Everything You Need to Know About Flow Trigger Explorer in Salesforce

amit1697
Sep 15, 2022
3 min read

Updated: Nov 7

In the world of Salesforce automation, record-triggered flows have become essential for streamlining business processes without writing a single line of code. But what happens when you have multiple flows running on the same object? How do you control their execution order, avoid conflicts, and maintain transparency?

This is where Flow Trigger Explorer comes in. In this blog, we will break down what Flow Trigger Explorer is, why it matters, and how it helps you manage your flows more effectively. We will also answer common questions like “How many flows per object in Salesforce?”, “What is the record-triggered flow framework in Salesforce?” and “How do you control Salesforce flow trigger order?”

What is Flow Trigger Explorer in Salesforce?

Flow Trigger Explorer is a visual tool introduced by Salesforce to help Admins and Developers manage record-triggered flows on a specific object. Instead of checking each flow individually, you get a centralized view of all flows that are triggered before-save, after-save, and on delete for the same object.

This makes it easier to:

Understand which flows run on your object.
Review and adjust the Salesforce flow trigger order.
Debug issues when flows don’t execute in the expected sequence.

It’s part of the broader record-triggered flow framework in Salesforce, designed to give you more visibility and control.

How to Access Flow Trigger Explorer

You can find Flow Trigger Explorer inside Salesforce Flow Builder:

Go to Setup → Flows.
Open or create a new record-triggered flow.
Click the “Flow Trigger Explorer” button in the toolbar.
Choose the object you’re interested in.

You’ll see three columns:

Before-save: Flows that run before the record is saved to the database.
After-save: Flows that run immediately after the record is saved.
Delete: Flows triggered when a record is deleted.

This view helps you spot potential conflicts and adjust priorities.

Salesforce Flow Trigger Order: How It Works

When you have multiple record-triggered flows for the same object, Salesforce lets you decide the order in which these flows run using the Trigger Order property.

By default, flows are assigned no specific trigger order (or the same order).
You can set the Trigger Order to a positive integer (e.g., 1, 2, 3).
Flows run in ascending order of this number.
If multiple flows have the same number (or none set), Salesforce decides the order automatically.

This helps you ensure, for example, that Flow A runs before Flow B if Flow B depends on data updates made by Flow A.How Many Flows Per Object in Salesforce?

Technically, you can create multiple flows per object. There isn’t a strict hard limit, but Salesforce best practices recommend:

Keeping the number of active record-triggered flows per object manageable (ideally under 10).
Using Flow Trigger Explorer to review and avoid conflicts.

Too many flows on a single object can increase maintenance complexity and runtime performance issues.

Record-Triggered Flow Framework in Salesforce

The record-triggered flow framework is Salesforce’s approach to allow declarative automation when a record is created, updated, or deleted.

Key features include:

Before-save flows: Fastest, ideal for updating fields on the same record.
After-save flows: Can perform actions like creating related records, sending emails, etc.
Delete-triggered flows: Run when a record is deleted.

The framework is flexible but can become complex when multiple flows overlap, which is why Flow Trigger Explorer is so valuable.

Benefits of Using Flow Trigger Explorer

Clarity: Quickly see all active and inactive flows on an object.
Control: Adjust the trigger flow order without guessing.
Efficiency: Debug automation issues by understanding what flows run when.
Compliance: Keep documentation of your automation easy to review.

Best Practices for Managing Trigger Flows in Salesforce

Limit the number of flows per object to simplify debugging.
Use descriptive names so you can quickly identify each flow’s purpose.
Regularly check Flow Trigger Explorer when adding or updating flows.
Set Trigger Order only when necessary to control dependencies.
Document why each flow exists and what business requirement it serves.

Conclusion

Flow Trigger Explorer is an essential tool for anyone building record-triggered flows in Salesforce. It helps answer questions like how many flows per object, shows the Salesforce flow trigger order, and makes managing complex automation easier.

Combined with the record-triggered flow framework, it empowers you to build scalable and maintainable Salesforce solutions, without writing code.

Need help implementing or optimizing Salesforce Flows?

Whether you're exploring Flow Trigger Explorer for the first time or need expert support to streamline automation, our Salesforce specialists are here to guide you.