Deleting Removed RIO Education Components

As part of ongoing improvements to the RIO Education package, we occasionally retire components that are no longer needed — such as custom fields, page layouts, or metadata configurations. When a new version of RIO Education is installed in your org, these retired components are not deleted automatically. They remain in your org as inactive remnants and must be removed manually by your Salesforce administrator.

This guide walks you through how to identify and safely delete these components. Each release that includes removals will list the specific components to clean up in the Release Notes for that version.

Why Manual Cleanup Is Required

Salesforce does not allow managed packages to automatically delete components from a subscriber org during an upgrade. This is a platform-level protection — it prevents upgrades from accidentally destroying data. As a result, when we remove a component from RIO Education, it becomes “unmanaged” in your org after the upgrade: it is no longer controlled by the package, but it is still present and taking up space.

Left uncleaned, these orphaned components can:

• Cause confusion for administrators and developers navigating Setup.
• Appear unnecessarily in page layouts, reports, and list views.
• Trigger validation or dependency errors when making future configuration changes.

We recommend completing the cleanup steps listed in the Release Notes promptly after each upgrade.

Why the Delete Option May Be Missing in Lightning Experience

Lightning Experience has a known limitation in certain Setup areas. For some component types — particularly custom fields on managed objects and older metadata configurations — the Delete link or button does not appear in the Lightning Experience Setup UI. This is a Salesforce platform limitation, not a problem with your org or the RIO Education package.

If you encounter this, the solution is to switch to Salesforce Classic, where the Delete option is consistently available across all Setup areas.

How to Switch to Salesforce Classic

1. Click your profile avatar or your name in the top-right corner of any Salesforce page.
2. In the dropdown menu, click Switch to Salesforce Classic.
3. Salesforce will reload in Classic mode. You will recognise it by the older blue navigation bar across the top.

When you have finished your cleanup, switch back to Lightning Experience by clicking your name in the top-right corner and selecting Switch to Lightning Experience.

Tip: Switching to Classic only affects your own session. Other users in your org will not be affected and will continue to see Lightning Experience as normal.

Before You Delete: Check for Dependencies

Salesforce will not allow you to delete a component that is still referenced by another component — such as a field used in a report, or a layout assigned to a profile. Before attempting to delete, check whether anything in your org still depends on the component.

1. In Lightning Experience Setup, search for the component by name (e.g. the field API name listed in the Release Notes).
2. Open the component’s detail page and look for a Where is this used? link. Click it to see all dependencies.
3. Remove or update each dependency before attempting the deletion.

Common dependencies to resolve first:

• Field in a page layout — open the page layout editor and remove the field, then save the layout.
• Field used in a report or list view — remove the column from the report or list view, or delete the report/list view if it is no longer needed.
• Field referenced in a formula, validation rule, or flow — update or deactivate the formula, rule, or flow first.
• Page layout assigned to a profile or record type — reassign those profiles or record types to a different layout before deleting.

Step-by-Step: Deleting Components in Salesforce Classic

Custom Fields

Warning: Deleting a custom field permanently removes all data stored in that field across every record in your org. Salesforce holds deleted fields for 15 days in a Deleted Fields area before they are permanently erased — see the FAQ below for how to restore one if needed. Only proceed if you are certain the field and its data are no longer required.

1. Switch to Salesforce Classic.
2. Click Setup in the top-right navigation.
3. In the left-hand sidebar, navigate to the object that owns the field:
   • For RIO Education custom objects: Build → Create → Objects, then click the object name.
   • For standard objects: Build → Customize → [Object Name] → Fields.
4. Scroll to the Custom Fields & Relationships section.
5. Find the field listed in the Release Notes and click Del next to it.
6. Read the confirmation message carefully, then click Delete to confirm.

Custom Metadata Type Records

1. Switch to Salesforce Classic.
2. Go to Setup → Develop → Custom Metadata Types.
3. Find the metadata type listed in the Release Notes and click Manage Records.
4. Find the specific record to remove and click Del next to it.
5. Confirm the deletion.

Page Layouts

1. Switch to Salesforce Classic.
2. Go to Setup → Build → Customize → [Object Name] → Page Layouts.
3. Click Del next to the layout listed in the Release Notes.
4. If the layout is assigned to profiles or record types, Salesforce will prompt you to reassign them first. Select a replacement layout and proceed.

List Views

1. Switch to Salesforce Classic.
2. Navigate to the relevant object’s tab (e.g. the Contacts or Accounts tab).
3. Select the list view from the dropdown at the top of the page.
4. Click Edit next to the list view name, then click Delete at the bottom of the edit screen.

Apex Classes and Triggers

1. Switch to Salesforce Classic.
2. Go to Setup → Develop → Apex Classes or Apex Triggers.
3. Find the class or trigger listed in the Release Notes and click Del.

Note: An Apex class cannot be deleted if it is still referenced by another class, trigger, or component in your org. If you receive an error, check for custom code in your org that references the class and remove those references first. If you need assistance, contact RIO Education Support.

Lightning Components and Visualforce Pages

1. Switch to Salesforce Classic.
2. Go to Setup → Develop → Lightning Components or Visualforce Pages.
3. Find the component or page listed in the Release Notes and click Del.

Recommended Deletion Order

When a release requires cleanup of multiple components, follow this order to avoid dependency errors:

1. Flows, Process Builder processes, and approval processes
2. Validation rules and formula fields that reference the components
3. Page layouts (remove fields from layouts before deleting the fields themselves)
4. Reports, dashboards, and list views
5. Custom metadata type records
6. Apex classes and triggers
7. Lightning components and Visualforce pages
8. Custom fields
9. Custom objects (only after all fields and relationships have been removed)

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I find the list of components to delete for my version?
Each RIO Education release that includes component removals will document them in the Upgrade section of the Release Notes for that version. Always refer to the Release Notes for the specific version you have just installed.

I cannot see a Delete button even in Salesforce Classic. What should I do?
This can happen if the component still has active dependencies that were not shown by the Where is this used? tool — for example, a field referenced in a Flow that is currently inactive, or a layout assigned to a profile with no users. Review all dependencies carefully. If you are still unable to delete after resolving all known dependencies, please contact RIO Education Support for assistance.

Do I have to complete the cleanup right away?
The RIO Education package will continue to work correctly without the cleanup. However, we recommend completing it promptly. Orphaned components can cause clutter in Setup, interfere with future configuration changes, and may generate warnings in org health checks. We suggest scheduling the cleanup within two weeks of each upgrade.

Will deleting these components affect my users?
If you have followed the cleanup steps in the Release Notes, the components being deleted will already be inactive and not in use by RIO Education. However, if your organisation has built custom configurations on top of these components — such as custom reports that include a removed field — those customisations will be affected. We recommend reviewing your org-specific configurations against the Release Notes before proceeding.

I accidentally deleted a field. Can I recover it?
Yes, within a 15-day window. Custom fields are moved to a Deleted Fields holding area before being permanently erased. To restore one, navigate to the object’s Fields & Relationships page in Setup, scroll down to the Deleted Fields section, and click Undelete. Note that while the field definition is restored, data that was stored in the field may have been cleared. Contact RIO Education Support if you need help with data recovery.

Can I use a deployment tool to perform the deletions instead?
Yes. Experienced administrators and developers can deploy a destructiveChanges.xml file via Salesforce CLI or the Metadata API to remove multiple components in one operation. This is useful for bulk cleanup or when a UI deletion is blocked. If you choose this approach, ensure you have a sandbox backup and test the destructive deployment in a non-production org first.