Business Rules, Workflows, and Security
Rules, Approvals, and Role-Based Permissions
Business rules are if/then logic attached to rule scenarios such as OnChange, OnSave, Save, and Post-Save. A rule evaluates a rule context and can set a value, validate data, or raise a message. Know common rule functions (isNull, lookup, format, calculate), rule variables, and the difference between a rule that assigns a value and one that blocks a save. Workflows route changes for approval. Workflow scenarios define which object and event trigger them, and steps can be approvals, CCs, or ToDos, with approvers resolved by role, dynamic role, or rule.
Security is Role-Based Permissions. Permission groups bundle users, roles bundle permissions, and target populations scope which records a role can act on. Field-level and MDF object-level permissions also live in RBP.
Traps: mixing business rules with legacy workflow rules; assuming a rule can fire before the needed data exists; forgetting target population when a user cannot see an employee; and confusing permission group with role.
Worked example: To default pay grade from job code on save, write an OnSave rule that looks up the job code's pay grade and sets the field. A validation rule would instead throw an error if the field is blank.
Rule of thumb: rules change or check data; workflows approve data; RBP decides who can see and do what.