Salesforce Partners, Packaging, and AppExchange

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
  • List the partner tools that aren’t available in Lightning Experience.
  • Describe the packaging process in Lightning Experience.
  • Identify how Lightning Experience affects AppExchange.
  • Describe how to make your product Lightning Ready.

Salesforce Partners, Packaging, and AppExchange

If you’re a Salesforce AppExchange partner (ISV), you’re probably wondering how Lightning Experience affects your development and release processes. Do your existing products still work? Do you have to make major changes to existing procedures? What about future releases?

These are valid concerns, but we have good news. Many of the tools that you use to build, test, and distribute your products are available in Lightning Experience. We also have resources to guide you as you update your products to be Lightning Ready.

Partner Tools in Lightning Experience

First, let’s talk tools. This conversation is bittersweet. Some of the tools that you use are available in Lightning Experience, while others aren’t supported there yet. Here’s an overview of what’s supported right now.
Feature Supported In
  • Environment Hub
  • License Management App (LMA)
  • Checkout Management App (CMA)
  • Channel Order App (COA)
 Both Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience.
  • Trialforce
  • Usage Metrics Visualization App
 Salesforce Classic only.
This means you can go to Lightning Experience if you want to:
  • Create orgs for development, testing, and demos
  • Manage all your orgs from a single location
  • License and support apps published on the AppExchange
  • View and report on subscription data for products sold using AppExchange Checkout
  • Submit and manage orders with the Channel Order App

As Lightning Experience continues to mature, more tools will become available.

Packaging Apps in Lightning Experience

When you’re ready to distribute an app, Lightning component, or other product, Lightning Experience is up to the task. The package manager lets you create and manage packages from Setup, just like you could in Salesforce Classic. Whether you’re creating managed packages in a Developer Edition or unmanaged packages in an Enterprise Edition, the new packaging experience feels right at home in your development process.

AppExchange and Lightning Experience

If you offer a product on AppExchange, you probably have questions about getting Lightning Ready. We consider products Lightning Ready when all end-user use cases work as expected in Lightning Experience.

So, how long do you have to get Lightning Ready? The answer depends on the type of product and your distribution agreement with Salesforce. New products sold using AppExchange Checkout and new free products must be Lightning Ready before their security review. Other agreement types may require Lightning Experience readiness depending on when you signed the agreement. For existing products, we encourage you to get Lightning Ready as soon as possible. For more information and resources, go to the Lightning Ready page on the Salesforce Partner Community.

If you’re an AppExchange customer, look for the Lightning Ready certification on a product’s listing to verify that it’s compatible with Lightning Experience. You can use products that aren’t certified as Lightning Ready in Lightning Experience, but there’s no guarantee that they’ll work as expected. It’s best to use them in Salesforce Classic.