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Hello
New year, same hustle. January always brings that weird mix of fresh energy and the reality check that our Salesforce orgs don't magically fix themselves overnight. But at least we've got the Spring '26 release to look forward to - and honestly, there's some genuinely useful stuff dropping this time.
I've been digging through what's coming, and a few things caught my attention. First, "thinking like a Salesforce architect" isn't some mystical skill reserved for certified experts - it's really about asking better questions upfront instead of patching problems later. Whether you're an admin or developer, shifting from "how do I build this?" to "how should this actually work?" changes everything.
On the technical side, "Spring '26's new File Preview component in Screen Flow" finally gives us a native way to preview documents without hacky workarounds. Small win, but those add up.
The "Agentforce stuff" keeps evolving too. Vibe coding and prompt engineering tips are worth checking out if you're trying to figure out how AI fits into your actual workflow, not just the hype cycle.
Anyway, plenty more in the links below. Take what's useful, skip what's not.
Grzegorz
For everyone
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How to Preview a File in Screen Flow
https://salesforcetime.com/2025/12/20/how-to-preview-a-file-in-screen-flow/
Previewing files directly in Screen Flow is now possible thanks to Salesforce's new File Preview component coming in Spring '26 - no more messy workarounds needed. Users can now check documents, approve them, or see what they're working with right inside the flow, making everything smoother and officially supported. Setting up file previews on a Screen Flow screen is straightforward and gives teams a native, built-in way to handle document verification without extra custom solutions. -
How Bad Were Tech Layoffs in 2025 (And What Can We Expect Next Year)?
https://www.salesforceben.com/how-bad-were-tech-layoffs-in-2025-and-what-can-we-expect-next-year/
Tech layoffs hit hard in 2025 with over a million US job cuts and October being the worst month in 20+ years, making it seem like a major recession - but the actual numbers tell a different story. Data shows there were about 20% fewer layoffs this year compared to 2024, so while the cuts were still significant, things weren't quite as bad as the headlines made them sound. The layoffs did reveal a lot about what's really going on inside big tech companies like Salesforce and others. -
Introduction to Agentforce Vibes for Salesforce Admins
https://admin.salesforce.com/blog/2025/introduction-to-agentforce-vibes-for-salesforce-admins
Vibe coding is changing how apps get built - basically, you just talk in plain English to create solutions instead of writing traditional code. Salesforce's Agentforce Vibes brings this to life, letting admins build and customize Salesforce way faster using natural language straight from the coding environment. It's a game-changer for admins looking to work smarter and keep up with how AI is reshaping work today. -
What Do Salesforce Look for in Acquisitions?
https://www.salesforceben.com/what-do-salesforce-look-for-in-acquisitions/
Salesforce went on a major buying spree in 2025, grabbing nine companies to strengthen its toolkit - including AI marketing platform Qualified and data giant Informatica for $8 billion. For small and medium businesses, getting acquired by Salesforce could be a solid exit plan, though it's not something to rush into. AI and data companies that already fit well into Salesforce's world and have a strong presence in its ecosystem have better chances. Salesforce's Head of Competitive Intelligence shared insights at Dreamforce 2025 about what the company actually looks for beyond just revenue numbers when deciding whether to buy a business. -
Agentforce Prompt Engineering Tips: A Simple Guide for Salesforce Teams
https://www.salesforcebolt.com/2025/12/agentforce-prompt-engineering-tips-salesforce.html
Mastering prompt engineering is key to getting the best results from Agentforce. This guide shares practical tips for Salesforce teams to craft prompts that are clear, dependable, safe, and simple to keep running smoothly - basically everything needed to make Agentforce work better for any business using Salesforce. -
How to Use the Kanban Board Component in Flow
https://salesforcetime.com/2025/12/26/how-to-use-the-kanban-board-component-in-flow/
Kanban boards show work as cards grouped by status or stage, making it easy to track progress. Salesforce already lets you switch list views to Kanban format using picklist fields, and now the Spring '26 release adds a Kanban Board screen component to Flow - this new tool lets you display records in a Kanban view directly within your flows, giving you more flexibility in how you organize and visualize your work. -
Session-Based Permission Set Groups in Salesforce
https://salesforcegeek.in/session-based-permission-set-groups-in-salesforce/
Salesforce has a neat feature that lets you give users access to sensitive stuff - like confidential apps, data dashboards, or high-level approval workflows - but only when they actually need it, not permanently. Instead of leaving those doors open all the time, session-based permission groups lock things down and only unlock them for as long as needed, which is way safer and makes more sense for controlling who sees what. -
What is Certificate and Key Management in Salesforce
https://salesforcegeek.in/what-is-certificate-and-key-management-in-salesforce/
Certificate and key management in Salesforce is basically about digital trust badges that prove requests come from your actual Salesforce org - kind of like showing ID to prove you're who you say you are. Systems use these certificates and keys to talk securely to each other, encrypt sensitive info, verify identities, and stop hackers from pretending to be someone they're not. Without proper certificate management, integrations break, security gets compromised, and connected systems can't trust each other. It's become super important as more businesses rely on automation and APIs to run their operations. -
Beyond Text: How AI Can Read and See Images and PDFs | How I Solved It
https://admin.salesforce.com/blog/2025/beyond-text-how-ai-can-read-and-see-images-and-pdfs-how-i-solved-it
A support agent named David faces a tough situation - an angry client Sarah from a high-value company sends an all-caps email with a photo showing her $250 seafood platter arrived looking terrible. David can see the problem in the image, but finding the solution means digging through a 50-page PDF with specific rules for that restaurant. He's got maybe 30 seconds to help while the client waits. The challenge - how do you analyze an image and search through a massive PDF fast enough? The answer - use AI to do it automatically. This post shows how Agentforce solved this problem by building flow actions and a multi-modal prompt that lets an AI agent read both the photo and the document to find the right solution in seconds instead of minutes. -
What Is Agentforce Voice in Salesforce?
https://salesforcegeek.in/what-is-agentforce-voice-in-salesforce/
Agentforce Voice is Salesforce's AI-powered assistant that transforms customer support by using smart conversational technology to understand what customers say naturally, grab the info they need right away, and tackle common questions without needing a human agent - basically making support faster and smoother for everyone involved. -
Add Salesforce Files and Attachments to Multiple Related Lists On Content Document Trigger
https://salesforcebreak.com/2025/12/30/add-salesforce-files-and-attachments-to-multiple-related-lists-on-content-document-trigger/
Salesforce's Spring 26 Release now lets flow builders trigger automations when files and attachments are created or updated on any object - this is a big deal because the old version only worked with standard objects and was super limited. The new ContentDocument and ContentVersion flow objects mean organizations can finally automate what happens when files get uploaded, like automatically sharing them with the right people, which has been a major headache for lots of companies trying to manage file access and permissions.
For devs
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Unlocking 5 Techniques for Lazy Loading in Lightning Web Components
https://salesforcecodex.com/salesforce/unlocking-5-techniques-for-lazy-loading-in-lightning-web-components/
Fast loading matters big time for Salesforce apps - users want pages to load quick and everything to run smooth, or they'll lose interest fast. Lazy loading in Lightning Web Components is the key to making apps perform better. This covers 5 practical techniques to speed up Lightning Web Components and keep users happy. -
Data 360 Fundamentals: Personalizing a Website
https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/2025/12/data-360-fundamentals-personalizing-a-website.html
Data 360 helps businesses like Coral Cloud Resorts pull together real-time customer information to create personalized website experiences. The tool unifies data from different sources and gives valuable insights about guests - things like customer lifetime value and key data connections. Building on previous video tutorials, this new focus shows how to take website data and use it right away to personalize what visitors see, taking guest experience to the next level.
For architects
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How to Start Thinking Like a Salesforce Architect
https://www.salesforceben.com/how-to-start-thinking-like-a-salesforce-architect/
Starting to think like a Salesforce architect isn't as hard as it seems - basic design thinking works across any platform, just in different ways. Salesforce pros often know the tools inside out but struggle with the bigger picture of how everything fits together. The key is recognizing that solid architectural instincts don't disappear when moving to Salesforce; they just get applied differently through configuration and automation instead of heavy coding. Whether someone's an admin, developer, consultant, or analyst, understanding how to design systems properly - not just build features - makes all the difference. It's about asking the right questions upfront rather than fixing problems later.
Reddit Discussions
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Bought Agentforce, can't use it because of duplicate data
https://old.reddit.com/r/salesforce/comments/1p7v3wv/bought_agentforce_cant_use_it_because_of/
Got Agentforce licenses but can't actually use them because the data is messy - same companies showing up 3-4 different ways, missing contact info, opportunities attached to wrong accounts. Turned on AI features and they just break or grab incorrect information. The admin is stuck cleaning everything manually while leadership wants to know when this thing will actually work. Looking for advice on how others handled similar situations - whether they hired help or used specific tools to fix the data mess first. -
I Finally Solved All My User Access Problems Forever.
https://old.reddit.com/r/salesforce/comments/1pgd5pp/i_finally_solved_all_my_user_access_problems/
A Salesforce admin got tired of constant user access complaints - "Why can't I see this?" "Why can't I edit that?" - so decided to give every user Modify All Data permission to silence the inbox forever. The plan worked - no more access requests in weeks, coffee stays warm, mental health restored. Minor side effects though: all Opportunities got deleted, the intern somehow exported the entire database to TikTok, and the Chatter feed now shows fake company ownership data. But hey, no more emails about access issues, so it's a total win. 10/10 solution. -
Where is Salesforce going?
https://old.reddit.com/r/salesforce/comments/1pj9x3o/where_is_salesforce_going/
A Salesforce consultant is worried about the company's direction after seeing multiple new products - Nonprofit Cloud, AgentForce, Commerce Cloud, Revenue Cloud, and Data Processing Engine - launch in rough shape over the past two years. The products feel unfinished and not ready for real use, raising serious questions about whether Salesforce is heading downhill. This is making the consultant wonder if it's time to jump ship career-wise and whether investors should bail too. Even with big corporate clients keeping things running, there's no clear value coming from these new offerings, and no amount of rebranding will fix the underlying problems. -
Unpopular Opinion: Salesforce Isn't Overpriced or Overhyped ? Most Teams Just Use It Wrong
https://old.reddit.com/r/salesforce/comments/1pn42df/unpopular_opinion_salesforce_isnt_overpriced_or/
Salesforce gets blamed for being pricey and complex, but the real issue is usually how teams use it. The platform works great when companies have clear ownership, smart customization choices, and disciplined scaling. Problems pop up when teams overbuild too early, copy enterprise setups they don't actually need, or go heavy on customization without thinking long-term - that's when Salesforce feels bloated. But in orgs that keep things simple, invest in solid admins, and use developers only where it makes real business sense, Salesforce runs like a dream. What's one thing folks would do differently setting up Salesforce from scratch today?
Spring'26
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Salesforce Spring '26 Release Updates For Admins
https://salesforcegeek.in/salesforce-spring-26-release-updates-for-admins/ -
Spring ’26 Release Report and Dashboard Features ?
https://reportforce.blog/2025/12/31/spring-26-release-report-and-dashboard-features-%f0%9f%93%8a/ -
Top 10 Spring ‘26 Updates for Salesforce Marketers
https://www.salesforceben.com/top-10-spring-26-updates-for-salesforce-marketers/ -
Salesforce Spring 26 Release – New Flow Features
https://sudipta-deb.in/2026/01/salesforce-spring-26-release-new-flow-features.html -
Spring 26 Admin Features
https://certifycrm.com/spring-26-admin-features/ -
Spring ’26 Release Notes: Highlights for Admins and Developers
https://salesforcebreak.com/2026/01/06/salesforce-spring-26-release-notes/
View upcoming Salesforce events (next 7 days)
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Grzegorz Skaruz
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