After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
You found a solution that fits your needs. Awesome! Before you install the solution in your org, let’s learn about the types of packages you might install from AppExchange.
AppExchange solutions are installed in your org in packages, which are containers for apps, tabs, and objects. Packages come in two flavors: managed and unmanaged. The solution provider decides which package type to use to distribute the solution, which in turn influences how the solution behaves in your org. Let’s review the most important differences between package types.
Attribute | Managed Packages | Unmanaged Packages |
---|---|---|
Customization |
You can’t view or change the solution’s code or metadata. |
You can customize code and metadata, if desired. |
Upgrades |
The provider can automatically upgrade the solution. |
To receive an upgrade, you must uninstall the package from your org and then reinstall a new version from AppExchange. |
Org limits |
The contents of the package don’t count against the app, tab, and object limits in your org. |
The contents of the package count against the app, tab, and object limits in your org. |
If you’re interested in getting under the hood of a solution, look for an unmanaged package. Otherwise, a managed package probably suits your needs, because you can install it without worrying how it affects your org’s app, tab, and object limits. Plus, upgrades are painless. Now that we’ve reviewed the differences between package types, let’s look at how to approach the installation process.
In the Get Started with AppExchange unit, you saw how taking a little time to strategize greatly streamlines your search. Similarly, asking yourself a few questions before installation can help you zip through the process. So, before installing, ask:
In this unit, you practice installing a package into a Trailhead Playground. You need your login credentials for the installation, so the first step is to get your username and password. In this section, we show you how to find your playground username and reset your password. If you already know your playground login credentials (or if you use a Developer Edition org and know your DE credentials), you can skip this section.
Your next step is to connect your Trailhead Playground account to your Trailblazer.me account so you can install packages into your playground. Trailblazer.me gives you a single identity that you use to log in to AppExchange and other Salesforce-related sites. If you don't want to keep your playground account connected to Trailblazer.me, you can disconnect it after you complete the challenge at the end of this unit.
Use these steps to connect your production orgs, Developer Edition orgs, and Trailhead Playgrounds to your Trailblazer.me profile.
Remember those Ursa Major solar panels that do a little magic converting sunlight to energy? There’s a little magic in AppExchange, too. When you click the Get It Now button to install a package, the AppExchange Account Picker displays all of your Salesforce orgs that you:
Make a selection in the Connected Salesforce Accounts combo box to select which org to install the package into. Don’t see the account you want? Check that you connected the account to your Trailblazer.me profile, and have the Manage Billing permission.
Now you’re ready to install Salesforce Adoption Dashboards! Keep these three things in mind to make sure you’re installing the package in the right org, giving the right folks access, and have reviewed the documentation:
Ready, set, let’s install!
When the package finishes installing, your org displays the Installed Packages page in Setup. From here, you can view details for individual packages and perform administrative tasks, such as uninstallations. For now, you just want to see the Salesforce Adoption Dashboards’ functionality firsthand. Let’s do that.
The app includes three dashboards. The first focuses on user behavior, such as the number of logins by region or role. The second focuses on usage of key objects, such as the number of new account records created. The third focuses on sales and marketing data. User adoption data is at the top of your list of requirements, so let’s drill into the first dashboard.
Even without production data, you can see that the dashboard provides all the functionality you were looking for in your AppExchange strategy, such as who’s logging in most and least. There’s also data that could come in handy down the road, such as total logins and logins by role.
Because you did things like an AppExchange expert, nothing in the Salesforce Adoption Dashboards required building or configuration on your part. Instead, you can spend that time getting Ursa Major’s sales team to 100% adoption. Speaking of which, let’s see how that might unfold.
Click to return to the unit on Trailhead to access your challenge and proceed to the next step.