If you’re reading the very first module of this course, I’m sure you’re aware of the importance of Salesforce Flow in your Salesforce org. Once you’re familiar with Flow, you can use it to automate complex business processes and create enhancements to your user experience.
Salesforce Flow can run in the background, or be exposed to your end users to capture information. It can trigger actions immediately, or schedule them for the future. The tool is extremely flexible, and can adapt to a lot of your business requirements.
All that said, it’s important to note that Flow does not replace Apex, Visualforce, Lightning Aura Components, or Lightning Web Components. What Flow Builder does do is allow you to declaratively build automation and interfaces using clicks, not code.
Building Blocks of Flow
There are three main pieces that make up a Flow.
- Elements are the individual building blocks of the Flow. These perform logical actions such as assignments, decisions, or loops. There are also data elements that will query the database or commit record changes.
- Connectors determine which element leads to which. When using Auto-Layout the Elements connect together automatically.
- Resources are the individual variables of data that are to be used in a Flow – these can be strings of text, numbers, records, formulae, or collections.
Types of Flow
You’ll learn more about the different types of Flow in a later lesson but these are the different types of Flow at a high level:
- Screen Flows are used when you need to capture information or interaction from your end users. These can be called from a Lightning Action, or embedded within a Lightning Page.
- Triggered Flows are used when you need an action or set of actions to run automatically in the background once something else has happened within Salesforce. These types of Flows can be triggered by a record change (Record-Triggered), a schedule (Schedule-Triggered), or a platform event occurrence (Platform Event-Triggered).
- Autolaunched Flows are a collection of actions that must be triggered by an external Flow, Apex method, or similar. These actions sit dormant until called upon.
When You Would Use Flow
As Salesforce encourages a clicks, not code approach to development, Flow should always be among your first options when it comes to tools for building a solution. As long as there’s not a dedicated tool to do the same function (ie. a Quick Action to create a new Lead Record with no more than First Name, Last Name, Email, and Phone), you should consider if Flow is the right tool.
Similarly, if Flow cannot easily perform the function you require, don’t try and force it! If a Lightning Web Component would enhance your user interface more easily, and building similar functionality in a Flow would take a lot of complexity and custom AppExchange components, perhaps a Lightning Web Component is a better solution.
Summary
Salesforce Flow is receiving new features and enhancements with every Salesforce update. Following Salesforce’s approach to development (prioritizing clicks, not code), Flow will likely be the most used tool in a Salesforce Admin or Declarative Developers’ toolkit. Flow can be used to automate complex business processes without having to use Apex, and can also be used to collect information from users using screens.