Workflows

Workflow is a tool that allows you to configure complex processes in the system. The Workflow Editor visually displays processes as a set of boxes and arrows representing transitions, conditions, and stages. Set the sequence of stages and steps to create the necessary logic by using various types of activities: utilities, conditions, approvals, subflow, and timer.

Workflow is a logical sequence of activities describing a process. It consists of the following parts:

• Properties: general information and settings of the workflow, such as its name, the table for which the workflow is created, the conditions for starting the process, and the description of the workflow.
• Versions: the records of created workflows. All versions are stored in the Workflow Versions (wf_workflow_version) table.
• Activities: a set of operations arranged in a specific order and performed by the workflow (for example, changing the value of a certain field).
• Activity Exits: conditions that should be met to proceed to a particular transition.
• Transitions: the connection between the activity exit and the next activity.
• Contexts: information about each workflow execution that is stored in the Workflow Context (wf_context) table.

Workflow life cycle

The workflow starts when the conditions specified in the parameters are met. Usually, the starting conditions are the insertion of a record, update of a field, or a field with a certain value. For example, the Incident table has a workflow that is executed each time a new record is created.

After the start event, the workflow executes activities one after the other according to the defined transitions. Typically, activities have more than one transition – the path they take depends on the activity outcome.

Within an activity, the workflow performs the following steps:

1. The operation defined by the activity is performed.
2. The activity conditions are checked.
3. Depending on the conditions checking results, the workflow proceeds to the defined activity.

Workflow states

There are two workflow states:

• Checked Out – for editing new or existing workflows.
• Published – for the workflows that are ready to be executed; finalized but unpublished workflows are inactive and non-functional.

Checked out

When you start working on your workflow (whether a new or existing one), it is in the Checked Out state. Other users cannot edit this workflow with you because it is already checked out. Also, the workflow is inactive when it is checked out; the workflow needs to be published to enable it.

To enable editing a published workflow, perform the following steps:

1. Open the workflow you need in the Workflow Editor.
2. Navigate to the burger menu .
3. Click Check Out.

Published

When the workflow configuration is completed, and the process is ready to run, you need to change the workflow state to Published. Users are not able to edit the workflow, until it returns to the Checked Out state.

To publish a workflow, perform the following steps:

1. Open the workflow you need in the Workflow Editor.
2. Navigate to the hamburger menu .
3. Click Publish.

Workflow life cycle example

1. Create a new workflow (for example, version 1). It has the Checked Out state set to true and the Published state set to false.

2. After setting up the workflow, publish it. The workflow now has the Checked Out state set to false and the Published state set to true.
3. To modify the workflow, make a checkout. The following happens:
   1. A copy of the existing workflow is created.
   2. The existing workflow is not affected.
   3. The created copy has the Checked Out state set to true and the Published state set to false.
4. Edit the copy and publish it. The following happens:
   1. The previous workflow (version 1) is moved to the workflow archive (its Checked Out and Published states are both set to false).
   2. The workflow (version 2) is now active.

Workflow contexts

The execution of workflows is reflected in the table of Workflow Context (wf_context) table. To view the list of active contexts, navigate to Workflow → Active Contexts. To view the list of all contexts, navigate to Workflow → All Contexts.
By viewing the contexts in the Workflow Context (wf_context) table, you can get more information about the execution of workflow blocks. The context form displays the following fields:

The context form also contains the Workflow Executing Activity related list. The order in which the context activities are executed is specified in the Execution Order column.

You can view a graphical representation of the workflow execution context. To do this, open the record form for which the context is created and click Show Workflow:

The following window appears: