---
schema_version: "1"
id: 4a3ad58759cb4ce1b13581be749de30f2bb075dd246d9adea6043c551165087a
title: Control What Happens When a Flow Tries to Set Values for Read-Only Fields
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/flow_considerations_readonlyfields_behavior.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.flow_considerations_readonlyfields_behavior.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 376b5fda92ce3cc23556fe13646d241e703d6672df5a3eaef021cdd521df672b
description: When a flow tries to perform an action, such as create or update records, it uses a flow request to set values for specific fields. But what happens if the running user doesn’t have edit access to all those fields? When you use a record variable or record collection variable in Create Records and Update Records elements, that’s up to you. To control the behavior, select or deselect the Filter inaccessible fields from flow requests preference.
products:
  - Flow Builder
  - Salesforce Platform
release: "264"
---
# Control What Happens When a Flow Tries to Set Values for Read-Only Fields

When a flow tries to perform an action, such as create or update records, it uses a flow request to set values for specific fields. But what happens if the running user doesn’t have edit access to all those fields? When you use a record variable or record collection variable in Create Records and Update Records elements, that’s up to you. To control the behavior, select or deselect the Filter inaccessible fields from flow requests preference.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;"><a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.flow_ref_supported_editions.htm&amp;release=264.0.0&amp;type=5" title="Learn about the editions and user interfaces that support Flow Builder. Some Flow Builder features integrate with other Salesforce products that require additional licenses.">View supported editions.</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small permission">
        <colgroup>
          <col style="width:50%">
          <col style="width:50%">
        </colgroup>
        <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
          <tr class="">
            <th scope="colgroup" class="slds-cell-wrap" colspan="2" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" id="d161548e62">User Permissions Needed</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d161548e62 ">To edit process automation settings:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d161548e62 ">Customize Application</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d161548e62 ">To create, update, and delete flow list views:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d161548e62 ">Manage Flow</td>

          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small ">
        <colgroup>
          <col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
          <col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
          <col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
        </colgroup>
        <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
          <tr class="">
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d161548e107">&nbsp;</th>
            <th scope="colgroup" class="slds-cell-wrap" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d161548e109">When <samp class="parmname">Filter inaccessible
                fields from flow requests</samp> is</th>
          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d161548e118">&nbsp;</th>
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d161548e120">Selected</th>
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d161548e123">Not Selected (Recommended)</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d161548e107 d161548e118 ">
              <strong>Result when the running user doesn’t have edit access to all fields</strong>
            </td>

            <td data-label="Selected" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d161548e109 d161548e120 ">
              <p>The operation partially succeeds.</p>
              <p style="margin-bottom:0;">The flow filters read-only fields out of
                the operation. The fields that the user can edit are updated. The fields that the
                user can’t edit aren’t updated. The flow doesn’t run the fault path. </p>
            </td>

            <td data-label="Not Selected (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d161548e109 d161548e123 ">
              <p>The operation fails.</p>
              <p style="margin-bottom:0;">No fields in the operation are updated. The flow runs
                the fault path if there’s one. </p>
            </td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d161548e107 d161548e118 ">
              <strong>Notification when one or more fields aren’t updated</strong>
            </td>

            <td data-label="Selected" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d161548e109 d161548e120 ">No notification is sent to the user or admin to indicate that some fields
              weren’t updated.</td>

            <td data-label="Not Selected (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d161548e109 d161548e123 ">The admin receives a flow error email with full details.</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d161548e107 d161548e118 ">
              <strong>Compared to a Create Records element where you chose to use separate variables,
                resources, and literal values</strong>
            </td>

            <td data-label="Selected" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d161548e109 d161548e120 ">Inconsistent</td>

            <td data-label="Not Selected (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d161548e109 d161548e123 ">Consistent</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d161548e107 d161548e118 ">
              <strong>Compared to an Update Records element, where you chose to set fields
                individually</strong>
            </td>

            <td data-label="Selected" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d161548e109 d161548e120 ">Inconsistent</td>

            <td data-label="Not Selected (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d161548e109 d161548e123 ">Consistent</td>

          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>

![Tip](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-platform-platform_automation-264-0-0-production-enus/60568438-ec7e-4665-acd1-7c80dcbe60d5/images/icon_tip.png)

Tip We recommend disabling this preference so that you always know when a flow doesn’t set all expected field values.

1. From Setup, enter Automation in the Quick Find box, then select **Process Automation Settings**.
2. Select or deselect **Filter inaccessible fields from flow requests**.
    
    If your org was created in Winter ’17 or earlier, the preference is enabled by default. Otherwise, the preference is disabled by default.

![Example](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-platform-platform_automation-264-0-0-production-enus/60568438-ec7e-4665-acd1-7c80dcbe60d5/images/icon_example.png)

Example

A flow updates several fields on an opportunity by using a record variable in an Update Records element. At run time, the flow tries to update the Acme account on behalf of your user. The user can edit Stage and Close Date but not Amount. As a result, the flow doesn’t have permission to update Amount.

- If Filter inaccessible fields from flow requests is selected, the flow successfully updates the account, but it only updates Stage and Close Date. The flow doesn’t notify anybody that Amount wasn’t updated.
- If Filter inaccessible fields from flow requests isn’t selected, the flow fails to update the account. The admin receives a flow error email. The email includes this error.
    
    INVALID\_FIELD\_FOR\_INSERT\_UPDATE: Unable to create/update fields: Amount
    
    That’s API-speak for “The running user doesn’t have permission to edit the Amount field.”

![Warning](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-platform-platform_automation-264-0-0-production-enus/60568438-ec7e-4665-acd1-7c80dcbe60d5/images/icon_warning.png)

Warning If you change your org’s selection for this preference, use a sandbox to test how the change impacts your flows. Consider following the same process as you would for a critical update.

#### See Also

- [Read-Only Field Restrictions for Flow Record Processing](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.flow_considerations_readonlyfields.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Fields the running user can't edit are inaccessible to the flow during record creation and updates. This happens when the user lacks field-level permissions or when the field is a system field.")
- [Process Automation Settings](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.automation_about_settings.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Salesforce provides various settings for platform automation to help customize and streamline business processes.")