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Full Action Strategy entry
How-to guide

How to build an Action Strategy

Strategies live in Setup under Einstein Next Best Action. They are built node by node on a visual canvas; the right node names and the right context filters make or break the result.

By Dipojjal Chakrabarti · Founder & Editor, Salesforce DictionaryLast updated May 19, 2026

Strategies live in Setup under Einstein Next Best Action. They are built node by node on a visual canvas; the right node names and the right context filters make or break the result.

  1. Open Strategy Builder

    Setup, then search for Next Best Action. Open the Strategies tab, then click New Strategy. Give it a name and a description tied to the business question (e.g. Retail Banking - Front Page Offers).

  2. Add a Load Recommendations node

    Drag a Load Recommendations node onto the canvas. Filter to the subset of Recommendation records that make sense for this surface, usually by Category or Audience.

  3. Add Filter nodes for context-specific rules

    Drop in Filter nodes that use $Record and $User context expressions to keep only relevant candidates. Test each filter in isolation before chaining.

  4. Optionally call a predictive model with Enhance Recommendations

    Use Enhance Recommendations to attach an Einstein Discovery score, then Sort by that score. This is what turns the rule-based shortlist into a ranked, personalised list.

  5. Set the output node and activate the strategy

    Wire the final node into the strategy output. Save as Draft, run the Strategy Tester against a known record, then Activate. The Einstein Next Best Action Lightning component on the page picks up the active version automatically.

Mandatory fields
Namerequired

Human-readable strategy name; surfaced in the component picker and Strategy Tester.

Target Objectrequired

The object whose record page the strategy runs against. Sets which $Record context fields are available.

Output Noderequired

The final node whose Recommendation list is returned to the caller.

Statusrequired

Draft, Active, or Inactive. Only Active strategies serve traffic.

Gotchas
  • Saving creates a draft. The running version stays the previously activated one until you click Activate. Editors regularly assume their save is live and chase phantom bugs.
  • Filters that touch $Record fields must run against records the user has Read access to. Hidden records produce empty contexts and the strategy silently returns no Recommendations.
  • Strategies run synchronously on the record page. Heavy callouts or unfiltered Load nodes will visibly slow page load.
  • Only one strategy can be Active per name. To run two variants in parallel, create separate strategies, not two versions of the same one.

See the full Action Strategy entry

Action Strategy includes the definition, worked example, deep dive, related terms, and a quiz.