The salesforce.com Winter ‘14 release is quickly approaching and soon you'll be able to take advantage of exciting new features and functionality! If you are a Force.com Sandbox customer, you have the opportunity to get early access to Winter ‘14 in your Sandbox and test new customizations and features before your production organization is upgraded.

The Sandbox Preview window for Winter ‘14 is scheduled to begin September 6, 2013. If you would like your Sandbox organization to take part in the Winter ‘14 Preview, your Sandbox must be active on a preview instance by September 6^th or 7^th(CS5 Only), 2013 to take part in an overall instance upgrade.

Please read carefully and follow the instructions in the next section for specific information on how to handle each of your Sandboxes.  In a lot of cases, you will not need to do anything because your sandbox is already on a preview instance.  But you may need to take action by August 30, 2013 in order for your Sandbox to take part in the Winter ‘14 Preview

What Do I Need to Do?

General Information about Sandbox Refresh: From now until August 30, 2013, all Sandbox refresh requests will be routed to an instance that will be upgraded for the preview.  Starting August 31, 2013, all refresh requests will be routed to non-preview instances.  We will continue to route refresh requests to non-preview instances until all production instances are upgraded.

Plan for the Sandbox Preview Window: You have from now until August 30, 2013 to decide if you would like your Sandbox to take part in the Winter ‘14 Preview. Follow the steps below for each Sandbox org that you have.

Note: If you have a full Sandbox, be mindful of the 29-day refresh policy and plan accordingly. 

1) Determine your Sandbox instance: To determine which server your Sandbox is on, log into your production org and navigate to your Sandbox List page (Search “Sandbox” in the Quick Find bar on the Setup Home Page).

 

Determine your Sandbox instance by using the location column above. 

2) Refresh?…or…Don’t Refresh?...or… Do Nothing – You have options!  Once you have located your instance, use the chart below to determine if, when, and what action you should take on your Sandbox.

Important: 

• The August 30, 2013 deadline is to ensure that all requested refreshes are complete by September 6, 2013. If you have a large Sandbox, please keep in mind how much time it takes to complete your Sandbox refresh to ensure your copy is completed by September 6, 2013. This may mean that you need to request your refresh in advance of the August 30, 2013 deadline to ensure it completes by September 6, 2013.
• If you are refreshing onto a preview instance, do not refresh after you activate the Sandbox on your preview instance.  If you do, you will be refreshed to a non-preview instance.

• If you decide to stay on the current Summer ‘13 release, your Sandbox will not be upgraded to Winter ‘14 until October 12, 2013.

AppExchange Preview Instructions: 

If you plan to upload and/or install one or more AppExchange packages using your Sandboxes during the Sandbox Preview Window, you should use the chart below to determine your course of action.

 

If you have additional questions about your Sandbox options in conjunction with the Winter ‘14 release, please contact salesforce.com Customer Support.

Additional Resources:

• Sandbox Preview FAQ

Understanding the Preview Window Refresh Schedule:

In addition to the steps above, use the following graphic to understand what will happen to your Sandbox.  For example, if your Sandbox is on CS12 and you refresh it after 12 AM PDT on August 31th, it will be moved to a non-preview Instance.

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