Salesforce CRM System Architecture
A Salesforce CRM System Architecture is a software architecture that supports the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) functionality provided by Salesforce.
- Context:
- It can (typically) be a Multi-Tenant System Architecture.
- It is (often) characterized by its multitenant, metadata-driven architecture that enables high customization, scalability, and integration capabilities for business operations.
- It can (typically) utilize a multitenant cloud environment, where multiple customers share common technology and all run on the latest release.
- It can (often) be powered by metadata, allowing users to customize their Salesforce org without changing the underlying code.
- It can (often) include robust APIs for development, enabling integration with other systems and applications.
- It can support various transactions and database operations within defined governor and execution limits to ensure the shared resources are not monopolized.
- Example(s):
- Counter-Example(s):
- See: Multitenancy, Metadata, API, Cloud Computing, Cloud-bsed CRM, CRM, Microsft Dynamics Architecture, Software as a Service (SaaS).
References
2024a
- (Trailhead Salesforce & Kantaloupe, 2024) ⇒ Salesforce Trailhead, and Kantaloupe. (2024). “Understanding the Salesforce Architecture.” In: Salesforce Trailhead & Kantaloupe Website, [1], [2].
- It provides an in-depth look at the key components of Salesforce CRM System Architecture, including its cloud-based, multitenant nature, focus on metadata, and comprehensive API offerings for integration.
2024b
- (ChatGPT-OpenAI, 2024) ⇒ Prompt: Summarize the concept Salesforce CRM System Architecture in 1- 2 paragraphs. ChatGPT (model:gpt-4-turbo-preview). Retrieved: 2024-02-11.
- QUOTE: The Salesforce CRM System Architecture is a sophisticated framework designed to support, manage, and enhance customer relationships for businesses of all sizes. At its core, Salesforce leverages a multi-tenant architecture, which means multiple customers share common technology and all run on the latest version. This approach allows for scalability, reliability, and efficiency, as resources are optimized across the board. Central to its architecture are the robust layers that handle different aspects of the CRM process, including the database layer for storage, the application layer for managing business logic, and the interface layer that ensures a seamless user experience across devices and platforms.
A key feature of the Salesforce architecture is its extensive use of cloud computing, which allows for the delivery of services over the internet, offering flexibility and accessibility to users anywhere, anytime. Salesforce divides its services broadly into different clouds, such as the Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, etc., each tailored to different aspects of the customer relationship lifecycle. Embedded within Salesforce's architecture is a powerful set of tools for development, customization, and integration, such as Apex (a programming language for building software on the Salesforce platform), Visualforce (a framework for customizing the user interface), and various APIs for integrating external applications. This allows businesses not only to use Salesforce for CRM but also to customize and extend its functionality to suit their specific needs, making it a highly adaptable and scalable solution for managing customer relationships.
- QUOTE: The Salesforce CRM System Architecture is a sophisticated framework designed to support, manage, and enhance customer relationships for businesses of all sizes. At its core, Salesforce leverages a multi-tenant architecture, which means multiple customers share common technology and all run on the latest version. This approach allows for scalability, reliability, and efficiency, as resources are optimized across the board. Central to its architecture are the robust layers that handle different aspects of the CRM process, including the database layer for storage, the application layer for managing business logic, and the interface layer that ensures a seamless user experience across devices and platforms.
2023a
- (Salesforce Architects, 2023) ⇒ Salesforce Architects. (2023). “Architecture Basics.” In: Salesforce Architects, [3].
- It describes the foundational concepts of Salesforce architecture, emphasizing the importance of transactions, the distinction between metadata and data, and the role of platform APIs.
2023b
- Bard
- A Salesforce CRM system architecture is a software system architecture for Salesforce CRM. It is typically a multi-tenant system architecture, which means that multiple organizations share the same underlying infrastructure. This type of architecture can be beneficial for organizations of all sizes, as it can help to reduce costs and improve security.
- The Salesforce CRM system architecture consists of the following layers:
- Presentation layer: This layer is responsible for displaying data to users and collecting user input. It includes the Salesforce user interface and any custom applications that have been developed.
- Application layer: This layer is responsible for processing user input and storing data. It includes the Salesforce database and any custom code that has been developed.
- Infrastructure layer: This layer provides the underlying infrastructure for the Salesforce CRM system. It includes the servers, storage, and networking resources that are needed to run the system.
2023c
- chat
- Salesforce, a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform, uses a multi-tenant architecture pattern to provide its services. This architecture allows multiple customers (or tenants) to share the same application and infrastructure resources while keeping their data separate and secure.
- Key components of the Salesforce multi-tenant architecture pattern include:
- Metadata-driven development: Salesforce stores the customizations and configurations for each tenant as metadata. This approach enables rapid application development, as developers can build and modify applications through configuration changes rather than modifying the underlying code.
- Shared infrastructure: Salesforce hosts all customers on a shared infrastructure. This shared environment provides economies of scale and allows for easy scalability and maintenance. Salesforce also ensures data security and isolation by separating each tenant's data using unique identifiers.
- Elastic computing: Salesforce automatically adjusts the resources allocated to each tenant based on their usage, ensuring optimal performance for all users. This elastic computing approach helps maintain high levels of service even during peak demand periods.
- Application Services: Salesforce offers a range of application services, including Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and more. These services are built on top of the shared infrastructure and are designed to be easily customizable and extensible using the Salesforce platform.
- Salesforce Platform: The Salesforce Platform is a set of tools and services that enable developers to build, extend, and integrate applications on the Salesforce multi-tenant architecture. Key features include the Lightning Platform, Apex (a proprietary programming language), Visualforce (a markup language for creating custom user interfaces), and APIs for integration with external systems.
- Trust and Security: Salesforce places a strong emphasis on trust and security in its multi-tenant architecture. The platform includes robust security features such as data encryption, user authentication, access controls, and compliance certifications to ensure the safety of customer data.
- Overall, the Salesforce multi-tenant architecture pattern is designed to offer a scalable, secure, and customizable CRM solution that can be easily adapted to meet the unique needs of each customer.
2021
- https://architect.salesforce.com/fundamentals/platform-multitenant-architecture
- QUOTE:
- The Salesforce Platform’s software architecture is:
- Multitenant — It isolates and concurrently supports the varying requirements of many tenants (organizations, business units, and so on).
- Metadata-driven — It lets every tenant easily and quickly customize their apps and user experiences using metadata, data that describes elements such as the user interface (UI) and business logic.
- When you create a new application object or write some code using the Salesforce Platform, the platform does not create an actual table in a database or compile any code. Instead, the platform simply stores some metadata that the it can then use at runtime to dynamically materialize virtual application components. The platform ensures that every tenant’s metadata is private and easy to update without any locking or downtime required so that every tenant can build and customize apps in isolation. The Salesforce Platform uses the same metadata to provide custom APIs, RESTful and web services (SOAP-based) interfaces you can use to integrate your applications with other applications and automated processes.