Don’t Miss These Key Dates: Winter ’23 Sandbox Preview
The Winter ’23 sandbox preview window is coming up. Here are some tips to take full advantage of it, plus all the dates you need to know .
The Winter ’23 sandbox preview window is around the corner. Note the dates now so your org is prepared for the upgrade.
Your production instance will be upgraded to the Winter ’23 release according to the rolling 12-month release calendar on status.salesforce.com. To check your upgrade date, enter your instance name or domain and click the maintenance tab.
The next thing you need to know is when your sandbox will be upgraded to Winter ’23, as this is the first opportunity you’ll get to test your configurations on the new release. Let’s look at the dates for Winter ’23.
Now: Join the Release Readiness Trailblazers Community
Stay in the know by joining the Release Readiness Trailblazers Community. That’s where available resources are posted and it’s a great place to ask questions as you implement new features. If you’re new to managing releases, there’s a Trailhead module to walk you through the process. And, if you sign up with Getting Started with Release Readiness, you’ll get step-by-step guidance and helpful tools for creating a personalized release strategy.
August 11: Sign up for a prerelease environment
Why do you need a prerelease org? It’s a test environment with new release features enabled, allowing you plenty of time to test and figure out which ones are right for your organization. If you already had a prerelease org for Summer ’22, you can log back into that one. And, if you’re uncertain what features you want to implement, join the Trailblazer Community Treasure Hunt to see what others in the community are excited about.
August 17: Preview release notes are available
Salesforce Help is the new home for the release notes with an improved user experience. Now’s the time to scan the release notes. Use filters to display only the sections that relate to the edition and clouds you currently use.
August 25: Sandbox cutoff date
Use your sandbox to get early access to new features and test configurations before the scheduled production upgrade. You must have an active sandbox on a preview instance before August 25, 2022, to get the Winter ’23 preview in your sandbox. In most cases, you don’t need to do anything because your sandbox is already on a preview instance. Get all the details you need in the sandbox preview instructions article on Salesforce Help.
August 26 and 27: Sandboxes upgraded
If you’ve decided to take advantage of sandbox preview, your chosen sandboxes are upgraded to Winter ’23 this weekend. Like the prerelease program, the sandbox preview allows you to test new features without impacting your live environment. However, the added benefit to the sandbox preview is the ability to test new features using a configuration that matches your production environment.
August 26: Winter ’23 Release site is live
The release site is live. We know everyone digests release information differently. That’s why the Release Highlights module on Trailhead is a quick and easy way to learn about features. Whatever your learning style, we offer demo videos, Trailhead modules, community forums, and more to make the process as easy as possible.
September 9: First release weekend
The first release weekend is when we here at Salesforce and a small number of customers get upgraded. At this stage, you probably already have your key features earmarked. If you’re ready for your upgrade, the Release Readiness Trailblazers group will have all the content you need to get your organization’s users up to speed on the new features you plan to rollout.
September 20 to 22: Release Readiness Live at Dreamforce
Save the date! RRL is IRL – In real life at Dreamforce, that is! For the first time ever, join product experts and evangelists LIVE at Dreamforce 2022 for a one-hour deep dive into the highlights from the Winter ’23 release. Get ready to watch demos from your favorite product managers and ask your release questions in a live Q&A. You can register for Dreamforce today.
October 7: Second release weekend
Another set of instances gets upgraded during the June 3 weekend. If you have any questions, our Trust page has the latest info on the timing of the upgrade. And, since it only takes five minutes, the upgrade shouldn’t impact your operations or uptime.
October 14 and 15: Final release weekend
All remaining Salesforce instances are upgraded on October 14 and 15. If you previously opted out of including your orgs in the sandbox preview, they will be upgraded this weekend.
Want to get these dates on your calendar? Check out our public release calendar or import it into your calendar of choice.
