Scheduled Path Patterns

---
name: scheduled-path-patterns
description: "Scheduled Paths in record-triggered Flow: delayed execution, time-offset from field, batch size tuning, monitoring Paused Flow Interviews, async limits. NOT for picking between Scheduled Path, Wait and Scheduled Flow, or migrating time-based workflow rules — use flow/flow-time-based-patterns. NOT for a flow that runs on a recurring schedule — use flow/scheduled-flows."
category: admin
salesforce-version: "Spring '25+"
well-architected-pillars:
  - Reliability
  - Scalability
tags:
  - scheduled-paths
  - flow
  - record-triggered
  - async
  - paused-interviews
triggers:
  - "record triggered flow scheduled path 1 hour after create"
  - "scheduled path batch size and governor limit behavior"
  - "paused flow interview monitoring and failures"
  - "scheduled path runs too late or never runs"
  - "flow time offset from custom date field"
  - "scheduled path vs scheduled flow difference"
inputs:
  - Record-triggered Flow in scope
  - Offset requirement (after/before record create/update event)
  - Expected volume of records per path per hour
  - Time-sensitivity of execution
outputs:
  - Scheduled Path design (offset, batch size, filter)
  - Monitoring plan for Paused Flow Interviews
  - Fallback strategy for failed paths
  - Bulk test plan
dependencies: []
version: 1.0.0
author: Pranav Nagrecha
updated: 2026-04-21
status: stub
---

# Scheduled Path Patterns

Activate when designing a record-triggered Flow with delayed execution — "after 1 hour," "1 day before Close Date," "every Monday at 9 AM after creation." Scheduled Paths replace many time-based workflow rule use cases but have their own batching, monitoring, and failure semantics.

## Before Starting

- **Understand the offset anchor.** Scheduled Paths offset from either the record-triggered event time OR a field value on the record.
- **Plan for volume.** Scheduled Paths queue paused Flow Interviews; bulk inserts create bulk paused interviews with batch-size tuning.
- **Know the monitoring surface.** Setup → Paused Flow Interviews shows queued interviews; failures surface in the Flow debug log and Apex exception email.

## Core Concepts

### Offset types

- **From the trigger event**: "1 hour after record is created"
- **From a field value**: "3 days before CloseDate" — uses a datetime/date field on the record

### Batch size

Salesforce processes paused interviews in batches (default 200, tunable in Process Automation settings). Batching controls governor limits for the collection of resumed flows.

### Paused Flow Interview

When a Flow hits a Scheduled Path wait, it suspends as a Paused Flow Interview. The interview resumes at the scheduled time. Monitor at Setup → Paused Flow Interviews.

### Execution context

Scheduled path execution runs in system context by default (like other record-triggered Flow), with its own governor limit scope. Updates to records made in the scheduled branch are separate transactions from the triggering transaction.

That default is set by the Flow and is **not** changed by the Summer '26 Apex inversion — no class `apiVersion` moves a record-triggered Flow into user mode. The version gate applies only to Apex **invoked from** the scheduled branch, where each invocable class's own `.cls-meta.xml` `apiVersion` decides its *default* database mode: at **67.0+** its SOQL, SOSL, DML and `Database` calls enforce the running user's sharing rules, FLS and object permissions with no keyword at all, while the same class pinned at **66.0 or earlier** still defaults to system mode. So a scheduled path that worked can start throwing when that class's `apiVersion` is raised — upgrading the org's release does not, on its own, change anything. Canonical table: [`agents/_shared/AGENT_CONTRACT.md` § Apex security idiom by API version](../../../agents/_shared/AGENT_CONTRACT.md#apex-security-idiom-by-api-version).

## Common Patterns

### Pattern: Follow-up reminder 24 hours after creation

Record-Triggered Flow on Case Create → Scheduled Path 1 day after creation → Check IsClosed → If open, send notification to owner.

### Pattern: Pre-renewal email 30 days before renewal date

Trigger on Contract update → Scheduled Path 30 days before `RenewalDate__c` → Send email alert.

### Pattern: Re-check condition at path execution

Always re-query record state in the scheduled branch. The record may have changed between queue-time and execution-time.

## Decision Guidance

| Need | Mechanism |
|---|---|
| Run N hours/days after record event | Scheduled Path |
| Run at an absolute time (9 AM Monday) | Scheduled Flow or cron |
| Run when a field value changes | Record-triggered Flow (no scheduled path) |
| Delayed re-check of async state | Scheduled Path + re-query |
| High-volume time-based fan-out | Apex Schedulable + Queueable |

## Recommended Workflow

1. Identify the offset anchor: event time vs field value.
2. Define the exact offset (units: minutes, hours, days).
3. Add explicit filter criteria to the path entry — avoid queuing millions of no-op interviews.
4. In the scheduled branch, re-query or re-check the record's current state.
5. Tune Process Automation batch size for your volume.
6. Monitor Paused Flow Interviews in Setup; handle failures via admin email.
7. Test with a bulk insert to confirm batch behavior.

## Review Checklist

- [ ] Offset type explicit (event vs field)
- [ ] Entry criteria scoped tightly (no "always queue")
- [ ] Scheduled branch re-checks current record state
- [ ] Batch size reviewed for volume profile
- [ ] Paused Flow Interview monitoring documented
- [ ] Admin notification on scheduled-path errors enabled
- [ ] Bulk insert test confirms expected behavior

## Salesforce-Specific Gotchas

1. **Deleting the triggering record deletes its paused interview.** The scheduled branch never runs for deleted records.
2. **Changing the source field after the path is scheduled does NOT reschedule.** The scheduled time is computed once at entry.
3. **Flow version updates do not migrate paused interviews.** Queued interviews execute under the version that queued them; test version swaps carefully.

## Output Artifacts

| Artifact | Description |
|---|---|
| Scheduled Path design | Offset anchor, filter, re-check logic |
| Monitoring runbook | Where to check Paused Flow Interviews + error emails |
| Volume test plan | Bulk insert → expected queued count |

## Related Skills

- `flow/scheduled-flow-patterns` — absolute-time scheduled flows
- `admin/migrate-workflow-pb` — replacing time-based workflow rules
- `apex/apex-queueable-patterns` — programmatic async alternatives