Salesforce Sidekick

So, you want to start manipulating Data in Salesforce with a Flow?  Well, you have to use a Data element to do that.  What is the difference between the Record elements and Fast elements?  When would I use one over the other?

A Record element is always going to be ONE record that you are processing.  If you want the ability to process ONE OR MULTIPLE records you must use a Fast element.

So, if a Fast element essentially does what a Record element does, but has even more functionality, why would I use a Record element?  

Well, Fast elements grab all of the field values from one sObject variable.  This means you can’t use regular variables or other flow resources (like screen fields), while a Record element only captures the fields that you want.  You can update any field with the specified regular variable or flow resource.  So, if you want to customize one record that is being created to have certain values, you are going to want to use a Record Create instead of a Fast Create.

Fast elements can use sObject variables and sObject collection variables.

Record elements can use everything besides an sObject collection variable.  This includes:

• Variables
• sObject Variables
• Constants
• Formulas
• Text Templates
• Choices
• Dynamic Choices
• Global Constant (Empty String, True, and False)
• System fields (Current Date, Current Date/Time, and FaultMessage).
• Any manually entered string or date

RECAP: Record elements vs Fast elements is often not the big issue in Flows.  I tend to stick to the Record elements in most of my Flows unless there are going to be multiple records processed.  Don’t forget that Fast elements can use Loops and Assignment elements to bypass their ‘limits’ with what can be done in the element.