Record-triggered versus scheduled Flow
Key Takeaway
A record change starts a record-triggered flow, and a scheduled path runs some of its steps later. When an action must run at a recurring set time across every record that matches a filter, use a schedule-triggered flow.
Every flow needs a trigger, which is the event that tells it to start. A record-triggered flow starts when a record is created, updated, or deleted. A schedule-triggered flow starts at a set date and time and works through a batch of records that match your filter. The core skill is reading a business need and choosing the trigger that matches what should start the automation.
Scheduled paths in a record-triggered flow
A scheduled path can run a set amount of time after the triggering event. The run time can also be a set amount of time before or after a date or date/time field on the triggering record.
For example, a scheduled path could run 4 hours after a lead is created, 3 days after a contract's start date, or 2 weeks before a subscription's end date.