How can you use a platform event-triggered flow effectively?

Using a platform event-triggered flow effectively involves subscribing to events. Platform events are a way to communicate changes or actions that occur in Salesforce as part of an event-driven architecture. By subscribing to these events, the flow can respond to specific occurrences, such as a record update or a business process milestone.

When you set up a flow that listens for platform events, it can initiate actions automatically based on the event's occurrence. This allows for real-time processing and integration with other applications and systems, enhancing the overall workflow and responsiveness within Salesforce. For instance, when an event occurs, the flow can execute predefined actions, such as updating records, invoking Apex, or even triggering other processes.

The other options mentioned do not fully capture the primary function of a platform event-triggered flow. While data retrieval, creating new records, and sending email notifications are all important functionalities within Salesforce, they are not the defining characteristics of how platform event-triggered flows are utilized. Instead, these flows focus on the event subscription, allowing for dynamic responses to the events as they happen.