License requirements:
During the pilot phase, Org Explorer will be available for all Starter, Teams or Enterprise license tiers. Users holding only Platform license(s) will also be able to use the feature.
Feature overview
Gearset empowers Salesforce admins to build the right thing, regardless of experience. Org Explorer enables Gearset users to to up-skill themselves on their own org knowledge. It can also help teams de-risk their build processes by getting detailed insights into the org structure.
Its functionality is similar to the one of org monitoring jobs, as in essence the Org Explorer monitors all the changes that happen within the org - details of which are displayed in Gearset.
We're confident that Org Explorer will remove, or significantly reduce, the pain many Salesforce professionals experience when they don't feel like they understand their org's structure!
Gearset's Org Explorer is a tool that will allow Gearset users to:
Understand the metadata and permissions structure in the org
Check when, how and by whom changes were made in the org
Enable your org for Org Explorer availability
When you first navigate to the Org explorer page in Gearset, you'll see a list of Salesforce orgs under REQUIRES SET UP.
These are the orgs you can enrol for the Org Explorer. Select your org, and then click on Run set up.
The entire setup may take up to 20 minutes. You can safely close the page or navigate to a different page within the app while the setup process completes on the background.
After the org is set up, Gearset will refresh the metadata daily so you will have the up-to-date view of the org.
What determines which orgs I see as available for Org Explorer setup?
Below table shows what permissions Gearset users need in order to see their or another team members' orgs on the Org Explorer page either under "Enabled" or "Requires set up" dropdown options.
Org(s) status for Org Explorer setup | User-owned orgs | Team-shared orgs |
Already "Enabled" | Visible to the owner of the org connection. | Team Owners on the Gearset team can view all team-shared org connections. |
Still "Requires set up" | Gearset will display only the org connections that user owns. | Orgs are visible only to Team Owners. |
Navigating through Org Explorer
When you view one of the enabled orgs, the main screen will show a preview of all of the metadata items in the org.
The "Search" function at the top allows you to quickly find specific metadata items. The default preview is sorted by Changed on > Sort Descending, which will highlight the most recent changes and activities made in the org.
Below example shows how you can easily filter items by metadata types, or "Changed by" option, as well as ascending or descending order.
Exporting filtered selections
Org Explorer allows you to first apply filters to display the metadata items you want to see, and then to export these results as a CSV or Excel files.
For example, below we're exporting only the Email template items created by user Mat Koc, based on the filter search used.
You can also use "Copy to clipboard" option to copy all the retrieved item details, allowing you to paste them wherever you like.
Preview snapshot history
Click on three parenthesis icon
to view additional options:
View Org Explorer snapshot history
Currently, this only displays at what point in time there were differences detected in the org.
Remove org from Org Explorer
Deletes the org from Org Explorer. If an org is removed, you must re-run the entire setup to re-enable the org's Explorer.
Share org with Gearset support
To help us troubleshoot any issues, there's a convenient way to share your Org Explorer results with us (just like you do with metadata comparisons).
Below video shows how you can easily view the shapshot history of your org within Org Explorer. This helps you identify at what point in time we've detected changes made within your org.
Inspect individual metadata items
When you search for individual metadata items, you can click on them to preview more details.
In the bottom left, you get some standard information about items, such as the metadata type they belong to, when (date and time) and by whom (Salesforce user name) the item was created as well as the date it was last changed by and whom.
We're also displaying info on when the item was cached by Gearset last time we scanned this item in the org, meaning when the information is up to date from).
In the Dependencies tab, Gearset will show you a dependency view with a breakdown of below tabs:
Parent - the top level object that your item belong to (e.g. Custom object).
Child - if the metadata item you're viewing is a top level component (e.g. Custom object), this shows all child items which are sub-components (e.g. Custom fields).
Referenced by - these are all the metadata items that the item you're viewing is referenced by.
References - all the other items that the item you're viewing references.
In here, you can also filter your results and download them in either a CSV or Excel file.
Visualizer tab allows you to preview the XML structure of the metadata. Some other metadata types can be previewed in formats that are customised for them (e.g. Apex classes in the Apex format).
Share your Org Explorer view with team members
Gearset allows you to use the "Copy Org Explorer Link" option to share the URL of your org's preview with other members on your Gearset team.
Team members must be a part of your Gearset team, and must be logged into their accounts to open the link.
Note: Only team members with minimum "Comparison" access level to your org can access the shared URL link.
If users have "None" permission to the org, you'd need to adjust this permission on Delegate org access page (for user-owned org connections).
AI generated metadata descriptions
Note: To use the AI description feature in Org Explorer, make sure to enable "AI features for metadata" on your Feature access page.
Document your org's items with AI-generated metadata descriptions!
In addition to displaying descriptions of items found in your Salesforce org, you can also use AI to generate descriptions for your metadata items.
Note that these descriptions will be shown only within Gearset, and they will not be updated directly in your org.
FAQs
Can clearing cookies / cache while enabling an org for Org Explorer cause any issues?
Can clearing cookies / cache while enabling an org for Org Explorer cause any issues?
The enrolment of the org happens on Gearset servers, so clearing cookies or cache (should it be required) won't affect the process.
However, it may slow down the enrolment process of the org, so it isn't recommended. This is because a lot of the data is cached at the front end once we fetch it. Gearset doesn't necessarily fetch it again, and clearing cookies/cache would reset it.
What happens after I've removed the org from Org Explorer? Can I restore it back to the previous state?
What happens after I've removed the org from Org Explorer? Can I restore it back to the previous state?
No, you'd need to re-run the entire enablement process from the start, like with any new org you connect for Org Explorer.
Can I share a URL link of my org with a member of a different Gearset team (e.g. a different company)?
Can I share a URL link of my org with a member of a different Gearset team (e.g. a different company)?
No, this is not possible. The URL can only be accessed by another member from the same Gearset team. The workaround is to invite the person with whom you want to share the link to join your Gearset team.
Feedback
Why is Org Explorer in Pilot?
At Gearset, we work closely with our customers to make sure our products solve real problems effectively. Being in pilot means that for now Org Explorer is free, but may be paid for in the future.
By giving everyone access we can maximise feedback and accelerate development.
If you would like to give feedback, or would like to have a demo of upcoming features, please book a call via this Calendly link.