Fast Field Updates or Actions and Related Records in Record-Triggered Flows
Salesforce record-triggered flows automate processes that execute in response to changes in Salesforce records, such as creation, update, or deletion. They enable administrators to perform actions like updating fields, sending notifications, or creating related records without manual intervention.
When you learn Salesforce flows, you see references to two types: before-save and after-save.
Before-Save Salesforce Flow
A Before-Save Salesforce Flow is an automation tool used to optimize and streamline the process of updating records in Salesforce. It executes logic immediately before saving a record to the database, allowing for efficient updates without requiring additional database operations, such as DML statements.This type of flow is ideal for scenarios where you want to validate or modify field values during record creation or updates, such as auto-populating fields, formatting data, or applying conditional logic. Since it operates at the database level and avoids triggering unnecessary after-save processes, before save flows significantly enhance performance and reduce execution time. They are often used as a fast, declarative alternative to traditional Apex triggers for simple record manipulations.
After-Save Salesforce Flow
An After-Save Salesforce Flow is an automation tool that runs immediately after a record is saved to the Salesforce database. This type of flow is designed to perform actions that depend on the saved record, such as sending email notifications, creating related records, updating other records, or integrating with external systems. After save flows are especially useful for handling processes that require the record’s unique ID or other database-generated values, which are only available after the initial save. Unlike before save flows, they allow for more complex logic and interactions with multiple objects or external systems, making them a versatile option for implementing post-save business processes. They are often used as a declarative, no-code alternative to Apex triggers, enhancing efficiency and simplifying development.
With Winter 22 release, Salesforce made a change in the configuration user interface and divided the record-triggered flow types into two categories:
- Fast Field Updates
- Actions and Related Records
When you go to your flow screen & click on the “Record-Triggered Flow” button and then “New,” you see this screen:
For new learners, this could be confusing. If you get confused about the choices here just focus on the words in italics under the headings.
Your Record-Triggered Flow Types
- Fast Field Updates means before-save: Update fields on the record that triggers the flow to run. This high-performance flow runs before the record is saved to the database.
- Actions and Related Records means after-save: Update any record and perform actions, like send an email. This more flexible flow runs after the record is saved to the database.
Please check the order of execution page by Salesforce to learn what before-save and after-save concepts mean.
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