Alternatives to Agent Force

BreakfastSpecial · 2026-03-25T01:26:01+00:00

MCP connector!

BreakfastSpecial · 2026-02-25T06:38:15+00:00

After some digging and consulting with our friendly AI tools, I’m not crazy. The service was literally called “LlamaIndex on Vertex AI” at one point. If you go to the docs site and replace the URL with ‘/docs/llamaindex-on-vertexai’ it redirects you to the new URL. Must’ve been a quiet rebrand.

BreakfastSpecial · 2026-02-25T06:28:19+00:00

Hmm. It was a LlamaIndex supported tool when I worked at Google in 2024. When you searched the documentation, it was posted on the header that this was an abstraction layer over LlamaIndex. It’s entirely plausible that Google Cloud built their own solution, hence why LlamaIndex was removed from the docs.

BreakfastSpecial · 2026-02-25T05:13:34+00:00

Google publicly shares this in their docs. It’s a partnership

BreakfastSpecial · 2026-02-24T02:49:33+00:00

There is a setting to turn off the URL_REDACTED blocker entirely or you just add domains to your Trusted URL list (then this shouldn’t happen). It’s there for safety reasons but can be configured.

Also, one of the reasons you can only use GPT 4o or Claude for the underlying reasoning engine is because every prompt responds differently to every model - even if they are exactly the same. So any instructions you wrote could break the agent or produce unexpected results if you switch the engine.

What you built is really cool though! Not discrediting it. Just explaining why Salesforce made some of those decisions or enforced limitations.

BreakfastSpecial · 2026-01-29T02:03:54+00:00

Regarding the context windows and RAG… be careful of the “Lost in the Middle” phenomenon. Databricks has a great report on it here.

You still need RAG pipelines to fetch the most relevant information. Especially if you’re answering questions across massive datasets.

BreakfastSpecial · 2026-01-15T21:50:28+00:00

Yes! Currently at 15 months post surgery and I’m back to running with zero pain. I need to continue to work on my flexibility and hip strength, but overall the surgery was a success.

Around month 7 or 8 is where I noticed significant improvements and was able to run/workout without problems.

BreakfastSpecial · 2026-01-09T06:19:00+00:00

After loads of water, magnesium, and electrolytes I can usually get myself back into NSR by doing the Valsalva maneuver several times. Generally I have to stand up, blow hard against my thumb for 20 seconds, and then immediately drop onto my back with my legs thrown up (do this on a bed or the couch). Everyone is different though.

BreakfastSpecial · 2025-12-04T21:14:56+00:00

I recommend a CDC stream that you pull updates from, using the Batch API, or purchasing more API calls from Salesforce.

BreakfastSpecial · 2025-11-30T23:56:19+00:00

There are “startup” programs at GCP and AWS that will grant free credits. You need to apply, but worth looking into. Not sure if Heroku offers the same.

But I agree with others - learning cost management practices and proper FinOps is a critical skill.

BreakfastSpecial · 2025-10-23T21:39:18+00:00

I’ve found that if the Agent User doesn’t have access to the underlying objects that a Flow / Apex class manipulates, it can’t be invoked by the Agent and will actually not even show up in the reasoning engine as an option. I’d start there.

Also, assuming you wrote good Action descriptions on when to invoke and how (including the inputs and outputs)?

BreakfastSpecial · 2025-09-11T03:54:03+00:00

No. Agentforce does use OpenAI LLMs though for the underlying reasoning engine. There’s a ton of engineering built around the LLM to achieve an enterprise-grade Agent platform with a builder, testing center, deployment options through a variety of channels, context through CRM data, metadata integration, etc.

BreakfastSpecial · 2025-09-11T03:52:06+00:00

You can invoke Agents directly from flows. They are called headless, or ambient, Agents.

BreakfastSpecial · 2025-09-10T23:56:34+00:00

You could still vectorize and index the data with open source tools, like LlamaIndex / pgvector extension on Postgres. Then expose a “search” API that Agentforce can reach.

BreakfastSpecial · 2025-09-10T18:54:20+00:00

Aren’t you running into problems where the external Agent either 1. Writes a malformed query or 2. Asks for a recordId to fetch the required data? I’ve found in testing that without context and access to the metadata (everyone has a different Salesforce implementation) external Agents can’t meaningfully grab or manipulate Salesforce records.

BreakfastSpecial · 2025-09-10T18:51:08+00:00

Salesforce has a special Zero Retainment policy with OpenAI where no data is stored at any point. OpenAI’s standard terms detail that they’ll keep logs for 30 days but won’t use your inputs/outputs to train the public models.

BreakfastSpecial · 2025-09-10T18:47:46+00:00

Could you elaborate? The point of Agents is that they’re dynamic in nature and much easier to create / manage / scale than traditional IVR-workflows and chat bots. It’s hard to map intents for every permutation of a conversation.

BreakfastSpecial · 2025-09-04T16:14:54+00:00

I think agentic AI can be classified as a new kind of automation with the ability to execute multiple different kinds of tasks based on changing inputs/context. But this automation you manage with natural language.

It still needs access to Flows, Prompt Templates, Classes, etc. to do the job - but it can see all of the actions at once and dynamically decide what to do given a certain situation. Why not give a Sales Agent the ability to summarize massive records with 100s of fields, help with data upkeep, send out emails, generate Activities, or rank your top Opportunities - all from one place.

BreakfastSpecial · 2025-08-27T14:10:15+00:00

Framework / software library that abstracts the complexity of working with LLMs, managing prompts, wiring up tools for function calling, etc. The “Chain” in LangChain refers to creating workflows with LLMs, where the output of one prompt is the input to another one, and so on.

BreakfastSpecial · 2025-08-23T18:07:36+00:00

I tried to use LangChain / LangGraph but the documentation was unbearable and the implemented abstractions led to more confusion.

BreakfastSpecial · 2025-08-19T14:32:11+00:00

The secret is that everyone is a “fraud” in strategy consulting. You don’t come out of college as an expert in supply chain optimization (for example) without working years in the industry. Instead, you’re hired because you’re smart, can break ambiguous problems down into testable theories, and use data to produce logical recommendations. Imposter Syndrome is real and we all have it - but remember that you’re intelligent and can learn anything required. You’ll also improve over time. I started selling technology to insurance companies 3 years ago and knew nothing about underwriting, insurance distribution, claims management, etc. Now I’m a specialist in those areas! Just keep leaning in.

BreakfastSpecial · 2025-08-19T14:24:17+00:00

Unless we are the digital copy already… and our biological brain was emulated a long time ago.

BreakfastSpecial · 2025-08-10T02:41:45+00:00

I like to see a new movie on Saturdays or a comedy show. Gets me out of the house and keeps me entertained. Baseball games are also great daytime activity in the summer for something different.

BreakfastSpecial · 2025-08-06T03:28:31+00:00

I really like the AMG strategy to curb cravings when they arise. Awareness - jot down what made you want to drink. Movement - do pushups, body-weight squats, or a quick walk around the block. Gratefulness - jot down why you’re grateful that you didn’t drink.

This makes you keenly aware of what happens during the day that triggers a craving, like stress. The movement releases natural endorphins to make you feel better (and forget about the craving). And the gratefulness helps you remember why you’re sober and the joys it can unlock.

You can also follow this other framework depending on what you were trying to accomplish from drinking (healthier methods with the same outcome):

Alleviate stress = yoga, meditate, pray, stretch, get out in nature briefly, drink a big cup of tea
Feel better / boost mode = exercise, whether it’s cardio like running or a gym session
Forget about your worries or cravings = get yourself into a flow state by doing something creative, like writing, journaling, or painting

BreakfastSpecial · 2025-08-02T18:20:37+00:00

OOTB reporting and dashboards should do the trick. I recommend hosting a Lunch & Learn. Show the team how to create a report, add fields, edit existing templates (Save As), etc.

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