💃 Why do it now? Queue it up! 🕺

Good morning, Salesforce Nerds! How many times have you come across this …

You just clicked "Save" on a record update, and suddenly, your entire Salesforce org slows to a crawl. 🐢 

Why? Because someone thought it was a great idea to process thousands of records synchronously.

Ouch. 🤕 

But what do we do?

We implement Queueable Apex! 🔥 

If Future methods are a one-trick pony and Batch Apex is the heavyweight champion, then Queueable Apex is the agile ninja - fast, flexible, and always ready for action. 🥷 

Let’s dive in and see why this is the async processing tool you’ll want in your arsenal!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Why do it now? Queue it up!

• What is Queueable Apex?

• Key Benefits of Queueable Apex

• How to Implement Queueable Apex

• Important Considerations

• Wrapping Up

FUTURE METHODS USED TO BE COOL

WHAT IS QUEUEABLE APEX?

Queueable Apex is a framework that allows you to execute code asynchronously, like Future methods, but with waaaaaaay more control and flexibility! 🎛️ 

It’s the perfect balance between the simplicity of Future methods and the robustness of Batch Apex.

This makes it the ideal choice for executing non-blocking operations.

In fact, it’s the 💃 ChaCha’s 🕺 favorite way to go async on the Salesforce platform! 🤩 

Salesforce has given us many tools for handling asynchronous processing, but few are as powerful and flexible as Queueable Apex. 💪 

ALL THE PERKS, NONE OF THE HASSLE

KEY BENEFITS OF QUEUEABLE APEX

So, why should you care about Queueable Apex? 🤔 

Besides making you look like a Salesforce wizard, it brings a ton of advantages that make asynchronous processing smoother, more powerful, and - dare I say - somewhat enjoyable.

Let’s break down the key benefits that make it a game-changer.

⛓️ Chaining Jobs: You can enqueue another job from within a Queueable class, creating a sequence of background processes.

🧩 Complex Data Structures: Unlike Future methods, Queueable allows you to pass objects and complex types as parameters.

📈 Monitoring & Debugging: Jobs appear in the Apex Jobs list in Setup, making it easier to track and troubleshoot.

IT’S EASIER THAN YOU THINK

HOW TO IMPLEMENT QUEUEABLE APEX

Fortunately, implementing it is easier than convincing stakeholders that automation is a good idea. 😅 

It’s just a few simple steps - implementing an interface, enqueuing jobs, then chaining them (if you need to).

Let’s see! 😄 

📜 Implement the Queueable Interface

Queueable Apex classes must implement the Queueable interface and define an execute method.

This is where your business logic goes. 👇️ Easy peazy.

public class MyQueueableJob implements Queueable {
    public void execute(QueueableContext context) {
        System.debug('Executing my Queueable job!');
        // Add your business logic here
    }
}

➕ Enqueue the Job

Once you've written your Queueable class, you can enqueue it using System.enqueueJob.

This puts in the queue to be executed “when resources are available” 👀 

ID jobId = System.enqueueJob(new MyQueueableJob());
System.debug('Job ID: ' + jobId);

🔗 Chaining Queueable Jobs

One of the most powerful features of Queueable Apex is its ability to chain jobs.

Here, when FirstJob runs, it will enqueue SecondJob immediately after.

Cool stuff 🤙 but be aware of the limit hiding under this rock!

public class FirstJob implements Queueable {
    public void execute(QueueableContext context) {
        System.debug('First job executed!');
        System.enqueueJob(new SecondJob());
    }
}

public class SecondJob implements Queueable {
    public void execute(QueueableContext context) {
        System.debug('Second job executed!');
    }
}

READ BEFORE GOING FULL QUEUEABLE

IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

Before you go on a Queueable Apex spree, there are a few gotchas you should know about. 🛑 

Like any powerful tool, it comes with its own set of rules, limits, and quirks that could trip you up if you're not careful.

Let's break down the key considerations so you can use Queueable Apex like a pro - without hitting any unexpected roadblocks. 🚧 

🚫 Limits & Restrictions

• Only one job can be enqueued from another Queueable job (no infinite loops!).

• You can have up to 50 jobs in the queue at one time.

• A governor limit of one System.enqueueJob call per transaction applies.

💥 Transaction Finalizers

With transaction finalizers, you can attach a post-action sequence to a Queueable job and take relevant actions based on the job execution result. Success or failure!

🧠 Using Queueable with Database Operations

Queueable Apex can be combined with Database.Stateful to maintain state across transactions. This is useful for keeping track of processed records in batch scenarios.

public class StatefulQueueableJob implements Queueable, Database.Stateful {
    public Integer counter = 0;
    public void execute(QueueableContext context) {
        counter++;
        System.debug('Job executed ' + counter + ' times');
    }
}

✅ When to Use Queueable Apex

Queueable Apex is a great fit for:

• Chaining dependent asynchronous jobs (e.g., process records, then send an email)

• Handling complex data structures (e.g., passing SObjects and collections)

• Executing long-running operations without hitting synchronous governor limits

❌ When Not to Use Queueable Apex

• If you need bulk processing of large data sets → Use Batch Apex

• If you need real-time execution → Use Synchronous Apex

• If the logic is simple and doesn't require complex data types or chaining → Consider Future methods

GO FORTH AND QUEUE

WRAPPING UP

Queueable Apex is an essential tool in a Salesforce developer’s toolkit, offering a flexible and powerful way to manage asynchronous processing. 💪 

Whether you’re chaining jobs, handling complex objects, or managing background tasks, it provides an elegant solution without the overhead of Batch Apex.

Next time you need to offload heavy lifting in Salesforce, give Queueable Apex a shot - you might just find it's the perfect fit!

🚀 Happy coding, and may your Apex always be scalable!

SOUL FOOD

Today’s Principle

and now....Salesforce Memes