Custom Metadata Types are a Salesforce feature that enables administrators and developers to create their own application configuration data. These types are similar to custom objects but are designed to hold metadata, not transactional data, allowing for the creation of reusable configuration records for things like business rules or mappings. This approach centralizes key data, making it easily deployable and referenceable across the platform in formulas, validation rules, Apex, and Flows.
Custom Metadata Types are incredibly versatile for managing application configurations that need to be deployed across different Salesforce orgs. They help avoid hard-coding values and make maintenance much simpler, allowing for scalable and manageable application development.
Always use clear naming conventions and provide detailed descriptions for both the metadata type and its fields. Design for scalability by creating reusable configurations rather than overly specific ones. For sensitive data like credentials, leverage protected custom metadata types to ensure they are not exposed in your code or to unauthorized users.
Choosing between Custom Metadata Types and Custom Settings depends on your specific configuration and deployment needs.
While Custom Metadata Types are powerful, it's important to understand their limitations to use them effectively. They offer great benefits for managing configurations, but certain constraints can impact your implementation and long-term maintenance.
This is how you create and use a Custom Metadata Type.
How are Custom Metadata Types different from Custom Objects?
Custom Metadata Types store configuration data that is deployable across orgs, like settings or mappings. Custom Objects hold transactional business data, such as customer records or sales opportunities, which are specific to an environment and not typically deployed.
Can I update Custom Metadata records using Apex?
No, you cannot perform DML operations (like insert or update) on Custom Metadata records directly in Apex. Updates must be managed through deployments using change sets or the Metadata API, ensuring configuration changes are controlled and tracked.
Do Custom Metadata Types count against governor limits?
SOQL queries against Custom Metadata Types do not count towards the SOQL query governor limit, which is a major performance benefit. However, the platform does impose limits on the total number of types and fields you can create.
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