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Steven Van Elk

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The Miscarriage
Feb 27, 2023
The Miscarriage
Feb 27, 2023

“Steven. I’m late.” I could feel these whispered words echo in the hollow of my ear, reverberating with hope and a little fear.

Feb 27, 2023

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External Objects Aren’t Just for Integration—They’re a UX Superpower
Jul 10, 2025
External Objects Aren’t Just for Integration—They’re a UX Superpower
Jul 10, 2025

When people think of External Objects, they think data sync. But I’ve started using them to improve the user experience in Salesforce.

Examples:

  • Viewing external inventory or availability directly from a record page

  • Displaying past transaction history from a billing system

  • Creating read-only snapshots of data that doesn’t need to live inside the org

Jul 10, 2025
The Hidden Power of Permission Set Groups
Jun 10, 2025
The Hidden Power of Permission Set Groups
Jun 10, 2025

Permission Set Groups are one of the cleanest admin upgrades Salesforce has introduced—and I now use them to enforce structure and clarity across our org.

Instead of assigning a dozen permission sets individually, I:

  • Create logical groups like “Core Consultant Access” or “Service Manager Tools”

  • Add or remove permission sets centrally

  • Apply muting permissions when necessary (yes, you can subtract access too)

Jun 10, 2025
When to Use Platform Events vs Change Data Capture
May 10, 2025
When to Use Platform Events vs Change Data Capture
May 10, 2025

Both Platform Events and Change Data Capture (CDC) are great tools for loosely coupled integrations—but they serve different use cases.

How I decide:

  • Platform Events are best for intentional actions (e.g. “ReservationConfirmed”)

  • CDC is best for passive data sync (e.g. whenever a Contact is updated)

May 10, 2025

 

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