Schedule-triggered autolaunched flows
Key Takeaway
A schedule-triggered flow runs on a schedule, not on a record change, so it suits work that repeats daily or weekly or that processes many records at one time.
A schedule-triggered flow is a type of autolaunched flow that starts by itself at a set time and frequency, instead of starting when a user clicks something or a record changes. Admins use it for regular background work, such as data cleanup, escalations, and reminders. It often runs across a whole batch of records at once.
Schedule-triggered flows and scheduled paths
Schedule-triggered flows and scheduled paths both run on a delay, but they start differently. A scheduled path is part of a record-triggered flow.
| Scheduled path | Schedule-triggered flow | |
|---|---|---|
| Record change | Needs a record to be created, updated, or deleted | Does not depend on any record change |
| When it runs | At a time relative to the trigger or to a date on that record | At a specific date and time |
| How often it runs | Once each time it's triggered | Can repeat daily or weekly |
Use a schedule-triggered flow when the work must do any of these things:
- Run at a specific time
- Run independent of a record change
- Process many records at one time
- Repeat daily or weekly
For example, a scheduled path can email each contact creator once, a few days after the contact is created. A schedule-triggered flow can instead email the creators of all incomplete contacts every Sunday night, and it can keep reminding them each week until the fields are filled in.