Metadata API Developer Guide

Getting Started
Understanding Metadata API
Metadata API Use Cases
Metadata API Developer Tools
Supported Salesforce Editions
Modify Metadata Through Metadata API Functions Permission
Development Platforms
Standards Compliance
Metadata API Support Policy
API End-of-Life
Related Resources
Quick Start
Build Client Applications for Metadata API
Using Metadata API
Reference
Appendices
Glossary
PDF

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Supported Salesforce Editions

To use Metadata API, your organization must use Enterprise Edition, Unlimited Edition, Performance Edition, or Developer Edition. If you’re an existing Salesforce customer and want to upgrade to Enterprise, Unlimited, or Performance Edition, contact your account representative.

We strongly recommend that you use a sandbox, which is an exact replica of your production organization. Enterprise, Unlimited, and Performance Editions come with free developer sandboxes. For more information, see http://www.salesforce.com/platform/cloud-infrastructure/sandbox.jsp.

Alternatively, you can use a Developer Edition (DE) org. A DE org provides access to all features that are available with Enterprise Edition, but is limited by the number of users and the amount of storage space. A DE org isn’t a copy of your production org/ It provides an environment where you can build and test your solutions without affecting your organization’s data. Developer Edition accounts are available for free at http://developer.salesforce.com/signup.

A metadata component must be visible in the org for Metadata API to act on it. Also, a user must have the API Enabled permission to have access to metadata components.

Note

Metadata API Access for Professional Edition

ISV partners can request Metadata API access to Professional Edition orgs for apps that have passed AppExchange Security Review. Access is granted through an API token (client ID). This special key enables the app to make Metadata API calls to customers’ Professional Edition orgs.

As an ISV partner, you can request Metadata API access by following these steps.

  1. Submit your app for security review. See Steps in the Security Review in the ISVForce Guide.
  2. After your app is approved, log a case in the Partner Community in AppExchange and Feature Requests | API Token Request, and specify SOAP for the type of token.

To make calls to the Metadata API, append the API token to the CallOptions SOAP header in your calls.