Winter is coming. Notes and Attachments are dying.

Winter is coming. Notes and Attachments are dying.

Notes & Attachment Retirement foundationConnect

Salesforce will be killing the Notes & Attachment list buttons in the next release – Winter ’18. Prepare yourself. 

Did you know the NOTES & ATTACHMENTS list buttons will be killed off in the next Salesforce release (Winter ’18)? Don’t you hate it when your favorite things get removed suddenly – whether it be on your favorite show or in your favorite database?

This was one of my favorite characters, I mean features, but alas, Salesforce is replacing it.

The roll-out begins in October. If you’ve tended to your fields and layouts in preparation – go you!

If you are still using Salesforce classic interface, this won’t impact you directly. BUT we highly recommend that you start using Salesforce Files as it has greater functionality and Salesforce is focused on developing all new features in Lightning.

 

In the Salesforce Lightning Interface, the Upload Files button will disappear.

Salesforce Lightning notes & attachments screenshot

Notes will be replaced by Content Notes and Attachments will be replaced by Salesforce Files.

If you’re using foundationConnect, do you know that this WILL impact your portal applications?

For those who have not started to gather their Salesforce configuration nuts in preparation for winter hibernation, have no fear! Below are some tips to help you weather this change head-on. Your grant applicants will see a seamless transition and you need only to send a short memo to your staff to look elsewhere for uploaded files from now on.

  • In the Portal Configuration Custom Setting, check the box that will “Post attachments to chatter feeds.” This setting posts all portal uploads directly into the Salesforce Files related list without you having to lift another finger.

  • Change all of your internal page layouts to include the FILES related list. When I say all, I mean ALL the page layouts you or anyone in your organization uses. (.net FC Portal Users will not need to see this related list).
  • Don’t worry about your existing data! If you want to convert all of your current attachments into new FILES, there are free tools that will help you do so, but the button change WILL NOT DO ANYTHING to your existing uploads. If you want help converting all of your existing attachments, however, contact us.
  • If you run validation rules for uploads on your portal applications, you will need to change how those function. Contact us if you need help updating these rules.

While I’m sad to lose Notes & Attachments, there are some benefits to using the new Salesforce Files and Content Notes:

  • You have more robust sharing rules for each uploaded file.
  • You can publish the uploaded file publicly.
  • You can use rich text in your notes.
  • You can organize all of your files, not just on the parent record where the FILES list resides, but everywhere.

Where one function dies, another rises to takes its place.

Happy filing!