December 2025 — End of an Era: Salesforce Workflow Rules & Process Builder Bid Farewell
In a recent announcement, Salesforce declared that Workflow Rules and Process Builder, crucial in the realm of automation within the Salesforce ecosystem, will no longer receive support after December 31, 2025. This proclamation marks the conclusion of an era, prompting users to transition their automation processes to the modern, low-code solution offered by Flow Builder.
Why the Change?
Salesforce’s decision to retire Workflow Rules and Process Builder stems from a strategic shift towards enhancing and prioritising Flow Builder. With an eye on evolving user needs and industry trends, Salesforce aims to consolidate its resources to bolster Flow Builder’s capabilities as a more efficient and adaptable automation solution.
Flow Builder offers various advantages over its predecessors, including:
1. Enhanced Performance: Flow Builder offers improved performance compared to Workflow Rules and Process Builder, ensuring smoother execution of automation processes. This is particularly beneficial for organisations dealing with complex workflows and large volumes of data. For example, suppose a company needs to update many records in Salesforce based on a specific criterion. With Flow Builder, the process can be optimised to handle bulk updates efficiently, resulting in faster execution and minimal impact on system performance.
2. Advanced Functionality: Flow Builder offers advanced functionality, such as Fast Field Updates, which enables efficient handling of high-volume automation tasks. This feature allows users to update fields across multiple records in a streamlined manner, reducing manual effort and improving productivity. An example would be when a sales team wants to automatically assign leads to representatives based on predefined criteria, such as geographic location or industry. Using Flow Builder’s Fast Field Updates, the lead assignment process can be automated, ensuring leads are distributed promptly to the appropriate salesperson.
3. Robust Error Handling: Flow Builder provides powerful error handling and debugging capabilities, enhancing the management of workflows, and reducing the risk of system errors. During the execution of a complex workflow, if an error occurs due to data validation issues or external dependencies, Flow Builder allows administrators to implement error handling mechanisms, such as exception handling and a rollback functionality, to gracefully manage errors and prevent disruptions to the automation process.
4. Reusable Components: Flow Builder allows users to create reusable components known as Sub-flows, which can be leveraged to build repeatable and reusable functionalities across multiple automation processes. This promotes modular designs and simplifies the development and maintenance of workflows. Sub flows can be particularly helpful during e.g. a typical recruitment process — when various stages, such as candidate screening, interview scheduling, and offer generation, involve similar automation tasks. By creating Sub-flows for each stage in Flow Builder, administrators can encapsulate common logic and functionality, making it easier to maintain and update the recruitment process over time.
5. Expanded Features: Flow Builder offers additional features, such as Screen Flows, which expand the scope of automation possibilities within the Salesforce ecosystem. Screen Flows enable users to create interactive, guided experiences for users, enhancing user engagement and streamlining complex processes. With Flow Builder’s Screen Flows, administrators can, for example, design a guided onboarding process that prompts users to enter necessary details step-by-step, ensuring a seamless and personalised experience for new customers.
6. Advanced Debugging: Flow Builder’s advanced debugging capabilities empower administrators and developers to efficiently troubleshoot and resolve issues within automation processes. With tools like the Flow Debugger, users can step through each element of a flow, inspecting variables, evaluating conditions, and pinpointing any potential bottlenecks or errors. This granular level of visibility enables quick identification of issues and facilitates rapid iterations for refining workflows. Additionally, Flow Builder offers detailed error logs and runtime information, allowing administrators to track the flow of data and understand the sequence of actions executed during automation.
Impact on Users
Existing automation processes may continue to function, but users still utilising Workflow Rules and Process Builder will no longer receive customer support after December 31, 2025. Without access to support, there is a heightened risk of system instability, potentially impacting overall business operations. In addition, the absence of support may result in challenges in maintaining and troubleshooting processes. Some additional considerations include:
· Compliance and Security Concerns: Without ongoing support, organisations may face challenges in ensuring compliance with industry regulations and maintaining security measures within their automated workflows
· Resource Allocation: Organisations may need to allocate additional resources, such as time and personnel, to address any issues or limitations encountered due to the lack of support for Workflow Rules and Process Builder, diverting resources from other strategic initiatives.
· Training and Skill Development: The transition to Flow Builder may require users to undergo training and skill development programs to familiarise themselves with the new platform, potentially leading to productivity disruptions and learning curves.
What You Should Do
To mitigate the impact of this transition, Salesforce users are strongly advised to migrate their active Workflow Rules and Process Builder processes to Flow Builder before the stipulated deadline. Procrastination in this regard could lead to last-minute rush and increased operational risks.
An effective migration process may involve:
1. Identifying Active Workflow Rules and Process Builder Processes: SMEs may conduct a thorough inventory of their existing Workflow Rules and Process Builder processes to identify which ones are active and critical to their operations. Experienced Salesforce specialists can support this process by conducting a comprehensive assessment of the organisation’s Salesforce instance, identifying all active automation processes, and categorising them based on their significance and complexity.
2. Planning and Executing a Systematic Migration Strategy: Businesses may need to develop a clear migration strategy that outlines the steps, timeline, and resources required to transition from Workflow Rules and Process Builder to Flow Builder. Specialists may consider factors such as business objectives, resource availability, and potential risks. This involves defining migration priorities, setting realistic timelines, and allocating resources effectively.
3. Leveraging Resources such as the ‘Migrate to Flow’ Tool: The “Migrate to Flow” tool provided by Salesforce can streamline the migration process by automatically converting Workflow Rules and Process Builder processes into Flow Builder equivalents. Find more information here.
4. Testing the Migrated Flows in Small Batches: It’s essential for SMEs to thoroughly test the migrated Flows in small batches to validate their functionality, performance, and alignment with organisational requirements. A Salesforce consultancy can provide testing support, conducting rigorous testing procedures to identify and address any issues or discrepancies, ensuring a smooth transition with minimal disruption to business operations.
Preparing for the Transition
Salesforce has adopted a phased approach to facilitate the transition from Workflow Rules and Process Builder to Flow Builder. The gradual rollout commenced with the Winter ’22 release, which disabled the creation of new Workflow Rules. Subsequent releases will further restrict the creation of new processes in Process Builder until the eventual retirement of Workflow Rules and Process Builder.
Embrace the Change
While bidding farewell to Workflow Rules and Process Builder may evoke a sense of nostalgia, it also presents an opportunity for users to embrace the advanced capabilities offered by Flow Builder. By proactively migrating to Flow Builder, organisations can future-proof their automation processes and unlock the full potential of Salesforce’s modern automation solution.
Reviewed by — Aritri Ganguly & Eshan Pandey
