Architectural Considerations for Group and Professional Editions

If you plan to sell your app to existing Salesforce customers, it’s important to understand the differences between these editions because they will affect the design of your app. It’s convenient to think about them in clusters, GE/PE and EE/UE/PXE, as the editions in each cluster have similar functionality. For example, you might only want to support EE/UE/PXE if your app requires certain objects and features that aren't available in GE/PE. Also, instead of a single solution that supports all editions, you can have a tiered offering. This would consist of a basic solution for GE/PE and an advanced one for EE/UE/PXE customers that takes advantage of the additional features.

EE/UE/PXE have the most robust functionality. They support Force.com platform licenses in addition to Salesforce CRM licenses. If your app doesn’t require Salesforce CRM features (such as Leads, Opportunities, Cases, etc.), Force.com platform licenses provide you with the most flexibility in deploying your app to users who might not normally be Salesforce users. Your app is still subject to the edition limits and packaging rules.

GE/PE don't contain all of the functionality that you can build in a Developer Edition (DE). Therefore, an application developed in your DE organization might not install in a GE/PE organization. If you’re designing an application to work specifically in GE/PE, you must be aware of how these editions differ.

There are a number of other considerations to keep in mind when deciding whether to support these editions. Force.com platform licenses cannot be provisioned in GE/PE organizations. This means that only existing Salesforce CRM users can use your app. There are some features that aren't available in GE/PE. There are several special permissions available to eligible partner apps that overcome these limitations.

See the following sections for available features, limits, and other design considerations.

• Features in Group and Professional Editions
• Limits for Group and Professional Editions
• Access Control in Group and Professional Editions
• Using Apex in Group and Professional Editions
• API Access in Group and Professional Editions
• Designing Your App to Support Multiple Editions
• Sample Design Scenarios