Updated Cross-Object Workflow in Salesforce.com

If you have been using the Enterprise edition or above for the Salesforce.com CRM system, you have probably encountered some frustration trying to create the workflow field updates you want most. That is because the platform is primarily set up for workflow to only occur within one object's records, or from parent to child. Even moving from parent to child (e.g. Account to Opportunity) the platform never sees that the parent record has been edited to run the workflow field update on the child until you edit the child record also, which is why we created Aspira XObject as a free app that automates the triggering of that workflow.

That app is quite popular, and has helped a lot of SFDC users, but there is still the problem of not being able to send field updates from child records to parent records (e.g. Opportunity to Account). After years of Idea Exchange requests, this feature will now be available with the Spring '12 release! And that's not all. See below for all the workflow changes coming soon, as supplied by the official release notes FAQ.

"With Spring ‘12, cross-object field updates in workflow rules and approval processes now support standard objects. Both custom-to-standard and limited standard-to-standard relationships are supported.

Custom Object to Standard Object

You can use cross-object field updates for custom objects that are children of certain standard objects in a master-detail relationship. The standard objects which support cross-object field updates are:

• Account

• Asset

• Campaign

• Case

• Contact

• Contract

• Contract Line Item

• Entitlement

• Opportunity

• Order

• Question

• Quote

• Service Contract

• Solution

Standard Object to Standard Object

You can now use cross-object field updates for standard objects that are children of standard objects in a master-detail relationship. However, only a few standard-to-standard relationships are supported. Case Comments updating Case and Email updating Case were supported previously. The new relationships that we've opened up are:

• Opportunity Product updating Opportunity

Note: Cross-object field updates to a parent opportunity's Amount and Quantity fields only work if the opportunity has no opportunity products associated with it.

• Opportunity updating Account—Supported for both business accounts and person accounts.

Field Updates for Encrypted Custom Fields

With Spring '12, we've expanded the reach of workflow field updates to include encrypted custom fields. Note, however, that if you try to use a formula to set an encrypted custom field's new value, the encrypted custom field isn't available in the formula editor as a resource.

Workflow Field Updates Can Retrigger Workflow Rules (aka Cascading workflow)

We added a new checkbox option to workflow field updates that allows you to select whether you want a field update to trigger a re-evaluation of all workflow rules on the object.

Here’s how it works:

• If the field update changes the field’s value, all workflow rules on the associated object are re-evaluated. Any workflow rules whose criteria are met as a result of the field update will be triggered.

• If any of the triggered workflow rules result in another field update that’s also enabled for workflow rule re-evaluation, a domino effect occurs, and more workflow rules can be re-evaluated as a result of the newly-triggered field update. This cascade of workflow rule re-evaluation and triggering can happen up to five times after the initial field update that started it.

• In a batch update, workflow is only retriggered on the entities where there is a change.

• Only workflow rules on the same object as the initial field update will be re-evaluated and triggered.

• Only workflow rules that didn’t fire before will be retriggered.

• Cross-object workflow rules and time-based workflow rules aren’t candidates for re-evaluation.

• Cross-object field updates that cause a field value to change don’t trigger workflow rule re-evaluation on the associated object."

Important Note: Note that cross-object workflow changes described above apply only to objects connected by master-detail relationships, not those connected by lookup fields. Also, standard-to-custom object workflow is still not supported, and neither is some frequently desired standard-to-standard workflow (such as Task to Contact/Opportunity/Case, Campaign Member to Lead/Contact, etc.) That said, it is still possible to either use our app to allow lookup relationship based workflow automation (parent to child) or have a custom coded solution built for you in a week's time (child to parent workflow).

Bottom line, if you have a business case for cross-object workflow, between the new Spring release functionality and AspiraTech's workflow expertise, we can get you to a perfect fit solution in short order.

Read the full Salesforce.com CRM Spring '12 Release Notes for details on workflow and other important changes.