The simplicity and effectiveness of the DevOps model is predicated on being able to quickly move changes between Salesforce and version control, including via automated continuous integration jobs. Picking the right deployment tool, with a balance of functionality and ease of use, is crucial to realizing the key benefits of version-controlled deployments.
A great tool will have features which enable all members of the team to work more effectively.
For developers
Compare repositories and orgs to see the line-level XML differences
Granular deployment control to manage exactly what is committed to source control
Ability to save and share changes with other developers prior to release
Automatic package creation and dependency analysis, including for destructive changes, to remove manual steps and speed up testing and deployments
Commit changes to branches directly through the tool
Ability to trigger CI jobs off commits to version control
Automated org test execution / regression testing to proactively find and fix test failures across all environments before they become blockers at deployment time
Unlimited connections to orgs and no packages to install for easy setup and maintenance across multiple development environments
Static code analysis for monitoring code quality
For admins and release managers
Quickly visualize what’s different between orgs with change highlighting
Commit changes to version control from within the tool, without having to learn the intricacies of the version control system or command line
Metadata dependency analysis to simplify and speed up the creation of valid deployments, with ability to work around common deployment blockers
Automatic change tracking and alerting for multiple orgs to track hotfixes proactively
Shared history and status of CI jobs and deployments across the team
Deployment rollback in case of accidental changes to orgs
For team leads and architects
Dashboard view of the status of all Salesforce environments and tests
Detailed reporting and full audit trail of activity for every deployment
Effective team collaboration which enhances workflows without getting in the way
Easy to master, with little or no training required
Usable by all team members, regardless of experience in Salesforce or version control
Gearset was built for exactly these use cases. Our team created the app by building on decades of experience in DevOps for multiple development platforms.