Draft Article
A Draft Article is a Knowledge article in draft status that has not yet been published for end-user access.
Definition
A Draft Article is a Knowledge article in draft status that has not yet been published for end-user access. Authors can save, edit, and preview draft articles before submitting them for review and eventual publication.
In plain English
“A Draft Article is a Knowledge article that hasn't been published yet. Authors can edit it, preview it, and refine it before sending it through review and publishing it for real users to see.”
Worked example
A technical writer at Wildwood Outfitters starts a new Knowledge article about a recent product recall. She creates the record as a Draft Article - Title, Summary, Steps, Affected SKUs - and saves it. The article is invisible to customers because draft status is internal-only. She tags her manager and the legal team for review by changing the article's validation status; they leave comments, she revises, and three rounds later the article is approved. With one click she publishes it; the draft becomes live and customers see it on the help center within a minute. The Draft Article lifecycle is what made the back-and-forth review possible without the half-finished version ever leaking to customers.
Why Draft Article matters
A Draft Article in Salesforce Knowledge is an article in Draft status, meaning it has been created but not yet published for end-user access. Authors can save, edit, format, and preview draft articles freely before submitting them through the review and publication workflow. Drafts are visible only to the author and other users with appropriate permissions, not to customers or other end users browsing the Knowledge base.
Drafts are the natural starting state for any new Knowledge article, and they're also created when an existing published article is edited (the changes go into a draft version while the published version stays live). This dual-version model lets authors work on updates without taking the published article down. Once the draft is ready, it goes through any approval process the org has configured and is then published, replacing the previous version. Mature Knowledge programs treat draft management as a real workflow with stages, owners, and quality checks rather than letting drafts pile up unmanaged.
How organizations use Draft Article
Authors create draft articles based on emerging support trends, refine them through internal review, and publish only after a peer SME approves the content.
Maintains a 'drafts in progress' dashboard showing which articles have been in draft status for too long, so the Knowledge team can follow up and unblock authors.
Uses drafts to update existing articles when product changes happen. The published version stays live until the new draft is reviewed and ready, avoiding any gap in customer-facing content.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Draft Article.
- Salesforce Knowledge Article VersionsSalesforce Help
Test your knowledge
Q1. What is a Draft Article?
Q2. What happens when you edit a published article?
Q3. Why treat draft management as a workflow?
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