Workflow Automation CoE > Flows > Getting Started with Flows
What are Flows?
Flows are the heart and core of our Workflow Automation toolkit, which allows you to automate business logic to run synchronously and asynchronously. Create subflows, custom flow actions, and flow templates as contained logic entities that can be re-used repeatedly.
Find out more high-level information on building flows in Workflow Studio on the servicenow.com product page and this Flow Designer Data Sheet.
What happened to Flow Designer?
With the introduction of Workflow Studio in the Washington DC Release, all workflow automation types can be developed in a unified builder experience. Going forward, we will refer to building flows, subflows, and flow actions in Workflow Studio.
How do I get started with Flows?
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Step 1: Documentation
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Step 2: Training
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Step 3: Guidance & Best Practices |
Step 4: Further Resources
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Step 1: Documentation 
To familiarize yourself with the complete spectrum of features and the newest enhancements in a given release, ServiceNow Docs is the place to go.
Release Highlights
Yokohama
Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio release notes
- Debug flows and subflows from a dedicated debugging tab.
- Pause a flow until it receives a specific message from the flow API.
- Save flow triggers for reuse in other flows.
- Configure subflows or flow actions to be available to conversational interfaces.
- Add an approval reason in the Ask for Approval flow action.
Xanadu
Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio release notes
- Protect sensitive data in execution details by using the operations read role.
- Provide improved support of the variables data type for subflow and action inputs.
- Show annotations of what text directions were used to generate actions, flow logic, and subflows during flow generation.
- Sign and validate any flow, subflow, or action.
Washington DC
Flows in Workflow Studio Washington DC Release Notes
- Create multi-step flows with generative AI.
- Open Flow Designer from within Workflow Studio.
- Save flows automatically as you work on them.
- Start a flow when Performance Analytics conditions are met.
- Undo changes that you've made while editing a flow.
- Use the flow diagramming view to add annotations and Try flow logic.
Step 2: Training 
ServiceNow University Learning Paths and Courses
Start by completing the training on ServiceNow University (formerly known as NowLearning), check out the available learning paths here:
Knowledge
CreatorCon is a special program of sessions and training that runs every year during our Knowledge conference. Every year, we get access to new great presentations and courses about our Workflow Automation Products.
Developer Program
Next, request a Personal Developer Instance (PDI) to practice what you learned. Check out the additional Flow Designer courses available on the Developer Portal. These courses are designed to be completed on a PDI.
Step 3: Guidance and Best Practices 
Whether you’re a first-time implementer or an experienced developer, if you’re only just starting to use the Workflow Automation products, or are looking to migrate off your legacy tech stack, the following resources will help you understand how to best approach using Flow Designer.
Center of Excellence
We've put together a series of articles covering best practices for Flow Designer, Action Designer, and Integration Hub.
CoE/Flow Designer Best Practices
Learn how to do simple, complex, and scripted approvals with Flow Designer
Learn how to do hierarchical lookups in do-until logic with Flow Designer
New! Learn how to do hierarchical lookups with the go-back-to flow logic in flows!
Learn how to run subflows dynamically with a Decision Table
CoE/Running subflows dynamically with Decisions
Learn how to determine access to Flow Designer, its features, and access at runtime
CoE/Securing Workflow Automation Products
New! Learn about Flow and Action Error Handling, and how to use the new Go back to Flow Logic
CoE/Flow and Action Error Handling
FAQ
Platform Academy
We have also been covering Flow Designer topics in our Platform Academy. These include sessions on Best practices, guidance, performance, debugging, error handling, and migration use cases.
February 17, 2022 - Flow Designer Good Practices
June 9th, 2022 - Flow Designer Migration Use Cases
June 23rd, 2022 - Flow Designer performance and debugging tips
April 27, 2023 - Flow Designer Approvals
July 6, 2023 - Better together: Virtual Agent and Flow Designer
August 3, 2023 - Better together: Building Flows for Subscription Management
November 8th, 2023 - Securing Workflow Automation Products
Workflow Academy
Check out the Workflow Academy video series!
January 11th, 2024 - Best of 2023 Workflow Automation
January 25th, 2024 - Flow Diagramming
February 8th, 2024 - Flow and Action Error Handling
February 22nd, 2024 - Workflow Studio
March 14th, 2024 - Decisions in Service Catalog Flows
March 2024 - What's new in Washington DC?
August 2024 - What's new in Xanadu?
September 12th, 2024 - Getting Started with Now Assist for Workflow Automation
December 19th, 2024 - Loops in Workflows
Feb 13th, 2025 - Best of Workflow Automation in 2024
Migration Considerations
CoE Guide: Migrate Legacy Workflows to Flows and Playbooks (Author: Lisa Holenstein, Release: Xanadu)
CoE Article: Migration Considerations (Author: Lisa Holenstein, Release: Xanadu)
Blog: Is your work flowing? What makes Flow Designer and IntegrationHub better and why you should migrate ... (Author: Lisa Holenstein, Release: Rome)
Use Cases
Blog: Scripted Approvals in Flow Designer with Flow Variables (Author: Lisa Holenstein, Release: Rome)
Blog: Handling errors and planned process time-out in Flow Designer (Author: Lisa Holenstein, Release: Rome)
YouTube: Configure a sequence to fulfill items in order guides
YouTube
Generate a Flow with Now Assist
Workflow Automation | Run a Subflow from a Now Assist conversation
Step 4: Further Resources 
Developer Program
In addition to PDIs and courses, the developer program publishes blogs, podcasts, and videos about flows, subflows, and actions regularly.
How to Create External Triggers in ServiceNow's Workflow Studio (Yokohama)
How to Create and Edit Saved Triggers in ServiceNow's Workflow Studio (Yokohama)
Conversational Subflows Are Here! Automate Workflows in Chat (Yokohama Creator Toolbox)
The Future of Triggers and Debugging Your Flows! | Yokohama Creator Toolbox
Did you know | Data Pill Transformations
CT | Now Assist Flow Generation in Xanadu
CT | What's new for Flow Designer in Washington DC
Blog | Remote Tables Flow Trigger
LCHH | Workflow Studio & Flow Designer
BP | Workflow Studio & Flow Designer w/Jingfei Chen
CT | What’s New in Flow Designer for Vancouver
Blog | What’s New in Flow Designer for Vancouver
CT | Dynamic Inputs in Action Designer
Community Content
Our greatest asset is YOU. Our ServiceNow community has a wide array of amazing ServiceNow developers, practitioners, admins, and content creators. Thank you!
Article: Adding Record Link in "Send Email" flow action (Author: Ankur Bawiskar, Release: Yokohama)
Article: Trigger a Flow based on an Event (even if its scheduled) (Author: Rob Fedoruk, Release: Yokohama)
Blog: Integration Hub Spokes and How to Build Them (Author: Joe Wilmoth, Release: Vancouver)
Blog: How to migrate from scripted integration to Integration Hub - Part 1 (Author: Daniel Draes, Release: Vancouver, 5 parts total!)
Article: How to Use Multirow Variable Sets (MRVS) in Flow Designer (Author: Jon Lind, Release: Utah)
YouTube Series: Go with the Flow - A collection of ServiceNow Flow Designer Tutorials (Author: Robert Fedoruk, Release: Rome/San Diego/Tokyo) – YouTube Playlist
Link collection: Platform: Flow Designer || Knowledge & Troubleshooting Resources (Author: Maik Skoddow, San Diego)
Article: Set Value of a Catalog Variable at Flow Designer (Author: Maik Skoddow, Release: Rome)
Blog: 6 mistakes to avoid when using Flow Designer (Author: Paul Morris, The ServiceNow Nerd, Release: Tokyo)
Article: Using list collector in Flow Designer 'For Each loop' by converting string into array of string (Author: Ankur Bawiskar, Release: Paris)
Center of Excellence Navigation
Hi Lisa,
I've recently came across an issue with one of the courses on ServiceNow Developer site, Flow Designer Course. I can't find the "Asset Management Spoke", which is a prerequisite for the course, in the Application field when I try to create a new Flow. Checked the Store, Application Manager, searched online, I did not manage to find any reference to "Asset Management Spoke"; Asset Management plugin is available in my PID and up to date:
So, my question is: how to resolve this issue and still make use of this training opportunity?
Below is what I see in my PID (Xanadu, but also tried with Utah - the issue still persists):
And this is a snapshot from the course (how things are supposed to look like):
The course has been designed for legacy ServiceNow versions (according to the information provided, the last version it has been updated for was San Diego), but its contents should be applicable for later versions:
Thank you in advance for your advice and support!
