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.
Some of these new features existed within Process Builder, but never before in Salesforce Flow. This is great to see, as it means that Salesforce Flow is almost ready to fully replace Process Builder. The Spring ’23 update has introduced new improvements, and plenty of them are worth shouting about! Here’s my summary of all that’s ‘coming soon’ to Flow…
1. Move from Process Builder to Salesforce Flow with Migrate to Flow
Finally! Processes can be migrated to Salesforce Flow with just a few clicks. Come February 2023, the Migrate to Flow tool that you’ve been using to switch Workflow Rules to Salesforce Flow will allow you to do the same with Processes. From the Setup menu, search “Migrate to Flow”, and select the Processes you wish to migrate within the main page.
This follows Salesforce’s timeline for the retirement of Workflow Rules and Processes, and is a major nail in the coffin for Process Builder.
I have included a copy of Salesforce’s “Retirement Timeline” for Workflow Rules and Processes for your reference. As an alternative to using this tool, you may want to consider another method for moving to Salesforce Flow: the Rebuild and Enhance method. I’ve written about this in the past, which you can read about in more detail below:
- Migrate Salesforce Workflow Rules & Process Builder to Flow
- How Many Flows Should You Have Per Object?
- How to Structure Your Record-Triggered Flow Strategy
- Migrate to Salesforce Flow Course
- Ultimate Salesforce Flow Foundation Course
2. Connect to External Data with Clicks, Not Code
You can now use HTTP Callouts to pull external data into your flows. Simply add the details of the API you wish to reach and the Flow Builder will generate an action that you can use immediately.
3. Interactive Screen Components
Long have we waited for Flow Screens to update based on actions from related components, but the wait is finally over! With Spring ‘23, you can now have different Flow Components talk to one another and pass information between each other without having to click “Next” and have a whole new page rendered.
This is something you will need to opt in for, as it is still in beta. This checkbox can be found in Process Automation Settings in the Setup menu.
An example of where this may be beneficial can be found over on the UnofficialSF blog, written by Adam White. This demonstration shows a custom Data Table component being updated in real time by the value in an Input Text field. Huge thanks to Adam and the UnofficialSF team for this demonstration!
4. No More “Iteration Limited Exceeded” Errors for Salesforce Flow
Fewer errors? Sounds good to me! Previously when you created a flow with a loop that caused 2,000 Flow elements to be triggered, you would be presented with an error message that announced “ITERATION_LIMIT_EXCEEDED”. You may not have run into any governor limits (number of DML Statements, number of SOQL queries, etc.), but you still caused 2,000 individual Flow elements to be loaded in a single transaction. Irritating!
For Spring ‘23, this limitation and the consequential error have been removed. This is due to enhancements to Salesforce’s governor limits over time that protect their resources in a similar fashion. Now you’ll have a lot more freedom and flexibility when it comes to building out your flows.
5. Lookup Fields Supported in Screen Flows
You can add existing Standard and Custom Lookup Fields to your screen flows with just a few clicks. Rather than having to combine the Object Fields feature with a new Custom Lookup Screen component, Salesforce will allow you to drag and drop existing Lookup Fields directly from your Objects. I know I’ve wished for this feature for a long time, so I’m ecstatic that it’s finally being implemented.
6. Flows Run via REST API Using Running User’s Permissions
Flows that are called via the REST API now access the flow using the running user’s permissions. This will determine the object and field-level permissions that the flow is able to access.
7. Enhancements to Multi-Select Picklists in Dynamic Forms
As Salesforce professionals, we all have very strong feelings about Multi-Select Picklist. However, I’m sure we can all agree that having a cleaner way to display Multi-Select Picklists in Screen Flows is something that will make the experience easier for our users.
Dynamic Forms for Screen Flow now supports Multi-Select Picklists, and the Checkbox Group and Multi-Select Choice components also support multi-select picklists as options.
8. Element Descriptions Visible on Flow Canvas
All flows should be documented, but I believe that in the majority of cases this can be done simply by providing guidance in the Description field of your Flow elements. Now, in Spring ‘23, you’ll be able to hover over the Description icon to see the value of the Element’s Description field.
I must admit, I’m really enjoying the visual changes to Salesforce this release. The user interface is becoming less cluttered and design choices are very deliberate, leading to a great experience for end users. Great work, Salesforce!
9. Descriptions Tooltips for New Flow Elements
Ah, more gorgeous minimalist design enhancements! The lengthy Descriptions that are only really useful the first few times you use a Flow element are now hidden, and can be exposed by hovering over the information icon.
Additionally, the Logic Elements are using a new, darker orange. I’m not sure of the reasoning behind this change, but it’s interesting to note.
10. Explicit Access to Apex Classes No Longer Required
Your flows will stop failing because the running user doesn’t have explicit access to an Apex Class that the flow references. This was originally made available in Summer ‘20 but has been enforced across the board.
If this is an issue you and your business have been running into, it is recommended to enable this update as soon as possible.
11. Use SOSL to Search for Individuals in Salesforce Flow
Now you can use SOSL to search for Contacts, Leads, or Employee records with the new Search for an Individual Action.
Summary
There you have it! These are my favorite Flow features in Spring ‘23. As usual, there are a handful of larger upgrades and a plethora of smaller ones that are going to make for an even more polished experience for admins, developers (both declarative and programmatic), and end users alike.
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