Salesforce Management System is an information system used in CRM to automate business processes like sales and marketing. To implement this, Force.com developed a powerful tool called Visual Workflow to automate business processes by creating applications called Flows.
Learning Salesforce Visual Workflow, Second Edition is a practical guide on Flows that will enable you to develop custom applications in Salesforce with minimized code usage.
The book starts with an introduction to Visual Workflows that teaches all the building blocks of creating Flows and how to use Flow efficiently. You will learn how to easily automate business processes and tackle complex business scenarios using Flows. The book explains the working of the Process Builder so you can create reusable processes. The book also covers how you can integrate existing or, newly created Flows with the Salesforce Lightning Experience.
By the end of the book, you will get a clear understanding of how to use Flows and Process Builder in your organization to optimize code usage. This book will also help you in preparing for yourSalesforce certified platform app builder examination.
What’s New
Over the past few months, I have spent a LOT of time updating the book. I made hundreds, if not thousands, of changes throughout the book – from big to small. For example, many of you provided me with hundreds of comments and suggestions; and, in this book, I have tried my very best, to incorporate almost all of them. Furthermore, I have added two new chapters – “Building efficient and performance optimized Processes” and, “Enabling Flows to work with Lightning Experience” to explain new concepts. I also did a major revamp to almost all of the chapters. I am especially excited about the app that I have discussed at the end of the book to show how easily someone can create an application (punch in/out) using Flow (plus a bit of Apex code).
Here’s a taste of what you’ll uncover:
Develop an application using point and click with the help of Flow.
Posted at 1:12 AM by Rakesh Gupta, on June 30, 2015
Big Idea or Enduring Question:
How do you set up dynamic approval routing?
In Salesforce, auser can use an Approval process to get approval from managers or higher authority.Approval processes route a record to one or more approvers, specifying the steps necessary for a record to be approved, and who must approve it at each step.
In a normal approval process, i.e.,Static approval process, the approvers at each step are explicitly specified in each step approval process, or you can have the submitter choose the approver manually, as shown in the following screenshot:Whereas dynamic approval routing allows us to specify the approvers for each record using Userlookup fields on the record requiring approval. These fields can be populated using Process Builder or Apex, using data from a special custom object/setting that contains all the information needed to route the record. Dynamic approval routing provides the flexibility to route the approval request to different people based on Account Type or some other criteria related to the record. Let’s start with a business use case.
Objectives:
After reading this blog post, the reader will be able to:
Route approval requests to designated approvers
Business Use case
Steven Greene is working as a System administrator in Universal Container. He has received a requirement from the management to route opportunity approval requests to designated approvers based on the opportunity’s Lead Source and the opportunity’s account Type.
Automation Champion Approach (I-do):
While this can be solved using various automation tools like Apex or Flow, we will use Lightning Flow. This is not something that can be accomplished with Workflow Rules or Process Builder.
Before discussing it, let me show you a diagram of a Process Flow at a high level. Please spend a few minutes to go through the following Flow diagram and understand it.
Let’s begin building this automation process.
Guided Practice (We-do):
There are 5 steps to solve Steven’s business requirement using Lightning Flow. We must:
Create a custom lookup (with User object) field on the object being approved
Create a custom object that will be used as an approval matrix
Populate the approval matrix, i.e., create a few records in a custom object
Create an approval process
Lightning Flow Steps:
Define flow properties for record-triggered flow
Add a Get Records Element
Use Decision Element to check the record collection variable (from step 5.2)
Add an update records element – assign dynamic approver
Add an update records element – assign default approver
Step 1: Creating a Custom lookup (user)
On the Opportunity object, create a lookup fieldcalled Opportunity Approver as mentioned in the steps below.
Click Setup.
In the Object Manager, type Opportunity.
Select Fields & Relationships, then click New.
Select Lookup Relationship as Data Type, then click Next.
Select the User object for the Related Tooption, then click Next.
Enter Field Label and click the Next button. The API Name will populate.
As a best practice, always input a description.
Set the Field-level Security for the profiles, make sure to set this field as read-only.
Add this field to Page Layout.
Click Save.
Step 2: Create a Custom Object
The next step is to create a custom metadata type called Approver Matrix and a few custom fields to store all the fields used in routing.
Click Setup.
In the Object Manager, click Create | Custom Object.
Now create a custom object Approver Matrix and fields as shown in the screenshot below:
The next step is to create approval matrix records that associate the Lead Source and Type to the appropriate Opportunity Approver. For example, if Lead Source = Web and Type = Existing Customer – Upgrade, then one might route the records to Adam Smith as Opportunity Approver. It will look like the following screenshot:
Step 4: Create an Approval Process
Click Setup.
In the Quick Find box, type Approval Processes.
Clicks on theCreate New Approval Process | Use Standard Setup Wizard button.
Select the Opportunity object for Manage Approval Processes For drop-down.
Now create an approval process, as shown in the following screenshot:
Make sure to modify the approver step (Step 3), and select related user Opportunity approver, as shown in the preceding screenshot.
Step 5.1: Lightning Flow – Define Flow Properties
Click Setup.
In the Quick Find box, type Flows.
Select Flows then click on the New Flows.
Select the Record-Triggered Flowoption and click on Next and configure the flow as follows:
How do you want to start building: Freeform
Trigger the Flow When: A record is created or Updated
Run Flow: Before the record is saved
Object: Opportunity
Select Any Condition Is Met (OR).
Set Conditions
Row 1
Field: Opportunity | Type
Operator: Does Not Equal
Value: {!$GlobalConstant.EmptyString}
Click Add Condition
Row 2
Field: Opportunity | Lead Source
Operator: Does Not Equal
Value: {!$GlobalConstant.EmptyString}
Choose the Option to Every time a record is updated and meets the condition requirements.
Click Done.
Step 5.2: Lightning Flow – Adding a Get Record Element
The next step is to get the Opportunity Approver. We will use the Get Records element. To do this drag-and-drop Get Records element onto the canvas and map the fields according to the details below:
Under Toolbox, select Element.
Drag-and-drop Get Records element onto the Flow designer.
Enter a name in the Label field; the API Name will auto-populate.
Select the Approver Matrixobject from the dropdown list.
Select All Conditions Are Met (AND).
Set Filter Conditions
Row 1:
Field: Type
Operator: Equals
Value: {!$Record.Type}
Row 2:
Field: Lead Source
Operator: Equals
Value: {!$Record.LeadSource}
How Many Records to Store:
select Only the first record
How to Store Record Data:
Choose the option to Automatically store all fields.
Click Done.
Step 5.3: Lightning Flow – Using Decision Element to Check Record Variable Size
Now we will use the Decision element to check the Record Variable from step 5.2 size. If the Text Variable is not equal to null,then we will go ahead and update Approver on the opportunity record. Otherwise, we will update it with a default approver.
Under Toolbox, select Element.
Drag-and-drop Decision element onto the Flow designer.
Enter a name in the Label field; the API Name will auto-populate.
Under Outcome Details,enter theLabel theAPI Name will auto-populate.
Condition Requirements to Execute Outcome: All Conditions Are Met (AND)
Row 1:
Resource: {!Opportunity_Approver}
Operator: Is Null
Value: {!$GlobalConstant.False}
When to Execute Outcome: If the condition requirements are met
Click Done.
Step 5.4: Lightning Flow – Using Assignment Element to Update Opportunity Approver
The next step is to update an Opportunity record. We will use the Assignmentelement, as we are using before save flow.
Under Toolbox, select Element.
Drag-and-drop Assignment element onto the Flow designer.
Enter a name in the Label field; theAPI Name will auto-populate.
Set Variable Values
Row 1:
Field: {!$Record.Opportunity_Approver__c}
Operator: Equals
Value: {!Opportunity_Approver.Opportunity_Approver__c} (Record variable from step 5.2)
Click Done.
Step 5.5: Lightning Flow – Using Assignment Element to Update Default Approver
In case there aren’t any approvers that exist in the Approver Matrix for the current opportunity, then we will update Opportunity Approver to Logged-In user’s manager. We will use the Assignmentelement, as we are using before save flow.
Under Toolbox, select Element.
Drag-and-drop Assignment element onto the Flow designer.
Enter a name in the Label field; theAPI Name will auto-populate.
Set Variable Values
Row 1:
Field: {!$Record.Opportunity_Approver__c}
Operator: Equals
Value: {!$User.ManagerId}
Click Done.
In the end, Steven’s Flowwill look like the following screenshot:
Once everything looks good, perform the steps below:
Almost there! Once everything looks good, click the Activate button.
Proof of Concept
Now onwards, if a business user updates the Lead Source and Type, Process Builder will automatically populate the Opportunity Approver field.
Currently,Opportunity Approver on opportunity West Mountain Sign is Patrick Trevenen (which is correct based on our matrix which we set up in step 3)as shown in the following screenshot:
Now we update the Type to Existing Customer – Upgradeand Lead Sourceto Web.
Finally, submit an Opportunity record for approval.
Formative Assessment:
I want to hear from you!
What is one thing you learned from this post? How do you envision applying this new knowledge in the real world?
Let me know by Tweeting me at @automationchamp, or find me on LinkedIn.
