Every time the Salesforce release notes are published, I jump straight to the Salesforce Flow section. Why? Well, because there’s always so much great content that will make the lives of Salesforce Admins a lot easier.
The Spring ’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. Transform Element Aggregation
Winter ‘24 introduced the Transform element in Flow – a new way to transform collections of data. The Spring ‘24 release expands upon this by enabling the ability to aggregate the data from your source collection to count or summarize the items in that collection and use the resultant data throughout your Flow.
In the example above, I’m assigning the total number of Allergy records that were captured in a Screen Flow to a field on the lead called “Number of Allergies”. Looking at the Transform element mapping, you’ll see that this aggregation looks similar to a formula.
2. Validate Input Menu in Flow Data Table and Other Components
Since the initial release of the native Data Table component for Salesforce Flow, I’ve been wondering (and many have asked me) when the component would see some sort of input functionality. Spring ‘24 looks to lay the foundation for this, as we can now see the Validate Input properties menu on the component in the canvas.
Data Table isn’t the only component that gets input validation baked into it – this functionality is expanded to other components such as Name, Address, Lookup, and URL. This does not apply to components that render choices, such as Radio Buttons.
3. Text Templates Support Reactivity
Reactive Components for Salesforce Flow is an exciting feature that’s been rolling into the product for the last few releases. Spring ‘24 enables reactivity within Text Templates in Flow.
This means that if you display a Text Template on a Screen (like the above example), it will update when your user does something. You can see the email draft being built in real time as the user populates some basic fields.
4. Repeater Component for Screen Flows
There’s nothing more annoying as a form-filler than having to populate information multiple times across multiple screens. The Repeater (Beta) component for Screen Flow makes this experience a lot more pleasant by allowing Flow builders to capture data on repeat in a single screen.
Gone are the days of multi-page forms to collect multiple records! If you have more than one favorite food (like I certainly do), you can populate all options on one page before moving on.
5. Data Cloud AI Predictions in Flow
2023 has been a BIG year for AI and large data, especially for Salesforce. Not only have we seen generative AI find its way into core Salesforce products (like Sales Cloud Einstein), but we’ve also seen major enhancements to predictive AI. In the Spring ‘24 release, this expands to Flow as well.
If you have Data Cloud (unfortunately, my preview org does not), then you will see a Data Cloud category in the Flow Actions element. This allows your Flow to benefit from the AI models set up within Data Cloud and use them throughout the Flow.
6. HTTP Callout Enhancements
The HTTP Callout functionality in Salesforce Flow has been evolving over the last few years and enabling Flow builders to connect to external systems without needing to write code. Spring ‘24 introduces the ability to pull a sample response from your endpoint to configure the HTTP callout automatically.
Once you’ve configured your HTTP callout, you will be prompted to select the response method. This is where you can select “Connect for Schema”, provide some values, and press “Connect” to receive a response that validates the available information on the other end.
7. Unlimited Paused Flows
It may be a small adjustment, but it’s unlikely that it will go unnoticed – Salesforce has removed a per-org limit for the number of paused and waiting flow interviews. Where previously there was a cap on how many instances of paused Flows you could have, now there is none. Unlimited paused Flows for your users!
If you’d like to learn more about paused Flows, I would highly recommend reading this post: Salesforce Flow Pause Element: The Best Flow Feature You Haven’t Heard of Yet.
8. Enhancements to Auto-Saved Flows
Winter ‘24 brought about the auto-save functionality in Flow Builder. Gone (or going at least) are the days of needing to save each and every canvas element as you go – now, you can simply configure and move on to the next one. With Spring ‘24, this is expanded upon even further by enabling this functionality for all elements except for Screens and Actions.
You’re also able to skip required fields, and any errors that you previously faced are now just warnings. To achieve this, elements that have not yet been assigned names are named automatically for you.
9. Platform Event Run-As Enhancements
Platform Events can now optionally be executed as the default workflow user in Spring ‘24. This means that if you need the actions to be attributed to the default user as opposed to the user who triggered the Flow, you can!
To do this, you will need to expand the Advanced Settings menu on the Start element and select the Default Workflow User as the run-as user.
10. General Flow UI Enhancements
There are several minor changes to the way Flow looks in Spring ‘24 that will make it easier to find the elements you’re looking for.
The nested hierarchical grouping of compatible variables with human-friendly labels is going to ensure you have access to a cleaner list of variables when trying to populate element properties.
Summary
Spring ‘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 streamlined once they’ve been implemented throughout your org.
Don’t forget to sign up for a pre-release org to take these new features for a spin!
Read More
- Salesforce Spring ’24 Features: Top 10 Admin Updates You Need to Know
- Spring ’24 Release Highlights for Account Engagement (Pardot)
- Salesforce Spring ’24 Features: Top 10 Developer Updates You Need to Know