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Navigating the Salesforce Apex Governor Limits
Table of Contents
Introduction
Salesforce Apex, the powerful programming language for the Salesforce platform, enables developers to build robust and scalable applications. Salesforce imposes specific limits on Apex code execution known as “governor limits” to maintain a stable and reliable environment. These limits prevent poorly written or resource-intensive code from negatively impacting the performance of the Salesforce platform. In this blog post, we’ll explore the Salesforce Apex governor limits, understand their significance, and discuss strategies for optimizing code to ensure a smooth and efficient application.
Understanding Governor Limits
Governor limits in Salesforce are essentially a set of runtime constraints that restrict the amount of resources and data that a piece of Apex code can consume during execution. These limits exist to prevent monopolization of resources and to ensure that all organizations sharing the Salesforce infrastructure have a fair and predictable experience. Common governor limits include:
| Governor Limit | Description |
|---|---|
| CPU Time Limit | Every Apex transaction is allocated a certain amount of CPU time. |
| SOQL and SOSL Query Limits | Control the number of records that can be queried in a single transaction. |
| DML Statement Limits | Restrictions on the number of records that can be inserted, updated, deleted, or undeleted. |
| Heap Size Limit | Restricts the amount of memory (heap) available for Apex code execution. |
| Governor Limits on Callouts | Limits the number of callouts that can be made in a transaction to external services. |
Optimizing Code for Governor Limits
To build efficient and scalable applications on the Salesforce platform, developers need to be mindful of governor limits. Here are some best practices for optimizing code:
| Best Practice | Description |
|---|---|
| Bulkify Your Code | Design your code to handle bulk data processing rather than focusing on individual records. |
| Limit the Use of SOQL Queries in Loops | Minimize the number of SOQL queries inside loops to avoid hitting the query limit. |
| Use Asynchronous Processing | Consider using asynchronous processing with features like Batch Apex or Queueable Apex. |
| Avoid Recursive Triggers | Implement trigger controls to prevent recursion and avoid hitting CPU time limits. |
| Monitor and Analyze Performance | Regularly monitor your application’s performance using Salesforce’s built-in tools. |
Salesforce Governor Limits:
Salesforce imposes various governor limits to ensure the efficient use of resources and to prevent abuse that could negatively impact the performance of the platform. Below is a comprehensive list of Salesforce governor limits:
| Category | Limit | Purpose |
| Apex CPU Time | 10,000 milliseconds per transaction (synchronous) | Controls the total execution time for all Apex code in a transaction. |
| SOQL Queries | 100 SOQL queries per transaction | Restricts the number of queries to the database to prevent inefficient data retrieval. |
| SOSL Queries | 20 SOSL queries per transaction | Governs the number of Salesforce Object Search Language queries to the search index. |
| DML Statements | 150 DML statements (insert, update, delete, merge) per transaction | Ensures that transactions don’t manipulate excessive records in a single operation. |
| Total Heap Size | 6 MB for synchronous Apex, 12 MB for asynchronous Apex | Restricts the amount of memory (heap) that Apex code can use during execution. |
| Email Invocations | 10 email messages sent per transaction | Controls the number of email messages that can be sent in a single transaction. |
| Future Method Invocations | 50 future method invocations per transaction | Governs the number of asynchronous (future) methods that can be queued in a transaction. |
| Queueable Jobs | 50 Queueable jobs added to the queue per transaction | Restricts the number of jobs that can be added to the queue for asynchronous processing. |
| Batch Apex | 100 batch jobs queued or active concurrently | Governs the number of batch jobs that can be processed concurrently. |
| Streaming API Events | 20,000 events per 24-hour rolling window | Controls the number of Streaming API events that can be published within a specified timeframe. |
| Platform Events | 2,000,000 published events per rolling 24-hour window | Governs the number of platform events that can be published within a specified timeframe. |
| Callouts | 100 callouts per transaction (synchronous), 200 callouts per transaction (asynchronous) | Restricts the number of HTTP callouts that can be made in a single transaction. |
| External Services | 5,000 external service callouts per 24 hours | Governs the number of callouts to external services via External Services in a specified timeframe. |
| Dynamic Apex | 500,000 characters for the total size of Apex code | Restricts the size of dynamically generated Apex code. |
| Push Notifications | 2,000,000 push notifications per rolling 24-hour window | Governs the number of push notifications that can be sent within a specified timeframe. |
Conclusion
In conclusion, mastering the intricacies of Salesforce Apex Governor Limits is paramount for any developer aiming to create robust and efficient applications on the platform. As we’ve explored, these limits are in place to ensure the stability and performance of Salesforce environments, preventing resource abuse and optimizing overall system functionality. By understanding and navigating these limits judiciously, developers can strike a balance between innovation and adherence to best practices. Continuous monitoring, optimization, and leveraging Salesforce tools for performance analysis are essential components of successful development within the confines of Governor Limits. Ultimately, embracing these limits as guidelines rather than restrictions fosters the creation of scalable, reliable, and high-performing applications, enhancing the overall Salesforce development experience.
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