Automation Limits and Considerations in Salesforce are critical boundaries and best practices that administrators must understand to build efficient, scalable automated processes. Salesforce enforces governor limits to ensure shared resources are distributed fairly across all organizations on the p…Automation Limits and Considerations in Salesforce are critical boundaries and best practices that administrators must understand to build efficient, scalable automated processes. Salesforce enforces governor limits to ensure shared resources are distributed fairly across all organizations on the platform.
Key automation limits include: Flow interviews per transaction (2,000), SOQL queries per transaction (100), DML statements per transaction (150), and executed Apex triggers per object (1). Process Builder and Flow share these transactional limits, making it essential to design automation thoughtfully.
When designing automation, consider the order of execution. Salesforce processes automation in a specific sequence: validation rules, before triggers, after triggers, assignment rules, auto-response rules, workflow rules, processes, and flows. Understanding this order helps prevent conflicts and unexpected behaviors.
Bulkification is another crucial consideration. Automation should handle multiple records efficiently rather than processing one record at a time. Poorly designed automation can hit limits quickly when processing large data volumes through imports or batch operations.
Recursion prevention is essential. When an automated process updates a record, it can trigger additional automation cycles. Implementing entry criteria or conditions that prevent infinite loops protects your org from hitting limits and causing transaction failures.
Best practices include: consolidating multiple automation tools into a single solution where possible, using before-save flows for simple field updates to reduce DML operations, documenting all automation thoroughly, and testing with realistic data volumes before deployment.
Administrators should also consider the impact on system performance and user experience. Complex automation chains can slow down record saves and frustrate users. Regular audits help identify redundant or conflicting automation that may have accumulated over time.
Finally, Salesforce recommends migrating from Workflow Rules and Process Builder to Flow, as Flow provides better performance, more capabilities, and is the strategic automation tool moving forward. Understanding these limits and considerations ensures reliable, maintainable automation solutions.
Automation Limits and Considerations in Salesforce
Why Automation Limits and Considerations Are Important
Understanding automation limits and considerations is crucial for Salesforce Administrators because it ensures that your automated processes run efficiently and reliably. Salesforce operates on a multi-tenant architecture, meaning resources are shared among many organizations. Governor limits exist to prevent any single organization from monopolizing shared resources. Failing to understand these limits can result in failed transactions, data inconsistencies, and poor user experiences.
What Are Automation Limits?
Automation limits are restrictions placed on various Salesforce automation tools to maintain platform performance and stability. These limits apply to:
• Workflow Rules: Limited to 50 active workflow rules per object • Process Builder: Limited to 50 active processes per object • Flow: Subject to various limits including 2,000 executed elements per transaction • Apex Triggers: Subject to governor limits such as 100 SOQL queries per transaction • Email Alerts: Maximum of 1,000 emails per day for workflow email alerts • Field Updates: Limited number of field updates that can cascade
Key Considerations for Automation
Order of Execution: Salesforce follows a specific order when processing records. Understanding this order helps prevent unexpected behaviors. The general sequence includes validation rules, before triggers, after triggers, assignment rules, workflow rules, processes, and flows.
Recursion: Be cautious of automation that updates records and triggers additional automation. This can create infinite loops. Use recursion prevention techniques in Apex and be mindful of re-evaluation checkboxes in workflow rules.
Bulkification: Automation should be designed to handle multiple records efficiently. This is especially important for data loads and integrations.
Time-Based Actions: Workflow rules and processes with time-based actions have a pending actions queue. There is a limit of 1,000 time-based actions per hour.
How Automation Limits Work
When a transaction occurs in Salesforce, the system tracks resource usage against established limits. If any limit is exceeded, the entire transaction fails and rolls back. Common limits include:
• Total SOQL queries: 100 per synchronous transaction • Total DML statements: 150 per transaction • Total records retrieved by SOQL: 50,000 • CPU time limit: 10,000 milliseconds for synchronous transactions • Heap size: 6 MB for synchronous transactions
Best Practices
• Consolidate automation on the same object when possible • Use Flow instead of multiple workflow rules for complex logic • Test automation with bulk data before deploying to production • Document all automation to track interdependencies • Deactivate unused automation to stay within limits
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Automation Limits and Considerations
1. Memorize key numbers: Know the specific limits such as 50 workflow rules per object, 100 SOQL queries, and 150 DML statements per transaction.
2. Understand order of execution: Questions often test whether you know when workflow rules fire versus triggers versus validation rules.
3. Look for recursion scenarios: When a question describes automation updating a record that triggers more automation, consider whether recursion is occurring.
4. Consider bulkification: If a scenario involves data loading or mass updates, think about how the automation will perform with multiple records.
5. Identify the right tool: Questions may ask which automation tool is most appropriate. Flow is generally preferred for complex scenarios, while workflow rules are suitable for simple field updates.
6. Watch for time-based action limitations: Remember that time-based actions can be affected by record updates before they execute.
7. Read scenarios carefully: Many questions involve multiple automation types interacting. Map out what happens step by step.
8. Remember deactivation impacts: Pending time-based actions may be affected when workflow rules are deactivated.