Memory hook: Choose the trigger, context and transaction before drawing the flow.
Must remember
Screen flows guide users through interaction; record-triggered flows respond to record changes; autolaunched flows run without screens through supported invocation. Scheduled mechanisms address time-based work. Choose the simplest supported automation matching the requirement, including specialized assignment/escalation rules where appropriate.
Before-save record-triggered flows suit efficient updates to the triggering record under supported operations. After-save flows can perform broader related work/actions. Entry criteria and when-to-run settings limit unnecessary execution. Order of execution determines interactions with validation, other automation and record updates; a flow that re-updates its own trigger can cause recursion or repeated effects.
Use Get Records, decisions, assignments, collections and loops deliberately. Avoid database operations inside large loops when a collection operation can do the work, and account for transaction limits. Fault paths should capture useful nonsecret context and route failures to an owner. Debugging one successful record is not a bulk or security test.
Flow execution context affects sharing/object/field enforcement; inspect the flow type, launch mechanism and configured context rather than assuming every flow always behaves like the clicking user. The default automation user and agent/integration identities matter for background actions and ownership.
Approval processes route submissions according to entry criteria and approver selection, with approval/rejection actions and record-locking implications. A notification is not an approval decision. Test rejection, recall/resubmission and missing approver cases. Version, test and activate changes deliberately; creating a new draft does not make it the active production flow.
Choose under exam pressure
| Requirement | Choice and reason |
|---|---|
| Guide a user through several inputs | Screen flow. |
| Set fields on the triggering record efficiently | An eligible before-save record-triggered flow. |
| Require a manager’s decision before final action | Approval process with clear criteria and outcomes. |
Traps
- A draft flow version is not automatically active.
- A screen does not guarantee every downstream action runs with the user’s exact permissions.
Active recall
1. Before-save versus after-save?
Efficient same-record changes versus broader post-save actions under supported capabilities.
2. Why avoid database work in loops?
To reduce transaction-limit and performance problems.
3. What should fault paths provide?
Controlled handling and useful diagnostic context without leaking sensitive data.
4. Why check execution order?
Multiple automations and validation can interact or retrigger work.
5. What distinguishes approval from notification?
An explicit authorized decision with configured outcome actions.