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Event Chatter Batch Posting - Deployment Steps

Prerequisites

  • Admin access to Salesforce org
  • Access to Object Manager and Apex Classes
  • Ability to create custom fields

Deployment Checklist

1. Create Required Field

Field: Chatter_Posted__c on Event_Registration__c object

Steps:

  1. Go to Setup → Object Manager → Event Registration
  2. Click Fields & Relationships
  3. Click New
  4. Select Checkbox as the field type
  5. Configure:
    • Field Label: Chatter Posted
    • Field Name: Chatter_Posted__c (auto-populated)
    • Default Value: Unchecked
    • Description: "Indicates if this event has been posted to Chatter. Set to true after batch job posts the event."
  6. Click Next → Next → Save
  7. (Optional) Add field to page layouts if you want visibility

Time: ~5 minutes

2. Deploy Apex Classes

Files to Deploy:

  • force-app/main/default/classes/EventChatterBatchPoster.cls
  • force-app/main/default/classes/EventChatterBatchPoster.cls-meta.xml
  • force-app/main/default/classes/EventChatterBatchPosterTest.cls
  • force-app/main/default/classes/EventChatterBatchPosterTest.cls-meta.xml
  • force-app/main/default/classes/EventChatterPostHelper.cls (updated with batch methods)
  • force-app/main/default/classes/EventChatterPostHelper.cls-meta.xml
  • force-app/main/default/classes/EventChatterPostHelperTest.cls (updated with batch tests)
  • force-app/main/default/classes/EventChatterPostHelperTest.cls-meta.xml

Steps:

  1. Deploy via Salesforce CLI: 
    sf project deploy start --source-dir force-app/main/default/classes
  2. Or deploy via VS Code Salesforce Extension
  3. Or deploy via Change Sets in Setup → Deployment → Outbound Change Sets

Verify:

  • All classes compile successfully
  • Test classes pass (75%+ coverage required)

Time: ~5-10 minutes

3. Mark All Existing Events as Posted (Pre-Rollout)

Purpose: Prevent the batch job from posting about events that were approved before this feature was implemented.

IMPORTANT: This must be run BEFORE scheduling the batch job for the first time.

Steps:

  1. Open Developer Console (Setup → Developer Console)
  2. Go to Debug → Open Execute Anonymous Window
  3. Copy and paste the contents of scripts/apex/mark_all_events_as_posted.apex
  4. Check Open Log and click Execute
  5. Review the debug logs to confirm all events were updated
  6. Verify the update: 
    sf data query --query "SELECT COUNT() FROM Event_Registration__c WHERE Chatter_Posted__c = true" --target-org smi
    This should return the total count of all Event_Registration__c records

What This Does:

  • Sets Chatter_Posted__c = true on ALL existing Event_Registration__c records
  • Ensures the batch job only processes NEW events approved after rollout
  • Prevents duplicate or unwanted posts about historical events

Time: ~2-3 minutes

4. Schedule the Batch Job

Option A: Using Apex Script (Recommended)

  1. Open Developer Console or VS Code Execute Anonymous
  2. Run the script: scripts/apex/schedule_event_chatter_batch.apex
  3. Verify job was scheduled:
    • Go to Setup → Scheduled Jobs
    • Look for "Event Chatter Batch Posting - Daily 5am"
    • Verify next fire time is 5:00 AM Pacific

Option B: Manual Scheduling

  1. Go to Setup → Apex Classes
  2. Find EventChatterBatchPoster
  3. Click Schedule Apex
  4. Configure:
    • Job Name: Event Chatter Batch Posting - Daily 5am
    • Frequency: Daily
    • Start Time: 5:00 AM
    • Time Zone: Pacific Time
  5. Click Save

Verify:

  • Job appears in Setup → Scheduled Jobs
  • Next fire time is correct (5:00 AM Pacific)

Time: ~2 minutes

5. Configure Service Account

Note: This org uses sm-client@prolocity.com as the service account for Chatter posting. Ensure this user:

  • Has permissions to read/edit Event_Registration__c records
  • Is a member of all activity group Chatter groups
  • Is added to any new Chatter groups automatically via the Add_Chatter_Service_To_New_Groups flow

Verify Service Account Setup:

  1. Verify service account exists and is active:

    sf data query --target-org smi \
    --query "SELECT Id, Username, IsActive FROM User WHERE Username = 'sm-client@prolocity.com'"

  2. Add service account to all existing Chatter groups:

    • Open Developer Console (Setup → Developer Console)
    • Go to Debug → Open Execute Anonymous Window
    • Copy and paste the contents of scripts/apex/add_sm_client_to_all_chatter_groups.apex
    • Check Open Log and click Execute
    • Review the debug logs to confirm the service account was added to all groups

  3. Deploy Flow for automatic addition to new groups: 

    sf project deploy start --target-org smi --source-dir force-app/main/default/flows/Add_Chatter_Service_To_New_Groups.flow-meta.xml

    • Verify the Flow is Active in Setup → Flows
    • The Flow will automatically add the service account to any new Chatter groups created in the future

Time: ~5-10 minutes

6. Verify Deployment

Test the Batch Job:

  1. Create a test event:

    • Create Event_Registration__c record
    • Set Status__c = 'Approved'
    • Set Activity_Group__c = 'Hiking' (or any valid activity group)
    • Verify Chatter_Posted__c is unchecked

  2. Run batch job manually:

    Database.executeBatch(new EventChatterBatchPoster(), 200);

  3. Verify results:

    • Check Setup → Apex Jobs for job status
    • Check Chatter group for new post
    • Verify Chatter_Posted__c = true on the event

  4. Test duplicate prevention:

    • Modify the event (change Location, etc.)
    • Run batch job again
    • Verify event is NOT reprocessed (no duplicate post)

Time: ~5 minutes

Post-Deployment

Monitor Initial Runs

  • Check Setup → Scheduled Jobs after first few runs
  • Review Setup → Apex Jobs for any errors
  • Verify posts appear in Chatter groups
  • Check debug logs if issues occur

Deactivate Old Flow (If Still Active)

If the old Notify_Subscribers_New_Event flow is still active:

  1. Go to Setup → Flows
  2. Find Notify Subscribers New Event
  3. Click Deactivate (or it should already be marked Obsolete)

Rollback Plan

If issues occur:

  1. Stop the scheduled job:

    • Go to Setup → Scheduled Jobs
    • Find "Event Chatter Batch Posting - Daily 5am"
    • Click Abort

  2. Revert code (if needed):

    • Deploy previous version of classes
    • Or comment out batch job scheduling

  3. Re-enable old flow (if needed):

    • Reactivate Notify_Subscribers_New_Event flow

Total Deployment Time

  • Minimum: ~15-20 minutes (field + code + schedule)
  • With Service Account: ~25-35 minutes
  • With Testing: ~30-40 minutes

Quick Reference

Required Field: Chatter_Posted__c (Checkbox) on Event_Registration__c

Apex Classes:

  • EventChatterBatchPoster (batch class)
  • EventChatterPostHelper (helper with batch methods)

Schedule: Daily at 5:00 AM Pacific (0 0 5 * * ?)

Query Logic: Status__c = 'Approved' AND Activity_Group__c != null AND Chatter_Posted__c != true