Approval processes
Some business actions need a human to say yes before they proceed — a discount above a threshold, a new vendor, a time-off request. An approval process is Salesforce's declarative tool for exactly this: it routes a record to one or more approvers and takes automated actions based on their decision. It gives you a controlled, auditable sign-off flow without code.
An approval process is built from a few parts. Entry criteria decide which records are even eligible to be submitted. Steps define the sequence of approvals, and each step names its approver(s) — a specific user, the submitter's manager (via the Manager field), a queue, or a set chosen dynamically. Actions fire at three moments: on initial submission, on final approval, and on rejection. Typical actions are field updates (for example setting a Status field), email alerts, and task creation.
The lifecycle is straightforward. A user submits a record for approval, which locks the record so it cannot be edited while pending. Approvers receive a notification and can approve or reject, optionally with comments. On final approval or rejection the record unlocks and the configured actions run. You can also configure recall so a submitter can withdraw a pending request.
Design tips from real orgs: keep the number of steps small, because every extra approver slows the business down; use the Manager field for hierarchical approval so the process adapts as the org chart changes; and always set a clear final-approval field update so downstream reports and automation can tell approved records apart.
As an exercise, build an approval process on Opportunity that triggers when Discount exceeds 20%, routes to the owner's manager, sets a "Discount Approved" checkbox on approval, and emails the owner on rejection. Submit a qualifying opportunity and watch it lock, route, and unlock. Approvals round out the automation toolkit; next we turn data into insight with reports and dashboards.
