Custom Metadata Types in Salesforce: Stop Hardcoding, Start Configuring
Salesforce orgs grow fast. Hardcoded values in Apex, flows, and validation rules grow even faster… and suddenly every small change needs a deployment.
Custom Metadata Types (CMDTs) are Salesforce’s answer to this problem. They let you store configuration as metadata, deploy it with records, and reference it from Apex, Flow, and formulas without blowing up SOQL limits.
In this guide, we walk through:
The difference between Custom Metadata Types and Custom Settings
How CMDTs behave under the hood (caching, limits, deployability)
Step-by-step: creating a Feature Toggle CMDT
Using CMDT in Apex (get All (), get Instance ()), Flow, and formulas
Use cases: feature flags, tax tables, region mappings, integration endpoints
Best practices for naming, validation, and version control
If you’re building scalable Salesforce apps or maintaining a large org, CMDTs should be your default for reusable configuration.