EntitlementProcess Metadata Type for Service Cloud SLAs

Why the EntitlementProcess Metadata Type Is Core to Service Cloud SLAs#

While EscalationRules handle simple Case age escalations, EntitlementProcess (entitlementProcesses/<Name>.entitlementProcess-meta.xml) powers contractual Service Level Agreements (SLAs) on Cases and Work Orders. An EntitlementProcess orchestrates:

• Entry & Exit Criteria: When the SLA clock starts (e.g., Case CreatedDate) and stops (IsClosed = true).
• Ordered Milestones (EntitlementProcessMilestoneItem): First Response, Technical Workaround, and Final Resolution targets referencing MilestoneType definitions.
• Dynamic SLA Duration via Apex (minutesCustomClass): Calculating SLA minutes dynamically based on severity, entitlement tier, or customer contract via Support.MilestoneTriggerTimeCalculator.
• Success, Warning, and Violation Time Triggers: Executing WorkflowFieldUpdate and WorkflowAlert actions before or after an SLA breach.

Key Metadata Fields on EntitlementProcess#

Real-World XML Example (entitlementProcesses/enterprise gold support_v1.entitlementProcess-meta.xml)#

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<EntitlementProcess xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <SObjectType>Case</SObjectType>
    <active>true</active>
    <businessHours>Default</businessHours>
    <description>24x7 Enterprise Gold Support SLA with dynamic First Response and Resolution milestones.</description>
    <entryStartDateField>Case.CreatedDate</entryStartDateField>
    <exitCriteriaFilterItems>
        <field>Case.IsClosed</field>
        <operation>equals</operation>
        <value>true</value>
    </exitCriteriaFilterItems>
    <isVersionDefault>true</isVersionDefault>
    <milestones>
        <businessHours>Default</businessHours>
        <milestoneCriteriaFilterItems>
            <field>Case.Priority</field>
            <operation>equals</operation>
            <value>High,Critical</value>
        </milestoneCriteriaFilterItems>
        <milestoneName>First Response</milestoneName>
        <minutesCustomClass>DynamicSlaTriggerTimeCalculator</minutesCustomClass>
        <timeTriggers>
            <actions>
                <name>Case.SLA_Warning_Notification</name>
                <type>Alert</type>
            </actions>
            <timeLength>-15</timeLength>
            <workflowTimeTriggerUnit>Minutes</workflowTimeTriggerUnit>
        </timeTriggers>
        <useCriteriaStartTime>false</useCriteriaStartTime>
    </milestones>
    <name>Enterprise Gold Support</name>
    <versionMaster>552000000000abc</versionMaster>
    <versionNumber>1</versionNumber>
</EntitlementProcess>

Querying EntitlementProcess (SlaProcess) via SOQL#

In the Salesforce database schema, an EntitlementProcess is represented by the SlaProcess object.

1. Query Active Entitlement Processes and Versions#

SELECT Id, Name, NameNorm, SobjectType, IsActive, IsVersionDefault,
       VersionNumber, StartDateField, BusinessHours.Name, LastModifiedDate
FROM SlaProcess
WHERE IsActive = true
ORDER BY Name, VersionNumber DESC

2. Find Entitlements Currently Using a Specific SlaProcess Version#

SELECT Id, Name, Account.Name, Status, SlaProcess.Name, SlaProcess.VersionNumber
FROM Entitlement
WHERE SlaProcess.IsActive = true
  AND Status = 'Active'

Senior Architect Best Practices & Gotchas#

• Always Enable Entitlement Versioning Early: Without Entitlement Versioning enabled in Setup → Entitlement Settings, you cannot modify milestones on an EntitlementProcess that is already in use by any active Entitlement or open Case in Production.
• Deploy Prerequisite MilestoneType and Workflow Actions First: Every <milestoneName> must match an existing MilestoneType, and every <actions> reference must match a deployed WorkflowAlert or WorkflowFieldUpdate.

Frequently asked questions

Why can you not edit milestones on an active EntitlementProcess in Production without versioning?

Once an EntitlementProcess is active and assigned to Entitlements or Cases, its milestone structure is locked. Enabling Entitlement Versioning allows you to deploy a new version (Name_v2.entitlementProcess-meta.xml) with versionMaster and versionNumber.

How do you dynamically calculate SLA target minutes in an EntitlementProcess using Apex?

Instead of hardcoding minutesToComplete on a milestone, you can specify minutesCustomClass with the name of an Apex class implementing the Support.MilestoneTriggerTimeCalculator interface.

What objects can an EntitlementProcess run on?

The SObjectType field on EntitlementProcess supports Case and WorkOrder (when Field Service or Work Orders with Entitlements is enabled in the org).

What is the SOQL object name for querying an EntitlementProcess?

In SOQL, an EntitlementProcess is stored in the SlaProcess standard object. You can query SlaProcess to inspect Name, SobjectType, IsActive, IsVersionDefault, VersionNumber, and BusinessHoursId.