How to Build Apex Triggers for Large Data Volumes and Changing Requirements

Even though the Lightning Platform provides great process automation tools that do not require code, Apex triggers are the main tool to be used when the clicks are not enough. Most common use cases for Apex triggers are when additional related or controlling records need to be queried for process automation or related records need to be created or updated based on data changes. The power of Apex triggers allows developers to do in practice anything with them. While the intention of trigger usage can be good, it is easy to do things badly. Good and efficient triggers have certain common characteristics that make them perform well and makes it easy to extend the functionalities in there without constantly having difficulties in limits. Bulk triggers are the first thing to do. This session aims to go beyond bulkification. Well-designed triggers minimize the amount of changes they do and avoid repetition. They use SOQL and DML operations efficiently without compromising readability. This session provides tools and practices to implement these triggers. Simple scenario with actual Apex code blocks is presented to facilitate learning and to provide easy-to-apply tools for the audience. Through this scenario, it is easy to see that even the simplest triggers can have unnecessary performance overhead. This overhead starts to pile up and lead to bad user experience and issues with platform limits, when the requirements evolve and the complexity increases.