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crmexpertcrmexpert 

difference between customer and developer

from salesforce's perspective, i want to understand the actual difference between CUSTOMER and DEVELOPER ..because both use licenses to use the editions of salesforce..whether developer or enterprise or whatever..

 

please provide points and references..

 

Thanks :)

werewolfwerewolf
There's not really a difference, but developers using developer edition get a free 2 licenses (and that's all they can get on a DE org) and various limitations on storage, transactions, etc., whereas customers have no license limits, and their storage and transaction limits are scaled according to the number of users and type of org (EE or UE).
crmexpertcrmexpert

the thing is that..I and some of my colleagues were having a discussion on this topic..and we came to a conclusion that..

 

eg:

i work for a company say ABC tech.

 

we customize salesforce according to the needs of one of our clients say 'client-cde'

then we (for ABC tech) are DEVELOPERS

and  'client-cde' are CUSTOMERS even if we develop and customize apps on Salesforce platform whose license is purchased by the client..

 

could you(as an experienced person) put some more light on the same..

Message Edited by crmexpert on 04-19-2009 11:05 PM
Message Edited by crmexpert on 04-19-2009 11:05 PM
werewolfwerewolf

A "customer" can be both a "customer" and a "developer."  With their paid Salesforce.com account, the customer can both use it for CRM and do development, and even package up things they build on Force.com and give them (or sell them) to other Force.com users.  Most "customers" are in fact "developers" in that, in some form or another, they use the Force.com capabilities to customize their experience, whether it be as simple as modifying the data model or as complex as writing code.

 

A pure "developer" would use developer edition.  This person could do development and package up things he builds on Force.com and give them or sell them to other Force.com users, but he is unlikely to be able to use the free developer edition for real CRM purposes given its storage and other limitations.

crmexpertcrmexpert

actually i really think that my perception about the thing was much better..

 

A pure "developer" would use developer edition

i really cant understand the thing you just said..

 

if salesforce.com uses a third party company to CUSTOMIZE apps for a client ..then obviously the client should be the customer..and obviously if we are developing..then we are developers..(cant understand what's pure in this) ..

 

on a lighter note..could i know your name werewolf?

SteveBowerSteveBower

Antics with semantics.  Love it.

 

Consider the role of the "Implementor".  Which I think of as someone who customizes the Force.com platform, creates custom objects, workflows, formulas, page layout, validation rules, etc.

 

Is that person a developer?  Salesforce wants to say yes because they are "developing" on the Force.com platform.  I think not.

 

Personally, I think of "Developer" as someone who writes code as opposed to using the "Force.com application".  So, if you write Apex, VisualForce, use the API, S-Controls, etc. then I think of you as a developer.

 

Even if you "implement" a boatload of customizations and package them up into an application and sell it, to my mind you're still an implementor, albeit a knowledgable one.

 

By functional exclusion, a Customer is whoever uses an instance of Salesforce for purposes other than Developing or Implementing.  In a company some people are both Customers and Implementors.  Sometimes, all three.

 

I, for example, am a Developer and Implementor (although I'm more focused on the former).  I'm not a customer in that I don't use Salesforce to manage any data of my own, etc.

 

 

The question of what these "roles" comprise is somewhat unrelated to the question of "What editions" of Salesforce are involved.   

 

For example, I can *only* write code in a Developer or Sandbox account.  Developer accounts are free licenses, Sandboxes aren't.   When I use one of my clients accounts to do work for them I'm a developer using a customer account in a customer license.  If a customer had very limited requirements, they could, as werewolf points out, conceivably run their business within a Developer account.

 

 

Another question is why do you care?  Does the definition matter in any real way?

 

An even *more* interesting question is "why have I bothered to respond?"  :-)  Leave it to a hot Tuesday night in the city.

 

Best, Steve.

crmexpertcrmexpert

I'm not a customer in that I don't use Salesforce to manage any data of my own, etc.

I really love this line..that's exactly what my viewpoint was :)

 


 

Another question is why do you care?  Does the definition matter in any real way?

I care because i aspire to be one helluva techno-functional guy..

 

please dont mark any answer as the accepted solution because i wud love to hear more from other people on the same topic..

thanks :)
Message Edited by crmexpert on 04-21-2009 07:36 AM