MAJOR RELEASE
We've been hard at work adding FormulaShare features, improvements and fixes. We're really excited about the changes which offer more flexibility and help to move away from code altogether!
What do I need to know?
The Spring release includes new enhancements, but has no expected impact to your existing functionality. You'll be pleased to know no changes are needed unless you'd like to adopt some of the exciting new features.
Spring '24 changes were rolled out to sandboxes and production environments using supported versions of FormulaShare between March and May 2024.
Feature enhancements
There are some big enhancements we think make setup and management of sharing easier than ever...
Call FormulaShare from Flows
Available with: Unlimited, Enterprise and Lite
FormulaShare rules can now be called directly from a record-triggered flow, meaning it's easier than ever to assess rules in real time as records are being inserted, updated and deleted.
A record-triggered flow template is included, which you can clone and use with any shared object in just a few clicks. With a record-triggered flow, rules will be applied and records shared in real time with no need for development or trigger code.
With this approach, FormulaShare will detect which sharing changes might be needed based on the current and previous values of records processed by the flow.
Flows are quick and easy to set up and don't require any specialist apex knowledge. Whilst there's no disadvantage to the approach of using apex triggers we've supported until now, we think flows are an easier way to get up and running for any new requirements.
For more info about how this works, check the help article.
Assess Sharing on Demand
Available with: Unlimited, Enterprise and Lite
We've opened up options to submit records for FormulaShare assessment on demand, which can be used to keep sharing up to date when out of the box options don't cover everything.
Previously this has been possible only through batch calculations and apex triggers. These still cover the bases for most implementations, but we've now added the option to pass records to FormulaShare directly from apex, or by using an action in a flow. For orgs with specific requirements around where and how FormulaShare runs this allows complete control - reassess sharing during a screen flow, from a button on a record page, from your own batch job, asynchronously after record changes and anywhere else you can think of!
Our help article includes full details on options and considerations.
Share to Users, Roles and Groups on Custom Metadata Records
Available with: Unlimited, Enterprise and Lite
Custom metadata records can now be used to specify names or identifiers of everyone who should be granted sharing.
Custom metadata types can be referenced in a similar way to cross-object sharing - all that's needed is a field on the shared object (or a related object) where values match those on a field from the custom metadata record. Full details are provided on the custom metadata rules help article.
This means there's no longer a need to have the roles or groups indicated explicitly on records themselves. In a global org for example, a single custom metadata record per country could include names of all of the roles and public groups which need access to that country's records. The records to be shared just need to include a text field with the name of the country, or have a relationship with a record which has this field set. This makes managing changes to role or group names, or adding new sharing much easier, and keeps the data model tidier by avoiding the need for additional fields just for sharing.
Smaller Changes and Fixes
This release also includes minor fixes for user interface, application of sharing for external users, updates to out of the box reports and dashboards and more. If there's anything you'd like to check specifically in relation to fixes, or if any issues with current functionality don't hesitate to reach us at formulashare@cloudsundial.com