Should I learn about Visual Workflow if I am going to try to become certified in Platform Developer I?

Question

Should I learn about Visual Workflow if I am going to try to become certified in Platform Developer I?

I am asking this because here is what I met on Trailhead:

If you’re not already using Workflow, we strongly advise against starting. All new functionality for behind-the-scenes automation will come via Lightning Flow.

And here again:

You may also have heard the term Visual Workflow. That’s a retired product name for designing, managing, and running flows. Visual Workflow has been superseded by Lightning Flow.

But then I tried a free test over here. And there were a few question connected to Workflow. For example this one:

16. A developer creates a Workflow Rule declaratively that updates a field on an object. An Apex update trigger exists for this object. What happens when a user updates the record?

So, is it relevant ot cover the topic of Workflow if I am going to try to become certified in Autumn 2018?

Answer 1

First, terminology: Visual Workflow, Flow, and Lightning Flow all refer to the same declarative automation tool - the one you build in Cloud Flow Designer by drawing connections between elements.

Workflow and Workflow Rules refer to a different, older tool, now largely superseded by Process Builder but still in wide use. That's the one that has criteria and four kinds of actions you can take.

As a developer in general, you should know all of the available declarative automation tools and their capabilities, as well as how they impact the order of execution of your triggers.

As far as certification goes, there is exactly one official source of information about what you are expected to know to pass the test. It is the Salesforce-provided exam guide linked to from the certification page for Platform Developer I. Anything else you might find online is unofficial and may or may not represent your test experience.

One of the line items on the exam guide is

Describe the capabilities of the declarative process automation features.

So yes, you should know about all of these features at least at a high level.

Additionally, you should be very conversant with the Save Order of Execution, which pertains to Workflow Rules, as that is another line item on the exam guide.

Answer 2

Visual Workflow still considered as Admin functionality.

It is always better to learn Visual Workflow from trailheads evenif it doesn't applicable for PD1.

You should follow the syllabus PD1 certification to check if Visual Workflow is mentioned or applicable.

Btw, the next Salesforce release is Winter 19 and there are no release called Autumn.

Answer 3

Okay, so the study guide doesn't mention Visual Workflow, so you should be okay skipping it. Besides, the grading scale is lenient enough that even if a question appeared, you're not likely to fail, as long as you study everything in the study guide.