Approve custom object records
Hold new records, or changes to chosen fields, until the right people approve them.
Some records need a yes before they count: a grant request, a purchase order, a change to an agreed amount. A custom object can have two approvals, each with its own processes: one for new records, and one for changes to the fields you choose.
Before you start: setting up approvals needs permission to edit Objects & Fields and to manage approvals. Approvers need permission to view custom object records, and must be able to see the record; being named on a step is what lets them decide it.
Set up approval
Open the object
Go to Settings > Objects & Fields, open your custom object and select the Approvals tab.
Choose what needs approval
Under New records, turn on Require approval to hold every new record a process covers. Under Field changes, turn it on and pick the Fields that need approval. You can use either, or both.
Add processes and steps
Each process covers the people it Applies to (roles, groups or people; empty covers everyone, including records created by Flows and by forms shared outside your team). Add its steps and who approves each one, as for form approvals.
Save
Select Save. Records and changes from now on wait for approval.
What happens while a record waits
- A new record is created straight away and shows an Approval status of Waiting. It's locked: only the person who created it and administrators can change it, and a change starts the approval again.
- A field change is held: the record keeps its current values, the proposed values show on the record for the people deciding it, and the fields under approval are locked. Other fields save straight away.
- Everyone who approves the current step gets a notification that opens the record, where Approve, Request changes and Reject are highlighted at the top.
- Add Approval status as a column or filter on the object's list to see what waits, what was approved and what was rejected. An empty status means no approval was needed, including records created before approvals were turned on.
When it's decided
- Approved: a new record is marked Approved; a held change is applied. A field that was removed since, or that the person who proposed the change can no longer edit, isn't applied, and they're told which.
- Rejected: a new record stays, marked Rejected. The person who created it, or an administrator, can archive it or edit it, which sends it for approval again. A rejected field change leaves the record as it was.
- Changes requested: the person who sent it edits it, which starts the approval again.
Requests don't expire: a record or change waits until someone decides or withdraws it.
Records synced from Salesforce aren't held for approval. If a record has something waiting, the sync still updates it, and the request shows Updated in Salesforce since it was sent for approval with the fields that changed. Records that wait for approval, or weren't approved, aren't sent to Salesforce.
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