The Picklist ☕️ Salesforce Well-Architected Set to Return, Community News, and Validating Data Models

SF Ben Salesforce Architect Survey Results 2025: Download Now!  

The results of our latest Salesforce Architect survey are here, and there is truly a whole host of insights and trends for you to explore. Some might even surprise you!

Architects now span multiple domains and work far beyond a single cloud or technical specialty, making their career insights particularly valuable. That’s why we surveyed over 600 Salesforce professionals across 47 countries and 18 industries with varying levels of experience, to get the clearest possible picture of the state of the market for this role at present.

It’s not just the expected statistics either; the results feature a deeper look into how Salesforce Architects navigate their careers and approach learning and specialization – both significant things to be aware of in the AI era.

Read the full survey results here. 

How to Unify Salesforce Data With Slack Conversations in Your Flow of Work

Although working in sales can be pretty competitive, and we won’t shy away from that, it only works if collaboration is a consistent priority. Now, Salesforce already supports multiple parts of the sales process (kind of in the name), but that doesn’t mean that the innovation stops there. In fact, the next step to unifying your data could lie closer than you think: in your Slack. 

Enter Salesforce Channels – one of the easiest ways to connect your Salesforce org to your Slack instance. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Get started with your Salesforce Admin. If you’re the admin, this one’s for you! Get that connection started, approve it, and follow the detailed steps in Slack to implement.

2. Link new or existing channels to records. On channel-enabled records with the Slack component, users can link an existing channel or create a new one with a single click to start collaborating instantly.

Slack now also has a whole host of new AI features for Pro, Business+ or Enterprise+ customers, so be sure to check that out too!

Check out the original post here.

A message from Elements Cloud

AI Agents are here, but building ones that work reliably in production is a different story.

In this SF Ben Fireside Chat, Ben McCarthy speaks with Jack Lavous and Xavery Lisinski from Elements.cloud about the real challenges of agent design and what it takes to scale them with confidence.

Watch Now

How to Review Salesforce Sandbox Changes With DX Inspector 

If you’ve ever struggled to keep track of what’s changed in your Salesforce sandbox, DX Inspector might just be your new favorite tool. It’s embedded into Salesforce, sitting in the top left of your sandboxes and scratch orgs, right there when you need it. 

DX Inspector displays changes made in your org, so that you can see any and all metadata changes at the build phase of your application lifecycle management process. Now that this functionality is available right in your flow of work, this not only simplifies how you keep track of the components but also streamline collaboration in real-time, right from the get-go.

Now that DX Inspector is generally available, reviewing changes in real time has never been easier, and getting started is just one blog post away!

Read the original post here. 

Top 7 Hottest Salesforce Skills for Summer 2025 

For many of us, summer is here, and it has been glorious, but that’s not the only reason things have been heating up out there. 

It’s no secret that the vast Salesforce landscape is changing right before our eyes, and the list of skills Salesforce professionals need to succeed in it feels like it’s getting longer and longer, with the goal posts constantly changing. How do you know which ones will get you ahead in your career? Which ones will make you more invaluable as AI continues to progress?

Here are three of these very top skills we recommend any Salesforce professional develop today:

1. Communication. Sounds trivial, but what separates us from AI? The human touch. As AI develops, soft skills will be more and more in demand.

2. Automation. Salesforce runs on automation – if you don’t understand its automation tools, you really should learn!

3. Salesforce Architecture. The push for Well-Architected to return wasn’t founded on nothing… and even if you consider yourself an expert, there’s always more to explore.

Find out what the remaining four are in the original post here. 

Has Agentforce Moved From Hype to Reality? 

It’s now been nearly a year since Agentforce was unveiled at Dreamforce 2024, and honestly, we can’t believe it. But this anniversary isn’t just a time of reflection – it’s also a time for evaluation. Has Agentforce achieved what Salesforce set out for it to do? Has it moved from hype to reality? 

It’s safe to say that Agentforce has been through one hell of a journey so far, going from version 1 to 3, working with two different pricing models, and continuously expanding its offering based on customer feedback. It’s been both praised and ridiculed, with critics and analysts alike watching closely to see where it either slips up or performs accordingly. 

But in terms of it escaping the hype cycle? I would argue that the foundational work is very much there, but there is still work to be done. There is no denying that it is generating value for businesses, but for many others, it is still a pipe dream – not a reality. 

Read the full post here.

SF Ben Deep Dives: Exploring Data Cloud Deployment in Detail

You asked us for more technical content, and we delivered. 

Welcome to the SF Ben Deep Dive Series, where we explore your favorite Salesforce clouds, products, tools, and features in high-level detail, leaving no stone unturned.

In this first episode, SF Ben Technical Director Peter Chittum sits down with Steve Simpson, the VP of Global Enablement & Learning at Copado, to chat all things Data Cloud, talking best practices, new updates, deployment, and more. Expect more episodes soon!

Watch the first one here.