Yes — Salesforce gives you the ISNEW() function specifically for this. Wrap your rule condition in AND(ISNEW(), ...) and the rule only fires on insert, never on subsequent updates.
The function
| Function | Returns |
|---|---|
ISNEW() | TRUE if the record is being created (during the insert event), FALSE if it’s an update |
ISCHANGED(field) | TRUE if the field value changed since the previous save — works on update only |
PRIORVALUE(field) | The value the field had before this save attempt |
Example: require Industry on new Accounts only
You want to demand an Industry value when a rep creates an Account, but you don’t want to break edits to thousands of existing records that were imported without one.
AND(
ISNEW(),
ISBLANK(Industry)
)- New Account, no Industry → save fails
- Existing Account, no Industry → save succeeds
- Existing Account, edit Industry → save succeeds
A common variant: insert OR field change
Often the requirement is “validate on insert, and also on any update that touches this field.” That’s:
AND(
ISBLANK(Industry),
OR(ISNEW(), ISCHANGED(Industry))
)The rule fires when:
- Inserting a record with no Industry, or
- Updating a record and blanking out Industry
But not when editing other fields on a record that already had a blank Industry.
Don’t confuse ISNEW() with ISCHANGED()
| Scenario | ISNEW() | ISCHANGED(Industry) |
|---|---|---|
| Inserting a brand-new record | TRUE | FALSE (always false on insert — there’s no prior value) |
| Updating an existing record, Industry changed | FALSE | TRUE |
| Updating an existing record, Industry unchanged | FALSE | FALSE |
ISCHANGED() is FALSE on insert — this catches many candidates off-guard.
What interviewers want
- Yes, with the function name
ISNEW() - Bonus: show the
OR(ISNEW(), ISCHANGED(field))pattern for the common “insert or relevant edit” case - Awareness that
ISCHANGED()returnsFALSEon insert — a frequent follow-up trap
Verified against: Salesforce Help — ISNEW and ISCHANGED. Last reviewed 2026-05-17 for Spring ‘26 release.