Are you facing silent Salesforce errors that are hard to detect or debug?
If so, you’re not alone. Salesforce is more than just a CRM; it’s the foundation of automation, customer engagement, and mission-critical business processes. But when logs expire, flows fail silently, or asynchronous jobs disappear without a trace, troubleshooting becomes a major challenge.In this blog, we’ll walk through why native tools often fall short and introduce a structured framework for error tracking and debugging that brings stability and visibility to your Salesforce environment.
Silent flows. Asynchronous jobs with no record. Debug logs that vanish before you can identify the root cause.
At OBS (Online Business Systems), we believe error tracking shouldn’t be reactive or guesswork. That’s why we’ve developed a structured, scalable framework that brings visibility and resilience to your Salesforce operations, whether you’re dealing with occasional bugs or managing enterprise-wide reliability.
Learn more about our Salesforce Solutions.
The Challenge of Ephemeral Logs and Silent Failures
Salesforce provides powerful tools for debugging: debug logs, Flow error emails, and Apex stack traces. But these native tools have limitations:
- Logs are transient. Debug logs often expire quickly or get overwritten.
- Asynchronous errors vanish. Scheduled jobs, Platform Events, and future methods may fail without generating useful logs.
- Flows fail silently. A user hits “next,” something goes wrong, and there’s no immediate feedback or trace.
- Manual log digging is inefficient. Developers often spend hours recreating errors just to identify the cause.
When issues go undetected, businesses risk data corruption, missed revenue opportunities, and user dissatisfaction. That’s where a structured framework becomes essential.
Introducing the OBS Salesforce Error Event Logging Framework
To solve these challenges, OBS developed the Salesforce Error Event Logging Framework, a lightweight, scalable solution that brings visibility, persistence, and proactive monitoring to your Salesforce environment.
How it works:
- Error Occurs — in Apex, Flow, or another custom process.
- Log Method Invoked — a reusable Apex class or Invocable Method captures error details.
- Platform Event Published — error data is sent via a custom Platform Event.
- Event Consumer Trigger — receives the event and creates a record in a custom object: Error Log.
- Review & Debug — admins and developers view the Error Log to resolve issues efficiently.
Component |
Purpose |
Platform Event |
Enables async, non-blocking logging |
Invocable Method |
Allows Flow integration without code |
Error_Log__c |
Stores full context (user, error, source) |
Trigger Listener |
Handles log persistence from the platform event |
Optional Rethrow Logic |
Configurable for fail-fast or graceful continue |
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Key Benefits of the OBS Error Event Logging Framework:
- Asynchronous Logging: Uses Platform Events to decouple error reporting from transactions. Logs persist even if the original process rolls back.
- Persistent History: Custom object stores error details indefinitely for auditing and analysis.
- Flow & Apex Support: Works seamlessly across both automation layers.
- Centralized Logging: One location for error insights, enabling easier triage.
- Stack Traces & Context: Captures what failed, where, and who triggered it.
- Optional Exception Rethrow: Decide whether to halt the process or continue gracefully.
This architecture provides the foundation to build stability, trust, and transparency in your Salesforce environment.
Why This Solution Outperforms Native Tools:
Unlike debug logs that vanish or need manual download, this framework creates an internal, queryable system of record. It supports:
- Trend analysis: Identify recurring issues across time, users, or components.
- Audit-readiness: Provide traceable error histories to compliance teams.
- Reusable architecture: Add the InvocableMethod to any Flow without code.
- User context capture: Know which user action triggered each error.
When compared to typical logging tools, this framework excels in:
Feature |
Native Debug Logs |
OBS Error Event Logging |
Persistence |
No |
Yes |
Flow Integration |
Limited |
Full |
Queryable in Salesforce |
No |
Yes |
Performance Impact |
Medium |
Low |
Centralization |
No |
Yes |
Starting a Salesforce Project with OBS
OBS has guided organizations across industries through Salesforce optimization and stability initiatives. Here’s how we typically help clients adopt the error logging framework:
- Discovery: Understand current system pain points and error monitoring gaps.
- Installation: Deploy the framework components from our GitHub repository.
- Configuration: Customize error fields, notifications, and Flow/Apex integrations.
- Training: Enable your Salesforce team to monitor, extend, and interpret logs.
- Enhancement: Set up dashboards, alerts, and integrations with external monitoring tools (e.g., Slack, Datadog).
Want to talk to an expert? Reach out to OBS for a readiness assessment.
Success Examples
OBS clients have used this framework to:
- Cut debugging time by 70% by eliminating back-and-forth log recreation.
- Discover hidden Flow failures affecting customer onboarding.
- Integrate error logs with Slack to notify admins in real-time.
- Satisfy compliance audits with searchable error records.
The solution is also publicly available on GitHub: https://github.com/gabrielolv/salesforce-error-event-log
Customer Success: Going Beyond Error Logs
Post-implementation, OBS supports continuous improvement. Our clients often expand the framework with:
- Lightning Dashboards: Visualize error trends, heatmaps, and top offending processes.
- Notifications: Auto-send Chatter posts or emails on critical errors.
- External Integration: Push logs to enterprise observability tools.
- Governance Reports: Share monthly error summaries with leadership.
Final Thoughts
Stability is often the unsung hero of a great Salesforce experience. A platform may have advanced features, but without reliable error tracking and debugging, user trust and business processes are at risk. The OBS Salesforce Error Event Logging Framework transforms silent failures into actionable insights, creating a more resilient and transparent Salesforce environment.
By moving beyond temporary logs and reactive troubleshooting, organizations gain a lasting foundation for compliance, user adoption, and operational efficiency. The result isn’t just fewer errors, it’s stronger trust, smoother processes, and greater confidence that Salesforce is delivering on its promise as a mission-critical platform.
If you’re ready to evolve from reactive fixes to proactive error intelligence, OBS can guide your team through every stage. From discovery to adoption, so your Salesforce environment continues to scale with confidence.
Let’s keep the conversation going.
FAQs About Salesforce Error Tracking
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