Discussion on Future of Veeva Vault Developers

This video provides an in-depth exploration of the future of Veeva Vault developers, featuring an insightful discussion between Vaibhav and Deepan, an IT professional with over 14 years of experience, including a decade specifically in Veeva Vault. The core purpose of the discussion is to demystify Veeva Vault for newcomers and experienced professionals alike, highlighting its unique position as an Enterprise Content Management (ECM) tool tailored exclusively for the pharmaceutical industry. The speakers emphasize that Veeva Vault's specialization for pharma companies, coupled with its cloud-based accessibility, differentiates it significantly from generic ECM solutions like OpenText or Documentum, making it a critical platform for managing regulated content across the life sciences sector.

The discussion delves into the comprehensive suite of Veeva Vault products, explaining how they cater to various stages of the pharmaceutical life cycle. Deepan clarifies that Veeva offers distinct applications for critical domains such as regulatory affairs, clinical operations, and commercial activities. Specific examples include Clinical Development Management System (CDMS), electronic Trial Master File (eTMF), Regulatory Submissions, PromoMats for promotional materials, and Quality Management System (QMS). Despite the diversity in domain-specific features, the underlying look and feel of these applications remain consistent, simplifying the learning curve for developers transitioning between different Vault modules. This integrated approach ensures that pharma companies can manage their vast array of documents—from clinical trial data to regulatory filings and marketing content—within a unified, compliant ecosystem.

A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the historical trajectory and current demand for Veeva Vault developers. Deepan recounts Veeva Vault's journey from its development around 2007, through a period of struggle, to widespread adoption by pharmaceutical companies starting around 2012, with a particularly strong growth phase between 2020 and 2022. He notes a persistent high demand for skilled Veeva Vault configuration experts, often outstripping the supply of qualified professionals. This scarcity has led many companies to invest in internal training programs for freshers, guiding them from support roles to advanced configuration activities. The speakers project a bright future for Veeva Vault developers, anticipating sustained demand for at least another 10 to 15 years, especially given the continuous evolution of content management needs in the regulated pharma environment.

Finally, the video addresses the technical skills required and the learning challenges associated with Veeva Vault. It highlights that Veeva Vault development is largely configuration-driven, making it accessible even to individuals without a strong coding background. However, for advanced customizations, integrations, and automation, knowledge of Java SDK, REST APIs, and Veeva Query Language (VQL) is highly beneficial. A key challenge identified is the non-open-source nature of Veeva Vault, which restricts hands-on practice for those outside of an organizational environment. The discussion also touches upon the strategic shift of Veeva CRM, which is migrating from its Salesforce tie-up to become a native Veeva Vault product by 2025, presenting new opportunities for Vault developers to expand into CRM functionalities and streamline integrations.

Key Takeaways:

• Veeva Vault's Pharma Specialization: Veeva Vault is an Enterprise Content Management (ECM) tool specifically developed for pharmaceutical companies, distinguishing it from generic ECM solutions by its deep industry focus and compliance-centric design.
• Cloud-Based Accessibility: Unlike older, often on-premise content management systems, Veeva Vault is a cloud-based tool, offering easy accessibility from anywhere with an internet connection and proper access credentials, enhancing operational flexibility for global pharma companies.
• Comprehensive Pharma Life Cycle Coverage: Veeva Vault supports the entire pharmaceutical life cycle through various specialized suites and applications, including Regulatory (e.g., Regulatory Submissions, Registrations), Clinical (e.g., CDMS, eTMF), Commercial (e.g., PromoMats), and Quality Management Systems (QMS).
• Consistent User Experience Across Modules: Despite catering to diverse domains, all Veeva Vault applications share a consistent look and feel, simplifying the learning process and enabling developers to transition between different modules with relative ease.
• High Demand for Developers: There is a significant and sustained demand for Veeva Vault developers, particularly those with configuration expertise, which currently outstrips the supply of qualified professionals. This trend has led companies to invest in training freshers.
• Configuration-Driven Development: Veeva Vault development is primarily based on configuration rather than extensive coding, making it an accessible technology for individuals without a strong programming background.
• Advanced Skills for Customization and Integration: While core development is configuration-based, advanced customization, integration, and automation tasks benefit greatly from knowledge of Java SDK, REST APIs, and Veeva Query Language (VQL).
• Challenges in Hands-On Learning: Veeva Vault is not an open-source tool, which poses a challenge for individuals seeking hands-on practice outside of an employer-provided environment. Learning often requires access through a company's training instance or project.
• Importance of Domain Knowledge: Long-term career success and adaptability in the Veeva ecosystem depend heavily on a strong understanding of pharmaceutical domain knowledge (e.g., regulatory processes, clinical trials), allowing developers to apply their skills effectively even if tools evolve.
• Veeva CRM Migration Opportunity: Veeva CRM is transitioning from its current Salesforce integration to become a native Veeva Vault product by 2025, creating new opportunities for Veeva Vault developers to expand their expertise into CRM functionalities and streamline integrations within the Veeva ecosystem.
• Recommended Learning Path: Aspiring Veeva Vault developers should start by understanding support activities, gain hands-on experience, and then progress to configuration roles. Continuous learning and practical application of skills are crucial for career growth.
• Key Developer Skills: Essential skills for Veeva Vault developers include understanding the difference between document and object configurations, proficiency with Postman for testing REST APIs, and familiarity with VQL for complex queries and validations.
• Career Longevity: The demand for Veeva Vault developers is projected to remain strong for at least 10-15 years, indicating a stable and promising career path within the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries.

Tools/Resources Mentioned:

• Veeva Help Portal: Official resource for learning about Veeva administration and domain-specific understanding.
• developer.veeva.com: A resource specifically for developers, providing information on Java SDK, REST APIs, and VQL.
• Postman: A tool recommended for testing and working with REST APIs.
• Java SDK: A software development kit for Java, useful for creating customized actions and integrations within Veeva Vault.
• VQL (Veeva Query Language): A query language essential for object configuration, validations, and restrictions.
• "Learn more about Veeva" (YouTube Channel): Deepan's personal YouTube channel dedicated to providing insights and learning resources for Veeva Vault.
• WhatsApp Group: A community group for Veeva professionals to discuss configurations and generic questions.

Key Concepts:

• Enterprise Content Management (ECM): A system used to manage and store an organization's documents and other content, relevant to business processes. Veeva Vault is a specialized ECM for pharma.
• Veeva Vault: A cloud-based ECM platform specifically designed for the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries, supporting various regulated processes.
• Document Configuration: Setting up and managing properties, lifecycles, and workflows for documents within Veeva Vault.
• Object Configuration: Configuring data objects and their relationships, often requiring VQL queries for validation and restrictions, especially prevalent in regulatory applications.
• Life Cycle: The defined stages a document or object progresses through within Veeva Vault, often tied to regulatory or business processes.
• Workflow: Automated sequences of tasks and approvals that guide documents or objects through their life cycle.
• Rendition: A different version or format of a document (e.g., PDF rendition of a Word document).
• Version: Different iterations of a document or object as it undergoes changes.
• REST API: A set of rules that allows different software applications to communicate with each other over the internet, used for integration and automation with Veeva Vault.
• Veeva CRM: Veeva's Customer Relationship Management platform, which is migrating to be a native part of the Veeva Vault ecosystem.