SalesForce: How to automatically update a record after a Formula (Text) field is populated

Question

I am trying to figure out how to automatically update a contact record after a Formula (Text) field is updated from another object. The end goal is generate a outbound message when one field contact field is updated. Here is the work flow:

Within an Origination I have a field called Project Status which is picklist containing the following status : Active, Dormant, and Terminated. The Organization Object also has a project name field.

Within the Contact record I have a fields that link a contact record to an organization: Name of the Project and Project Status. More than one Contact record can be listed to a single Organization.

What I am trying to do is to change the Project Status on the Organization record and have the associated contact records be updated. Upton this change, I would like to generate an Outbound Message.

My working theory is that once a Contact is is updated via a Formula (Text)look up, the record is not really saved (updated).

Any ideas would be extremely helpful!

Answer 1

Here is what I did. Please let me know if you have any questions on my steps:

Answer 2

Yes, formula records don't really update their records, they're calculated at runtime when you're viewing it. You can index them (contact SF support) but not track field history for example.

Also - because it's an update of Organization__c, not Contact - nothing really fires on Contact. No Contact workflows will run, no way to use PRIORVALUE() function...

You need something that cascades down on update of parent object & "touches" all Contacts (doesn't matter whether will it be an update without changing any fields or will you have a helper field... or convert the formula to editable picklist). Can be a after update trigger on Organization__c, can be a Process Builder if that's your game. Probably PB is better, declarative, easier to change... I didn't test it but something similar to this could be a nice start (or use the Flash-based Flow designer, there's a way to update related records in there too?)