Process Builder vs Apex Triggers vs Workflow

When to Use Process Builder or Apex Triggers to Automate

Process Builder - Pros:

Ideal scenarios for using Process Builder.

1. Process Builder can do the following actions without Apex code:

• Create records and set field values

• Update related records

• Create Chatter posts

• Send an email

• Create an approval

• Simple triggers like populating a lookup field based on certain criteria can now be automated in Process Builder

2. Launch an automated flow.

3. Call an Apex class.

Process Builder – Cons:

• Process Builders cannot handle before DML It executes after a record has been created or updated. Whereas Apex triggers can handle both before and after DML operations

• Process Builder cannot handle delete and undelete DML. Whereas Apex triggers can handle all DML operations.

• An error reported in Process Builder is more generic which makes it difficult to find the origin of the error. With Apex triggers, exception handling can be made more specific.

• It is all or none in case of Process Builder failure. But with Apex triggers partial success is possible.

Workflow Rule

Things we can do using workflow are listed below

• Update a field

• Send an email

• Create a Task

• Send an outbound message.