There are three types of main declarative tools in salesforce. They are mostly used for automating business processes. A savvy admin can save users time and clicks while creating consistency of processes and increasing data integrity, so the tools available on Salesforce can be very useful to organizations.
In salesforce stating time workflow rule was the only automation tool available. Which has some limitations like they can not connect with child records. Then to overcome those limitations, process builders came into the picture. which also had some limitations like can’t delete child records. Then the latest workflow automation tool came on the market. Let’s have a deep look at all of them.
Workflow Rule
Workflow rules firstly introduce automation rules in salesforce. Workflow rules can do and not able to do the task are listed below
Can do:
- Update a field/ record
- Send an email
- Outbound message (communication with another system)
- Create a Task
Can not do:
- No child record update
Process Builder
Process Builder is a newer tool for admins which is even more powerful. In addition to everything a workflow can do (except for sending outbound messages).
Can do:
- Multiple actions
- Create a record (not just Tasks!)
- Update related records
- Launch a Quick Action
- Post to Chatter
- Launch a Flow
- Call Apex code
- Submit for approval
- Invoke another process
Can not do:
- Can not delete records
- Can not update unrelated record
Process Builder has versions, so you can retain deactivated Processes. This can be very helpful if you realize something isn’t working and want to look back to what was happening before.
| Process builder | Workflow rules |
| Process Builder can update any field on any related record. Process Builder can also update multiple related records in a situation when all of a record’s child records need the same update. | Workflow can only update some fields on a parent record of a Master-Detail relationship. |
| Process Builder finally gives admins the ability to set the exact order of operations | The workflow we had no control. No more complex workarounds to be able to ensure things happen in a certain order! |
| Process Builder also has the ability to configure multiple if-then conditions in one Process. | Workflow can not be done in a single process. |
Flow builder:
The future of process and workflow builders. Salesforce has publicly stated that they will no longer be enhancing Workflow rules or Process Builder. If you are using these tools, don’t worry though, they aren’t going anywhere and Salesforce will continue to support them.
Salesforce Flow is the most powerful automation tool that Admin’s have at their disposal. If a Salesforce automation tool reaches its limitations, you would usually turn to a Developer to implement Apex, but Flow’s comparably powerful.
Can do:
- Display data to your users with screen elements (Think a wizard-style interface)
- Control logic by creating branches and looping over data sets.
- Lookup, create, update, or delete Salesforce records.
- With these features, Flow works in a very similar way to how Developers code Apex, which gives you the power to create similar functionality.
Can not do:
- Slow then apex
- Debugging can be difficult
Salesforce has now turned to Flow as their favourite automation tool to keep updated in each release, so get ahead of the curve and learn flow today!
Apex
Apex to help you achieve everything else. whatever business requirements you have that can’t be accomplished through declarative configuration. If you have access to a developer, with Apex the sky’s the limit. With Apex you could do the following:
Can do:
- Delete records
- Update unrelated records
- Share records with more complex criteria than Sharing Rules permits
- Add/remove users in Chatter Groups and Public Groups
- Create email templates that pull info from multiple records and Objects (combined with Visualforce)