Salesforce Admin – Flows & Automation Questions

Flow automation is a powerful feature in Salesforce that enables administrators to create complex business processes without code. These questions cover Flow types, elements, error handling, real-time scenarios, Apex integration, platform events, debugging techniques, before/after save flows, subflows, LWC integration, and limitations. Understanding flows is essential for modern Salesforce administration and process automation.

Flows & Automation - Q&A

  1. Q1. What are Flows in Salesforce?
    Ans: Flows are powerful automation tools in Salesforce that allow us to perform data manipulation, UI interaction, and business logic without code using Flow Builder.
  2. Q2. What are the different types of Flows in Salesforce?
    Ans: Salesforce supports Record-Triggered Flows, Screen Flows, Scheduled Flows, Autolaunched Flows (no trigger), and Platform Event-Triggered Flows.
  3. Q3. Can you name some Flow elements and their usage?
    Ans: Yes. Key Flow elements include:
    Assignment – set variable values
    Decision – conditional branching
    Get Records / Update Records – DML-like operations
    Loop – iterate over collections
    Subflow – call another Flow
    Pause – wait for external input
    Action – call Apex or other services
  4. Q4. How do you handle errors in Flows?
    Ans: We use Fault Paths on elements like Get, Create, Update, Delete, and Apex Actions to catch errors and define alternate logic or show user-friendly error messages.
  5. Q5. Can you explain a real-time scenario for a Record-Triggered Flow?
    Ans: In one project, we built a flow on the Case object to automatically send an email and update status when a high-priority case is created and the assigned user has no open tasks.
  6. Q6. How do you call Apex from a Flow?
    Ans: We create an @InvocableMethod in an Apex class, then use the Action element in Flow to call that class and pass input/output variables.
  7. Q7. How can we launch a Flow from Apex?
    Ans: Use the Flow.Interview.flowApiName class in Apex or the newer Flow.Interview.start() method for launching autolaunched Flows programmatically.
  8. Q8. How can you trigger a Flow using a Platform Event?
    Ans: We can create a Platform Event-Triggered Flow by selecting the platform event as the trigger. When the event is published, the Flow is invoked to process real-time data.
  9. Q9. How do you debug a Flow that is failing in production?
    Ans: I review the Flow Error Logs, check the fault path if configured, and use debug logs from Setup or the Flow Debug tool in Sandbox to trace input/output steps.
  10. Q10. What's the difference between Before-Save and After-Save Flows?
    Ans:
    Before-Save (Fast Field Updates): Executes before DML and is faster—used only for field updates.
    After-Save: Executes after DML—used for actions like sending emails, creating related records, and more complex logic.
  11. Q11. Can Flows delete records?
    Ans: Yes, using the Delete Records element, we can delete single or multiple records that match specific conditions.
  12. Q12. What are Subflows? When do you use them?
    Ans: Subflows allow reusability. When multiple Flows share a common logic (e.g., calculating discounts or sending emails), we place that logic in one Flow and call it using the Subflow element.
  13. Q13. Can you pass values between Flows?
    Ans: Yes, via input/output variables in Subflows or when calling Flows via Apex or Lightning Components.
  14. Q14. Can you call a Flow from a Lightning Web Component (LWC)?
    Ans: Yes, we use the lightning-flow base component in LWC to launch Screen or Autolaunched Flows and pass variables.
  15. Q15. What are some limitations of Flows?
    Ans:
    No support for complex nested looping like Apex
    Harder to manage large Flows—may require breaking into Subflows
    Governor limits still apply
    Cannot use Flow for all object types (e.g., some standard objects have restricted operations)

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