Create a Flow with a Connector as a Trigger

Create an External System Change-Triggered Flow from Scratch

Learn how to create a new flow that is triggered by changes in an external system, beginning with the initial setup steps.

1. In the Automation app, select the Flows tab, and then click New.
2. Click Triggered Automations and then click External System Change-Triggered Flow.
   The External System Change-Triggered flow opens in Flow Builder.
3. Configure the trigger.
   1. In the Event Library, select a supported third-party system.
   2. Select a trigger.
   3. Create a new connection or use an existing connection.
      A connection test runs automatically.
   4. Select values for Polling Frequency and Record Type.
      The Select Which Fields to Use section appears.
   5. Set the fields for the trigger.
      If no fields are selected, all fields are returned by default.
   6. Set the filter requirements for the trigger.
   7. Select how many records the filter stores.
   8. Select the output resources for the trigger.
      To refer to the trigger output in subsequent steps, use the $Event variable.
   9. Optionally, select Advanced Options to check for a new version of the connector.
4. After you configure the trigger, you can continue to add elements to your flow including MuleSoft for Flow: Integration connector actions.
5. Review polling behavior and failure handling.
   

   Important

   External System Change-Triggered flows use a poller to fetch records on the selected schedule.

   Polling Behavior and Deactivation

   • Retries: When polling fails, the flow tries again up to 3 consecutive times.
   • Automatic Deactivation: Happens after the third consecutive poller failure. This behavior applies to poller-level failures (for example, authentication or connectivity), but doesn't apply to individual record-level failures.
   • Reactivation: If poller failure deactivates the flow, resolve the underlying issue and reactivate the flow manually.

   Poller Limits and Exceptions

   • Pre-execution Failures: If the poller fails before execution starts, no fault path is available at the Start element.
   • Payload Limits: A poll response that exceeds 128,000 characters (including data and metadata) exceeds the payload limit.
6. Save, test, debug, and activate the flow.

Create an External System Change-Triggered Flow from a Template

1. Choose how to access the flow templates.

   • Go to the Integrations tab and select a connector from the Get Started with Connectors section.

   • Go to the Flows tab, then click New, and then click Triggered Automations.

2. Select a template and click Next.
3. Enter values for Label, API Name and Field API Name.
4. Optionally, set custom fields.
5. Click OK.
   The flow opens in Flow Builder. The template has a pre-built flow that offers a starting point with established logic and field mappings. You will encounter errors until you configure your connections. Customize the elements in your template to your specific needs.
6. In the Start element, configure the trigger.
   1. Create a new connection or use an existing connection.
      A connection test runs automatically.
   2. Select values for Polling Frequency and Record Type.
      The Select Which Fields to Use section appears.
   3. Set the fields for the trigger.
      If no fields are selected, all fields are returned by default.
   4. Set the filter requirements for the trigger.
   5. Set how many records the filter stores.
   6. Set the output resources for the trigger.
      To refer to the trigger output in subsequent steps, use the $Event variable.
   7. Optionally, select Advanced Options to see if a new version of the connector is available.
7. Adjust the elements in the flow to match your requirements.
8. Review polling behavior and failure handling.
   

   Important

   External System Change-Triggered flows use a poller to fetch records on the selected schedule.

   Polling Behavior and Deactivation

   • Retries: When polling fails, the flow tries again up to 3 consecutive times.
   • Automatic Deactivation: Happens after the third consecutive poller failure. This behavior applies to poller-level failures (for example, authentication or connectivity), but doesn't apply to individual record-level failures.
   • Reactivation: If poller failure deactivates the flow, resolve the underlying issue and reactivate the flow manually.

   Poller Limits and Exceptions

   • Pre-execution Failures: If the poller fails before execution starts, no fault path is available at the Start element.
   • Payload Limits: A poll response that exceeds 128,000 characters (including data and metadata) exceeds the payload limit.
9. Save, test, debug, and activate the flow.