Create a Batch Apex Class to Automate Birthday Emailer

In this step, we will create a Batch Apex job to automate the process of sending personalized birthday emails to Contact records based on their birthdate. Follow these instructions to create the Batch Apex job:

Apex Class: BirthdayEmailBatch

Implement the Batchable Interface: Ensure that your Apex class implements the "Database.Batchable" interface.

Define Start, Execute, and Finish Methods: Within your Apex class, define the following methods:

start: Query for Contact records with birthdays matching today's date, which will be used as the basis for sending birthday emails.

execute: Implement the logic to create personalized birthday emails for each Contact and update Contact records to indicate that the email has been sent.

finish: Handle any post$-$processing tasks or logging$,$ if necessary.

Schedule the Batch Job: Schedule the Batch Apex job to run daily at $8$ AM$.$ This schedule will ensure that it checks for Contacts with birthdays matching the current date each day, allowing for automated birthday greetings.

By following these instructions, you'll set up an automated process to send birthday emails to Contacts in your Salesforce instance, enhancing customer engagement and satisfaction.

Note $-$ In a Salesforce Developer Edition org, there is a daily limit of $15$ emails that can be sent using SingleEmailMessage

Code Hint

global class BirthdayEmailBatch implements Database.Batchable$\{$

global Database.QueryLocator start$($Database$.$BatchableContext BC$)\{$

return Database.getQueryLocator$($put$\_$query$\_$here$)$;$//$ Please query contacts which has email and birthdate

$\}$

global void execute$($Database$.$BatchableContext BC$,$ List scope$)\{$

List emailsToSend $=$ new List$()$;

for $($Contact contact : scope$)\{$

if$($check$\_$if$\_$Bithdate$\_$Day$\_$and$\_$Month$\_$is$\_$Matching$\_$Today$\_$Day$\_$and$\_$Month $)\{$

$//$ Create a personalized birthday email using the specified email template

Messaging.SingleEmailMessage email $=$ new Messaging.SingleEmailMessage$()$;

$//$set TargetObjectId using setTargetObjectId

$//$set SaveActivity using setSaveAsActivity. This is used to create an email acitity related to contact

$//$set Subject using setSubject as Happy Birthday

$//$set Body using setHtmlBody. Email body must contain Contact Name

$//$ Example 'Dear $\text{'}+$ contact.Name $+\text{'},$Wishing you a fantastic birthday!Sincerely,General Motors Team'

$//$ add email to emailsToSend

$\}$

$\}$

$//$ Send the birthday emails

if $(!$emailsToSend.isEmpty$())\{$

Send email using Messaging.sendEmail method

$\}$

$\}$

global void finish$($Database$.$BatchableContext BC$)\{$

$//$ Perform any necessary post$-$processing tasks here

$\}$

$\}$

Code to create a schedulable class

global class ScheduleBirthdayEmailBatch implements Schedulable $\{$

global void execute$($SchedulableContext sc$)\{$

BirthdayEmailBatch b $=$ new BirthdayEmailBatch$()$;

Database.executeBatch$($b$)$;

$\}$

$\}$

Schedule Apex.

Job Name $-$ 'Birthday Email Batch Job

Apex Class $-$ ScheduleBirthdayEmailBatch

Frequency $-$ ALL days

Preferred Start Time $-8$ am

The Batch Apex job you create in this step will automate the process of sending personalized birthday greetings to Contact records based on their birthdate. Our lab will validate this step to ensure that the Batch Apex job is correctly configured and scheduled to automate the birthday emailer process in your Salesforce instance.