Deploying Salesforce Flow tests isn’t about closing your eyes, hitting “go,” and crossing your fingers—it involves more than just (simply) transferring automations from a Sandbox environment to production. It’s about making sure every piece of the puzzle is in place, and does require careful planning and attention to detail. We’re taking the conversation about Salesforce Flow tests a bit further, by exploring key considerations for deploying Flow tests effectively, from independent testing to environment consistency. As part of our ongoing series, this post will build on previous discussions, providing practical insights to ensure smooth deployments and reliable test execution.
Considerations for Deploying Flow Tests
- Independent Testing: Flow tests do not automatically execute post-deployment and must be run manually. Ensure that you plan time to execute these tests once the deployment is completed.
- Independent Deployment: Flow tests need to be deployed separately from the Flows.
- Environment Consistency: Ensure that all related data and configurations such as custom fields, objects, and any required settings are present in the target environment to avoid failures during the Flow test executions.
- Versioning: If a Flow is updated, its tests may need to be reviewed and updated to align with the new version.
- Post-Deployment Checks: After deploying, perform a thorough check to ensure that the Flow operates as expected in the new environment. This includes running Flow tests manually and checking for any issues in the Flow’s execution.
How to Deploy Flow Tests Using Change Sets
- Prepare Your Flow and Flow Tests:
- Ensure that your Flow and all associated Flow tests are thoroughly tested in your development or sandbox environment. Make sure to cover as many scenarios as possible to ensure comprehensive testing.
- Create a Change Set:
- In the Salesforce setup menu, navigate to Outbound Change Sets under the deployment settings.
- Create a new change set and add your Flow. Flows are listed under the component type ‘Flow Definition’.
- Add the specific Flow tests associated with the Flow. Flow tests are listed under the component type ‘Flow Test’.
- If there are Apex tests associated with the Flows, ensure they are included and pass successfully in your development environment.
- Upload the Change Set:
- Once the Flow and Flow tests are added to the change set, upload it to the target Salesforce environment (e.g., production or another sandbox).
- Validate and Deploy the Change Set:
- In the target environment, navigate to Inbound Change Sets, select the received change set, and click on Validate to check for any deployment errors.
- If validation passes without issues, proceed to Deploy the change set.
- Open the Flow Builder and run the Flow tests manually.
Effective deployment of Flow tests is crucial for maintaining the integrity of your automations across different environments. Skipping the testing phase of your automations can be like driving blindfolded—one wrong move could lead to chaos in your workflows and disrupt critical processes! So, by following these guidelines and being mindful of factors like independent deployment and post-deployment checks, you can help ensure that your Salesforce Flows continue to operate as expected. Stay tuned for future articles where we’ll explore more advanced limitations of Flow tests to further optimize your Salesforce automation processes.
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Author: Nupur Patel
Automation Specialist & Junior Salesforce Developer at Lane Four
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