--- schema_version: "1" id: 0a5b7d3baa8a78742db0ac9e65fd94f7d6cc0eb92fc4fd8190d811cb3d7ba219 title: Considerations for Configuring Classic Approval Processes collection: admin version: current locale: en-us portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/approvals_considerations_configure.md canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.approvals_considerations_configure.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 source_site: help.salesforce.com content_type: documentation content_hash: bbf90fbc2403d36678bfa9575592c1eef24e6d53881f17d6ce791ad68fd28af4 description: When creating or editing a classic approval process, keep in mind how approvals are compatible with other features. Before you start, draw out the steps of your classic approval process. products: - Flow Builder - Salesforce Platform release: "264" --- # Considerations for Configuring Classic Approval Processes When creating or editing a classic approval process, keep in mind how approvals are compatible with other features. Before you start, draw out the steps of your classic approval process. ### Required Editions
Available in: both Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience
Available in: Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer Editions
![Important](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-platform-platform_automation-264-0-0-production-enus/60568438-ec7e-4665-acd1-7c80dcbe60d5/images/icon_important.png) Important Try [Flow Approval Processes](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.automate_automated_approvals.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "As your company grows, so does the complexity of your approvals, often requiring input from multiple people in different departments across different time zones. This complexity can mean that you spend more time waiting for each person to complete their review in the right order. Flow Approval Processes helps you coordinate multistep reviews that involve users, systems, and conditional paths."), a modern alternative to Classic Approval Processes. This new feature provides a more flexible, user-friendly flow-based interface, and it can trigger on record changes, supporting Apex extensibility and detailed logging for compliance and audit trails. It supports dynamic routing based on data and business rules, unlike Classic Approval Processes, which are tied to specific objects and offer limited support for processes by using conditions. With Flow Approval Processes, you can monitor submitted records and quickly identify bottlenecks, giving you unprecedented visibility into approval workflows. And, like Classic Approval Processes, Flow Approval Processes don’t consume automation credits or orchestration runs. ## Associated Object If the approval object is a detail object in a master-detail relationship, Owner isn’t available for approval page layouts or approval post templates. ## Approval Criteria In approval criteria—either the entry criteria or step criteria—don’t reference expressions that resolve to random values. That way, if the criteria must be evaluated again, the record is evaluated the same every time. ## Compatibility with Other Features - Flows can delete records that are pending approval. - Design automated actions so that you can use them for both workflow rules and classic approval processes. ## Field Update Actions in Approvals - A classic approval process can specify a field update action that reevaluates workflow rules for the updated object. If, however, the reevaluated workflow rules include a cross-object field update, those cross-object field updates are ignored. - Field updates that are executed as approval actions don’t trigger workflow rules or entitlement processes. ## Anticipate Errors Consider reviewing the content on approvals errors. That way, you can anticipate common issues and configure your classic approval process so that the error is less likely. ## Approvals in Unlocked Packages - Unlocked packages can include Approvals with steps that reference related users or queues as approvers; users aren’t supported. - Queues and related user fields (lookup fields) referenced by the approval steps must be included in the unlocked package. - A classic approval process can only be included in unlocked packages that don’t have a specified namespace. #### See Also - [What Does This Approvals Error from a Classic Approval Process Mean?](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.approvals_troubleshoot.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Here are some errors that you can come across when you submit a record for approval or respond to an approval request.") - [Set Up a Classic Approval Process](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.approvals_getting_started.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "If classic Approval Processes is the right automation tool for your business process, follow these high-level steps to create one for your org.") - [Considerations for Automated Actions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.customize_automatedactions_considerations.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Before you start working with automated actions, familiarize yourself with relevant limits and special behaviors.") - [Considerations for Chatter Post Templates for Approval Requests from Classic Approval Processes](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.approvals_post_templates_considerations.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Keep these limitations and dependencies in mind when working with post templates.")