Advanced 30 min read

Automate Case Routing

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to:

Handle a Case that doesn't match any configured routing rule
Assign a sensible default queue as a fallback
Explain why silent non-routing would be a worse outcome than a fallback

Prerequisites: "Build Configurable Business Rules (Custom Metadata)"

The gap: an unmatched Case

for (Case c : newCases) {
    String key = c.Priority + '|' + c.Type;
    if (queueByPriorityAndType.containsKey(key)) {
        c.Assigned_Queue__c = queueByPriorityAndType.get(key);
    }
    // what if there's no matching rule at all?
}

for (Case c : newCases) { — loops over the new Cases.
String key = c.Priority + '|' + c.Type; — builds the composite key.
if (queueByPriorityAndType.containsKey(key)) { — checks the lookup.
c.Assigned_Queue__c = queueByPriorityAndType.get(key); — assigns the matching queue, if found.
} — closes the if.
// what if there's no matching rule at all? — if a Case's Priority/Type combination has no configured rule, Assigned_Queue__c simply stays blank — the Case silently falls through with no queue at all.
} — closes the loop.

Adding a fallback queue

private static final String DEFAULT_QUEUE = 'General Support';

for (Case c : newCases) {
    String key = c.Priority + '|' + c.Type;
    if (queueByPriorityAndType.containsKey(key)) {
        c.Assigned_Queue__c = queueByPriorityAndType.get(key);
    } else {
        c.Assigned_Queue__c = DEFAULT_QUEUE;
    }
}

private static final String DEFAULT_QUEUE = 'General Support'; — this is Module 26's named-constant refactor, applied from the start rather than as an afterthought.
(blank line)
for (Case c : newCases) { — loops over the new Cases.
String key = c.Priority + '|' + c.Type; — the composite key.
if (queueByPriorityAndType.containsKey(key)) { — the matched case.
c.Assigned_Queue__c = queueByPriorityAndType.get(key); — assigns the configured queue.
} else { — the unmatched case.
c.Assigned_Queue__c = DEFAULT_QUEUE; — every Case gets some queue assignment, even one that hasn't been explicitly configured yet.
} — closes the if/else.
} — closes the loop.

Why a fallback beats silence

A Case with a blank Assigned_Queue__c is effectively invisible to whichever process routes Cases to support agents — it could sit unassigned indefinitely with nobody responsible for noticing. Routing it to a general fallback queue, even an imperfect match, guarantees a human eventually sees it — a genuinely better failure mode than a silent gap in the automation.

Exercise

Add a fallback assignment to this loop: if the key isn't in the lookup, set c.Assigned_Queue__c to 'General Support'.

Show hint

Add an else branch to the existing if.

Salesforce: ○ Not connected Connect

APEX

Execution Results

Run your code to see the result.

Automate Case Routing Quiz

1. Why is a fallback queue better than leaving Assigned_Queue__c blank for an unmatched Case?

A blank queue could leave the Case invisible to routing indefinitely, while a fallback guarantees a human eventually sees it Blank values are not allowed on Text fields A fallback queue is required by Salesforce for every Case There is no real difference between the two outcomes

My Notes

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Summary

The previous lesson routes Cases that match a configured rule — this lesson handles the case (no pun intended) where no rule matches at all, with a sensible fallback rather than silence.

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