Definition
In Salesforce Flows, a flow interview is a running instance of a flow representing one execution path for a user or automated process. It can be active, paused while waiting for user input, or finished.
Real-World Example
the Salesforce admin at FreshStart Inc. uses Interview to automate a multi-step process that previously required three different people to complete manually. Interview now handles the entire sequence in seconds, sending notifications at each step and logging every action for audit purposes.
Why Interview Matters
In Salesforce Flows, a Flow Interview is a running instance of a flow representing one execution path for a user or automated process. Each time a flow is invoked (whether by a record trigger, a user action, a screen flow, or an automated process), a new interview is created to handle that specific execution. The interview can be active (currently running), paused (waiting for user input or a scheduled action), or finished (completed successfully or aborted).
Flow interviews are how Salesforce tracks the state of running flows. For simple immediate flows that complete in milliseconds, interviews come and go without being noticed. For paused flows (like screen flows waiting for user input or scheduled paths waiting for a future date), the interview persists in the database until it resumes. Admins can monitor active and paused interviews in Setup, useful for troubleshooting stuck or failed flow executions. For long-running flows or flows with scheduled paths, monitoring interviews is part of normal operational health.
How Organizations Use Interview
- •NovaScale — Monitors paused flow interviews in Setup as part of their operational health checks, catching stuck flows before they cause user-visible issues.
- •BrightEdge Solutions — Built a dashboard on flow interview status to track scheduled paths waiting for future actions, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
- •Cobalt Ventures — Treats flow interview troubleshooting as a normal admin task when investigating flow-based automation issues.