Using the New Process Builder - Part 3 - Adding Scheduled Actions to a Process

This is part of the series - Using the New Process Builder

This time let us create a scheduled action for a process. 
My requirement is when - an Account is created with Rating Hot, after an hour, I will generate an email alert to notify the account owner.

*Note: (I have a custom picklist 'Account Rating' on my Account object with values - Cold,Warm, Hot)

Scheduled actions can be used for Business use cases like:

1. When a Case remains open for more than 2 days, send an email alert to the owner for attending the case.
2. Auto update any field after some time of a record creation etc.

For us, let us create a new Process - name it Process to 'Account Create Email Alert'.

First let us create an Email Template we will use for the process.

Create the Email Alert, we need to create an Email Alert on the Account object, with Process Builder only Email Alerts on the object for which the process is being created is available for use. Also remember, if you configure an email alert to be sent from an organization-wide email address, that email alert isn't supported in flows and processes.

Now we come to the actual process.

Step 1: Create a New Process, we name it 'Account Create Email Alert' add a nice description as well :)

Step 2: Add the Account object to the process, we want to have the process working on Account create/edit.

Step 3: Add a criteria, we check the 'Account Rating' to be Hot, we check both on Account creation as well as on Account update.

Do select 'Do you want to execute the actions only when specified changes are made to the record?' as Yes. Only on selection of this the Scheduled action is enabled. This setting is similar to the setting 'created, and any time it’s edited to subsequently meet criteria' used for workflows.

Step 4: Now we add the schedule, we add a schedule of 1 hour after the Account is Last modified.

Step 5: Let us add the final step, that is, the scheduled action. The email alert we created.

Step 6: All done, we activate the process.

Step 7: To check the Scheduled action we can see the 'Paused and Waiting Interviews' under Workflow & Approvals -> Flows. Basically, Salesforce creates a flow in result of a process to handle the scheduled task. Notice, the 'Workflow' type in the Flow created, different from the usual 'Flow' or 'Autolaunched Flow'

To do a test, we create a new Account and mark it as Hot. 

Wait for an hour and voila! I receive an email alerting me that a new Hot Account is created.

See the time, exactly and hour after I created the Account. :)

We can do the same by updating an exisitng account and marking the same as Hot. This will work as we selected the 'Do you want to execute the actions only when specified changes are made to the record?'

Next Post: We do a field update in a process.

Using the New Process Builder - Part 2 - How to version control an existing Process in Process Builder.

This is part of the series - Using the New Process Builder

Today, we learn how to update existing Processes. 
Salesforce has brought in version controlling with Processes.
It is similar to what we do with say word documents, we create initial versions and then with each change/update we increase the version of the document.

Similarly, when you have already created a process and then want to make some changes/amendments to the same process, you end up creating a new version and activate this new version.

Let us see with the simple process we created earlier.
Let's say I want to update the Task subject we had set earlier from 'Please work on the JA' to 'Please work on the Job Application'.

First, let's see what we already have in the Process Builder, from the All processes view, click on 'Manage Versions' for the process 'Assign Task on Job Application creation' we created.

You see all the existing versions you have and the only one which is currently active. Obvious enough, only one version at a time can be active.

This is the Version History, Salesforce maintains a version history for all processes you create and if you want to delete any old versions the same can be done from here.

Now, we update our process. 

Step 1: Click on the process name and you see the process as we had completed it last time.

Step 2: Click on the Clone button on top right of the process.

Step 3: We should choose the option 'Version of current process' as we want to update the same process and generate a new version of it.

In other cases, you can choose to create a new process cloning the existing one and append additional steps to the new process.

Here, we update the existing one.

Step 4: Fill in the Name of the process same as before and a description and click Save. 

Step 5: Now you have the same process in editable mode and can edit what you want in the process. I choose the Immediate action of creating the task.

Step 6: I update the subject in the Task fields for record creation

Step 7: Important! This is important - You need to activate the new version for it to be working. 

A warning tells you that other active versions will now be deactivated and the new version works as the current active process. This is exactly what you want so click Ok and proceed.

The new version will become the latest active version and the others remain as Inactive versions.

Now, I create a new Job Application and see the Task created for it. 

Voila! The new Task reflects the new changed Subject.

So, now we know how to Version control a Process and work with its latest version.

Next Post: We learn how to use the Scheduled Task in a process and create some time-based processes.

Using the New Process Builder - Part 1 - Creating New Record for business flow

This is part of the series - Using the New Process Builder
Today, let us talk about the all new Process Builder in place from Spring '15.
In all our applications, we implement series of business processes. We involve a combination of Triggers, Flows and Workflows to get to achieve our desired flow of processes.
In implementing these, Salesforce has given us a new improved utility to make use of - The Process Builder. What it is gives us:

• Create your processes using a convenient visual layout with point-and-click efficiency.
• Create your whole process in one place rather than using multiple workflow rules.
• Create processes by collaborating with different teams in your business.
• Stop using Apex code to automate simple tasks.

And what we lack in workflows comes with Process Builder - 

• Creating a record
• Submitting a record for approval

Today, I use a very simple example to demonstrate the first use of Process Builder, creating a record on a specific event.
I have a custom object representing Job Application. Job Applications get created by an Admin team and assigned accordingly to various recruiters. My requirement is:

1. When a Job Application gets created,  I want to assign a Task to the owner to manage the Job application assigned to him.

Now, let us begin creating the process Step by Step

Step 1: Create a new Process under Create -> Workflow & Approvals -> Process Builder

Step 2: Add the Object on which you want to run your process - here Job Application object

Step 3: Now we add the immediate action, i.e creating a Task assigning to the JA owner. Choose Record create as the Action Type, name your Action and choose Task as the Object.

We assign values to the fields of the Task object. 

I assign the Assigned to as the Owner ID and the Related To to the Job Application ID. 

The required fields of an object automatically comes and are non editable. For me the Priority and Status field are required for Task object. Hence, these fields come automatically when Record Create is chosen.

Step 4: All done lets Activate the Process and see it work.

Now we create a Job Application object. And assign the same to me.

As I am the owner a task gets created and assigned to me.

Done. A simple process is used to create a new record on creation of another related record. This is one of the most important feature of the Process Builder, and one we cannot do through a workflow.

Next Post: We learn how to version control (in other words) update an existing Process.