Question

Difficulty: HardUser Activation, Deactivation, and Freezing

A renewable energy company needs to immediately block system access for a lead solar consultant who has been placed on administrative leave. When the System Administrator attempts to deactivate the user account, Salesforce prevents the deactivation because the consultant is currently configured as the Default Workflow User in Process Automation Settings. The administrator must immediately stop the consultant from logging into Salesforce while taking time to reassign the workflow responsibilities to another team member. Which action should the administrator take to meet these requirements?

  1. Freeze the user account immediately, reassign the Default Workflow User setting to a different active user, and then deactivate the user account.Answer
  2. B
    Deactivate the user account immediately, as Salesforce automatically updates the Default Workflow User to the System Administrator upon deactivation.
  3. C
    Change the user's profile to a read-only profile and reset their password, which automatically converts the user account to a deactivated state.
  4. D
    Delete the user record from Setup, which automatically clears all custom workflow references and frees the assigned license.

Answer

Freeze the user account immediately, reassign the Default Workflow User setting to a different active user, and then deactivate the user account.
Freezing a user account temporarily blocks the user from logging in immediately without altering license usage or breaking system dependencies (such as being assigned as the Default Workflow User). Once the administrator updates Process Automation Settings to point to another active user, the consultant's account can be safely deactivated.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the immediate security requirement vs system constraint
Access must be blocked instantly, but deactivation is blocked due to the Default Workflow User dependency.
Deactivating a user who is configured as a Default Workflow User or selected in certain custom fields/hierarchy processes will throw a system error.
2
Apply user freezing
The user is frozen immediately from their User Detail page.
Freezing prevents the user from logging into the org instantly without violating system configuration references.
3
Resolve system dependency and complete deactivation
Update Process Automation Settings to designate another user, then uncheck the Active checkbox on the consultant's user record.
Once the user is no longer referenced as the Default Workflow User, deactivation can proceed successfully to free up the license.

Key Concept

Freezing vs. Deactivating Users in Salesforce
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