About
Salesforce Flow is a powerful automation tool in Salesforce that allows you to automate business processes by creating custom workflows without code. Using Flow, you can set up complex automations, such as updating records, creating records, sending emails, or interacting with external systems, through a drag-and-drop interface.
Key Benefits
- No Code Needed: Built using a visual interface, accessible to non-developers.
- Customizable: Can be tailored to complex business processes.
- Seamless Integration: Works across Salesforce objects and can integrate with external systems.
Types of Salesforce Flows
- Screen Flow: Interactive flows that guide users through a series of screens to collect data.
- Record-Triggered Flow: Runs automatically when a record is created, updated, or deleted.
- Scheduled Flow: Executes at a specified time and frequency.
- Autolaunched Flow: Runs in the background without user interaction and can be called by other automation tools.
Best practices
Here are some best practices for Salesforce Flow to ensure your flows are efficient, maintainable, and performant:
Plan before start working on it!
- Choose the Right Flow Type: Use the appropriate flow type (e.g., Screen Flow for user interaction, Record-Triggered Flow for automations based on record changes).
- Design the flow first: Identify all steps, decisions, and data needed. Draw a rough flowchart to visualize the process.
Focus on Performance Optimization
- Chose carefully when the flow will run in case of Record-Triggered flow
- Before the record is saved: If you want to update field on same record which triggered the flow, then must use this.
- After the record is saved: It should be used when you want to perform some action after record is saved in database, for example, sending emails, calling apex methods, updating related child or parent records etc.
- Minimize Element Count: Use fewer elements and avoid unnecessary actions to reduce complexity and improve performance.
- Bulkify Your Flow: When working with large data sets, use Collection Variables and Loops to handle multiple records at once.
- Limit Data Operations: Place data elements (Get, Update, Delete) only where necessary, and avoid placing them in loops.
Use Subflows for Reusability
- Break Down Complex Flows: Split complex logic into smaller, modular flows and call them as subflows to promote reuse and easier debugging.
- Centralize Common Logic: Use subflows for repetitive actions across multiple flows, like error handling or sending notifications.
Use Error Handling and Fault Paths
- Add Fault Paths: Every data element should have fault paths to handle errors gracefully (e.g., log errors or send notifications if a record update fails).
- Use Try-Catch Patterns: For complex flows, use fault paths or fault handling subflows to retry failed actions or handle errors conditionally.
Do use Entry Conditions on Record-Triggered Flows
- Limit Trigger Frequency: Use entry conditions in Record-Triggered Flows to ensure they only run when absolutely necessary, reducing performance load and avoiding recursion.
- Avoid Recursive Updates: Ensure the flow doesn’t update the same record repeatedly within a trigger context. Consider using before-save flows instead of after-save where possible.
Leverage IsChanged and PriorValue Functions
- Track Field Changes: Use
IsChangedto detect changes in specific fields, andPriorValueto get the value before the change, enabling more precise conditions for triggers and decisions.
Avoid Hardcoding Values
Use Custom Labels, Custom Metadata, Custom Setting and Resources: For static values like URLs, names, or messages, use Custom Labels, Custom Metadata, Custom Setting and resources to avoid hardcoding, making the flow easier to maintain and update.
Keep It Organized
- Use Clear Naming Conventions:
- Name flow granularly like: Account_before_save_flow
- Name elements, variables, and resources descriptively (e.g.,
Get_Account_InfoorCreate_Opportunity_Record) so other users can easily understand the flow.
- Add Descriptions: Document each element with a description for future reference or for other admins to understand the flow logic.
Test Thoroughly
- Test in Sandbox First: Always test flows in a sandbox environment with various scenarios to ensure they work as expectd.
- Use Debug Logs: Utilize the Flow Debug tool for real-time testing, especially in complex flows, to identify issues before going live.
Review and Monitor Performance
- Monitor Flow Performance: Regularly check the Flow Interviews and Error Logs for unexpected behavior or errors.
- Update Regularly: Keep flows updated as business processes change and retire any outdated flows to avoid conflicts and maintain clean automation.
Summary
Following these best practices will help you build efficient, scalable, and maintainable flows that improve business process automation without impacting performance or causing unnecessary complexities. For more technically depth understanding, please follow this Salesforce’s official help article: https://architect.salesforce.com/decision-guides/trigger-automation
If these best practices are NOT followed with due diligence then the org performance will degrade very soon and will result huge business productivity issues, so advisable to have a Technical Architect or Advance Flow Expert who can make sure this, please feel free reach me out or email here: ayub.salsforce@gmail.com if you need any such help.