It’s a good idea to actually read the release notes to get a look at the new features and enhancements that Salesforce introduces quarterly. These features often will literally change our lives and Salesforce goes to a lot of trouble to thoroughly document changes and upgrades. You may read the somewhat daunting 500 page Release Notes for details on everything. Or you may find synopses in blogs and even some put out by Salesforce, including their Release Readiness videos with webinars demonstrating new features. We don’t need to tell you that you’d better tune into this info. First, to get the most out of your org, and second, so you’re not caught off guard when your favorite object or function gets a new name or goes away and you didn’t know!
With the rollout of Lightning, you need to pay especially close attention. In the release information for Winter 17, it seems like Salesforce is telling us that the Lightning Interface is mostly ready for prime time. Setup tools are almost as useful in Lightning as we found them in Classic. And, of course, the setup for new Lightning functionality is more user friendly and sometimes harkening back to Classic. For instance, the vertical tab interface that we find in Salesforce1, is now back to a horizontal tab view on your desktop. Our Classic App dropdown menu, now expands to the App-Exchange looking App Launcher—still with the ability to see all of your objects on one page.
Take a look at this easy-to-read Lightning Experience Features in this Release. Our favorites: Account logos automatically added to account records. Pretty cool. Relating Contacts to Multiple Accounts. A solid idea. Track and Manage Leads, Contracts, and Campaigns using the same Kanban-style visual tool they use for opportunities. Love visual tools! Lightning App Builder is so grown up; it’s the place to visit to get happy with Lightning. If we’re truly going to be living in Lightning soon, we must tune-in, complete Lightning Trailheads and get ready. And these release notes are the harbinger of the truth that Lightning is coming, ready or not, and is the future.