Saturday, June 28, 2014

Avoid Flow Trigger Errors Associated With User Records

With Summer '14, more users are finding more to processes to automate with Flow Triggers.  This is just a note to let you know that the User record does not behave like other records when used in a Workflow rule.  It can cause "MIXED DML OPERATION" errors, and simply report that your "trigger failed to execute the flow with version ID 30111000000..." or something very similar.

A time-based trigger can be set to fire behind another trigger.
This happens when a Workflow Rule triggers by creating or editing a User record and also executes a Flow Trigger to manipulate records from other types of sObjects rather than the User record alone.  In particular, it happens when a Workflow tries to update one of these fields on the User record as well as other sObjects like Contact or Case:
  • UserRoleId
  • IsActive
  • ForecastEnabled
  • IsPortalEnabled
  • Username
  • ProfileId
Here are some techniquess to avoid encountering the Mixed DML Operation error message:
  1. Try using a different sObject, not the User record, for Workflow Rules and Flow Triggers if you encounter the error regardless of which fields are being updated.  
  2. To update the six standard fields listed above, create two different Workflow Rules, for example:
    • Initiate the first Workflow Rule off a record other than the User record.  Use this other sOject to trigger updates to custom fields on the User record for any of the above six  fields.  You can operate User custom fields safely alongside data from other sObject records in a single workflow.  
    • A second, time-based Workflow Rule can operate on the User record alone and update the above fields based on changes to your custom versions of those fields.  This Workflow Rule only operated as a time-based trigger and only allows for field updates on the User record.  Note: do not check the box on your User-based Workflow Rule that calls for all workflows to be reevaluated.  If that box is checked, you may experience the DML error again.
  3. If you don't want to run two separate Workflow rules and must manipulate one of the User fields based on changes to the User record, don't do it in a Workflow.  Instead, create a Visualforce page to call the Flow and create a custom link on the User detail page to access the page and Flow.  Click here for information about passing record IDs to a Flow with Visualforce.  The Flow will manage each data manipulation request as a separate transaction if it is not called by a Workflow and so the Mixed DML error should not occur.
Using one of these techniques with Flow Triggers can avoid the problem of having a trigger fail to execute a flow due to mixed data manipulation errors.
 

1 comment:

  1. Nice post Bonnie! this helped me out today in a process that was referencing a profile. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete