Overview
The Salesforce AppExchange is where companies list their Salesforce integration apps to extend Salesforce's functionality, offering additional tools that can complement your Practifi instance. This article outlines what the AppExchange is, how to access it, and considerations before downloading a listing from it. If you have any questions about an integration listing, please reach out to your CSM.
What Is the AppExchange?
The AppExchange is Salesforce's enterprise cloud marketplace that contains Apps, Lightning Components, Bolt Solutions, Lightning Data, Flow Solutions, and Consultants. Apps listed on the Salesforce AppExchange help extend Salesforce's functionality, and some integrate with your Practifi instance to pull information in from other products, such as Addepar, so your team can access that data without leaving Practifi. These integrations are built and supported by the product's team and listed on the AppExchange for downloading into your Salesforce environment. For more information about the Salesforce AppExchange, please consult this Salesforce website.
Accessing the AppExchange
AppExchange access is available for System Administrators through your Practifi instance. To access the AppExchange:
- Click the Setup cog
located in the upper right-hand corner and select Setup from the drop-down menu.
- Use the Quick Find search bar on the left side to search for "AppExchange."
- Click AppExchange Marketplace from the search results under the Apps section.
Once in the AppExchange, you can use the side drop-down in the pop-up to select Apps to filter to available apps. To view the full AppExchange website, click the AppExchange Website link in the pop-up's lower left-hand corner.
Integration Pricing
Apps listed on the AppExchange may be paid or free, with this information typically displayed on the AppExchange listing. Some integrations downloaded from the AppExchange may require a license for each user in your organization, regardless of whether they use the integration. Others will only require the licenses for the users who need access. Typically, the licensing requirements will also be reflected in the AppExchange listing.
Practifi has no control over the pricing for these integrations, as the integration provider and Salesforce set it. We recommend reaching out to that product team through your Account Manager or another contact you may have to get a clearer picture of pricing.
AppExchange Best Practices
This section will outline best practices for reviewing AppExchange listings and call out red flags that could prevent a successful integration. Before downloading an app from the AppExchange into your Practifi instance, we recommend testing it in a sandbox environment to confirm fit before it reaches your production environment. For assistance with setting up a sandbox environment, please contact our Support team. To view our list of preferred integration partners, please consult our website.
Demos
An AppExchange listing may include a video demo link, which can be extremely useful for gauging the integration's functionality before committing time to test it in your sandbox environment. This usually highlights the integration's main features and what the product may look like in the Salesforce environment. Depending on the integration, this visual display may differ when placed within your Practifi organization.
Release Note Information
The release note information on an AppExchange listing helps determine whether the integration is being actively developed and improved, or was created once and not touched again by its development team. Listings with recent release information typically reflect recent improvements or fixes, signaling an actively maintained integration. Their release notes can give you an idea of the improvements and features available for the integration.
If a listing does not have a recent release noted, it may still be active. Still, we recommend contacting their team to confirm it remains an active, supported integration with Salesforce.
Notes
Typically, an AppExchange listing includes a Notes section. This section provides an overview of the integration's key features and any limitations. We recommend checking this section of the listing to ensure the integration is compatible with your license type and Salesforce Lightning.
Data Sheets and Customization Guides
The Data Sheets and Customization Guides section of an AppExchange listing typically contains documents that help your team understand what the integration can do and how to enable it in your Salesforce instance. Reviewing these before downloading the app into your sandbox environment can save your team time during setup.
Please note: If the integration isn't a preferred partner integration of Practifi, you may not find a Knowledge Base article in Practifi Success. Your team will be responsible for working with that product and their team to enable and support the integration.
Reviews
The Reviews section on the AppExchange listing explains how others have used this tool and whether the integration was effective. Occasionally, integrations on the AppExchange may offer less functionality than the full product, and reviews are a great way to gauge this before your firm commits to downloading it into your sandbox environment. These reviews may also reflect how their product team supports the integration, as well as any pain points or successes users have encountered when using it.
Object Limitations
When reading through an AppExchange listing, be cautious of apps that list using the Leads or Opportunities objects. If the integration is tied to these specific objects, we will not import that content into your Practifi instance due to Salesforce Partner restrictions.
Depending on the integration, we may be able to update the objects it's connected to, but this is not always the case. If you see a listing mentioning these objects, please reach out to your CSM for guidance on your options and whether this integration is the best option for your firm.
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