Proactive Best Practices to Prevent Errors

Adopting these practices can prevent many of the common issues detailed above.

Master the Upsert Method:

Virtual External ID (VEID): Use this method when deploying to a new sandbox or between orgs that were refreshed from the same production instance. It is Prodly's recommended and most performant method. Refer to **Best Practices Choosing Your Upsert Method** for more information.
Standard Upsert (CEID): Use this method when deploying into an org with pre-existing data that was loaded manually or by another tool. You must define the unique fields that constitute the external ID. Refer to **Best Practices Choosing Your Upsert Method** for more information.

Refer to the Record Matching Methods for a detailed explanation of the differences between methods and which method is the best for your use case.

</aside>

Control Your Deployment Environment:
- One Control Org: Always use a single, central control org (typically production) for all deployments to prevent VEID mapping issues. Refer to **Avoiding Duplicates Using VEID** for more information.
- Refresh Sandboxes Together: When using VEID, refresh all sandboxes in your landscape at the same time from production to ensure Salesforce record IDs align. Refer to **Avoiding Duplicates Using VEID** for more information.

Manage Complex Deployments:

Disable Events: Use the Event Control feature to temporarily deactivate triggers, validation rules, and other automations that might interfere with data loading. Refer to How-To: Disable Events During Deployments for more information.
Control Relationship Processing: Use the Skip Relationship Processing feature to prevent the deployment of unintended or circular relationships, which can reduce deployment time and scope. Refer to Skip Relationship Processing for more information.
Control Deployment Order: In rare cases where automatic ordering fails, use the Relationship Deployment Order feature in the Data Set Editor to specify the exact sequence for parent or child relationship processing. Refer to Control the Deployment Order of Parent or Child Relationships for more information.