Key Takeaways
- Salesforce announced in 2021 that Workflow Rules and Process Builder will be retired — all new automation should be built in Flow Builder; existing Workflow Rules and Process Builder should be migrated.
- Record-Triggered Flows are the most commonly used Flow type — they run automatically before or after a record is saved, making them the direct replacement for Workflow Rules and Process Builder.
- Screen Flows are used for guided user interactions — data entry wizards, troubleshooting guides, and multi-step processes where the user needs to provide input at each step.
- Flow Builder's canvas-based designer (elements connected by connectors) allows complex branching logic, loops, and multi-object operations that are impossible or cumbersome in Workflow Rules.
- Flow Builder's governor limit considerations for bulk processing (running a Flow on 200 records simultaneously) require testing with bulk data and sometimes using 'before save' context instead of 'after save' for performance.
In June 2021, Salesforce announced that Workflow Rules and Process Builder — the two automation tools that Salesforce administrators had used for years — would be retired in favour of Flow Builder. The announcement came with a clear direction: Flow Builder is the future of Salesforce automation, and all new automation should be built there. For Salesforce administrators and developers, this announcement was a significant signal. Flow Builder had been available since 2019, but many orgs still relied on Workflow Rules (for simple automations) and Process Builder (for more complex multi-step processes) because they were familiar and their teams had invested in them. The retirement announcement changed the calculus: building new automation in Workflow Rules or Process Builder means building something that will eventually need to be migrated. This guide covers what Flow Builder is, the five Flow types and when to use each, and how the most common Salesforce automation tasks translate from legacy tools to Flow Builder.
Definition: Flow Elements — Triggers, Decisions, Loops, and Actions
A Salesforce Flow is built from Elements connected by Connectors on a canvas. The main element types: Trigger — the starting point that defines when the Flow runs (record create/update, schedule, screen input); Decision — a branching element that evaluates conditions and routes the Flow to different paths (equivalent to an if/else statement); Loop — iterates over a collection of records, applying the Flow logic to each item; Action elements — perform operations: Record Create/Update/Delete (DML), Get Records (SOQL query), Send Email, Post to Chatter, Call an Apex class, or Call a subflow. Assignment elements set variable values. The canvas connects these elements with Connectors defining the execution order. Complex flows combine multiple Decision elements (for multi-condition branching), Loop elements (for processing related records), and Action elements (for the actual work done at each step).
Record-Triggered Flows: The Most Common Automation Type
Record-Triggered Flows run automatically when a record is created, updated, or deleted — they're the primary replacement for Workflow Rules and Process Builder for most CRM automation tasks.
Record-Triggered Flows have three timing options: Before Save (runs before the record is saved to the database — most efficient for field updates on the same record, uses less governor limits than After Save), After Save (runs after the record is saved — required when the automation needs the record's ID or when it operates on related records), and After Delete (runs when a record is deleted — for cleanup of related records or logging). The timing choice matters for performance: a Flow that simply updates a field on the same record should use Before Save to avoid an additional DML operation; a Flow that creates a related record based on the trigger record must use After Save because the trigger record's ID is needed for the relationship.
Entry Conditions in Record-Triggered Flows define when the Flow runs — equivalent to the 'Rule Criteria' in Workflow Rules. You can set the Flow to run only when specific conditions are met (e.g., run only when the Stage is changed to 'Closed Won' or only when a specific field is updated). The 'When to Run the Flow' setting controls whether the Flow runs on all record changes meeting the criteria, or only when the record is updated to meet criteria for the first time (equivalent to 'When a Record is Created or When Any Field Changes or When Only Criteria Changes' in Workflow Rules).
The most common Record-Triggered Flow patterns: (1) Field update based on related record — when an Opportunity is created, look up the Account to get the Account Manager and set it on the Opportunity; (2) Auto-create related record — when a new Account is created with Type = 'Customer', create a default Onboarding Task; (3) Notification on criteria met — when an Opportunity's Amount exceeds $100,000, send a notification to the Sales Director; (4) Related record update — when a Case is closed, update the related Account's Last_Support_Date field. All of these were previously done in Workflow Rules or Process Builder; they're now done in Record-Triggered Flows with more flexibility.
- Before Save: same-record field updates — faster, fewer governor limits
- After Save: related record operations — requires saved record ID
- Entry Conditions: define when the Flow triggers — equivalent to Workflow Rule criteria
- Auto-create related records: Opportunity creates Task; Account creates Contact; Lead converts creates follow-up
- Multi-step logic: Decision elements branch the Flow based on field values or related record conditions
Screen Flows and Migrating from Legacy Tools
Screen Flows provide guided user interactions that legacy automation tools couldn't build; the migration path from Workflow Rules and Process Builder to Flow Builder is systematic but requires planning.
Screen Flows present one or more screens to a user during a Salesforce interaction — a multi-step data entry wizard, a guided troubleshooting process, a configuration wizard, or a step-by-step approval initiation. Screen Flows are launched from a Lightning App Builder page (adding the Flow component to a record page, app page, or Home page), from a Quick Action button, or from a Utility Bar item. Unlike Record-Triggered Flows that run invisibly in the background, Screen Flows actively involve the user — gathering input, showing decision points, and confirming actions before executing. A common use case: a 'Convert to Customer' Screen Flow launched from the Account record that guides an admin through setting the Account type, creating the initial Contact, assigning an Account Manager, and creating a welcome task — all in one guided process.
Migrating from Workflow Rules and Process Builder to Flow Builder requires identifying all existing automations, understanding their logic, and rebuilding them in Flow Builder equivalents. Salesforce provides a migration path and, as of 2023, an automated migration tool for some Process Builder processes. The migration priority: start with the most actively maintained automations (those that are regularly modified for business rule changes) rather than stable automations that work correctly — the value of migration is highest where ongoing development effort is required. Automations that never change are lower priority for migration as long as they work correctly.
Experience Signal
The Flow Builder implementations we see deliver the most value are the ones replacing a complex, multi-step Process Builder that was maintained by patching additional criteria over years — these Process Builders often have convoluted logic that's difficult to debug and impossible to test efficiently. Rebuilding in Flow Builder with proper Decision elements, clear variable naming, and Flow descriptions makes the automation readable and maintainable by the next admin. The investment in cleaning up automation logic pays back in reduced debugging time over the following 12–24 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Salesforce Flow Builder creates several Flow types: (1) Record-Triggered Flow — runs automatically when a record is created, updated, or deleted; the most common type for automating CRM processes; (2) Screen Flow — presents a guided user interface (multi-step screens with input fields) that users interact with; used for guided data entry, troubleshooting wizards, and complex form processes; (3) Schedule-Triggered Flow — runs automatically on a schedule (daily, weekly) for batch record processing; (4) Platform Event-Triggered Flow — runs when a Platform Event message is published; used for event-driven integration; (5) Autolaunched Flow — runs in the background without a trigger of its own; typically called by other Flows, Apex code, or REST API. Record-Triggered Flows and Screen Flows cover the majority of business automation use cases.
All three automate Salesforce processes, but with different capabilities: Workflow Rules (the original tool) handle simple automation — field updates, email alerts, task creation, and outbound messages — triggered when a record meets criteria. They're limited to a single object and can't handle complex logic. Process Builder (added in 2015) extended Workflow Rules with multi-object logic, more action types, and the ability to trigger multiple actions. In 2021, Salesforce announced that both Workflow Rules and Process Builder would be retired (eventually — no firm date initially) in favour of Flow Builder. Flow Builder supersedes both — it can do everything Workflow Rules and Process Builder do, plus Screen Flows, complex branching logic, loops, and interaction with external systems. Salesforce strongly recommends building all new automation in Flow Builder.
Flow Builder can replace many, but not all, Apex triggers. Record-Triggered Flows cover the same before-save and after-save trigger contexts as Apex triggers — and for many use cases (field updates, related record creation, email notifications based on record changes), a Flow is the right solution, requiring no code and being maintainable by administrators. The cases where Apex is still more appropriate than Flow: very complex business logic with many conditions and calculations that would be unwieldy in the Flow canvas, bulk processing of thousands of records efficiently (Flows have governor limit considerations for bulk scenarios), integration with external systems requiring complex API calls with response handling, and asynchronous processing requirements. The practical approach: build in Flow first; use Apex when Flow's governor limits, performance, or logic complexity requirements push you to code.
Sources
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Jai Paek
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Jai leads brand identity and UX design at Webnixon, bringing 20+ years of experience building digital design systems for agencies and enterprise teams. He has shipped design systems and visual identities for over 200 brands across Canada and the US, with deep expertise in conversion-focused UI, WCAG 2.1 accessibility compliance, and responsive web design for service businesses and ecommerce brands.
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