Salesforce Winter '21 Release - New Flow Features
New Salesforce Release
The time has come for yet another Salesforce release. This time we are getting lots of enhancements to Salesforce’s Lightning Flow.
For administrators, who use Flow to build automations, this is great news.
Let’s take a look at what new features await us in the Salesforce Winter ‘21 Release.
Trigger a Flow to Run Before a Record Is Deleted
Let’s start with something new.
From now on, you can set up a record-triggered flow to run BEFORE a record is deleted. This is a good alternative to writing Apex code for administrators.
Run Flow as Another User
Debugging flows become more and more easier as new debug features are introduced with each release. Winter ‘21 is no exception.
This time, we are getting an option to debug flows as another user. With this feature we can check what a specific user will see when they run the flow. It can be very useful in catching unexpected permissions or errors in profile configuration.
Debug Autolaunched Flows on the Canvas
Now you can debug your autolaunched flows in the very same window you are building it. Just click Debug on Canvas and view the flow’s path.
Create Multi-Column Screens
Finally! If you frequently build screen flows, you are probably as excited as we are! Screen flows are a great way to guide users through processes, but the lack of customization for screens was often a big pain point. And if you’ve ever tried the two-column display option available in the lightning app builder, you know how imperfect it is.
But this has finally changed. You can now customize your screens to display data in multiple columns. Use the new Section component to arrange other flow screen components.
Place elements automatically in a flow with Auto-Layout (Beta)
Sometimes our flows can grow to be very large, with multiple paths and elements. As the flow grows it can become difficult to align the elements in a way that’s easy to manage the flow.
But not anymore. Auto-Layout feature does the alignment for us. If you are building a flow that’s going to use the decision element multiple times, this might be the perfect solution for you.
Use Condition Requirements for Record-Triggered Flows
Gain more control over your record-triggered flows by configuring precise condition requirements. With this, your flow doesn’t need to run every time a record is created or edited, but can instead launch only under specific conditions.
This minor change can remarkably reduce your record-triggered flows’ impact on your Salesforce organization.
Use Decision Operators Across All Flow Elements
From now on, you can use AND, OR and custom logic in the following elements: Get Records, Update Records and Delete Records. It’s a great enhancement to allow admins to further customize the logic behind flow actions.
Debug Faster with Links
A small change to help Salesforce admins and developers with debugging flows. Flow Builder error messages now contain a link that opens the erroneous element. A minor but welcome feature.
Use Global Variables Everywhere in Flows
Until now, you could reference most global variables only in formulas. But this changes in the Winter ‘21 Release. Now you can use them anywhere in the flow. For example, you can use the running user’s name to customize a message on the screen flow.
Conclusion
Once again, the Salesforce Team made a great job introducing new features to the Lightning Flow. In the Salesforce Winter ‘21 Release we are getting a lot of enhancements that give us new functionality and improve the Flow Builder to make it easier to build complex automations.
Let’s put all those features to good use!
If you are new to the Lightning Flow and the Flow Builder, read our other articles:
8 Reasons Why You Should Start Automating with Flow
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