SOSL, friend or foe?

As requested by Chris Peterson I’d like to dig a bit more into SOSL. This is as much a lesson for me as anyone else, and I’d be ecstatic if anyone out there could offer a bit more depth on the topic. SOSL (or sossel) is Salesforce’s search language, and in my experiences definitely has it’s advantages(which are significant in the CRM) and limitations(which may stem from me/us just not knowing how to use it properly). First let’s make sure you have the standard docs memorised.

Basic doc on SOSL within Apex code

API doc, thorough on syntax although might not have some common examples.

Doc for dynamic SOSL

Right, now that we have those committed to memory we can delve into what I think are the advantages and disadvantages of SOSL..

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Salesforce Managed Packages

This is one area of the Salesforce.com platform that I’m no fan of.

In short, you code a complex application and it’s beautiful. You marvel at the wonder of the sleek UI, the intelligent complexity of the code, and the comprehensive unit testing you’ve implemented. Now you wish to package your application up, advertise it briefly and have the customers pour in. Not so fast my friend.

Packaging can be a nightmare, and there are certain hurdles to this step that you won’t find officially documented.

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