Package Items
Platform elements that are included in a Package are known as package items.
This page details when items are included in the package, when they are installed in the target system, and when old items that have been removed from the source system are deleted from the target system, as well.
The information provided here is the foundation for the companion article: Choosing a Deployment Strategy for Development Systems
Standard Dependencies
When an item is selected for packaging, dependent elements are automatically included. Items that are related, but upon which the selected item does not actually depend are excluded by default--although they can generally be selected manually, if desired.
Platform Element Dependent Elements - Application
- Includes Application settings
- Includes all Custom Objects used in the application, along with their dependencies (see below)
- Includes all Global Picklists referenced by a field in an included object
- Includes all Classes that are referenced by a Business Rule or Macro
- Includes Dashboards that are visible to all, a Role, or a Team. (Does not include private dashboards.)
- Includes all Pages used in Dashboards, Web Tabs, and Sites, as well as all Pages invoked by an Action Button
- Includes all Reports that are attached to an included dashboard. (Does not include other reports. They can be selected separately.)
- Includes all Roles used in the application
- Includes all Sites defined in the application
- Includes role-based Tab Preferences for objects
- Includes all Team definitions that are referenced in a Business Rule, Process, or Macro
- Includes role-based View Preferences for objects
- Includes all Web Services that are used in a Process, an External Lookup, an External Data Source, or a Business Rule
- Includes all Web Tabs defined in the application
- Includes all object settings and object relationships, including Record Locators
- Includes all objects that are the target of a Lookup
Note:- Does not automatically include objects that have a Lookup to the current object.
- If such Related Objects are not included in the package, any Related Information sections defined in object forms are automatically removed.
- Includes all objects that are encompassed by a Rollup Summary Field
- Includes Business Rules
- Includes Document Templates
- Includes External Data Source definitions
- Includes Forms, Layout Rules, Form Scripts, and Custom Form Actions
- Includes Fields and Field Scripts
- Includes Indexes
- Includes Macros
- Includes Processes
- Includes Validations
- Includes Web Forms
- Excludes Reports
Reports can be individually selected. Reports on an object are not automatically included. - Excludes data
Data is not included automatically. Java code can be written to create Package Data classes that add selected records during packaging, and that take the records out when the package is installed.
- Object data and other data (Package Data)
- Classes (includes
user-created classes)
- The Business Hours Calendar used in processes.
(An installed calendar is never overwritten, so installers are free to modify the calendar to suit their purposes.) - Teams and Roles used in Process tasks
- Sites
- Includes Pages
- Includes Teams and Roles involved
- Includes Child Teams if the Include Child Teams option is selected for that team
- Includes localized labels and items
- Web Tabs
Special Dependencies
When the following elements are added to a package, the listed items are added as dependencies:
- Team Data Sharing Policies
- Roles and Teams included as dependencies
- If the Include Child Teams checkbox is enabled, the child teams of the selected teams in the Data Sharing Policy are added as dependencies
- Objects in a Master-Detail relationship
Note:
The "Master-Detail relationship" option on a Lookup field has been deprecated. This section is provided for legacy objects that have a Lookup field for which that option has been selected.
Learn more: Master-Detail relationships
- If a Detail object is added to a Package, the Master object is added (automatically) as a dependent object
- If a Master object is added to a Package and if that Master object includes any Rollup Summary Fields, then the Detail object is added (automatically) as a dependent object
- When a Tenant installs a Package, the Rollup Summary Fields limit defined in Manage Tenant Capabilities is honored
- If the limit is exceeded, the installation process will stop and cannot proceed
- In order to complete the installation, delete existing Rollup Summary Fields to reduce the total number to within the defined limit
- After packaging, do not add or remove any Master-Detail relationships; doing so may cause unexpected results and/or loss of data
Items that are Never Packaged
These platform elements are never added to a package. Customizations made by the subscriber remain intact.
- Access Profiles
- Knowledge Base articles
- Knowledge Base categories
- SLAs
How Package Items are Applied
The principles that follow summarize the behavior of package items at installation time. Detailed tables list the behavior for individual items, following the summary.
Principles
- New items in the Package are added to the subscriber's system, while items with the same ID are replaced, or updated.
- Note:
- All aspects of an object (fields and forms, validations, and so on) are given a Globally Unique ID or GUID. Those IDs are preserved when the package is installed, which allows existing items to be replaced while new items are added. (When the overwrite option is chosen, items on the target system that do not have a matching GUID in the package are deleted.)
- If the subscriber created a new platform element with the same name as an item included in the package, the subscriber gets an error. (The error occurs immediately after they select the package. Installation is not allowed to proceed.)
- With few exceptions, modified items in the Package replace the versions that came from a previous Package.
The exceptions are:
- Global Picklists -- Subscribers are expected to have added items and modified labels, so they are left intact.
- Email Templates -- Subscribers are expected to have customized email templates with their return address, signature text, and possibly logo images, so they are left intact.
- Roles -- During installation, the subscriber has the option of merging or overwriting roles that are included in the package.
-
Note: Items that were added to the target system are never deleted. Items are deleted only when: (1) They were previously installed from the source system, (2) They were subsequently removed from that system, and (3) The Overwrite Previous Package option was chosen when the package was created.
Object Aspects
This table describes the behavior of individual Object Aspects.
Object Aspect Installed when... Added if New Updated Deleted if Old Business Rules ✔ ✔ Packaging option Custom Form Actions ✔ ✔ Packaging option Document Templates ✔ ✔ Packaging option Email Templates ✔ N N External Data Source definitions ✔ ✔ Packaging option Fields ✔ ✔ Packaging option Field Audit Log Settings ✔ ✔ n/a Field Scripts ✔ ✔ Packaging option Forms ✔ ✔ Packaging option Form Scripts ✔ ✔ Packaging option Indexes ✔ ✔ Y Layout Rules ✔ ✔ Packaging option Macros ✔ ✔ Packaging option Processes ✔ ✔ N Quick Text * ✔ N N Record Locators ✔ ✔ n/a Subforms ✔ ✔ Packaging option Validations ✔ ✔ Packaging option View definitions ** ✔ ✔ Packaging option Web Forms ✔ ✔ N
- * Applies only to Cases object in the ServiceDesk application.
- ** View definitions are included only when they are visible to all, or to an included Role. Private views are not included.
Application Elements
This table describes the behavior of other platform elements that go into an application.
- * The Users Object should be included to the package whenever fields or business rules have been added that the application references.
System Elements
This section describes important system-object and system-configuration items:
System Element Included when Installed when Selected or if Referenced by Added if New Updated Deleted if Old Access Profiles not included Business Hours Calendars Process ✔ N N Email Channel settings not included Facebook Channel settings not included LDAP Configuration not included Marketplace listings * not included Service Portal settings not included Scheduled Jobs ** not included Single Sign-On settings not included Twitter settings not included
- * Potentially valuable for an on-premise installation that wants to back up their primary admin tenancy.
- ** Scheduled Rules, on the other hand, are included, along with other Business Rules.