Outbound versus inbound change sets
Key Takeaway
Uploading an outbound change set changes nothing in the target org. The changes take effect only after the target org deploys the change set from its Inbound Change Sets page.
A change set moves customizations you make through Setup from one Salesforce org to a related org, such as from a sandbox to production. The same change set has two sides. It is outbound in the source org, which builds and uploads it, and inbound in the target org, which receives and deploys it. Each side has its own permissions, actions and limits.
Outbound and inbound change sets
An outbound change set is created in the org you are logged in to and sent to another org. An inbound change set is one that another org sent to the org you are logged in to. When you upload an outbound change set, the target org sees it as an inbound change set. The typical use is to send customizations you built and tested in a sandbox to a production org.
| Outbound change set | Inbound change set | |
|---|---|---|
| Org | The source org, which creates and uploads it | The target org, which receives and deploys it |
| Permission needed | "Create and Upload Change Sets" (to create, edit and upload) | Both "Deploy Change Sets" and "Modify Metadata Through Metadata API Functions" (to deploy) |
| View a component's XML | After you upload it | Before you deploy it |
Uploading an outbound change set doesn't apply the changes. The change set waits on the "Inbound Change Sets" page of the target org. The changes take effect only after the target org deploys it from there. The target org can deploy only the whole change set, not one component at a time.
The Inbound Change Sets page also lists the history of change sets that were already deployed.
Dana builds a custom object called Equipment in a sandbox and tests it. She creates an outbound change set in the sandbox, adds the Equipment object and its fields, and uploads the change set. At this point, nothing has changed in production. In production, the change set now appears on the Inbound Change Sets page as an inbound change set waiting for deployment. A production admin who has Deploy Change Sets and Modify Metadata Through Metadata API Functions deploys it. Only then does the Equipment object exist in production.