Force.com Platform Fundamentals

Preface
Introducing the Force.com Platform
Introducing the Force.com Platform
The Basics of an App's User Interface
The Benefits of a Force.com App
Data-Centric Apps
Collaborative Apps
The Technologies Behind a Force.com Platform App
About the Sample Recruiting App
Reviewing Database Concepts
Building a Simple App
Enhancing the Simple App with Advanced Fields, Data Validation, and Page Layouts
Expanding the Simple App Using Relationships
Securing and Sharing Data
Collaborating with Chatter
Using Custom Workflow and Approval Processes
Analyzing Data with Reports and Dashboards
Moving Beyond Point-and-Click App Development
Learning More
Glossary
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Collaborative Apps

Because the platform can be accessed by multiple users at the same time, it allows you to write apps that are collaborative. A collaborative app is an application with data and services that are shared by multiple users in different locations. Unlike more traditional forms of software that are installed on a single machine and are hard to access from a distance, collaborative apps on the platform can be accessed from anywhere in the world with only a Web browser. This makes it easy for teams to work together on activities like selling a product, managing a project, or hiring an employee.

In addition to easy access over a Web browser, a number of built-in platform features also facilitate productive group collaboration:
  • Use the platform's security and sharing model to finely control a user's access to different data.
  • Use workflow rules to automatically assign tasks, update data, or send e-mail alerts when certain business events occur, such as the creation of a new record or a change in the value of a record field.
  • Use approval processes to set up a sequence of steps necessary for a record to be approved, including who must approve it at each step.

Collectively, these features provide a framework for sharing apps across groups, divisions, and entire corporations without relinquishing administrative control over sensitive data.