Migrating from Salesforce Classic to Lightning is more than just a visual update. It fundamentally changes navigation, permissions, page layouts, and the way users interact with the platform every single day.
We recently completed an 8-week Lightning migration for a growing organization, and the project revealed several key lessons worth sharing.
1. Lightning Navigation Makes an Immediate Difference
Classic users often depend on custom links or personal bookmarks. In the Lightning Experience, we replaced these legacy methods with modern, efficient alternatives:
- A streamlined navigation bar
- Personalized Favorites for quick access
- The Utility Bar for quick access to recent items and notes
Users immediately saw how much smoother and more efficient their everyday work became.
2. JavaScript Buttons Don’t Survive the Move
Our client relied heavily on JavaScript buttons for prepopulating fields and automating quick actions—functionality that is not supported in Lightning.
Our Solution: We successfully rebuilt these automations using Lightning URL buttons. This gave users the exact same functionality in a supported, future-ready format.
3. Security Gets Stronger With the Right Permission Model
One of the most critical discoveries during the migration was that several users had the powerful Modify All permission at the system level. In a modern Lightning org, this poses a serious security risk.
We introduced a cleaner, safer permission model, built on targeted permission sets and object-level access that was strictly aligned with specific job roles.
4. Notes Migration Came With a Limitation
When migrating legacy Notes and Attachments, we ran into a known, surprising gap in Lightning:
URLs inside Notes are not clickable.
Even with rich text formatting, users must still right-click or copy/paste to open links. This is a long-standing limitation open on the Idea Exchange. While we considered a custom object for notes to support clickable hyperlinks, we ultimately chose to stay with the out-of-the-box solution for the initial migration, with a plan to revisit based on user feedback.
5. Dashboard Scheduling in Lightning is Different
Salesforce Classic supported scheduled dashboards specifically for Experience Site users, but Lightning does not include this feature out-of-the-box.
Our Recommendation: To preserve this functionality, we recommended the CloudAnswers AppExchange solution, which serves as an effective replacement for teams who rely on scheduled dashboard reports.
6. More Testing = Fewer Surprises
Users tested for three weeks in a Sandbox environment. However, as is common with older Classic org migrations, a few hidden permission issues still surfaced during the go-live phase.
Post-launch testing was essential to validate access and ensure that the right people could see the right data.
The Lesson Learned: For older, more complex organizations, multiple rounds of permission and accessibility testing—both before and immediately after go-live are absolutely essential.
Final Thoughts
A Lightning migration is much more than turning on a new interface. It should be seen as a strategic opportunity to:
- Improve navigation and user experience
- Refresh old page layouts
- Strengthen security and permission models
- Clean up technical debt
- Modernize your entire Salesforce organization
This project reinforced how important planning, thorough testing, and user-focused design are for a truly successful migration.
If your organization is planning a move from Classic to Lightning, MC4 Solutions is here to help make your transition smooth, strategic, and future-ready.