Summary

This chapter has introduced some of the advanced features of Apex, features that you might not need in every application but that contribute to your knowledge of what is possible with Apex. Before moving on to the next chapter, consider these final points:

Aggregate queries provide a standard, declarative way to perform calculations on groups of records in the database.

Rules governing record sharing can be controlled in Apex code using Apex managed sharing.

You can send and receive emails in Apex code. This provides your applications an additional way to interact with users.

Although Apex features strongly typed database objects and queries, you can also write code that uses database resources dynamically. This carries with it the risk of runtime errors but opens up new possibilities of dynamic behavior to your applications. It is particularly powerful when writing custom user interfaces.

You can read and write custom settings from Apex like any database object, but without the governor limits.