salesforce-flow-design

Choose a Before-save Record-Triggered Flow when only updating the triggering record's own fields. Use After-save when touching related records, sending emails, or making callouts. Screen Flows handle guided user processes, while Scheduled Flows cover time-based batch work.

Never place Create, Update, Delete, or Get Records elements inside a Loop. Query all records before the loop, process them in collection variables, and perform a single DML operation after the loop ends.

Create, Update, Delete, and Get Records elements require fault connectors, along with Send Email, HTTP Callout, Apex invocable actions, and subflows that can throw faults. Route fault paths to logging and user-friendly error messages.

Use Apex Queueable or Batch classes for complex multi-object logic, callouts, or high-volume processing. Simple field calculations belong in formula fields, and record save prevention belongs in validation rules rather than Flows.

After-save flows that update the triggering record without a recursion guard re-fire themselves indefinitely. Add an entry condition such as ISCHANGED on a specific field or a recursion guard variable to prevent re-entry.