Definition
An Approval Process in Salesforce is an automated process that an organization uses to approve records. It specifies the sequence of steps required for a record to be approved, including who must approve it at each step, the actions to take when a record is submitted, approved, rejected, or recalled, and the entry criteria that determine which records enter the process.
Real-World Example
the Salesforce admin at FreshStart Inc. uses Approval Process to automate a multi-step process that previously required three different people to complete manually. Approval Process now handles the entire sequence in seconds, sending notifications at each step and logging every action for audit purposes.
Why Approval Process Matters
Approval Processes in Salesforce are declarative workflows that route a record through one or more approval steps before it reaches a final approved or rejected state. Each process has entry criteria that determine which records enter it, a sequence of steps (each with its own criteria, approvers, and behavior), and a set of actions that fire at key moments. Approvers can be specified as specific users, queues, roles, or determined dynamically via a lookup field on the record being approved.
The Approval Process supports branching logic through step-level entry criteria: a step only fires if its criteria are met, so you can build processes like 'small discounts skip manager approval and go straight to VP'. Approvers can approve, reject, or reassign the request, and the process maintains a full approval history visible on the record. Despite being older than Flow, Approval Processes remain the primary way Salesforce handles approvals because the built-in routing and history features are deeply integrated into the platform.
How Organizations Use Approval Process
- •FreshStart Inc. — Built a three-step discount approval process: deals under 10% are auto-approved, deals between 10% and 25% require manager approval, and deals over 25% require both manager and VP approval. Rejection at any step unlocks the record for the rep to revise and resubmit.
- •Vertex Global — Uses an Approval Process for expense reports with dynamic approver assignment. The approver is pulled from a field on the user record that identifies their manager, so the approval routes correctly even as reporting structures change.
- •NovaScale — Implemented parallel approvals in their purchase order approval process so that both Legal and Finance must approve before the PO is finalized. The process uses a unanimous approval rule at that step to require both approvers.