Apex or Flow?
Who cares if you are a rock star Salesforce Apex developer with 10 years punching out amazing code? Or an awesome Salesforce admin automating the world with flow? Your skillset doesn’t matter. Your preference doesn’t matter either.
When we look at low-code or pro-code tools for Salesforce customization we often get this polarizing argument. On one side we have developers pushing Apex code and on the other, the Admins/Consultant who prefer to use Flow.
The arguments can get pretty one sided and frankly a bit tiring. It’s like stating that PCs are better than Macs or a Ford Mustang is better than a BMW X5. This is not about personal preference, never has been, never should be.
Choose the right tool
It’s not a choice between the two, it’s a matter of choosing the RIGHT TOOL for the job.
If we look at the construction industry – a carpenter has many different tools for joining wood. Hammer and nails, nail guns, screws, mortise and tenon joints, wooden pegs, binding with rope, metal strapping, etc. A carpenter uses their experience to select right tool for the job. They learn to use the simpler tools first (hammer and nail, screws) and then progresses to learn more advanced tools when they prove their competence. Just because they have become an expert at using a nail gun does not mean they will use it on every job. When building furniture, the aesthetics of a well implemented mortise and tenon joint will often be preferred even if it takes more time and skill than other methods.
In the Salesforce world, selecting the right tool depends on complexity, volume, importance, speed and customer skills.
Apex
When your requirements include highly complex logic, large volumes of critical transactions, and speed then Apex is the right choice.
Flow
However, many Salesforce customizations and automations are not that complex, critical or speed dependent. They can be delivered by low-code (eg Flow) where the overhead cost of development and maintenance can be kept low. Flow can deliver real customer value quickly and be relatively easy to maintain.
Customer Skills
The customer skill set is another consideration. If the customer has to hire in developers every time they need a small change to existing Apex code, then this can become expensive. It could even be labelled “technical debt”. The time taken to recruit developers, onboard them, and familiarize them with the environment are all extra costs to consider. If the organization already has in-house Apex developers, then it’s a different story.
Which one is best?
The next time you see the question “What is best: Apex or Flow?” demonstrate your expertise by using the well-worn phrase “it depends”.
