FlowLogging

Version1.31

OVERVIEW
ThisfreeappallowsAdminsandDeveloperstoaddlogmessagesanddebugvariablevaluesin
SalesforceFlows.

WiththeFlowLoggingapp,youcancustomizeyourmessagesandseespecificvalueswithout
compromisingtheintegrityofyourFlow.Noforcederrorsornon-autolaunch-capablescreensto
debugaFlow.Asabonus,youcanhavetheFlowLoggingonlycapturewhentheFlowgoes
sidewaysorwhenadatabasefaultoccurs.

FlowLoggingbyAzimuthDSisamanagedpackageprovidedtoenhanceyourexperiencewith
SalesforceFlow.

INSTALLATION
InstallationoftheFlowLoggingappisatwopackageinstallationprocess:FlowLoggingandFlow
LoggingTemplate.TheFlowLoggingmanagedpackagewillbefoundontheAppExchangeorby
followingthislink:

FlowLoggingbyAzimuthDS

Installtheappforallusers.ThisallowsyourorguserstocreatethenecessaryFlowLogrecords.
Themanagedpackagehas2ProfilesthatcanbeusedtoimplementwheninstallingtoSpecific
Users: AzimuthDSCustomerCommunityLoginUser,AzimuthDSSysAdmin

Next,installtheFlowLoggingTemplateunmanagedpackage(foundbyfollowingthislink:Flow
LoggingTemplatebyAzimuthDS.Thispackageisunmanagedtoallowyoutoopenthe
templateandsaveitasanewFlow(keepreading).

TheonlyotheritemthatmustbeconfiguredistheincludedCustomMetadataTyperecord.In
SalesforceClassicUI,navigatetoSetup-Develop-CustomMetadataTypes.ClickontheManage
RecordslinkforFlowLoggingControlandthenclicktheEditLinkfortheAzimuthDS record.
Twovaluesareimportanthere.

ToturnonFlowLoggingforALLconfiguredFlows,placeacheckintheEnableFlowLogging
field.(NOTE:thisdoesNOTbeginthelogging,itisonlyheretoallowyoutoturnonandoffthe
loggingasyouneedit.TheFlowsmuststillbeconfiguredproperlytoobtainthelogs.)

ToturnonFlowLoggingforONESPECIFICFlow,enterthenameoftheFlowthatyouwishto
debug.TheformatofthenameissimilartoaFlowsUniqueName(iethenameofF-TEMPLATE
-FlowLoggingisF_TEMPLATE_FLOW_LOGGING)whichyouspecifywhenconfiguringaFlowfor
logging({!FlowName}).

CONFIGURINGYOURFLOWSTOLOG(Template)
Oncetheinstallationstepsarecompleted,configuringyourFlowsareprettystraightforward.

TheeasiestwaytoconfigureaFlowforloggingistoopenF-TEMPLATE-FlowLoggingand
IMMEDIATELYSaveAsaNewFlow


Thiswillbeimportantbecause:

A. TheverynextstepsaretodeleteitemsfromthenewFlow.
B. TheonlywaytogetacleanTEMPLATEbackistoreinstallthepackage

NowthatyouhavesavedthenewFlow,letslookattheincludedelements.

InitializeFlowLogUpdateString

Atfirstthisactionwasthoughttobeneededto
initializethestringfortheflow.Thatisnotthecase
andwasremovedfromtheflowpath.Itcanbedeleted.

Thisintroducesthemaininteractivevariableforlogging--FlowLogUpdateString.Thistext
variableiswhatispassedtotheFlowLoggingelementandisrecordedasthelogordebug
string.AlwaysusetheADDoperatorwhenbuildingtheloggingstring.UsingtheEQUALS
operatorwillessentiallyclearFlowLogUpdateString.

Thiselementshowsexamplesofinitializing(clearing)thevariableandhowaplaintextmessage
canbeaddedtothestring.

Itshouldbenotedherethatthisisastring.Assuch,besuretoaddseparatorstopreventyour
messagesfromrunningtogether.Spacesattheendofthestringaretrimmed.(Ourroadmap
includessettingthisupusingTextTemplates).

DELETEORREUSETHISELEMENT.

DELETEDTHIS-DataAccessExample

(OK,itshouldreadDELETETHIS.)

Thiselementisincluded(andshouldbe
deleted)toprovideanexampleofhowa
databaseelementFAULTcanbeconfiguredto
providelogging.

DELETETHISELEMENT.

DELETETHIS-ProcessSteps

Thiselementisincludedtorepresentthevast
numberofotherelementsinyourFlow.

DELETETHISELEMENT.

UpdatetheFlowLogString

Thisexampleshowshow
FlowLogUpdateStringismanipulatedto
provideinformationabouttheFlowatits
currentstate.

FlowLogUpdateStringisbuiltandmaintained
throughouttheFlow.The[[]]charactersare
optional.
Thefirstthreelinesareanexamplebuildup.Thelastlineisanexampleofsinglelineentryofthe
sameinformation.

Itisworthnotingherethatthereareseveralwaystobuildthelogging/debugstring.These
Assignmentelementsprovideacoupleofwaystodoit.

DELETETHISELEMENT.

SetaValue

Thiselementprovidesanotherexampleof
buildingtheloggingstring.Notethelastline
oftheAssignmentswherethevariableis
includedwithtext.Infact,thesecondand
thirdlinescouldhavebeencombinedinto
one:

ThevalueofExampleFlowVariableis
{!ExampleFlowVariable}[[]]

Oreven:

ExampleFlowVariable={!ExampleFlowVariable}[[]]

DELETETHISELEMENT.

SetFlowLogError

ThiselementcapturesanyFAULTand
reportsittotheFlowLogrecord.Settingthe
IsFaultvariabletoTrueallowsFAULTStobe
loggedregardlessofthecontrolrecord
status(assetintheINSTALLATION
process).

DONOTDELETETHISELEMENT.

FlowLoggingDeveloperConsoleDebug
LoggerCall

Thiselementisafuturefeaturetoallow
FlowLoggingstringstobepassedtothe
DeveloperConsoleLog.

Weareworkingonit..

OPTIONALLYDELETETHISELEMENT.

UpdateFlowLogRecord

Thiselementistherealworking
elementofthepackage.Theelementis
actuallyF-FlowLogRecord
ManagementandupdatestheFlow
LogrecordwithFlowLogUpdateString.
Usefultoplaceinstrategicplacesin
yourflowandparticularlyattheend.
(bestpracticeistoonlycallthiselement
onetimeattheendofyourFlow,butit
canbemovedaroundifyouarehaving
troublegettingyourFlowtocomplete.

ThisActionsendsalloftheinformationneededtocreatetheFlowLogrecord.Thevariables
neededforinputtotheelementareconfiguredas:

FlowLogUpdateString-theconstructedlogging/debugstring
 FlowName-thenameoftheFlow.Thisshouldbeenteredasthedefaultvalueforthe
variableandshouldtaketheformatoftheUniqueNameusingallcapitalletters(ie
F_TEMPLATE_FLOW_LOGGING)
IsFault-aBooleanvariableusedtoindicatewhethertheloggingistriggeredbyan
elementFAULT

ThecorrespondingInputvariablesonthereferencedFloware

LogModificationString-thestringtobepassedtotheFlowLogrecord
OriginatingFlowName-stringcontainingareferenceusedtotriggerexceptionlogging
whenthegloballoggingfeatureisdisabled.
IsFault-BooleanindicatingwhetheranerroroccurredinthemasterFlowandoverrides
thegloballoggingsetting.
FlowLogRecordID-StringcontainingtheIDoftheFlowLogrecord.Thisispassedas
InputONLYonsecondorsubsequentusesoftheF-FlowLogRecordManagement
element.DONOTUSEONTHEFIRSTORONLYinstanceoftheelement.

ThereferencedFlowreturnsthefollowingavailableOutputs:

FlowLogRecordID-StringcontainingtheIDoftheFlowLogrecord.Thisvariableisused
tomaintaintheintegrityoftheFlowLogrecordonsubsequentcallsoftheelement.
LogResultString-StringcontainingthereturnedfullstringthatwaswrittentotheFlow
Logrecord.

Prettysurethisisntnecessary,butitishereforcompleteness:

DONOTDELETETHISELEMENT.CONNECTSetFlowLogELEMENTTOTHISELEMENTIFYOU
DELETEDFlowLoggingDeveloperConsoleDebugLoggerCall

CONFIGURINGYOURFLOWSTOLOG(ExistingFlows)
IfyouhaveexistingFlowsthatyouwanttoretrofitwithlogging,startbycreatingthefollowing
variables:

FlowLogUpdateString(Text/Private/Default=EmptyString)-theconstructed
logging/debugstring
 FlowName(Text/Private/Default=nameoftheFlow)-thenameoftheFlow.Thisshould
beenteredasthedefaultvalueforthevariableandshouldtaketheformatoftheUnique
Nameusingallcapitalletters(ieF_TEMPLATE_FLOW_LOGGING)
IsFault(Boolean/Private/Default=False)-aBooleanvariableusedtoindicatewhether
theloggingistriggeredbyanelementFAULT
FlowLogRecordID(Text/Private/Default=EmptyString)-StringcontainingtheIDofthe
FlowLogrecord.ThisvariableisusedtomaintaintheintegrityoftheFlowLogrecordon
subsequentcallsoftheelement.
FlowLogString(Text/Private/Default=EmptyString)-Stringcontainingthereturnedfull
stringthatwaswrittentotheFlowLogrecord.(optional)

Afteryouhavecreatedthesevariables,addAssignmentelementsintheappropriateplacesto
buildtheloggingstring(FlowLogUpdateString).

AddanAssignmentelementtohandlethefaultmessagesfromelementsintheFlow.

Finally,addtheF-FlowLogRecordManagementelementandconfiguretheInputsandOutputs
asdetailedintheprevioussectionforUpdateFlowLogRecord.

CONFIGURINGYOURPROCESSESTOLOG
HereisanexampleofloggingavalueinaProcessusingthistool:

AnewProcessiscreatednamedP-NewProcesswhichstartswhenarecordchanges.
TheObjectselectedisAccountandtheProcessstartswhenarecordiscreatedor
edited.
AnActionGroupiscreatedwithCheckforNameChangecriteriadefined

AnImmediateActionisdefinedthatupdatestherecordthatstartedtheProcess.

Hereiswhereitgetsinteresting

AnImmediateActionisdefinedtolaunchF-FlowLogRecordManagement
TworowsareaddedtotheActiondefinitiontosettheFlowVariables
OriginatingFlowName-ThisisanyString.IfFlowLoggingExceptionisset,this
stringmustmatch.ThisstringisusedtolabelthenewFlowLogrecord.
LogModificationString-Thebestmethodforpassinginformationtothisvariable
isbyconstructingaStringFormula


NotethattheloggingstringcannotbebuiltinProcessBuilderasitcaninFlow.Duetothis
limitation,anewFlowLogrecordwillbecreatedforeachstringpassedtotheFlowAction.

VIEWINGYOURLOGRECORDS
AnewAppwasinstalledinyourorgtoprovidequickaccesstotheAzimuthDStoolset.Select
theAzimuthDSUtilitiesappandclicktheFlowLogsTab.

SelectingtheAllviewshowsthedefaultListViewfortheFlowLogrecords.Fromhereyoucan
viewandmanageyourFlowLogs.(Wehaveaddedthemulti-select/multi-deletefunctionalityto
theListViewforyourconvenience).

ClickingonaFlowLogrecordrevealsthedebuglogfortheflowinstance.NotetheDate/Time
stampinthenameoftherecordcomparedtotheCreatedByDate/Timestamp.

Alsoworthnoting:becauseyouinstalledthepackageforallusers,younowhavearecordofwho
createdtheFlowLogrecord.Thiscanbeusefulindetermininguserdataentryerrorsorprocess
issues.

DELETINGYOURLOGRECORDS
Asstatedintheprevioussection,youcanmanageyourrecordseasilyfromtheListViewforthe
FlowLogs.

Butwhathappensifyouforgettodisabletheloggingfeature?Neverfear!Azimuthishere!
(Yeahcorny)

TohelpyoumanagetheinevitablebuildupofFlowLogrecords,aprocessandflowareincluded
inthepackagethatwilldeletetheFlowLogrecordsin7days.YoucanseethependingFlowLog
recorddeletionsbynavigatingtoSetup-Create-Workflow&Approvals-Flows.InthePaused
andWaitingInterviewssection,youwillseethelonglistofrecordspendingdeletion.

HELPUSMAKEITBETTER
AzimuthDSwouldlikeyourfeedbackonthistool.Weintendforittobethefirstofmanytoolsto
come,thoughtheyprobablywontallbefreelikethisone.

IfyouhaveissueswithFlowLoggingbyAzimuthDSorwouldlikesomeguidancewithyour
Flows,sendanemailtoflowlogging@azimuthds.com

Ifyoufindthetooluseful,giveusaplugontheAppExchangeandashoutoutintheSalesforce
WorkflowAutomationSuccessCommunity.