Outbound Message
A workflow action in Salesforce that sends a SOAP message to an external web service endpoint when triggered, containing specified field values from the record, enabling real-time integration with external systems.
Definition
A workflow action in Salesforce that sends a SOAP message to an external web service endpoint when triggered, containing specified field values from the record, enabling real-time integration with external systems.
In plain English
“An Outbound Message is a workflow action in Salesforce that sends a SOAP message to an external web service when triggered. It contains specified field values from the record, enabling real-time integration with external systems. It's one of the older integration patterns.”
Worked example
A legacy Workflow Rule at Larkfield Capital fires when a Case is escalated: it sends an Outbound Message - a SOAP-formatted XML payload - to the company's PagerDuty integration endpoint. The message contains the Case Id, Subject, Severity, and assigned agent. PagerDuty receives the message and pages the on-call engineer. Outbound Messages are the legacy way Salesforce talks to external systems via SOAP without writing Apex; modern integrations use Platform Events or Flow callouts (REST). The Outbound Message survives in legacy workflow rules until they're migrated to Flow.
Why Outbound Message matters
An Outbound Message is a workflow action in Salesforce that sends a SOAP message to an external web service endpoint when triggered, containing specified field values from the record. This enables real-time integration with external systems: when a record meets the workflow criteria, the platform automatically sends a SOAP message to the external endpoint with the configured fields. The external system receives the message and processes it however needed.
Outbound Messages are one of the older Salesforce integration patterns. They're configured declaratively through workflow rules, making them accessible to admins, but they have limitations: they're SOAP-based (modern integrations typically prefer REST), they're tied to legacy Workflow Rules (which are being deprecated in favor of Flow), and they don't have great error handling or retry semantics. Modern Salesforce integration uses Flow with HTTP Callout actions, Platform Events, or Change Data Capture, all of which provide better functionality than legacy Outbound Messages.
How to set up Outbound Message
Outbound Messages are the legacy SOAP-based notification mechanism — when a Workflow Rule fires, Salesforce sends a SOAP envelope to an external endpoint with the record's data. Modern alternatives (Platform Events + Apex callouts, REST integrations) have largely replaced them, but they still work and are useful for older middleware that speaks SOAP.
- Open Setup → Outbound Messages
Setup gear → Quick Find: Outbound Messages → Outbound Messages.
- Click New Outbound Message
Top-right.
- Pick the Object
Outbound Messages are per-object — pick the object whose records will trigger them.
- Set Name, Description, and Endpoint URL
Endpoint URL is where Salesforce POSTs the SOAP envelope. Must be HTTPS for production.
- Pick Salesforce User to send as
The User whose Session ID is included in the envelope. Pick a service-account user, not a real human.
- Tick Send Session ID
When ticked, the SOAP envelope includes a Session ID the receiver can use to call back into Salesforce.
- Pick fields to include
Multi-select. Each chosen field's value is in the SOAP body. Can include child references via formula fields.
- Save → reference from a Workflow Rule action
Outbound Messages don't fire on their own. Build a Workflow Rule (or Process Builder action) that uses this Outbound Message as its action.
Where the SOAP envelope POSTs. Must be HTTPS for production.
Whose Session ID and credentials are in the envelope.
When ticked, the receiver can call back into Salesforce as the configured user.
Multi-select of fields whose values appear in the SOAP body.
When ticked, the message can be locked from edits when packaged.
- Outbound Messages are SOAP-only and tied to Workflow Rules — both being de-emphasized by Salesforce. For new work, use Platform Events + Apex HTTP callouts (or Flow with REST callouts).
- Failed Outbound Messages live in the Outbound Messaging Delivery Status queue with retry. A down endpoint floods the queue — monitor it (Setup → Outbound Messaging Delivery Status).
- Session ID exposure is a security concern. If the endpoint is compromised, the Session ID gives the attacker the configured user's permissions. Use a low-privilege service-account user.
How organizations use Outbound Message
Helps clients migrate legacy Outbound Messages to modern Flow-based HTTP Callouts as part of Workflow Rules deprecation.
Uses Platform Events instead of Outbound Messages for new integration scenarios that need real-time event delivery.
Maintains some legacy Outbound Messages for older integrations while planning their replacement with modern alternatives.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Outbound Message.
- Outbound Message ActionsSalesforce Help
- Considerations for Outbound MessagesSalesforce Help
Test your knowledge
Q1. What is an Outbound Message?
Q2. What's the modern alternative?
Q3. Why are Outbound Messages considered legacy?
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