Milestone Type setup is straightforward: pick the standard type that fits or define a custom one with field-change detection. Each Entitlement Process then references the Milestone Type when adding milestones.
- Open Milestone Types
Setup, Service Setup, Milestone Types. The list shows existing types (standard plus any custom ones). Review what is already defined before creating new types.
- Create a custom Milestone Type
Click New Milestone Type. Configure Name, API Name, Recurrence Type, and Description. The Description is critical; future admins need to understand the completion logic without re-reading every field.
- Define field-change detection
Inside the Milestone Type, configure which field change marks completion. Pick the Case field and the value that flips to indicate the milestone is met. Custom Milestone Types often link to custom Case fields.
- Reference the Milestone Type from an Entitlement Process
Setup, Entitlement Processes. Edit a process. Add a milestone, pick the Milestone Type, configure target time and actions. The Type''s completion logic applies automatically.
- Test on a sample case
Create a case linked to an Entitlement that uses the process. Trigger the completion field change manually. Verify the milestone marks complete and Success actions fire.
No Recurrence (fires once per case) or Recursive (fires repeatedly). Use recursive sparingly to avoid endless milestone firing.
Field change on Case to specific value. Custom types support custom Case fields; standard types use Salesforce-defined detection patterns.
Standard types cover First Response and Resolution. Custom types cover everything else. Default to standard where possible.
Metadata API and Salesforce DX. Deploy Milestone Types before any process that references them.
- Recursive Milestone Types without reset logic fire endlessly. Configure completion resets carefully when using recursion.
- Custom field-change detection requires the field to actually flip during the case lifecycle. If the field is set at insert and never changes, the milestone never completes.
- Milestone Types cannot be deleted while referenced by an Entitlement Process. Remove all references before deleting.
- Deployment requires types to exist before the processes referencing them. Coordinate deployment order in CI/CD pipelines.
- Too many custom Milestone Types is a maintenance trap. Consolidate where possible; one well-named type beats five overlapping ones.