Definition
Platform Cache is a Salesforce platform component that offers specialized capabilities for organizations looking to extend their CRM investment. It integrates with the core platform to deliver additional value across the business.
Real-World Example
the IT director at Vertex Global uses Platform Cache to scale their operations using the Salesforce platform. Platform Cache gives them the infrastructure and tools needed to support new business requirements, handle increased data volumes, and serve a growing user base without compromising performance.
Why Platform Cache Matters
Platform Cache is a Salesforce feature that provides a temporary, in-memory data storage layer that allows applications to store and retrieve frequently accessed data without making repeated queries to the database. It comes in two types: Org Cache (shared across all users) and Session Cache (specific to an individual user session). By caching commonly referenced data like configuration settings, exchange rates, or picklist values, developers can dramatically reduce SOQL query consumption and improve page load times, particularly in high-transaction environments.
As Salesforce orgs process more data and serve more concurrent users, governor limits on SOQL queries become a real constraint. Platform Cache provides relief by storing query results in memory for rapid retrieval on subsequent requests. Organizations that neglect caching strategies often hit governor limits during peak usage, resulting in failed transactions and degraded user experience. However, cache management requires careful planning — developers must set appropriate expiration times (TTL), handle cache misses gracefully with fallback queries, and size their cache partitions based on actual usage patterns. Oversized caches waste allocation, while undersized caches lead to frequent evictions that negate the performance benefit.
How Organizations Use Platform Cache
- Vertex Global — Vertex caches their product pricing matrix — which includes 3,000 SKUs and rarely changes — in the Org Cache. This eliminated 12,000 daily SOQL queries that previously fetched pricing data on every quote calculation, reducing quote page load time from 4 seconds to under 1 second.
- Apex Financial Services — Apex stores frequently referenced currency exchange rates in Platform Cache with a 1-hour TTL. Their trading desk executes 500 calculations per hour, and each previously required a database query. Caching reduced their SOQL consumption by 85% during peak trading hours.
- Helix Software — Helix uses Session Cache to store user-specific dashboard filter preferences during active sessions. Instead of querying custom settings on every dashboard refresh, the preferences load from cache in milliseconds. This improved dashboard interaction speed by 60% for their 400 daily active users.