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A Complete Guide for Salesforce Metadata API

Content Index

Introduction
Understanding Salesforce Metadata API
Employing Managed and Unmanaged Packages
Valid Salesforce Metadata types
Invalid Salesforce Metadata types
Metadata Components and Types
Field Data Types
Enumeration Fields
Supported Calls
Things to Remember

Introduction

Many Salesforce developers and system administrators use Salesforce Metadata API to manage the modification and release process for complex organizations. This blog covers guide about Salesforce Metadata API, Salesforce metadata types, Salesforce metadata backup Salesforce metadata report, and export salesforce metadata to excel.

Understanding Metadata API

Salesforce Metadata API is used to assist developers in retrieving, creating, deploying, updating, or deleting the customized information. This can be such a thing that is done using custom object definitions and page layouts for the organizations. The Salesforce Metadata is meant to be used for management to make customizations and build tools to assist management at the mode of metadata.

The easiest and simplest way to access the functionality in Metadata API is to use the IDE of Force.com or Ant Migration Tool. To simplify the work with Metadata API, both tools are built on top of Metadata API and use Ant tools and Standard Eclipse respectively.

Metadata API enables you to access some entities and feature settings that you can customize in the user interface and manage the setup. Such as-

Migrate configuration changes between organizations
Export the customization in your organization as XML metadata files
Manage customizations in the organization programmatically
Modify existing customizations in the organization using XML metadata files

You can make changes in the metadata in test organizations on Developer Edition or sandbox, and then employ tested changes to production organizations on Enterprise, Unlimited, or Performance Editions. You can also create code snippets or scripts to populate a new organization with your custom objects, custom fields, and other components.

Employing Managed and Unmanaged Packages

Both managed and unmanaged packages can be employed with the Metadata API. The only difference comes in the process of working with unmanaged data. When you call for unmanaged packages, use of an asterisk (*) is prohibited in the package.xml file.

Thumb Rule: Asterisks work great for retrieving assets, but it’s better to not use them for deployments

Employing a managed package is also possible with metadata API, but the method is different. A metadata type named Installed Packages is used to do this. These are named after the namespaces of the currently installed packages. If you employ any one of them or even only one, then the managed package will be installed in the target organization. You will receive an email, just like somebody clicked “Get It Now” on the AppExchange. This is the only metadata type that sends out emails; and the only asset that must be deployed alone.

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With Great Power: The Metadata API solves very difficult problems.

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Valid Salesforce Metadata Types

Here is a detailed list of Salesforce Metadata types that can be used to prepare Salesforce metadata reports, salesforce metadata backup, and export salesforce metadata to excel.

Account Settings
AccountRelationshipShareRule
ActionLinkGroupTemplate
AnalyticSnapshot
ArticleType
ApexClass
ApexComponent
ApexPage
ApexTestSuite
ApexTrigger
AppMenu
ApprovalProcess
AssignmentRules
Audience
AuraDefinitionBundle
AuthProvider
AutoResponseRules
Bot
BotVersion
BrandingSet
CallCenter
CampaignInfluenceModel
CaseSubjectParticle
Certificate
ChatterExtension
CleanDataService
CMSConnectSource
Community (Zone)
CommunityTemplateDefinition
CommunityThemeDefinition
ConnectedApp
content assets
CorsWhitelistOrigin
CspTrustedSite
CustomApplication
CustomApplicationComponent
CustomFeedFilter
CustomHelpMenuSection
CustomLabels
Custom Metadata Types (CustomObject)
CustomObject
CustomObjectTranslation
CustomPageWebLink
CustomPermission
custom site
CustomTab
CustomValue
Dashboard
DataCategoryGroup
DelegateGroup
Document
DuplicateRule
EclairGeoData
EmailServicesFunction
EmailTemplate
EmbeddedServiceBranding
EmbeddedServiceConfig
EmbeddedServiceFieldService
EmbeddedServiceFlowConfig
EmbeddedServiceLiveAgent
EntitlementProcess
EntitlementTemplate
EscalationRules
EventDelivery
EventSubscription
ExternalDataSource
ExternalServiceRegistration
FeatureParameterBoolean
FeatureParameterDate
FeatureParameterInteger
FlexiPage
Flow
FlowCategory
FlowDefinition
Folder
GlobalPicklist
GlobalPicklistValue
GlobalValueSet
GlobalValueSetTranslation
Group
HomePageComponent
HomePageLayout
InstalledPackage
KeywordList
Layout
Letterhead
LightningBolt
LightningComponentBundle
LightningExperienceTheme
LiveChatAgentConfig
LiveChatButton
LiveChatDeployment
LiveChatSensitiveDataRule
ManagedTopics
MatchingRule
Metadata
MetadataWithContent
MilestoneType
MlDomain (Beta)
ModerationRule
NamedCredential
Network
NetworkBranding
Package
PathAssistant
PermissionSet
PermissionSetGroup (Pilot)
PlatformCachePartition
PlatformEventChannel
Portal
PostTemplate
PresenceDeclineReason
PresenceUserConfig
Profile
ProfileActionOverride
ProfilePasswordPolicy
Queue
QueueRoutingConfig
QuickAction
RecommendationStrategy
RecordActionDeployment
RemoteSiteSetting
Report
ReportType
Role
RoleOrTerritory
SamlSsoConfig
Scontrol
ServiceChannel
ServicePresenceStatus
Settings
SharedTo
SharingBaseRule
SharingRules
SharingSet
SiteDotCom
Skill
StandardValueSet
StandardValueSetTranslation
StaticResource
SynonymDictionary
Territory
Territory2
Territory2Model
Territory2Rule
Territory2Type
TopicsForObjects
TransactionSecurityPolicy
Translations
UserCriteria
WaveApplication
WaveDataflow
WaveDashboard
WaveDataset
WaveLens
WaveTemplateBundle
WaveXmd
Workflow

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Invalid Salesforce Metadata Types

There are some things that you can customize in a Salesforce org but are not available or invalid in the Metadata API. The following components can’t be retrieved or deployed with Metadata API, and changes to them must be made manually in each of your organizations.

Here is a detailed list of invalid Salesforce Metadata types that can be used to prepare Salesforce metadata report, salesforce metadata backup, and export salesforce metadata to excel.

Account Teams
Activity Button Overrides
Analytic Settings
Automated Case User Settings
Auto-number on Customizable Standard Fields
Calendars
Campaign Influences
Case Contact Roles
Case Feed Layouts
Case Team Roles
Console Layouts
Multiline layout fields for contract line items
Currency Exchange Rates
Data Category Visibility Settings
Delegated Administration
Divisions
Fiscal Year
File Upload and Download Security Settings
Lead Settings
Live Agent chats routed with Omni-Channel
Mail Merge Templates
Mobile Administration
Mobile Users and Devices
Multiline layout fields for opportunity teams
Offline Briefcase Configurations
Opportunity Big Deal Alerts
Opportunity Update Reminders
Organization-Wide Email Addresses
Outlook Configurations
Partner Management
Predefined Case Teams
Product Schedule Setup
Quote Templates
Salesforce to Salesforce
Self-Service Portal Font and Colors
Self-Service Portal Settings
Self-Service Portal Users
Self-Service Public Solutions
Self-Service Web-to-Case
Service report templates
com
Social Account/Contact Settings
Social Business Rules
Social Customer Service Settings
SoftPhone Layout
Solution Categories
Solution Settings
Standard fields that aren’t customizable, such as auto number fields or system fields
Tag Settings
Territory Assignment Rules
User Interface Settings (except calendar features, which are supported in ActivitiesSettings)
Web Links on Person Account Page Layouts
Web-to-Lead

Metadata Components and Types

Metadata components are based on metadata types, such as ApexClass and CustomObject, which extend Metadata which is the base class of metadata types. A component is an instance of a metadata type.

For instance, CustomObject which is a metadata type for custom objects, and MyCustomObject_c component is an instance of a custom object. A metadata type can be identified in the metadata WSDL as any complexType that extends the Metadata complexType. A complexType that is a metadata type includes the following element in its WSDL definition:

<xsd:extension base="in:Metadata">

Field Data Types

Each component field has a specific field type. These field types can correspond to other components defined in the WSDL, or primitive data types, like string, that are commonly used in strongly typed programming languages.

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These field data types are used in the SOAP messages that are exchanged between your client application and the API. When writing your client application, follow the data typing rules defined for your programming language and development environment. Your development tool handles the mapping of typed data in your programming language with these SOAP data types.

For more information about primitive data types, see the SOAP API Developer Guide.

Enumeration Fields

Some component fields have a data type that is an enumeration. An enumeration is the API equivalent of a picklist. The valid values of the field are restricted to a strict set of possible values, all having the same data type. These values are listed in the field description column for each enumeration field. See sortBy for an example of an enumeration field of type string. The XML below shows a sample definition of an enumeration of type string in the WSDL.


<xsd:simpleType name="DashboardComponentFilter">

    <xsd:restriction base="xsd:string">

        <xsd:enumeration value="RowLabelAscending"/>

        <xsd:enumeration value="RowLabelDescending"/>

        <xsd:enumeration value="RowValueAscending"/>

        <xsd:enumeration value="RowValueDescending"/>

    </xsd:restriction>

</xsd:simpleType>

Supported Calls

All of the metadata types are supported by the main calls, unless it is stated otherwise in the individual component sections. The main Metadata API calls are:

CRUD calls, such as createMetadata()and deleteMetadata()
File-based calls, such as deploy()and retrieve()
Utility calls, such as listMetadata()and describeMetadata()

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Things to Remember

Salesforce Metadata types are case-sensitive. Specifying a type name with an invalid case results in a deployment error.
Salesforce Metadata types don’t always correspond directly to their related data types. In some cases, the information is accessible but not as organized as expected. For example, dependent picklists are exposed as a type of picklist, not a separate metadata type.
The wildcard character doesn’t apply to metadata types for feature settings, like Account Settings. The wildcard applies only when retrieving all settings and not an individual setting.
The list of Salesforce metadata types is just the endless that can be used to prepare Salesforce metadata report, salesforce metadata backup, and export salesforce metadata to excel.

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