10 New Salesforce Flow Features in Winter ’24

Every time the Salesforce release notes are published, I always jump straight to the Salesforce Flow section because, well, there’s always so much great content – content that will make the lives of Salesforce Admins a lot easier.

The Winter ’24 update has introduced some wonderful new features as well as the usual quality-of-life improvements that come with each release, all of which are worth shouting about! Here’s my summary of all that’s “coming soon” to Flow…

1. Custom Errors in Flow

An unhandled fault has occurred… but it will never occur again! At least your users will think so now that errors can be completely customized. Could we see the end of validation rules soon, with custom errors in Flow replicating the functionality almost entirely? Speculation, as usual, but the functionality is there…

Below is the error message being displayed above the Amount field on an Opportunity record.

Our very own Andreea Doroftei was so delighted to see this new component in the Winter ‘24 that she has written an in-depth post on it as well as recorded a video of the new feature in action, check it out here.

2. Save Flow Without Configuring (Some) Elements

Instead of having to close out a half-built element or quickly rush to put in some junk values just so you can save and close, Winter ‘24 now enables flow builders to save more elements without the need to fully finish building them. Instead of receiving errors that prevent you from saving your flow, you will now just be presented with a warning.

In the screenshot below, you can see I’ve created a new record-triggered flow on the Lead Object, and I have stated in the Start element that all conditions must be met… but I have not specified the conditions themselves, yet I am still able to save the flow!

Salesforce claims that this is Flow Builder’s “first steps to support saving a draft of a flow at any point in the building process.” These are some very interesting times to be a Flow enthusiast!

3. Transform Component for Flow

Transform is a new logic element for Flow that enables users to map data from a data source to a new target data location. The below screenshot shows the Transform element, the Source data, the Target data, some of the mapping connections between them, and also the Formula/Delete buttons on one of the relationships (between Lead Name and Opportunity Name). 

The next screenshot displays the Opportunity Name’s formula field being populated with the Lead Name, Type, and Primary Product.

4. Element Properties Flyover

The properties pane is now displayed on the right side of the screen as a flyover, as opposed to as a pop-up modal. This is the first major change to the way element properties menus are displayed since the Flow Builder was released back in 2019! 

This only applies to certain elements. So far, I’ve had success with:

• Start
• Transform (Beta)
• Create
• Update
• Get
• Delete

5. Flow Trigger Explorer Filtration

Orgs with a large volume of flows are now able to filter by Status, Package State, or Process Type in the Flow Trigger Explorer.

6. Reactive Flow Components are Generally Available

Reactive Screen Components in Flow are going to change the game and empower admins and developers to create some truly breathtaking experiences within Flow. In Winter ‘24, they are now out of beta and ready to change the fact of Flow.

If you’d like to learn more about Reactive Screen Components from the Flow Product Manager at Salesforce, Adam White, you can read his post from May 2023 here.

7. New HTTP Callout Methods in Flow (Generally Available)

In addition to the existing GET and POST HTTP callout methods that have been in Flow for a few releases, Flow Admins and Developers will be able to make use of the PUT, PATCH, and DELETE methods too.

8. Data Cloud-Triggered Flow

While I haven’t been able to play with this in my previous org (likely because I don’t have access to Data Cloud from it), I am aware that there is a NEW triggered Flow type in Winter ‘24 that is fired when there are changes to data within Data Cloud.

For those who do have access to Data Cloud, you will be able to create new Data Cloud-triggered flows from the new Flow screen. After selecting Data Cloud-triggered flow, you will be prompted to configure the Start element with the conditions that are required for the flow to fire, as below.

9. Wait Elements to Replace Pause (and Available in More Flows!)

Salesforce split the Pause element into three separate Wait elements in Winter ‘24 with the intent to make it easier to use.

The “Wait for Conditions” is identical to the original Pause element. The “Wait for Amount of Time” allows you to specify a specific period of time in minutes, hours, days, or months before continuing on. Finally, the “Wait Until Date” is similar to the “Wait for Amount of Time” but allows you to specify an exact date on which the Flow automation will continue.

In addition to this new format, Wait Elements are now available in more Flow types; they can be used in schedule triggered flows, autolaunched flows, and Flow orchestrations. 

10. Improved Create Element Resource Selection

Last but not least, Winter ‘24 brings about a new Resource Selection method for the Create element. Instead of having to dig around a dated menu that is difficult to use in larger flows, you now have a tidier interface that includes a responsive breadcrumb that lets you group your resources by sections and navigate through a nested menu of them. In addition, recognizable icons are displayed within the menu (such as the screen icon), and the New Resource button carefully tucked away at the footer of the menu.

This is yet another revision of an existing feature that makes using Flow Builder that much easier, and will empower users of the tool to be more efficient while embedding complex business processes into Salesforce.

Summary

Winter ‘24 includes a symphony of substantial enhancements to our favorite tool, Salesforce Flow. Once again there’s a nice ratio of minor enhancements and quality improvements to the more impactful new features and functionality. These new features are bound to make your job as an admin, developer, or business user much easier and more streamlined once they’ve been implemented throughout your org.

Don’t forget to sign up to a pre-release org to take these new features for a spin!