ArticlesALL: Deployment Best Practices (System Admin)

Full sandbox is recommended as it thoroughly mimics the Production environment in terms of metadata and customer Data. 

Partial sandboxes have been known to give errors during UAT testing. Furthermore there are no sandbox templates for Certinia modules that can be utilized for copying specific objects and data to copy from production to partial copy sandbox. Hence data that is copied to the sandbox is aleatory and may not provide the true production environment for testing.

Deploying a Certinia solution on the Salesforce platform from a sandbox to production environment involves meticulous planning and best practices to ensure a smooth transition before go-live. Here are the key best practices for deployment:

1. Set Up a Dedicated Deployment Sandbox

• Use a full sandbox that mirrors the production environment closely
  • This is critical for testing configurations and integrations in an environment that closely resembles production, especially when validating large-scale data volumes
• Refresh the sandbox prior to starting any testing or deployment into the sandbox environment
• Ensure the versions of Certinia products are matched between this sandbox and production environments  
  • If the sandbox must be upgraded during the testing process, ensure that production is also updated prior to beginning any deployment
• Avoid conducting configurations directly in production to prevent misalignment and potential errors
  • A strict change control process, utilizing approved tools (Change Sets, Gearset, etc.) must be followed for all deployments to ensure consistency

2. Leverage Salesforce Change Sets or a CI/CD Tool

• Use Salesforce Change Sets to package and migrate metadata changes from sandbox to production
• For complex deployments, consider a CI/CD tool like Copado, Gearset, or Jenkins to automate and version-control deployments
• Ensure that all dependencies (such as object permissions, page layouts, and custom settings) are included in the Change Set or the deployment package
• Ensure all relevant profiles are included in the change set (only the profile setting directly related to the components in the set will be deployed)  

3. Configuration Documentation and Tracking

• Maintain detailed documentation of all configurations, customizations, and integrations
  • Track this documentation using version control to ensure accountability and traceability of changes
• Use tools like Jira or Confluence to manage configuration change logs, deployment steps, and known issues

4. Conduct Thorough Testing

• User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Conduct UAT in a staging environment (a minimum of a partial sandbox)or full sandbox
  • Involve key business stakeholders to validate that the solution meets business requirements
• Performance Testing: Test with production-like data volumes to evaluate performance impacts and optimize any configurations that may degrade system performance

5. Review and Manage Profiles and Permissions

• Review the field-level security, object permissions, and record visibility for each user profile to prevent unauthorized access
• Test permissions to ensure users have the necessary access without exceeding the principle of least privilege

6. Data Migration Strategy

• Develop a comprehensive data migration plan which includes a test data load in a sandbox environment and tracking of when data will be required in the production environment 
• Use Data Loader, DataStream or Salesforce Data Import Wizard for bulk data imports
  • Map fields accurately to avoid data integrity issues
• Test the data migration in a sandbox environment (this may need to occur multiple times) to ensure accuracy
  • Check for data conflicts or duplicates
  • Validate loading times - this will require at least a partial, if not full, sandbox
• Plan for the data delta between the initial migration and the actual cutover
  • This includes identifying and migrating any data changes that occur in the source system during the migration process

7. Optimize Certinia-Specific Configurations

• Certinia’s solutions come with specific configurations like custom settings, configuration groups/options, Lightning page ‘LAB’ options, and similar settings
  • Review each package/module's setup, configuration rules, and automation for accuracy after the deployment
• Verify any scheduled jobs and flows are activated and performing properly in production
• Ensure scheduled jobs and Flows are running as an everlasting SysAdmin User or Integration User
  • If these jobs are running as a named user, they may fail in the future if that user is ever deactivated

8. Plan for a “Freeze” Period

• Implement a code freeze in the sandbox a few days (up to 1-2 weeks) before go-live to stabilize the environment and prevent any last-minute changes
• Communicate with all stakeholders to not make any changes to the sandbox or production directly without approval during this period
• Use a governance model to manage these types of scenarios

9. Planning & Communications

• Establish a communication plan that outlines key messages, target audiences, communication channels, and frequency of updates
• Regularly communicate the deployment status, timeline, potential impacts, and required actions to all stakeholders
• Create a comprehensive checklist that includes all tasks and activities required for a successful deployment
  • Share this checklist with all team members and update as the deployment progresses

10. Train Users and Provide Documentation

• Ensure that end-users have been trained on the new features and processes, with a focus on any changes in Certinia-specific processes
• Provide documentation and a support plan to assist users with troubleshooting and questions as they adjust to the new system
  • The support plan should include internal champions, process owners, and SMEs of the system who will be first line of support reviewing issues for resolution
  • System Admins are typically the second line of support
  • If the issue is still not resolved, the next step might be logging a case with Certinia

11. Schedule Go-Live During Off-Peak Hours

• Schedule the deployment during non-business hours or off-peak times to reduce the impact on users and allow for troubleshooting if needed
• Ensure that key stakeholders and technical staff are available for immediate issue resolution

12. Post-Deployment Validation and Monitoring

• Perform post-deployment validation to verify that all configurations, data, and integrations work as expected in production
• Run Certinia-specific reports and dashboard checks to confirm that data flows are functioning correctly
• Where applicable, conduct "smoke-testing" on key business processes to catch any deployment issues quickly
• Only perform tests on transactions that can be reversed/deleted after testing

This article shares deployment best practices with new Certinia System Administrators. This article can also be used by Consultants.

These best practices help to reduce the risk of errors, optimize system performance, and ensure a successful Certinia deployment on the Salesforce platform.