An administrator is configuring a Workflow Rule on the Contract object to trigger an automated outbound message when a contract status changes to 'Activated', and to schedule an email alert 30 days before the contract end date. While attempting to add the time-dependent email action, the administrator finds that the option to add time triggers is unavailable in the rule builder. What is the root cause of this limitation, and how should the rule be reconfigured?
- The evaluation criteria is set to 'created, and every time it's edited', which prevents adding time-dependent actions; the administrator must change the evaluation criteria to 'created, and any time it's edited to subsequently meet criteria'.Answer
- BOutbound Messages cannot be combined with time-dependent workflow actions on the same Workflow Rule; the administrator must split the requirements into two separate rules.
- CTime-dependent workflow actions are only supported when the rule evaluation criteria is set strictly to 'created', so edits to existing contracts cannot schedule delayed actions.
- DField updates and outbound messages executed by workflow rules lock the record, which permanently cancels all time-based workflow queues on the object.
Answer
The evaluation criteria is currently set to 'created, and every time it's edited', which restricts time triggers. Reconfiguring the evaluation criteria to 'created, and any time it's edited to subsequently meet criteria' enables time-dependent workflow actions.
Salesforce restricts time-dependent workflow actions on rules configured with the evaluation criteria set to 'created, and every time it's edited'. To enable time-based triggers for records that undergo updates, the evaluation criteria must be updated to 'created, and any time it's edited to subsequently meet criteria'.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Workflow Evaluation Criteria and Time-Trigger Restrictions