Salesforce Spring '21 Release Preview | Latest Flow Features

Salesforce Spring '21 release is around the corner. Let's see some of the New and Latest Flow Features to be included in Salesforce Spring '21 release to get ourselves excited. This article covers Top Flow Features in Salesforce Spring'21 Release from Spring'21 Release Notes.

This is a complete Spring '21 Flow Features and Enhancements Preview and Teaser. We will check some of the new and latest Flow Builder capabilities expected and included in Spring 21 Salesforce Release. 

Safe Harbour Note: These are just my Personal Observations.The actual Salesforce Spring '21 Release Notes will be available later in January. So this post is just based on my hands-on in my pre-release Developer Org where Spring '21 preview is already available. 

Consider this a Sneak Peak only to get you excited! Just a Teaser of cool and new Flow Features 

Update : Spring'21 Salesforce Release Notes are now available and also the Preview Dev Org is available. Link is at the end of this post.

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Spring '21 New Flow Features and Enhancements Preview

Latest Flow features included in Spring 21 that I personally feel will excite most of the Salesforce Professionals are around Record-Triggered Flows capability. Let's see what we know till now. 

Note: I will update this space as we have more information around this topic and official confirmation and Release Notes from Salesforce. Please tune in Later for lates updates!

TOP 10 FLOW FEATURES IN SPRING 21 SALESFORCE

1. Accessing the Prior Value or Old Value of the Record that Fired the Flow is Now possible in Record Triggered Flows

The Old or Prior value of the Record that Fired the Record Triggered Flow is now available for use anywhere within the Flow ( $Record__Prior Global Variable) . 

This is a MASSIVE one personally. This capability was missing till now and it was one of the biggest reason for many admins/devs to sometimes drop Flow idea and write Apex Triggers for many scenarios. 

But maybe no more now. Now, as per my understanding after checking this in my dev org, we can access the Old or Prior Field values of the Record that fired the Flow.  This will give us better control on scenarios where we need to compare or know the old Field values of the Record that Triggered the Flow. Exciting! One less reason to write Triggers now!

Checkout the Detailed Example and Video of Old / Prior Value Feature : Prior Value in Record Triggered Flows

2. Time Based Actions or Time - Dependent Actions for Record Triggered Flows

This is HUGE!! Another area where Flow was behind Process Builder or even Workflow was the lack of Flow Time Based / Time Dependent Actions or Time Triggered Actions from Flows. We had to rely on other options in such use cases till now. Well now it is going to be possible and it will be even more powerful and flexible than a Process builder or a Workflow.

I hope to soon write about this capability in detail once I explore more about it. But right now it's enough to get us excited.

3. Multi Column Layout or Screen for Screen Flows (Beta)

It was a long wait but I think Screen Flows are getting there. Now we have a Multi Column Screen Builder option using the Section(Beta) Builder in Screen Flow Options.

More Beautiful and Practical Screens in future .

4. Lightning Flow Is Now Salesforce Flow

The Lightning Flow suite of features is now called Salesforce Flow, and it still includes all your processes and flows. Lightning Flow Builder and Lightning Process Builder are now called Flow Builder and Process Builder.

5. Flow Debugging Enhancements

Debugging tool enhancements make it easier to test and troubleshoot the flows. Many error emails now contain a link that opens Flow Builder, where you can see the interview’s path on the canvas and the error details. Debug schedule-triggered flows and autolaunched flows with no triggers directly on the canvas.

• Debug Failed Flows More Easily
  No more scrolling through a long flow error email to figure out what went wrong during the run. Now you can simply click a link in the error email to open Flow Builder and see the failed flow interview’s path on the canvas. The detailed error information appears next to the canvas.
• Debug Flows More Easily with Consistent Terms and Direct Debugging for Schedule-Triggered Flows
  In addition to non-triggered autolaunched flows, debugging directly on the canvas now supports schedule-triggered flows. Also, we updated the text in flow debug details and error emails to match Flow Builder’s element names: Create Records, Update Records, Get Records, and Delete Records.
• See Accurate Flow Information in Debug Logs
  Debug logs now record the total amount of CPU time consumed by a particular flow or process in the FLOW_INTERVIEW_FINISHED_LIMIT_USAGE log lines. Also, the FLOW_INTERVIEW_LIMIT_USAGE log lines now accurately record the CPU time consumed by flows and processes that are configured to run in API version 51.0 or later.

6. Access Complex Merge Fields from Loops

Now you can loop through a collection via merge fields on complex objects such as an Apex-defined variable or output from a custom action or screen component. Previously, you weren’t able to access merge fields on complex objects.

7. Send Rich Text Emails from Your Flow Using a Send Email Action

Now we can Send an email in rich text format by using a Send Email action. Previously, only plain text was available for Send Email actions, and you used an email alert to send a rich text email. We also added new run-time error improvements for Send Email actions to catch invalid email addresses and sender types.

8. Control Revisited Screen Values in Flows

We can now control what we want to do when a user visits Old/Previous Screens in Screen Flows. Previously it used to keep the old values but now we can decide if we want to keep the old values or if we want to refresh the values.

How: Drag a Lightning component such as the Toggle screen component, Slider screen component, or custom screen component to a screen. From the component’s properties pane, select Advanced, and select an option for Revisited Screen Values.

9. Improved Styling for Flow Screen Components

Whether for text, email, phone, address, or picklist components, flow screens offer a cohesive, coherent look. Now all Salesforce-provided components take up the full width of their container, whether that’s a standard screen or a multi-column screen. And components are consistently aligned and spaced, with equivalent padding and margins.

10. See Less {!Complex.Syntax} in Flow Builder

More places in Flow Builder now use pills to represent your references to records, fields, variables, and other flow resources. Pills display relevant icons and labels, which you can click anytime to see the underlying {!Syntax}. Pills are now available in more fields in the Create Records, Update Records, Get Records, and Delete Records elements.

How: When you select a record variable or record collection variable, the syntax of the reference appears. In this example, the automatically stored output from a Get Records element is selected in an Update Records element.

When you leave the field, a pill replaces the syntax.

Well this was just a Quick Teaser of Latest Flow Features ! Stay Tuned for the Latest Updates and detailed Articles around all these Flow Features and many other New and Upcoming Flow Features in Spring '21 Salesforce Release.

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Checkout all Flow Related Posts on this Blog : Flow Posts : Use Cases and Scenarios

Checkout the Detailed Example and Video of Prior Value Feature : Prior Value in Record Triggered Flows

Sign Up for the Salesforce Spring '21 Pre - Release Org and try all these yourself : https://www.salesforce.com/form/signup/prerelease-spring21/

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