Does Salesforce Static Code Analysis Improve Time-to-Market?
Eliminating coding errors with static code analysis streamlines Salesforce development and enables teams to increase the rate at which they can produce reliable updates and applications.
Why It Matters: A higher release velocity allows DevOps teams to respond to emerging vulnerabilities and functionality improvements. Less wasted time increases ROI and supports a more flexible and secure organization.
- In a recent study, 38% of developers said they spend up to a quarter of their time simply fixing bugs in the software.
- A quarter of the respondents spend up to half their time fixing bugs.
Here are 6 ways Salesforce static code analysis improves the speed of application delivery:
- Reduces Redundant Work
- Automates Reviews
- Minimizes Guesswork
- Eliminates Technical Debt
- Identifies Bottlenecks
- Simplifies Maintenance
1. Reduces Redundant Work
Nothing degrades productivity like needing to rework something for a second time. And when coding errors pop up late in the DevOps life cycle, your team has no choice but to go backwards and start from square one.
Static code analysis alerts Salesforce developers the moment a coding error is detected so it can be rectified immediately.
Getting it right the first time allows your team to complete a piece of work and move on to the next task without looking back.
2. Automates Reviews
Code reviews are time-consuming. There are likely thousands of lines of code, and if performed manually, they’d tie up your team for a long time.
Automating code reviews allows your team to focus on more important tasks and refine the functionality of an update.
Automating repetitive tasks increases productivity and reliability of the eventual update. A static code analysis tool won’t grow weary so the results will be just as accurate at the start as at the end of a code review.
3. Minimizes Guesswork
Every DevOps project will go through a planning stage to determine the scope of the work, the success criteria, and a schedule of when everything can be expected to be complete. But when your processes are all over the place, it can be difficult to confidently plan out your next project.
Reliably strong code enables teams to produce reliable results—making it much easier to predict when it will be completed and expedite the planning stage.
Faster planning means your team can get to work much quicker.
4. Eliminates Technical Debt
There needs to be a limit on your DevOps team’s focus on speed. Sometimes, teams will push products to production without performing proper diligence so bugs and errors are found in live environments. This technical debt will need to be addressed at some point, and the longer this is put off, the greater the risks.
Static code analysis can be used to find and flag technical debt so it can be fixed, eliminating functionality and security risks.
An environment void of technical debt will function more smoothly and securely so teams can focus on creating new updates and applications.
5. Identifies Bottlenecks
Optimizing every stage of your DevOps pipeline will streamline processes. The first step to doing this is to monitor current processes for areas in need of improvement.
Static code analysis tools will produce reports and dashboards that can be used to identify existing bottlenecks so they can be addressed.
Improving current processes helps teams reduce confusion and gives them the information they need to reliably produce quality code the first time.
6. Simplifies Maintenance
Continuous improvement relies on usable information. Identifying bottlenecks goes a long way toward improving processes, but every stage of the DevOps pipeline is likely to have opportunities for improvement.
Salesforce static code analysis tools provide code metrics and performance indicators that can be tracked over time, offering valuable insights into the development process.
Developers can use this feedback to identify areas for improvement, refine coding practices, and optimize the development workflow, ultimately speeding up time-to-market with each iteration.
Next Step…
A speedy DevOps pipeline offers a lot of benefits. Data security vulnerabilities always need to be at the forefront of your mind when developing new updates and applications.
With that consideration, read our blog, A Step-by-Step Guide to Salesforce Data Security, to learn what you should do to fortify your Salesforce environment and protect sensitive information.
FAQs
What’s the difference between static code analysis and dynamic code analysis?
They might sound similar, but static code analysis and dynamic code analysis are quite different. Static code analysis reviews code as it’s written without executing it. Dynamic code analysis, however, executes the code and observes its behavior at runtime through testing or profiling. This provides more insights into performance issues but doesn’t offer the flexibility that developers generally prefer. Both methods complement each other when trying to heighten code quality and reliability but aren’t necessary to run alongside each other.
What types of issues can static code analysis tools detect in Salesforce code?
The exact ruleset that your static code analysis tool uses to flag errors will vary depending on the exact tool you use. CodeScan, for instance, checks code against more than 3,100 rules—800 of them specific to Salesforce. In general, these tools identify common programming errors such as syntax mistakes, uninitialized variables, and dead code. The goal is to ensure code correctness and maintainability. These tools can also be used to enforce adherence to coding standards and best practices specific to the Salesforce platform, including naming conventions, governor limits, and SOQL/SOSL query optimizations.
Why do I need to use a static code analysis tool in Salesforce DevOps?
The quality of the code that makes up your applications and updates has a direct impact on the functionality and security of the end product. Poor code creates poor products. To take that a step further, poor products can actually create data security vulnerabilities that threaten your system data, compliance status, and ability to perform basic functions. Static code analysis tools highlight coding issues the moment they are introduced to the coding repository so they can be immediately fixed before they have negative impacts on connected aspects of an update. These tools help organizations streamline development workflows, improve code reliability, and accelerate time-to-market for their Salesforce applications.
