What is a process builder in Salesforce?
Salesforce process builder is a powerful tool you can use to automate business processes. It has a simple interface that allows you to point and click to select objects and fields while setting up immediate and time-based actions. A Process builder allows you to do more than a simple workflow would. It is a tool that allows you to automate business processes using a graphical representation of your process. It is like a workflow tool that helps you easily automate your business processes by providing a powerful and user-friendly visual representation of your process. The Process Builder’s simple and powerful design allows you to build customize the automated process.
Actions Available In Process Builder
There are several different actions you can trigger the process builder. These actions are:
- Trigger Apex code: You can use the Salesforce process builder to invoke Apex code you have written within Salesforce. Apex can be anything from custom logic to save a record to complex business processes. To invoke an apex class in process builder we have to use @AuraEnabled attribute.
- Create a record: This will allow you to create new records and set certain field values for the new record.
- Email alerts: IN order to send an email from a process, you must create the email alert. To send an email alert that email should be associated with the same object on which process is started. Email template contains the standard text, list of recipients, and template
- Trigger a flow: You can launch a flow from your process to automate complex business processes.
- Post to Chatter: Process builder post to chatter action helps to post information to any user or group chatter feed within Salesforce. The post will appear in the chatter field as if the person who triggered the process had written it. You can reference groups or topics and add merge fields.
- Submit for approval: Only the record that started the process will be submitted. You can’t submit any related records for approval.
- Update records: Update one or more records that are related to the record that started the process. You can update the record with manually entered values or by using the values from related records. We can update records of parent or child whereas workflow only updates same or parent object from the child.
- Quick actions: You must already have global actions or an object specific action created within Salesforce to use these quick actions. You can then select to log a call, send an email, or update a record.
- Process: This action will call another process to another process. For this action, you need to choose process type as it invoked by another process.
Why Process builder?
The process builder is more flexible in comparison to the workflow. In workflow rule can’t update child record, Post to Chatter, auto submits record in the Approval process, invoke an apex or call flows.
Navigation to process builder
Setup =>Create =>Build=>Process builder=>New 
- Enter process Name
- Enter a description of the process
- Finally, choose process type
- Click on save

- Choose the object name on which you want to perform the task.
- Choose the start process type.
- Enter the criteria name.
- Choose Criteria condition.
- Set condition field.
- Choose condition type.


Read: What is Salesforce CRM and What does Salesforce do?
- Select a record type.
- Set field value which is going to update.
- Save
- Add Another action
- Action type email alert.
- Enter the action name.
- Choose an email alert name if you do not have an email alert create a new one.

- Choose action type as an
- Enter name.
- Select apex class

Apex code
public class invokeAppoveExample {
@InvocableMethod
public static void recordInsert(list<id>ids){
list<account>acc= [select id from account where id in:ids];
for(account a :acc){
opportunity op = new opportunity();
op.Name=a.Name;
op.CloseDate=system.today();
op.StageName='closed won';
op.AccountId=a.id;
op.Amount=a.AnnualRevenue;
insert op;
}
}
}
Now go to account update it sees its related contact will be updated, you will also a notification of address update
Learn Salesforce in the Easiest Way
- Learn from the videos
- Learn anytime anywhere
- Pocket-friendly mode of learning
- Complimentary eBook available
Read: How to learn Salesforce in 15 Easy Ways?
Process builder vs. Workflow
Type |
Process Builder |
Workflow |
Complexity |
Multiple if/then statements |
A single if/then statement |
Visual designer |
|
|
Browser support |
All (Chrome recommended) |
All |
Starts when |
· Record is changed · Invoked by another process |
Record is changed |
Supports time-based actions |
|
|
Call Apex code |
|
|
Create records |
|
Tasks only |
Invoke processes |
|
|
Launch a flow |
|
(Pilot)1 |
Post to Chatter |
|
|
Send email |
(Email alerts only) |
(Email alerts only) |
Send outbound messages without code |
|
|
Submit for approval |
|
|
Update fields |
Any related record |
The record or its parent |
Summary
With this blog, you have learned what is a process builder in Salesforce and how it works. Let us summarize the blog in a few points. You can perform the following actions with process builder:-
- Create and update records
- Send an Email alert
- Submit a record for approval
- Invoke a process from another process
- Launch a flow
- We can call apex methods
- Post to chatter
If you have any queries related to process builder in Salesforce then drop your query in the comment section below. Happy learning!
Introduction
Salesforce Vs. Different Technologies
Interview
Salesforce Course
Upcoming Batches
Trending Courses
AWS
- AWS & Fundamentals of Linux
- Amazon Simple Storage Service
- Elastic Compute Cloud
- Databases Overview & Amazon Route 53
Upcoming Class
-1 day 27 Jan 2021
DevOps
- Intro to DevOps
- GIT and Maven
- Jenkins & Ansible
- Docker and Cloud Computing
Upcoming Class
1 day 29 Jan 2021
Data Science
- Data Science Introduction
- Hadoop and Spark Overview
- Python & Intro to R Programming
- Machine Learning
Upcoming Class
2 days 30 Jan 2021
Hadoop
- Architecture, HDFS & MapReduce
- Unix Shell & Apache Pig Installation
- HIVE Installation & User-Defined Functions
- SQOOP & Hbase Installation
Upcoming Class
2 days 30 Jan 2021
Salesforce
- Salesforce Configuration Introduction
- Security & Automation Process
- Sales & Service Cloud
- Apex Programming, SOQL & SOSL
Upcoming Class
1 day 29 Jan 2021
QA
- Introduction and Software Testing
- Software Test Life Cycle
- Automation Testing and API Testing
- Selenium framework development using Testing
Upcoming Class
2 days 30 Jan 2021
Business Analyst
- BA & Stakeholders Overview
- BPMN, Requirement Elicitation
- BA Tools & Design Documents
- Enterprise Analysis, Agile & Scrum
Upcoming Class
1 day 29 Jan 2021
MS SQL Server
- Introduction & Database Query
- Programming, Indexes & System Functions
- SSIS Package Development Procedures
- SSRS Report Design
Upcoming Class
2 days 30 Jan 2021
Python
- Features of Python
- Python Editors and IDEs
- Data types and Variables
- Python File Operation
Upcoming Class
2 days 30 Jan 2021
Artificial Intelligence
- Components of AI
- Categories of Machine Learning
- Recurrent Neural Networks
- Recurrent Neural Networks
Upcoming Class
8 days 05 Feb 2021
Machine Learning
- Introduction to Machine Learning & Python
- Machine Learning: Supervised Learning
- Machine Learning: Unsupervised Learning
Upcoming Class
1 day 29 Jan 2021
Tableau
- Introduction to Tableau Desktop
- Data Transformation Methods
- Configuring tableau server
- Integration with R & Hadoop
Upcoming Class
-1 day 27 Jan 2021
Salesforce Course
Upcoming Batches
Receive Latest Materials and Offers on Salesforce Course