The release of Salesforce Summer ’12 comes with some minor changes and some great additions in functionality. Below are the highlights of this new release. For the full documentation of this release, please see the Salesforce Summer ’12 Release Notes link.
In part 3 of this blog post, we covered Shared Activities, Reports Tab Updates, Search Fields, Reports and Dashboard Folders.
In part 4, we cover Joined Report Enhancements, Dashboard Enhancements, and Other Enhancements You May Find Useful.
Joined Reports Enhancements
For those of you that have enjoyed the new Joined Reports feature in Salesforce, there are some new enhancements that you should be aware of:
Cross-Block Custom Summary Fields
Standard summary formulas allow you to summarize values in one block of a joined report. Cross-block summary formulas let you calculate values across multiple blocks in a joined report. For more information on these, please enter “Joined Reports” in the search box of Salesforce help.
Charts in Joined Reports
This was a limitation of this new reporting type when first released. Now, you can add any chart type that is available for Summary or Matrix reports.
Hide Record Counts in Joined Reports
Like other report types, we now have the ability to hide the record counts in joined reports. Just click the little arrow in the block header to display the block menu.
Dashboard Enhancements
Here are some dashboard enhancements that you should be aware of. These will make the creation and modification of dashboard components quicker and easier:
Chart Data Options
Previously, when you wanted to create a dashboard chart, and your report had multiple groupings and fields summarized, you had to set the chart in the report to display the data you wanted in the dashboard component. Now, you have the option of displaying other groupings or summarized fields. This allows you to create one report that can feed many dashboard components with different data.
Combination Charts in Dashboard Components
Combination charts were only available on reports. Now, you have the ability to use the same functionality in your dashboard components. For more information, see “Using Combination Charts” in Salesforce help
Other Enhancements You may Find Useful
Below are some other enhancements that users or administrators may find useful so I wanted to point them out for you:
SMS-based Identity Confirmation
When a user logs in from an unknown IP address, they will usually be required to have a verification email sent to them so they can continue to log in. Sometimes, they may not have access to their email. Administrators can now enable SMS-based confirmations so the confirmation will be sent to a mobile device as a text message. See “SMS-based Identity Confirmation” in Salesforce help for more information
Data Export File Size Increased
For you administrators that use the export service for backups, the file size has been increased from 128MB to 512MB. This should result in fewer files to download.
Organization Administrators Can Log in as Any User
As an administrator, when one of your users has an issue, you sometimes need to have that user grant you login access so you can try to duplicate the issue. If you find yourself requesting access frequently, you can now contact Salesforce support to have login access enabled for all users in your company. This can save you and your users’ considerable time and frustration. Login access is only available for Enterprise edition and above.
Time-Dependent Field Updates Can Retrigger Workflow Rules
In Salesforce Summer ’12, field update actions for time-based workflow rules can trigger the re-evaluation of workflow rules. Previously, time-dependent field updates that caused field values to change didn’t trigger workflow rule re-evaluation on the associated objects. This allows more complex workflow action based on timed actions.
Be sure to see the release notes as I only listed some of the new features.
StarrForce is a Salesforce Partner that helps companies deploy, optimize and support Salesforce.com. If you would like information on the services we offer call us at (888) 391-4493 Ext. 101.