We’ve been building automation with Salesforce Flow for years. Flows are triggered by some action occurring, such as a change in data.
And that’s a lot of automation. The latest figures are that Salesforce Flow is automating 1.2 trillion tasks every month.
Now, with Data Cloud embedded in the Einstein 1 platform, we can power automation with dynamic data from Data Cloud – that’s real-time data, and data from various different systems. This is the union between Data Cloud and Flow. Let’s take a look at this new breed of Salesforce Flow.
How Data Cloud-Triggered Flow Works
Data Cloud-Triggered Flows launch when the Data Cloud data model object (DMO) or calculated insight object (CIO) conditions are met – in simpler terms, when either a change in a data point or a calculated metric fits the trigger criteria.
- Data Cloud data model object: “The Data Cloud architecture is made up of a set of data objects that work in this order: Data Source → Data Stream → Data Source Object → Data Lake Object → Data Model Object. [DMOs] are similar to Salesforce objects [that] provide a canonical data model with pre-defined attributes.” (Source: Cloud Kettle).
- Calculated insight object: Perform calculations on data to produce metrics at the profile, segment, and population levels. This includes incoming streaming data (which can be manipulated in near real-time).
In the image below, we can see that the Data Space is selected, and the Data Cloud object.
A Data Space is a Data Cloud concept, “a logical partition to organize your data for profile unification, insights, and marketing in Data Cloud… segregate your data, metadata, and processes into categories, such as brand, region, or department, and then enable users to see and work on data only in the context of their category.” (Source)
Data Cloud-Triggered Flow Example
You could use a Calculated Insight to assess the performance of products on your website in terms of customer purchasing and browsing behavior. Should a threshold be reached, such as low inventory, an automated action can be activated through a Data Cloud-Triggered Flow. A key point to note here is that this can all happen rapidly thanks to the Data Cloud architecture.
Summary
With Data Cloud-Triggered Flows, we can power automation with dynamic data from Data Cloud – real-time data, and data from various different systems.
Two other announcements are worth noting as they coincide with Data Cloud-Triggered Flows. Firstly, the new Data Cloud Consultant certification will enable professionals to upskill on Data Cloud concepts, and pair that new knowledge with their Flow prowess. Secondly, with Data Cloud becoming free (up to 10,000 unified profiles), the cost barrier to using this technology is eliminated. With Data Cloud unifying two trillion records each month, this is about to explode in size – and it will be supercharged with the combination of Flow.