Gabriel Cruz Ferreira
Salesforce Architect · 15x Certified · Road to CTA
Porto Alegre, Brazil · Remote worldwide
I started with Salesforce because I wanted to understand how business systems really work under the hood. Over 6 years later, I'm a System and Application Architect with 15 certifications — each one the result of questions I needed to answer to solve real problems.
Background
Computer Science degree from UFSCar (2015), started as a developer and expanded into architecture. I began at HarpiaCloud, a Salesforce-focused consultancy now part of Accenture Song, then moved to XCL where I grew into an architect role. After that I joined HCCM Consulting on projects for Bank Leumi and currently work as Tech Lead at Race Communications. Throughout this path I've kept a continuous consulting role at XCL, now with a focus on AI. In September 2025 I attended Dreamforce in San Francisco, where the direction became clear: the next layer of work is AI.
The goal: CTA
The Certified Technical Architect is the highest level of technical certification at Salesforce. Fewer than 300 people worldwide hold this title. With Application Architect and System Architect achieved, I'm building the foundation for the candidacy. It's a marathon — and I document the journey here.
Why this blog?
I learn better when I have to explain. Force Tricks is where I process what I study and implement — in Portuguese and English, without buzzwords, without theory that doesn't survive contact with production.
What you'll find here
- Salesforce Architecture (Sales, Service, Experience Cloud)
- Apex, LWC and REST/SOAP integrations
- Agentforce and Einstein AI in practice
- CI/CD with SFDX and deploy pipelines
- The journey toward CTA