Lightning Flow

Lightning Flow is a product that provides a declarative automation process. Lightning flow products use two tools that let you build flows.

• Process Builder (Use Process Builder to make processes)

• Flow Builder (Use Flow Builder to make flows)

Flow Builder

Flow Builder is the declarative interface that we use to build individual flows. Flow Builder can be used to build code-like logic without the requirement of knowing a programming language.

Use Flow Builder to:

• Automate a guided visual experience.

• Add more functionality for a behind-the-scenes process than is available in Process Builder. Use Flow Builder to build more complex functionality. Then call the resulting flow from the process.

• Start a behind-the-scenes business process when a user clicks something, like a button.

Flows in Salesforce can be implemented in two ways:

• Screen Flows

• Auto Launched Flow

What is a Flow Interview in Salesforce?

A flow interview is a running instance of a flow. Flow is an application built by your administrator that asks you for inputs and does something in Salesforce based on those inputs.

For example, a flow could provide a call script for customer support calls and use the information you provide to create a case. What the flow does with the information you provide is entirely up to your administrator.

When you run a flow interview, whether, through a link, button, or tab, you're running a single instance of a flow. If the terminology is confusing, consider the difference between a record and an object. You create an account record, which is a single instance of the Account object that your administrator customized.

Process Builder

Process Builder helps you automate your business processes and gives you a graphical representation as you build it. Process Builder is the enhancement of the workflow. 

Process Builder supports three types of processes for your automation needs. The type determines what triggers the process.

• A record change process starts when a record is created or updated.

• An event process starts when a platform event message is received.

• An invocable process starts when something else, like another process, invokes it.

Each process consists of:

• Criteria that determine when to execute an action group.

• Action groups, which consist of immediate or scheduled actions. Only record change processes support scheduled actions.

Process Builder vs. Workflow

Use the more powerful and flexible Process Builder to perform the same actions as Workflow. With Process Builder, you can:

• Create a record of any object type

• Update any related record—not just the record or its parent

• Use a quick action to create a record, update a record, or log a call

• Invoke a process from another process

• Launch a flow—you can’t schedule this action with workflow

• Send an email

• Send a custom notification

• Post to Chatter

• Submit a record for approval

If you need your process to do more than what process actions allow, don’t worry. You can also call Apex or flow from a process.

Action supported by Process Builder

1. Apex (Apex class should have InvocableMethod method)

2. Create a Record

3. Email Alerts

4. Flow

5. Post to Chatter

6. Processes

7. Quick Actions

8. Quip (Quip is real-time collaborative documents, spreadsheets, and chat embedded inside Salesforce to transform any business process.)

9. Send Custom Notification

10. Submit for approval

11. Update Records

Flows Builder vs Process Builder

Flows and Process Builders are similar. Here are some of the key differences and similarities between the two:

 

Process Flow	Process Builder
Flows allow you to add screens where users can enter data	Process Builders do not have this capability
Flows can be Auto-Launched or started by users.	Process Builders run automatically (either immediately or scheduled) when criteria is met.
Flows can have different and more complex orders of operations.	Process Builder actions are executed in the order in which they appear in the process definition.
Flows can be built to cycle through multiple un-related and related objects.	Process Builders are limited to the base object (i.e Opportunities) and related objects (Accounts).
Flows can be paused by users,	Process Builders run when the criteria is met and cannot be paused.
Process Builder is more user-friendly in terms of its setup and management.	Setting up a flow takes more time and significantly more complex.
Flow don’t invoke process builder	Process builder can invoke flow directly
Can delete the record	Does Not support deletion of records

Quip

• Quip is a smarter cloud-based collaboration platform. Teams create, discuss, and get work done faster from any device with content and communication combined in a new way. 

• Quip can be called from Flow or process builder and can perform below operations.