1. Introducing Force.com

This chapter introduces the concepts, terminology, and technology components of the Force.com platform and its context in the broader Platform as a Service (PaaS) landscape. The goal is to provide context for exploring Force.com within a corporate software development organization. If any of the following sentences describe you, this chapter is intended to help:

You have read about cloud computing or PaaS and want to learn how Force.com compares with other technologies.

You want to get started with Force.com but need to select a suitable first project.

You have a project in mind to build on Force.com and want to learn how you can leverage existing development skills and processes.

This chapter consists of three sections:

Force.com in the cloud computing landscape—Learn about PaaS and Force.com’s unique features as a PaaS solution.

Inside a Force.com project—Examine how application development with Force.com differs from other technologies in terms of project selection, technical roles, and tools.

Sample application—A sample business application is referenced throughout this book to provide a concrete basis for discussing technical problems and their solutions. In this chapter, the sample application’s requirements and use cases are outlined, as well as a development plan, mapped to chapters of the book.