Top 10 Salesforce Flow Features From Spring ’23

The Salesforce Flow area is where I go right away after the Salesforce upgrades are released because there is a ton of useful information there that can make the lives of Salesforce Administrators much easier. While some of these new tools were previously only accessible through Process Builder, Salesforce Flow now offers them. This is encouraging to see since it shows that Salesforce Flow is nearly ready to completely replace Process Builder. Several new improvements were introduced by the Salesforce Spring ’23 release upgrade, and many of them are noteworthy! What Flow can expect in the coming months is summarized below.

Some of these new Salesforce Flow Features were previously available in Process Builder but not in Salesforce Flow. This is fantastic news because it means Salesforce Flow is almost ready to completely replace Process Builder. The Spring ’23 update introduced new improvements, and many of them are noteworthy! Here’s a rundown of everything ‘coming soon’ to Flow…

1. Migrate from Process Builder to Salesforce Flow with Migrate to Flow 40+ Flow Screen Components

Finally! With a few clicks, processes can be migrated to Salesforce Flow. By February 2023, the Migrate to Flow tool that you’ve been using to migrate Workflow Rules to Salesforce Flow will be able to do the same for Processes. Search “Migrate to Flow” in the Setup menu, and then select the Processes you want to migrate from the main page.

This is consistent with Salesforce’s timeline for the retirement of Workflow Rules and Processes, and it is a major setback for Process Builder.

For your convenience, I’ve included a copy of Salesforce’s “Retirement Timeline” for Workflow Rules and Processes. As an alternative to using this tool, you might want to consider the Rebuild and Enhance method for migrating to Salesforce Flow. I’ve

2. Connect to External Data Using Clicks Rather Than Code

HTTP Callouts can now be used to bring in external data into your flows. Simply enter the API details and the Flow Builder will generate an action that you can use right away.

3. No More “Iteration Limit Exceeded” Errors in Salesforce Flow Want fewer errors? That 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”. Even though you did not exceed any governor limits (number of DML statements, number of SOQL queries, etc.), you still caused 2,000 individual Flow elements to be loaded in a single transaction. Irritating!

This limitation, as well as the resulting error, have been removed for Spring ’23. This is because Salesforce’s governor limits have been improved over time to protect their resources in a similar manner. When it comes to building out your flows, you’ll now have a lot more freedom and flexibility.

READ MORE: API Version 57.0 Flow and Process Run-Time Changes

4. Lookup Fields Supported in Screen Flows

With a few clicks, you can add existing Standard and Custom Lookup Fields to your screen flows. Instead of combining the Object Fields feature with a new Custom Lookup Screen component, Salesforce will allow you to drag and drop existing Lookup Fields from your Objects. I know I’ve long wished for this feature, so I’m overjoyed that it’s finally being implemented.

5. Flows Executed Using REST API Using the Permissions of the Running User

Flows invoked via the REST API now in Spring 23 Salesforce Flow Features access the flow with the permissions of the running user. This determines which object and field-level permissions the flow has access to.

6. Improved Multi-Select Picklists in Dynamic Forms

We all have strong feelings about Multi-Select Picklist as Salesforce professionals. However, I’m sure we can all agree that having a cleaner way to display Multi-Select Picklists in Screen Flows will make our users’ lives easier.

Multi-Select Picklists are now supported by Dynamic Forms for Screen Flow, and the Checkbox Group and Multi-Select Choice components also support them as options.

READ MORE: Dynamic Forms with Multiple Options for Flow

7. Element Descriptions Can Be Seen on the Flow Canvas

All flows should be documented, but in most cases, I believe this can be accomplished simply by providing guidance in the Description field of your Flow elements. You can now hover over the Description icon in Spring ’23 to see the value of the Element’s Description field.

I must admit that the visual changes to Salesforce in this release are very appealing to me. The user interface is becoming less cluttered, and design choices are more deliberate, resulting in a positive user experience. Salesforce, excellent work!

8. New Flow Elements Tooltip Descriptions

More lovely minimalist design enhancements! Long Descriptions, which are only useful the first few times you use a Flow element, are now hidden and can be accessed by hovering over the information icon.

In addition, the Logic Elements have a new, darker orange. I’m not sure why this change was implemented, but it’s worth noting.

READ MORE: Create a Simplified Flow Element Menu

9. Apex Classes No Longer Require Explicit Access

Because the running user does not have explicit access to an Apex Class that the flow references, your flows will no longer fail. This was initially made available in Summer ’20, but has since been made mandatory across the board.

If this has been an issue for you or your company, it is recommended that you enable this update as soon as possible.

10. Search for Individuals in Salesforce Flow Using SOSL

With the new Search for an Individual Action, you can now use SOSL to search for Contacts, Leads, or Employee records.

Summary

That is it, then! These Flow features from Spring ’23 are my favorites. As usual, there are a few significant upgrades as well as a ton of smaller ones that will result in an even more refined experience for administrators, developers (both declarative and programmatic), and end users alike.

Click here to read Spring 23 Complete release notes.