Approval steps versus background steps
Key Takeaway
An approval step needs a person to approve or reject an approval work item. A background step runs with no user interaction, so use it after the approval step for other work, such as updating related records or sending other notifications.
A flow approval process breaks its work into steps that are grouped into stages. Approval steps bring a person into the process: they create an approval work item that an approver must approve or reject. Background steps run an autolaunched flow with no user interaction, so they handle related work.
The two step types
Steps can run one after another, at the same time, or when specified requirements are met. There are two step types:
| Approval step | Background step | |
|---|---|---|
| User interaction | Needed | None |
| Flow | Assigns completion of an active screen flow to a user, group, or queue | Launches an active autolaunched flow |
| Used for | Getting an approver to approve or reject an approval work item | Actions that relate to the approval submission but are not part of an approval work item |
When the orchestration run starts an approval step, the step creates an approval work item. The assigned approver or a delegate completes that approval work item asynchronously.
Always create a flow approval process with at least one approval step. A submission based on a flow approval process with no approval steps is always approved.