Consumer Goods Automatic Upgrades

This article builds on our existing documentation and announcements about automatic updates for Consumer Goods (formerly known as Consumer Goods Cloud) managed package:

• Winter ‘26 CG Cloud Release Notes 

• CG Cloud Managed Package Push Upgrades (Retail Execution) documentation

• CG Cloud Managed Package Push Upgrades (Trade Promotion Management) documentation

Overview

To help your business grow and succeed, Salesforce is making upgrades easier. Starting with Winter ’26, the Consumer Goods managed packages can be included in automatic Salesforce upgrades, also called “Push Upgrades.” These upgrades match Salesforce’s seasonal release cycle, which delivers new features, important security updates, and enhancements three times a year — in Summer, Winter, and Spring.

With automatic upgrades, you get early access to new releases in your sandbox preview environment. Upgrade dates for both sandboxes and production are based on the Salesforce release calendar, and upgrades happen soon after the platform update.

This change affects three Consumer Goods managed packages:

• Consumer Goods Cloud

• Consumer Goods Cloud Sync

• Consumer Goods Cloud Service Excellence

Automatic upgrades keep your sandboxes and production up to date with the latest features. You can test customizations and new features in preview sandboxes, and receive regular updates that improve performance, stability, and security. Existing features and extensions will keep working as before. New features are added in the background and only need to be activated and tested when you are ready.

Eligibility and Enrollment

Salesforce offers two ways for customers to be enabled for Consumer Goods managed package push upgrades.

• Existing Customers: Voluntary Early Participation Program (VEPP)

Existing customers can now sign up for the VEPP for push upgrades to get the benefits of automatic upgrades, starting with the Spring ’26 release. To participate, customers must be on the latest major release of each managed package and assign the managed permission sets to users. To enroll, customers can contact their Account Executive or reach out to a CG Cloud Product Manager. Participation requires completing and signing a form that confirms enrollment and the onboarding release

• Automatic Push Upgrade Enforcement (Future)

If customers don't transition to Push Upgrades within about a year, Salesforce may make push upgrades mandatory. Prior to any mandatory enforcement, Salesforce will communicate timelines and requirements clearly through a dedicated outreach campaign.

Prerequisites for Consumer Goods Cloud Automatic Updates

Before you sign up for automatic upgrades, you must upgrade to the latest Salesforce Consumer Goods Cloud release in production. You must use the Consumer Goods Cloud Managed Permission Sets. For more details, see Retail Execution and Trade Promotion Management.

To get ready for the upgrade process, Salesforce recommends these important steps:

• Build automated test suites for all your customizations and integrations.

• Learn more about the Salesforce release calendar and the Salesforce release process by visiting the Salesforce Release Readiness Trailblazer Community.

• Complete the Salesforce Release Readiness Strategies module on Trailhead.

• Make sure at least one of your sandboxes is on the preview release.

Sandbox Setup - Preview Versions for Major Releases

Once you are set up for automatic upgrades, you will receive the latest release in both your sandboxes and production, according to the Salesforce release calendar. There are 4 to 5 weeks between the sandbox preview and the production release. During this time, you should test the new release and your customizations in your sandbox. Check if your sandbox is on a preview instance by verifying the instance location, or visit the Salesforce Sandbox Preview Guide. If you find issues during testing, they are addressed in regular Salesforce maintenance releases.

Maintenance Releases (Minor Upgrades)

Salesforce provides regular maintenance releases with minimal impact to customers. The timing of these releases depends on the severity of any issues found. Maintenance releases are designed to have minimal impact. For more information about Salesforce releases, visit the Salesforce Release Readiness Trailblazer Community.

Case Logging Instructions

To help you get quick support, we’ve improved our case routing process for this program. We’ve also created a case template for you to fill out and attach. This helps us gather the details we need to resolve your issue faster.

Here’s how to make sure your case is routed correctly after an automatic upgrade:

• Case Topic: In Industry → select Consumer Goods Cloud.

• Severity: Select Sev2.

• Subject: Mention “Automatic Upgrade” in the subject line

• In Description,

  • Give a clear, detailed description of the problem  

  • List the steps to reproduce the issue (include screenshots or short video)  

  • Add a technical point of contact if it’s not you  

  • Include the impacted orgID  

  • Provide login access for support 

  • Share the current package and version, plus the target package version

  • Add details about your upgrade schedule

FAQs

• What is the Salesforce release schedule?

We deliver three major releases each year. Check out the Salesforce Release Readiness Strategies Trailhead module for details.

• Spring (February)

• Summer (June)

• Winter (October)

• How can I get early access to upcoming releases?

Salesforce gives you early access to new releases through sandbox preview environments. The sandbox preview period lasts 4–5 weeks before the production release. When sandbox preview environments are upgraded to the platform preview version, they are also push upgraded to major release preview versions of the Cloud Managed Packages.

• Can I delay the push upgrade to production? 

No. Upgrades follow the Salesforce release calendar and cannot be delayed.

• When are preview sandboxes upgraded? 

Preview sandbox instances are upgraded in January, May, and September, which is 4–5 weeks before production. Non-preview sandboxes are upgraded with production in February, June, and October.

• Do I receive regular maintenance releases? 

Yes. Maintenance releases are applied automatically to both sandboxes and production.

• Are new features automatically enabled? 

No. Features that could affect existing implementations are disabled by default and require manual activation.

• Is there a rollback option if a major regression occurs? 

No. Managed package installations cannot be rolled back. Complete all testing in full-copy sandbox preview environments before upgrading production. Salesforce resolves any Salesforce-caused issues through maintenance releases.

• What is the downtime during automatic upgrades? 

Automatic upgrades are silent and have zero downtime. They are scheduled during off-peak hours and weekends.

• How does Salesforce ensure backward compatibility?

Salesforce ensures backward compatibility through extensive testing and automation. Any features that might affect existing implementations are turned off by default.

• How are patches or maintenance releases delivered?

Patches, or maintenance releases, are delivered every two weeks or as needed. They are first released to sandbox preview instances, then rolled out to production environments by region.

• How are fixes applied during sandbox preview?

Fixes and patches are regularly applied to sandbox preview environments as part of this process.

• How does Consumer Goods Cloud Processing Services function in push upgrade managed package?

Consumer Goods Cloud Processing Services (CGPS) operates independently from managed package versions. They are always backward compatible, centrally maintained, and updated alongside software releases. It also has a preview mechanism - when a preview sandbox receives a new platform version, typically four to five weeks before the official release, it automatically connects to a preview version of the Processing Services. 

• What about the CG Cloud Mobile App, the CG Cloud Modeler and the Mobile Application Definition?

The Consumer Goods Cloud mobile app, available in public app stores, is also strictly backward compatible and always updated to the latest version. Managed packages are designed to work with older versions of the mobile app, specifically with app content created using the CG Cloud Modeler. This means the mobile app does not need to be updated immediately after a managed package Push Upgrade. However, we recommend updating the Visual Studio Code Based Modeler and app content after a push upgrade to access the latest features. With push upgrades, you can also receive preview versions of the Modeler and app content, making it possible to review or test new features early. 

The Modeler comes with the necessary Node Package Manager (NPM) modules to simulate the mobile app in a web browser. If you want to test preview features on an iOS device, join the CG Cloud TestFlight program. To enroll, contact Product Management.

• Why should I leverage the Managed Permission Sets of the CG Cloud Managed Packages?

You no longer need to manually update permission sets in CG Cloud. In the past, customers often cloned standard permission sets and managed updates themselves. This meant that any new fields, objects, or Apex classes in a managed package required manual changes to avoid access issues. Now, with Spring ’25, CG Cloud Managed Packages include complete, granular, default permission sets. These are managed and updated automatically with each installation, so you always have access to new components—no manual steps needed.

• Can I get a schedule of planned maintenance releases?  

You will not get notifications about upcoming maintenance releases or patches. However, you can always check the regularly updated public article, Consumer Goods Cloud Patch Release Calendar, to see the next planned patch dates and their status—planned, cancelled, or confirmed.

• How can I see if and when my org received an automatic upgrade for any of the Consumer Goods Cloud Managed Packages?  

From Setup, select Installed Packages. Find the managed package you're interested in, and open its detail page. Here you will see the installed package version and the installation date. If the Installed By field lists a user from your org, the package was installed manually. If it lists Salesforce, your org received an automatic upgrade.