Keeping your org running smooth with Salesforce Optimizer

Salesforce Optimizer is a free, easy-to-use tool that you should be using on a regular basis. Think of it like removing lint from a lint trap, replacing air filters in your home, or changing the oil in a vehicle.

It’s a basic maintenance procedure that keeps your org from becoming too cluttered. As you use it and become familiar with what it does, you’ll also get more familiar with some of the nuances of your org design.

The main benefits of running Salesforce Optimizer include:

• Maintaining customization efficiency
• Reduced technical issues and technical debt
• Faster user adoption and better admin productivity
• Reduced operating costs

Getting help with Salesforce Optimizer

If you’ve never run Optimizer and you have a complex, long-running org, you may need more of a “deep clean” before adopting a regular maintenance schedule. 

Or perhaps you’ve run it and aren’t sure exactly how to interpret the results. Removing fields or workflow rules that the Optimizer highlights might feel like too technical of a task. Macro can supply Certified Salesforce Administrators to help you get started on both interpreting and implementing any optimization recommendation that the tool provides.

How to run Salesforce Optimizer

This is the easy part! 

Here’s how Salesforce themselves explain it: “Type in Salesforce Optimizer in the search bar or scroll down to the bottom of the left-hand nav. Click Optimizer, launch it, allow access and check your inbox.”

That’s really all there is to it. A report will appear in your inbox shortly after running Optimizer.

When should you run Salesforce Optimizer?

Salesforce recommends running the tool at least once per quarter. This is the regular maintenance schedule, although there are instances where you may want to do an extra sweep:

• After any major changes to your org. If a bunch of new rules or automations have been added, removed, or edited (e.g. when migrating to the new Flow system), it’s a good idea to check with Optimizer to make sure they start off with an optimal configuration.
• In response to user or admin complaints. Salesforce Optimizer can be a good troubleshooting tool. If there’s a slowdown or something seems to be broken, the tool may be able to provide some clues as to what’s wrong.
• After a new Salesforce release. Salesforce updates things several times per year. It may be a good idea to run a check after each release to see if your org’s efficiency can be improved.

Common Salesforce Optimizer outputs

There are dozens of potential issues that Optimizer will report on, but here are some of the most common:

• Too many fields. If an object has a large number of fields, this can slow down performance and be distracting or cumbersome for users.
• Empty fields. Fields with no data are generally of no use. Optimizer may recommend reconfiguring or removing them.
• Too many automation rules. Every automation rule puts strain on the computers and servers that execute the task. Huge and poorly configured automation rules will be flagged by the tool.
• More than one trigger per object. Triggers are a special kind of automation rule that are even more cumbersome for the servers. Objects should have only one trigger.
• Too many or too few admins. Poor admin assignment can be costly and inefficient. If your admin user permissions do not match Salesforce’s recommended approach for a business of your size, the tool will let you know.

Help with navigating big Optimizer reports

Hopefully when you run Optimizer, the report will come back with few or no critical issues. That is the end goal!
But if you receive an overwhelming list of red flags and don’t know where to start, Macromator’s agile approach to marketing technology consulting means we can add extra hands and brains to a project on an as-needed basis. If you just don’t have the time or resources to tackle an ugly Optimizer output, we can help step in and provide execution or strategic assistance where required.