---
schema_version: "1"
id: 49e6d2e94c474095b03d234d5e024589820d71706cf774a1d05cb12d32be8c6d
title: Utility Calls
collection: legacydeveloper
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/legacydeveloper/current/en-us/api_meta/meta_utility_calls_intro.md
canonical_url: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_meta.meta/api_meta/meta_utility_calls_intro.htm
source_site: developer.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 01ecd236cf719981b4be7c809861c2326b305a0edb89c4455aaca0c513c28bdf
description: Use utility calls to gather information that is useful for working with the file-based or CRUD-based calls.
---
# Utility Calls

Use utility calls to gather information that is useful for working with the file-based or CRUD-based calls.

- (Deprecated) [checkStatus()](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_meta.meta/api_meta/meta_checkstatus.htm "Deprecated. Checks the status of asynchronous metadata calls create(), update(), or delete(), or the declarative metadata call retrieve(). This call is removed as of API version 31.0 and is available only in earlier versions.")
- [describeMetadata()](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_meta.meta/api_meta/meta_describe.htm "This call retrieves the metadata that describes your organization. This information includes Apex classes and triggers, custom objects, custom fields on standard objects, tab sets that define an app, and many other metadata types.")
- [describeValueType()](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_meta.meta/api_meta/meta_describeValueType.htm "Retrieves the metadata describing a given metadata type (value type).")
- [listMetadata()](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_meta.meta/api_meta/meta_listmetadata.htm "This call retrieves property information about metadata components in your organization. Data is returned for the components that match the criteria specified in the queries parameter. The queries array can contain up to three ListMetadataQuery queries for each call. This call supports every metadata type: both top-level, such as CustomObject and ApexClass, and child types, such as CustomField and RecordType.")