Salesforce Flow is a powerful declarative automation tool. Beyond the basics, understanding the distinct types of Flows and their specific use cases is key to building efficient and effective automations. This guide outlines five primary Flow types designed to address approximately 90% of common business process needs.
1. Screen Flow
Screen Flows are unique in their ability to interact directly with users via a user interface. They function as guided wizards or custom forms, collecting input and presenting information dynamically. Unlike relying solely on record pages, validation rules, and field-level security, Screen Flows provide proactive guidance to users, minimizing errors before submission.
Use Cases:
- Onboarding new customers
- Logging support cases
- Guiding internal teams through complex procedures
- Processing product returns or exchanges
- Creating internal reimbursement request forms (e.g., for attaching receipts)
Enhancements like progress indicators and pre-built components can improve user experience for longer processes without custom development.
2. Record-Triggered Flow
Record-Triggered Flows automate processes in the background, initiating automatically when a record is created, updated, or deleted. They serve as the modern replacement for Process Builder and Workflow Rules, offering significantly more flexibility.
Capabilities:
- Before-Save Logic: Execute actions before a record is saved to the database (similar to Apex triggers).
- After-Save Logic: Execute actions after a record is saved.
- Cross-Object Updates: Modify related records.
- Looping: Iterate through collections of records.
- Subflow Invocation: Call other Flows.
Use Cases:
- Automatically create a Task when a high-priority Case is created.
- Update an Opportunity Stage based on a related Quote's approval status.
- Recalculate a custom field value when a related child record changes.
- Assign a custom object record to the appropriate queue based on field values.
These Flows are efficient for set-and-forget automations that maintain data integrity and process consistency.
3. Scheduled-Triggered Flow
Scheduled-Triggered Flows execute automations based on a defined schedule, rather than data changes. They are ideal for routine, time-based tasks.
Use Cases:
- Send reminders for open Opportunities with no upcoming tasks every Monday.
- Update
Customer_Since__cdates for newly created Accounts on the first of each month. - Archive inactive Cases by updating their status nightly.
- Deactivate sales team members who haven't logged in for over 60 days every Saturday.
These Flows can process batches of records efficiently, making them suitable for recurring maintenance and reporting tasks.
4. Autolaunched Flow
Autolaunched Flows, in the context of Flow Builder, refer to any Flow that runs without user interaction (i.e., no screens). This category technically includes Record-Triggered and Schedule-Triggered Flows. However, when referred to as "Autolaunched Flow (No Trigger)", it signifies a Flow that requires an external invocation mechanism.
Invocation Methods:
- Another Flow
- Apex code
- Custom buttons
- Processes (legacy)
Use Cases:
- A custom button on a record page triggers a Flow for batch updates.
- An Apex trigger invokes a Flow to handle a specific part of a custom process.
- A reusable Flow handles common fault path logic called by multiple other automations.
Breaking down complex logic into modular Autolaunched Flows promotes reusability and maintainability.
5. Platform Event-Triggered Flow
Platform Event-Triggered Flows act as listeners, responding to the publication of Platform Events. These Flows are typically employed for advanced scenarios involving asynchronous communication between different system components or integrations.
Use Cases:
- Near real-time updates driven by external system events.
- Inter-system communication in complex integrations.
- Responding to events that fall outside the standard record lifecycle.
These are powerful for decoupling processes and enabling event-driven architectures.
Flow Types at a Glance
| Flow Type | Trigger Mechanism | Primary Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Flow | User Interaction (UI) | Guided user input and task completion |
| Record-Triggered Flow | Record Create, Update, Delete | Backend automation based on data changes |
| Scheduled-Triggered Flow | Time-based schedule | Routine, recurring tasks |
| Autolaunched Flow | External Invocation (API, Flow) | Reusable logic, invoked by other processes |
| Platform Event-Triggered Flow | Platform Event Publication | Asynchronous event processing, integrations |
Key Takeaways
- Screen Flows enable guided user interaction and data collection.
- Record-Triggered Flows automate processes based on data changes, replacing PB and WF.
- Scheduled-Triggered Flows handle time-based automations for routine tasks.
- Autolaunched Flows provide reusable automation logic invoked externally.
- Platform Event-Triggered Flows facilitate asynchronous communication and event-driven automation.
Understanding and selecting the appropriate Flow type is fundamental for efficient Salesforce automation.
Leave a Comment