Learn All About Flows in Salesforce in 2023

What is a Flow in Salesforce? 

A flow is an automation tool in salesforce. In other words, it collects data or information and processes the data. 

Flow Builder is a tool in Salesforce User Interface which is used to build individual flows. Flow Builder can do the work that can be done by any programming language, it can easily build logic. 

There are five types of flows: 

Screen Flows

These types of flows are flows that have a user interface element and can require inputs from the users. They can be used as an action or can be implemented as an element on a Lightning page. 

Don't forget to check out: All About Record-Triggered Flows in Salesforce | The Salesforce Trailhead Guide

Schedule-Triggered Flows

These types of flows run in the background at a specified time or we can say at a scheduled time when a record is created, updated, or deleted. 

Auto-launched Flows

These types of flows are the flows that run automated processes. Auto-launched flows can be triggered from process builder, Apex class, on record change, or from platform events. 

Record-Triggered Flows 

These types of flows are the flows that automatically launch the flow. These flows run in the background like scheduled triggered flows but not at a specified time, it runs immediately after a record is created, updated, or deleted. 

Platform Event-Triggered Flows

When we receive a platform event message, flow is triggered and the type of flow is called Platform event triggered flow. 

When to Use Flow? 

• Flow is able to create, edit, and delete any record that has been passed into the flow. Records do not have to be linked in order to get data in a flow. Time can be specified for the flow to run for a collection of records. 
• It is impossible for the field update feature of the workflow rule to do the functioning on related object fields, it can only update the fields of triggering record. 
• Process Builder can update data of the same record that triggered the process, or of records with lookup or master-detail relationships. Records can be created or updated using process builder, but we cannot delete the records using the same. Process builder also cannot query records that are not linked to the triggering record. 

Check out another amazing blog by Romil here: Dashboards in Salesforce - A Brief Guide

 When Not to Use Flow? 

• When there is any complicated logic that can be better managed with programming, then we’ll choose Apex overflows. 
• The Salesforce edition that we choose decides how many flows we can create. Essentials and Professional editions have a limit of five processes (per process type) and flows (per flow type) in each organization.