💃 Salesforce Security Smackdown 🕺

Good morning, Salesforce Nerds! And welcome to the ultimate showdown of data security! 🥊 

Today, we pit three contenders against each other in the ring of Apex:

🔐 isAccessible()

🔐 WITH USER_MODE

🔐 WITH SECURITY_ENFORCED

If you've ever found yourself wondering which security method reigns supreme, buckle up - this is going to be a fun ride! 🎢 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Salesforce Security Smackdown

• The OG - isAccessible()

• The Newcomer - WITH USER_MODE

• The Enforcer - WITH SECURITY_ENFORCED

• Which One Should You Use?

ROUND 1

The OG - isAccessible()

Our first contender has been around since the days when admins still believed Workflow Rules were the future. 😅 

Schema.DescribeFieldResult.isAccessible() is the granddaddy of field-level security enforcement in Apex.

How It Works:

Easy, really. Before querying or manipulating a field in Apex, you check ✔️ if the running user has access by invoking the isAccessible() method on it.

Like this 👇️ 

if (Schema.sObjectType.Account.fields.Industry.isAccessible()) {
    String industry = [SELECT Industry FROM Account WHERE Id = :accountId].Industry;
}

Pros:

✅ Explicit, granular control over what you check
✅ Works great when dynamically handling different fields

Cons:

❌ Manual checks make it easy to forget enforcement
❌ Tedious and verbose for large queries
❌ Still leaves you vulnerable if you forget field checks elsewhere in the logic

Think of isAccessible() like an old-school bodyguard. 💂 

Effective, but you have to tell them exactly who to check at the door.

ROUND 2

The Newcomer - WITH USER_MODE

Our second contender was GA’d in the Spring ‘23 Release!

The WITH USER_MODE clause lets your SOQL queries automatically respect user permissions without extra code. 💪 

How It Works:

Just add WITH USER_MODE to your query, and Salesforce handles the rest. ✨ 

Peep this 👇️ 

Account acc = [SELECT Name, Industry FROM Account WHERE Id = :accountId WITH USER_MODE];

Pros:

✅ Enforces object and field-level security automatically
✅ Simplifies code - no more manual isAccessible() checks
✅ Works with DML (insert as user, for example)

Cons:

❌ Still a bit in its early days - some limitations exist
❌ Requires Apex code to run in user mode, so not useful for system processes

If isAccessible() is a bouncer checking IDs at the door, WITH USER_MODE is like a smart venue that only lets in guests who already passed security. 🧑‍💻 

Smooth and effortless! 👍️ 

ROUND 3

The Enforcer - WITH SECURITY_ENFORCED

The last contender, WITH SECURITY_ENFORCED, has been enforcing security since Spring ‘20.

This bad boy automatically applies field - and object-level security to SOQL queries. 💥 

How It Works:

Add WITH SECURITY_ENFORCED to your query, and Salesforce ensures that only accessible fields are queried:

List<Account> accounts = [SELECT Name, Industry FROM Account WITH SECURITY_ENFORCED];

Pros:

✅ Super easy to implement - just slap it onto your SOQL
✅ Strict enforcement - throws an exception if a user lacks access

Cons:

❌ Throws errors instead of gracefully handling missing fields
❌ Can be too aggressive in some use cases
❌ Doesn't work with DML statements - SOQL only!

Think of WITH SECURITY_ENFORCED as the nightclub bouncer who not only checks IDs but also tosses out anyone who doesn’t belong - no second chances! 💪 

FINAL VERDICT

Which One Should You Use?

So, which method wins? It depends on your use case!

• Use isAccessible() when you need fine-grained, manual control over fields.

• Use WITH USER_MODE for an effortless, user-friendly experience.

• Use WITH SECURITY_ENFORCED when you want strict enforcement and can handle potential errors.

Either way, using any of these methods is better than ignoring security altogether - unless you want your org to be the next security horror story. 😉

SOUL FOOD

Today’s Principle

and now....Salesforce Memes