Configuration tutorial

Build a Self-Updating Data Table in Salesforce

This tutorial teaches you how to create a Salesforce data table that magically refreshes itself whenever related records are changed or created. No more manual page refreshes are needed - new updates appear instantly, right before your eyes!

We'll use Platform Events, a Trigger Flow, and a Screen Flow to make this happen.

1. Create a Platform Event

We need a way to signal when a record changes. Platform Events act like a message system, letting us broadcast these changes in real-time

• Go to Setup and search for Platform Events.

• Click New Platform Event.

• Fill in the Label (e.g., "RecordChangeEvent"), Plural Label, and the API Name should auto-populate.

• Set Publish Behavior to Publish After Commit.

• Click Save.

2. Add a Field to the Platform Event

We'll include a field in our Platform Event to store the ID of the record that was changed. This helps us target updates to the correct row in our datatable later on

• After saving, click New Field within the Platform Event.

• Choose a suitable data type (e.g., Text for record IDs).

• Fill in the Field Label (e.g., "RecordId") and the Field Name should auto-populate.

• Click Next, set any required properties, and click Save.

• This field will help filter updates to specific records if needed.

3. Create a Trigger Flow

This flow will automatically run whenever a record is created or updated. Its job is to send a Platform Event message when a change occurs. If needed, we can also add conditions to send messages only for specific changes.

• Go to Setup and search for Flows.

• Click New Flow and choose Record-Triggered Flow.

• Configure the trigger:

  • Object: Select the object you want to monitor (e.g., Lead).

  • Trigger: Choose whether it should trigger on Create or Update.

  • Condition Requirements: Define any specific conditions for triggering the flow.

• Add a Create Records element:

  • Label: Give it a suitable name (e.g., "Create Record Change Event").

  • Create a Record: Choose Manually for How to set record field values

  • Object: Select the Platform Event object you created (e.g., RecordChangeEvent__e).

  • Field Values: Set the fields to reflect the changes (e.g., set recordId to {!Record.Id}).

• (Optional) Add a Decision Node:

  • If you only want to create the Platform Event under certain conditions, add a Decision element before the Create Records element.

  • Define your decision criteria.

• Activate the flow by clicking Activate.

4. Create a Screen Flow

This is where we'll build the user interface with our live-updating datatable. The datatable will be configured to listen for the Platform Events we created earlier, so it can refresh itself automatically when it receives a message.

• Go to Setup and search for Flows.

• Click New Flow and choose Screen Flow.

• Add a Screen element to the canvas.

• Add a Data Table component to the screen.

• Configure the Data Table:

  • Data Source: Set it to Query.

  • Object: Choose the object to display (e.g., Account).

• Go to Advanced Options:

  • In Query Refresh Emp, specify the name of your Platform Event (e.g., RecordChangeEvent__e).

• Save and activate the flow.

5. Deploy the Flow

Finally, we need to make our Screen Flow accessible to users. We can embed it in a Lightning page, an App Page, or even add it to the Utility Bar for easy access.

Now you have a datatable that updates in real-time whenever the specified records are changed, thanks to the power of Platform Events and Salesforce Flows.