Running apps in the cloud is great because there is no server to configure, no software to install, and no ongoing maintenance of your infrastructure.

At the heart of this app is what you want to sell: merchandise. When you create an app, you automatically create a data object that keeps track of all the elements of a particular merchandise item, such as its name, description, and price. On the Salesforce platform, these data objects are called custom objects. If you’re familiar with databases, you can think of them as a table.

An object comes with standard fields and screens that allow you to list, view, and edit information about the object. But you can also add your own fields to track or list just about anything you can think of.

Build a cloud app:

We can create an app with just a few clicks. Here, we use the App Quick Start wizard to create an app that can help you manage merchandise records in a warehouse

1.       Launch your browser and go to https://login.salesforce.com.

2.       Enter your username (in the form of an email address) and password.

3.       From the Force.com Setup page, click Add App in the Getting Started section. (If you’re starting from somewhere else, look in the upper right corner, and click Setup.)

4.    Fill in the form as follows:

§ For the App, type Warehouse.

§  For the Label, type Merchandise.

§ For the Plural Label, type Merchandise. 

Click on create and our Warehouse app is ready with Merchandise tab in it.

Hit, Go To My App

Our app is created with Merchandise tab as selected

Application GUI Components:

1. Force.com app menu—shows the apps that are available to you. The app you just created is selected.

2. Tabs—provide an easy way to find and organize objects and records. In the Merchandise tab, which is open, you can create, view, and edit records. The other tabs are the standard feature tabs that are included with every app.

3. Create records—Click New to add records to your custom object. If you click this button now, you see only one data entry field in the object, but you’ll create more later.

4. Force.com Quick Access menu—quickly jump to relevant app customization features. The menu is available from any object list view page and record detail page, but only for users with the “Customize Application” permission. 

Now it’s time to add some record in our merchandise object 

Add Records 

Click on “New” button under Merchandise section

Hit on save button and a record is added with its own fields and description 

Explore the App

1.       Every app has full-text search functionality for all text fields of an object and Chatter feeds.

2.       Every object in Salesforce automatically has an attached "feed," called Chatter, that lets authorized app users socialize about and collaborate on the object. Using Chatter, users can post updates in an object’s feed, comment on posts, and follow (subscribe to) the feed to get pushed updates when they happen. For example, on a Merchandise record, one user might post a question about the record, to which followers and other users can comment in reply.

3.       Every DE org has a recycle bin that you can use to view and restore deleted records.

4.       Every record in Salesforce has an "owner," which serves as the basis for a powerful security system that supports ownership-based record sharing.

5.       You can also manage activities related to a record from the Open Activities and Activity History related lists. Activities include tasks to perform (making phone calls or sending email), calendar events, and requested meetings.

6.       Every DE org has a Chat window that lets users interact with one another.

**This document is referred from salesforce help tutorials