The 2nd and 3rd workflow evaluation criteria sound nearly identical in Setup — the wording differs by one phrase. The behaviour is very different.
The one-line distinction
- Criteria 2 — Created, and any time it’s edited to subsequently meet criteria — fires only when the record just started meeting the rule’s conditions (it didn’t on the prior save).
- Criteria 3 — Created, and every time it’s edited — fires every save while the conditions are TRUE, even if they were TRUE on the previous save too.
A side-by-side test
Rule criteria: Stage = "Closed Won".
| Save event | Stage prior | Stage after | Criteria 2 | Criteria 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insert with Closed Won | — | Closed Won | Fires (newly meets) | Fires |
| Update Prospecting → Closed Won | Prospecting | Closed Won | Fires (newly meets) | Fires |
| Update Closed Won → Closed Won (no real change) | Closed Won | Closed Won | Doesn’t fire (already met) | Fires |
| Update Closed Won → Lost | Closed Won | Lost | Doesn’t fire | Doesn’t fire |
| Update Lost → Closed Won (back) | Lost | Closed Won | Fires (newly meets again) | Fires |
The row that matters: “updating a record that already met the criteria.” Criteria 2 skips it; Criteria 3 fires.
When to pick each
| Use Criteria 2 when… | Use Criteria 3 when… |
|---|---|
| You want a “milestone” action — once when the record enters this state | You want a “while-the-condition-holds” action — every save while in this state |
| Sending a congratulations email on Closed Won | Audit logging every save on locked records |
| Most real-world use cases | Rare — usually a sign you should re-think the design |
A caveat: time-dependent actions
Criteria 3 disables time-dependent actions. The Salesforce platform won’t let you queue scheduled actions on a rule that can re-fire on every save — the queue would explode. If you need time-dependent actions, your only options are Criteria 1 and Criteria 2.
The hidden cost of Criteria 3
A rule on Criteria 3 with an email alert can spam users — every save that touches the record sends another email. That’s almost never what’s wanted. Most production orgs use Criteria 2 by default and only reach for Criteria 3 with explicit intent.
What interviewers want
- The behavioural difference in one sentence
- A worked example showing the “save where criteria were already TRUE” case
- The time-dependent-actions caveat for Criteria 3
Verified against: Salesforce Help — Workflow Evaluation Criteria. Last reviewed 2026-05-17 for Spring ‘26 release.