Custom Metadata vs Custom Settings

Custom metadata and custom settings are both tools in Salesforce that allow developers to store custom data that can be accessed throughout the application. 

However, they have some key differences:

1. Use Case: 

Custom metadata is better suited for complex data structures and managing data across multiple environments, while custom settings are better suited for storing user-specific configurations and setting values.

2. Access: 

Custom metadata can be accessed via the Metadata API and can be packaged and deployed to other orgs. It contains both data and metadata, while custom settings can be accessible via Metadata API and can be deployed across orgs but contains only metadata and no data. (By using copado you can deploy both data and metadata)

3. Limits: 

Custom metadata has a limit of 2,500 records per org, while custom settings have a limit of 10,000 records per org.

4. Visibility: 

Custom metadata records are visible to all users, while custom settings can be set to be visible only to certain profiles or users.

5. API Limits: Custom metadata records do not count towards API limits, while custom setting records do count towards API limits.

6. Relationships: 

Custom metadata supports relationships between records, while custom settings do not.

7. Schema: 

Custom metadata has a defined schema that you define when you create the record type, while custom settings do not have a defined schema.

8. Namespace: 

Custom metadata supports the use of namespaces, which can help prevent naming conflicts between different packages or developers, while custom settings do not support namespaces.

9. Decoupling: 

Custom metadata is designed to be decoupled from the code and can be managed outside of the codebase, while custom settings are tightly coupled with the code and cannot be managed independently.

In conclusion, the choice between using custom metadata and custom settings depends on the specific requirements of the use case. 

Both of these tools are powerful and can be used effectively together to manage custom data in Salesforce.