Cactusforce 2K23
Putting the Band Back Together
Tython has always been a remote team and while we have team huddles, 1-on-1s, and usually a few Zoom meetings throughout the week it’s always great to meet up in person. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic we haven’t gotten together since Forcelandia in 2019. That’s what made the team’s trip out to Cactusforce in Phoenix, Arizona this past week so exciting. In fact, since he joined during the pandemic it would be the first time we met face-to-face with Martin! Now that the conference is in our rear view, we’re happy to report that the trip lived up to the hype - both in terms of team building and in terms of the great Salesforce content on display at the conference.
Talk Nerdy to Me
There were some great presentations shared throughout the conference this year. One example was an interactive session that the Tython team participated in where the audience reviewed the Salesforce Well-Architected Framework and then had a group discussion about some common scenarios and whether or not they adhered to the framework’s guiding principles. The talk was led by Salesforce evangelists Susannah Kate Plaisted & Tom Leddy and was very collaborative.
Another great session was led by Steve Simpson where we discussed “Scaling the Architect Pyramid” from developer to certified technical architect. Steve himself is a CTA and his deep knowledge of the platform was obvious throughout the talk. He provided an overview of the seven certifications that currently are prerequisites for the CTA exam, advice on how to prepare, and insight into the format of the CTA exam itself.
The team went down a deep, technical rabbit hole during a talk led by Chuck Liddell where we discussed interacting with change sets and custom metadata types through the platform’s metadata API. Interestingly, Chuck discovered the platform behaves differently when interacting with custom metadata types via the metadata API through raw HTTPS calls vs the sfdx CLI tool, which ostensibly should just be a wrapper around the former. We talked as a group about the implications of this platform 
and possible workarounds.
I Wanna Ohana
Of course meeting new and old friends is one of the best parts about going to a conference. After the sessions ended on the first day, the Tython team met with several other attendees at a nearby pub called Copper Blues. It was a nice opportunity to socialize and relax with fellow Salesforce enthusiasts.
After day two wrapped up we got a table at Pizzeria Bianco, which was recently featured on “Chef’s Table: Pizza” and is owned by James Beard award winning restaurateur, Chris Bianco. The wait was over three hours (!) so we first grabbed a drink from Little Rituals, a cocktail bar downtown with great views of the city. Like most people waiting for a table we found ourselves wondering, “Is the pizza really that good?” Yes, yes it is. 
Look Ma, No Hands!
I’d like to think the Tython team always travels in style, but we took it to a whole other level while we were attending Cactusforce this year. That’s because Waymo now offers a driverless taxi service in Phoenix. We took a Jaguar that Waymo had retrofitted with an automated driving system out for a spin and I have to say that from pick up to drop off the ride was pretty smooth! Here’s the team below just before the start of our first ride - notice anything missing? 
Nothing But Nets vs Suns
Cactusforce took place just steps away from the Footprint Center, home to the Phoenix Suns. So one evening while in town the Tython team caught a game against the Brooklyn Nets. Kyrie Irving of the Nets was coming off an injury and–thankfully for the Suns–didn’t seem fully in the zone. The Suns established a big lead early on and while the Nets were able to close that gap a bit toward the end, the home town team still came out on top. 
Farewell Copper State
All in all, the Tython team had a great time at Cactusforce. We listened to cool talks, met people doing interesting things with the platform, enjoyed top-notch food, and engaged in internal discussions that really helped the team grow. Thanks to all the sponsors and organizers that made the conference possible - here’s hoping we can return again next year! 
If you weren’t able to make it to Cactusforce this year (or if you just want to follow up) and would like to learn more about the conference, feel free to drop us a line!