---
schema_version: "1"
id: e7d75ae6c8441f7a89996493e0b5d812f1893f2f5ab67fb1ea91c0728eeabca9
title: Background Steps
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/automate_automated_approvals_concepts_background_step.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.automate_automated_approvals_concepts_background_step.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: cc1931eb5bef4ad9d170f7b3f9f37262bb42dbffdd0777c065813c8aae5990d0
description: A background step launches an active autolaunched flow and has no user interaction. You can control when a background step is ready to start. Use background steps to carry out actions that are related to an approval submission but aren’t part of an approval work item. For example, use a background step to update records or trigger other notifications related to the approval.
products:
  - Flow Builder
  - Salesforce Platform
release: "264"
---
# Background Steps

A background step launches an active autolaunched flow and has no user interaction. You can control when a background step is ready to start. Use background steps to carry out actions that are related to an approval submission but aren’t part of an approval work item. For example, use a background step to update records or trigger other notifications related to the approval.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col style="width:100%"></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;"><a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.automate_automated_approvals_about_supported_editions.htm&amp;release=264.0.0&amp;type=5" title="Review the supported products and editions for Flow Approval Processes.">View supported editions for Flow Approval Processes.</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

## Background Step Processing

Each background step references an active autolaunched flow. When the orchestration run associated with the parent approval submission runs, it automatically determines whether the step’s flow runs synchronously or asynchronously.

A running flow approval process runs a background step asynchronously when the step’s underlying flow contains 1 or more Subflow or Wait elements. How a background step with one or more Action elements runs depends on the associated flow approval process's API version.

For flow approval processes running in API version 68.0 and later, a background step with a flow containing synchronous actions runs synchronously. A background step with a flow containing asynchronous actions runs asynchronously.

For flow approval processes running in API version 67.0 and earlier, any background step with a flow containing an Action element runs asynchronously.

When a background step’s flow runs synchronously, the orchestration run associated with the parent approval submission immediately resumes when the flow is completed.

When a background step’s flow runs asynchronously, the step publishes a Flow Orchestration Event platform event. When the running flow approval process receives the event, it evaluates the current stage and each of its Not Started or In Progress steps.

## When to Start the Step

To control when a background step starts, select a condition.

 
| Step Condition | Requires |
| --- | --- |
| **When the stage starts, the step starts** | — |
| **When another step is marked Completed, the step starts** | The name of the step that must be completed before the step can start |
| **When the specified requirements are met, the step starts** | Up to 10 requirements that determine whether the step can start |
| **When the specified evaluation flow returns True, the step starts** | The name of the active evaluation flow that determines whether the step can start |

## Running Context of an Action Called by a Background Step

By default, an active autolaunched flow called by a background step runs in the context of the automated process user. To specify a different user's context, use the Select Who to Run the Action As section in the background step's Properties panel. To control the system context’s record-level access, use the How to Run the Flow advanced option of the autolaunched flow referenced by the step.