment a line of code is written through deployment. The ability to look back on successes and failures provides the insight you need to continually optimize your system.

Static code analysis provides Salesforce developers with various levels of information—from line analysis through high-level reporting.

Both data and metadata need to be included within the scope of your attention. Successfully accomplishing this provides all the information you need to maintain positive output.

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6. Are My Operations Streamlined?

We touched on this above when discussing reporting. Optimizing your DevOps pipeline requires valuable insights, constant attention, and providing your team members the tools they need to reach their full potential to create high quality updates and applications.

Automation is the single greatest asset to streamlining Salesforce DevOps efforts.

Static code analysis works alongside other DevOps tools like CI/CD to streamline operations, heighten testing capabilities, and reduce the number of errors that can negatively impact deployment success. Any DevOps pipeline that isn’t utilizing multiple types of automation needs to get started as soon as they can.

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7. Am I Giving My Dev Team Every Available Advantage?

We ask a lot of our DevOps teams. There are multiple considerations with every project, standards and expectations are always high, and they know continued success relies heavily on high quality applications and updates.

Match your expectations with the resources you provide to your dev team, and you will see greater results.

Salesforce static code analysis is an essential aspect of a full DevOps strategy. Optimizing processes starts with providing the best tools available to accomplish your goals. Total visibility, quality checks, reduction in technical debt, and more will enable your team members to create products that best serve your end users.

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