Salesforce projects, superbadges, and sample apps

Build a portfolio of apps you built yourself

                       

Overview

• Superbadges
• Projects
  • Build a Battlestation
• Trailhead apps
• More about Salesforce

Increasingly, Salesforce job descriptions require job candidate to have completed Salesforce Trailhead projects and SuperBadges to prove what they can do.

So I’m making vidoes on how to construct the projects, step-by-step.

Superbadges

https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/superbadges defines skill-based, domain-level “specialist” challenges that grants a graphic credential (to put on resume) to those completing modules of real-life business scenario for which you have to build a solution across entire feature areas.

PROTIP: Don’t make the mistake made by many Salesforce novices who avoid looking at Superbadges until “later”. Superbadges prescribe an order to taking the pre-requisite Trailhead Modules and projects.

PROTIP: I’ve arranged this list of superbadges in a rough sequence for taking them.

https://toptrailblazers.com/b/super_badges lists the number of people who have completed each (around 2-300 at last count).

1. The Security Specialist [4 - 6 hours] works with standard objects. Its pre-requisite Modules:

   • Data Security [1 hr 50 mins]
   • Identity Basics [45 mins]
   • User Authentication [1 hr]
     
     

   PROTIP: Good to do this earlier because it impacts and controls everything else.

2. Business Administration Specialist [4 - 6 hrs] It makes use of the BSX Unmanaged Package by CPBHE. Its pre-requisite Modules:

   • Reports & Dashboards for Lightning Experience [1 hr 55 mins]
   • Data Security [1 hr 50 mins] (repeat)
   • Customize an Org to Support a New Business Unit [1 hr 10 mins]
   • Project: Create Reports and Dashboards for Sales and Marketing Managers [1 hr 30 mins] no coding.
     
     

   PROTIP: Good to do this earlier because it provides the “why” of Salesforce adoption payoffs.

3. The Process Automation Specialist [6 - 8 hrs] Its pre-requisite Modules:

   • Formulas & Validations [45 mins]
   • Lightning Flow
   • Leads & Opportunities for Classic
   • Workflow Rule Migration
     
     

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4. Apex Specialist [8 - 12 hrs] Its pre-requisite Modules:

   • Apex Triggers [60 mins]
   • Apex Testing [45 mins]
   • Asynchronous Apex Testing [90 mins]
   • Apex Integration Services [120 mins]
     
     

5. App Customization Specialist [4 - 6 hrs] Its pre-requisite Modules:

   • Lightning Flow [2 hrs 5 mins]
   • Formulas & Validations [45 mins]
   • Lightning App Builder [1 hr 35 mins]
   • Project: Build a Battle Station App [2 hrs 30 mins]
     
     

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6. Lightning Experience Specialist [4 - 6 hrs] Its pre-requisite Modules:

   • Lightning Experience Customization [2 hr 50 mins]
   • Lightning Flow [4 hrs]
   • Lightning App Builder [1 hr 35 mins]
   • Reports & Dashboards for Lightning Experience [1 hr 55 mins]
     
     

7. Lightning Component Framework Specialist [10 - 12 hrs]] Its pre-requisite Modules:

   • Lightning Experience Development [1 hr 20 mins]
   • Lightning Component Basics [4 hrs]
   • Lightning Data Service Basics [1 hr 40 mins]
   • Lightning Design System [2 hrs 15 mins]
     
     

   PROTIP: This uses the Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) markup.

8. Lightning Experience Rollout Specialist [9 - 12 hrs] Its pre-requisite Modules:

   • Lightning Experience Rollout [1 hr]
   • Lightning App Builder [1 hr 35 mins] (repeat)
   • Project: Build a Suggestion Box App [1 hr 55 mins]
   • Lightning Experience Features [1 hr 40 mins]
     
     

9. Advanced Apex Specialist [12 - 16 hrs] Its pre-requisite Modules:

   • Apex Specialist Superbadge
   • Data Integration Specialist Superbadge
   • Lightning Component Framework Specialist Superbadge
   • PROJECT: Build a Conference Management App [3 hrs 40 mins]
     
     

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10. Lightning Experience Reports & Dashboards Specialist [4 - 6 hrs] takes the place of the “Reports & Dashboards Specialist” superbadge retired in 2017. Its pre-requisite Modules:

    • Reports & Dashboards for Lightning Experience [1 hr 55 mins]
    • Create Reports and Dashboards for Sales and Marketing Managers [1 hr 30 mins]
    • Project: Quick Start: Lightning App Builder [20 mins] no coding.
      
      

11. Einstein Analytics Data Prepartion SpecialistAnalytics Administration Basics [1 hr 35 mins] Its pre-requisite Modules:

    • Apex Integration Analytics Administration Basics [[1 hr 35 mins] ]
    • Analytics Data Integration Basics [1 hr 20 mins]
    • Desktop Analytics Exploration [2 hrs]
      
      

    (Follow @SForceAnalytics)

12. Data Integration Specialist [8 - 15 hrs] Its pre-requisite Modules:

    • Apex Integration Services [2 hrs]
    • Asynchronous Apex [1 hr 30 mins]
    • API Basics [2 hrs]
    • Lightning Flow [2 hrs 5 mins]
      
      

Projects

At last count, there are 81 Salesforce Trailhead projects for developers.

• 43 are for Admins.
• 34 are intermediate projects.
• 13 are advanced projects.

PROTIP: Many of the projects introduce techniques for connecting Salesforce with external systems.

• Heroku
• IoT
• Apple Watch
• Docker

Build a Battlestation

Trailhead workshop Build a Battle Station App [2 hrs 30 mins] is used during one-day introductory “boot camps” for adults and children.

NOTE: Instead of one long page, the UI has since changed to a menu to text and screen shots:

1. Create the Battle Station App
2. Build the Object Model
3. Modify the User Experience
4. Add Business Logic
5. Create Reports and Dashboards
6. Make the App Mobile
   
   

These blogs provide an overview of how to complete the project:

• How we built the “Build a Battle Station App” by Jeff Douglas — 21 Dec 2015

• VIDEO: How to Nov 10, 2017 [1:48] using GuideMe.io EdCast

• Tweets about “trailhead battle station” app

This series of videos (all dated May 17, 2018)) has no sound, so it may seem like you’re watching someone seemingly clicking around randomly, but it’s quite comporehensive:

1. 7:04 scrolls through the description of the project at https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/projects/workshop-battle-station. In the video it’s one long page, but it’s now a menu.

   1. Create a Trailhead account if you haven’t already.

   2. Click the Gear icon and select Setup
   3. Click Object Manager tab next to the Home tab.
   4. Click on Create drop-down at the right side and then select Custom Object.
   5. Label “Battle Station”.
   6. Plural Label “Battle Stations”.
   7. Check the Allow Reports checkbox
   8. Check the Allow Search checkbox.
   9. Click on Save
   10. Now create a custom tab: Click the Home tab
   11. Enter Tabs in Quick Find and select Tabs.
   12. Under Custom Object Tabs, click New.
   13. For Object, select Battle Station.
   14. For Tab Style, select any icon.
   15. Click on Next
   16. Leave all defaults as is. Click Next
   17. Hit Save.
   18. Now we need to enable Feed Tracking for the Battle Station object. Enter Feed in the Quick Find and select Feed Tracking
   19. Click on Battle Station, and check the Enable Feed Tracking checkbox.
   20. Check the Battle Station Name and Owner checkboxes. Click Save.
   21. Your changes have been saved.
       
       

2. 17:14 Build the Object Model

3. 21:05 Modify the Experience

4. 11:52 Add Business Logic

5. 28:46 Create the Battle Station App

6. 3:29 Make the App Mobile

Trailhead apps

Salesforce people have created (and maintained) several reference apps that demonstrate best-practices when building with Salesforce.

PROTIP: Click the app name to reach directly its GitHub repository under https://github.com/trailheadapps

• Recipies was made with Lightning Web Components.

• EBikes was made with Lightning Web Components.

• DreamHouse was made to be installed using Salesforce DX

• Northern Trail Outfitters (NTO) defines merchandise mix for retailers. It uses Lightning components.

• Pure Aloe is for a non-profit agriculture, and retail app built with Lightning components, Lightning Flow and platform events.

• DreamInvest is a financial services app to find mutual funds based on several criteria (return, sector, etc). This app demonstrates how to build configurable Lightning Components Salesforce admins can use to create sophisticated apps in App Builder. It features Performance Best Practices such a Data Caching.

• Easy Spaces is an event management app built with dynamic flows, Flow Actions, and object-agnostic Lightning components. This app also demonstrates how to structure your source code for modular distribution using unlocked packages.

List of Trailmix featuring the apps listed above.

Additionally, repos not listed in the sample-gallery web page:

• Pure Aloe Distributor is a companion to the Pure Aloe app, to explore how to integrate decoupled applications with Salesforce via Platform Events written in NodeJs.

• Einstein Twitter Analyzer

• Northern Trail Manufacturing

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More about Salesforce

This is one of a series about Salesforce

1. Salesforce index

2. Salesforce Ohana (about the Salesforce company, offices, mascots, emojis, and store)
3. Salesforce Glossary (of acronyms)
4. Salesforce Events (Conferences, local Meetups, ) to meet people face-to-face
5. Salesforce Exhibitors (at Dreamforce)
6. Salesforce Onboarding (Trailhead and IDEs)

7. Salesforce Rock Stars (and influencers)

8. Salesforce Offerings (Clouds, Industries, Domains, GitHub, editions, pricing, features, versions)
9. Salesforce Certifications (training and exams)
10. Salesforce Projects, Superbadges, and Sample Apps

11. Salesforce myTrailhead for custom Trailhead content

12. Salesforce Project Plans
13. Salesforce Jobs (within Salesforce, with partners, etc.)

14. Salesforce User Roles and Personas

15. Salesforce Apps (in AppExchange)
16. Salesforce Alexa
17. Salesforce Heroku (external apps)

18. Salesforce DX (Developer eXperience)

19. Salesforce Non-Profit support

20. Salesforce NPSP (Non-Profit Success Pack) performance (with Gatling)

21. Salesforce Data Management
22. Salesforce Einstein
23. Salesforce Selenium (test automation)

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