Workflows

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The Workflow module allows you to configure manual or automated processes that are defined through triggers and actions. 

Workflows

Add a new workflow

  1. Expand the “Configuration” menu on the sidebar navigation. 
  2. Select the “Workflows” menu.
  3. Select “Add” to add a workflow.
  4. Populate the fields.  Data fields with an asterisk (*) are required.
    • Name*: Enter the workflow name.   
    • Frequency*:  Select how often the workflow is evaluated.
    • Tags:  Enter keywords to quickly describe the workflow.  Tags are included in search results.  To enter multiple Tags, press Enter after each tag.
    • Comments: Enter a description of the workflow.
  5. Select “Save” upon completion.

View schedule

Select “View” to display the detailed workflow execution schedule.  The system will redirect you to the corresponding scheduled job and will provide the ability to edit or manually run the job.

Manage workflows

  1. Locate the workflow record.
  2. To the right of each record, under the Actions menu, you may:
    • View or edit the workflow.
    • Download the workflow definition for importing into another database. 
    • Copy this workflow as a new workflow.
      • The newly copied record is created immediately after selecting to copy.  Update the newly created record’s name to an appropriate value.
      • Copying a workflow (typically a task reminder workflow) linked to a task type will remove the link to the Associated Task Type in the Workflow Details section.
      • If the original record has an external identifier, the system will set the external identifier of the newly created record to null. 
    • Delete this workflow and all associated data.

Triggers

Add a trigger

  1. Locate the workflow.
  2. Select the “Add” button within the Trigger section.
  3. Populate the fields.  Data fields with an asterisk (*) are required.
    • Group*:  Select the group of the trigger.  Groups are used in conjunction with logical statements where the entire group evaluates to true or false.
    • Precedence*: Enter the order of this trigger in relation to the other triggers in the group.
    • Trigger Type*:  Select the type of trigger.
    • Logical*: Select the logical statement to define how this trigger relates to other triggers.
  4. There may be additional fields that appear depending upon the Trigger Type.
    • Aggregate: Select the aggregate function to apply to the telemetry; leave blank to use raw data.
    • Asset / Contact / Document / Task Attribute: Select the attribute for comparison.
    • Asset / Contact / Document / Task Property: Select the property field for comparison.
    • Custom Trigger: The custom trigger to apply. This field accepts SQL.
    • Earliest Date:  Enter the earliest date for telemetry evaluation; leave blank for none.
    • Form Question: Select the form question for comparison.
    • Form Type: Enter the form type for comparison.
    • Latest Date:  Enter the latest date for telemetry evaluation; leave blank for none.
    • Operator: Select the operator used for comparison.
    • Rounding: Enter the number of decimals places to round the result
    • Telemetry Type: Select the type of telemetry for comparison.
    • Unit of Measure:  Select the unit of measure for comparison.
    • Frequency: Enter the expected frequency of the telemetry.
    • Value: Enter the value to use for comparison.
  5. Select “Save” upon completion.

Validate triggers

Select “Validate” to confirm that the triggers are valid and review the number of matched items.

Manage triggers

Once triggers have been created, manage these records to maintain accurate information. 

  1. Locate the trigger record.
  2. To the right of each record, under the Actions menu, you may:
    • Edit the trigger.
    • Delete the trigger.

Actions

Actions are configured to be processed as a group when the triggers are met (“If these triggers are true then perform these actions”), in addition to as a group when triggers are not met (“Else perform these actions”). Specific actions are available based on the trigger(s) selected. 

Trigger / action matrix

The available actions are dependent upon which triggers are saved.

Create an action

  1. Locate the workflow record.
  2. Select the “Add” button within the Actions section.
  3. On the next page, populate the fields based on the action selected. Data fields with an asterisk (*) are required.
  4. Select “Save” upon completion.

Add or Remove Form Tag

Add a new form tag or removes an existing form tag when the rule triggers are met. If you are adding or removing multiple tags, please create a separate action for each tag. This action must be paired with a  “Form Answer Comparison”, “Form Locked”, “Form Type Match”, or “Form Unlocked” trigger.

  • Action Type*: Select the type of action to perform. Select “Add Form Tag” or “Remove Form Tag”.
  • Value*: Enter the value to use for this action.

Associate Asset to Asset

The Associate Asset to Asset action allows you to associate an asset to another asset. This action must be paired with an “Asset Attribute Comparison” or “Asset Property Comparison” trigger.

  • Action Type*: Select the type of action to perform. Select “Associate Asset to Asset”.
  • Associated Assets: The list of asset identifiers (GUIDs) to associate. Separate multiple assets with a semicolon.
  • Association Type: The asset association type.
  • Association Direction: The direction (parent/child) of the asset association.
  • Replace Existing Association: Toggle on if the newly created association replaces an existing one of the same Association Type.

     

Associate Asset to Document

The Associate Asset to Document action allows you to associate an asset to a document via distance (by using the Latitude/Longitude properties in an analyzed document) or by serial number (from the extracted text of an analyzed document). This action must be paired with a “Document Attribute Comparison” or “Document Property Comparison” trigger.

  • Action Type*: Select the type of action to perform. Select “Associate Asset to Document”.
  • Selection Type: Select a method to use to select the asset that will be associated.
  • Asset Type Filter: Select the type of asset to consider in the selection process. Leave blank to allow any asset type.
  • Document Tag: The tag to add to the document when an asset is successfully associated.
  • Maximum Distance: Enter the maximum distance (in miles) to consider in the selection process.
    • This field will appear only if the Selection Type is ‘Associate the nearest asset’.
    • The WGS-84 geographic projection is used in distance estimations.
  • Minimum Serial Number Length: The minimum length of the serial number to consider in the selection process. Serial numbers with fewer characters than this number are ignored. This field will appear only if the Selection Type is ‘Associate all assets where its serial number is found’.
  • Serial Number Ignore List: The list of specific serial numbers to ignore in the selection process. Separate values with commas. Common serial numbers to ignore include the following: N/A, NA, Null, None, 0. This field will appear only if the Selection Type is ‘Associate all assets where its serial number is found’.

Create Evaluation

The Create Evaluation action generates an evaluation when the rule triggers are met. This action should be paired with an Asset Property Comparison, Asset Attribute Comparison, and/or Telemetry Comparison trigger.

  • Action Type*: Select the type of action to perform. Select “Create Evaluation”.
  • Evaluation Type*: Select the type of evaluation to create.
  • Evaluation Status*: The status to set for the evaluation. The default is “New”.
  • Evaluation Date*: The date to set for the evaluation.
  • Recipients: The list of email addresses or contact identifiers that will be assigned to the evaluation. Separate multiple recipients with a semicolon.

Create or Update Form

The Create/ Update Form action generates a new form or updates an existing form when the rule triggers are met. This action must be paired with an Asset Property Comparison or Asset Attribute Comparison trigger.

  • Action Type*: The type of action to perform.  Select “Create/Update Form”.
  • Form Type*: The type of form to create. You must select the form type and save prior to prepopulating form answers.
  • Asset Attribute for Recurring Forms: The asset date attribute that controls recurring forms for this action. If the date has not been updated since the last time a form was created, a new form will not be created. 
  • Contact Attribute for Recurring Forms: The contact date attribute that controls recurring forms for this action. If the date has not been updated since the last time a form was created, a new form will not be created.
  • Form Date: The date to set for the form.
  • Form Name: The initial name to set for the form. The form name will be overwritten by the logic dictated by the form once the newly-created form is edited and saved.
  • Draft: If this form should be set as draft. Enter “True” or “False” or a variable that evaluates to a Boolean.
  • Associated Contacts: The list of contact identifiers that are associated with this form. Separate multiple contacts with a semicolon. 
  • Associated Assets: The list of asset identifiers that are associated with this form.  Separate multiple assets with a semicolon. Leave blank for none.
  • Form Unique Identifier: The unique identifier to use to determine if the form should be created or updated. Leave blank to have the system generate this for you.
  • Form Answers: You must select and save the form type first before viewing the form answers. Enter the form question to pre-populate upon form creation, and the value to set for the question. Under the Actions menu, you may clear this answer. 
  • Overwrite Values: 

    Toggle on to replace existing values.  Toggle off to only replace blank values on any update.  This is commonly set to ‘false’ to retain existing data and only add missing data. If updating a form, Overwrite Values must be set to ‘true’.

Create or Update Task

The Create or Update Task action generates a task or updates an existing task when the rule triggers are met. The “Create/Update Task” action will generate a Task whose External Identifier is the Rule Action’s GUID. This action may be paired with any trigger.

  • Action Type*: Select the type of action to perform. Select “Create Task” or “Update Task”.
  • Task Type*: Select the type of task to create.
  • Form Type: The type of form to include in the task. A link to the form will be embedded in the task. 
  • Task Assignees*: Enter the list of email addresses, contact identifiers, or form answers (that contain a contact as an answer) that will be assigned to the task (and that will receive task-related emails). Separate multiple recipients with a semicolon. You may append variables to create a dynamic recipients list.
  • Task Summary*: Enter the summary to use for the task and for the subject line of any related emails. You may append variables to make the subject dynamic.
    • The Answer variable will format dates as YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.
  • Task Description*: Enter the text to use for the task details and for the body of any related emails. You may append variables to make this information dynamic.
    • This field does not support bulleted lists.
    • The Answer variable will format dates as YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.
  • Task Priority*: Select the priority to set for the task.
  • Task Status*: Select the status to set for the task.
  • Due Date: Select the due date to set for the task. Leave blank for none. Use variables to make this date dynamic.
  • Start Date: Select the start date to set for the task. Leave blank for none. Use variables to make this date dynamic.
  • Close Date: Select the close date to set for the task. Leave blank for none. Use variables to make this date dynamic.
    • If updating a task to automatically set a close date, best practice is to set a close date equal to a date question within the form, rather than today’s date. This allows the task close date to reflect the date the work was completed.
  • Associated Assets: Enter the list of asset identifiers, or form answers (that contain an asset as an answer) that are associated with this task. Separate multiple assets with a semicolon. Leave blank for none. Use variables to make the associated assets dynamic.
  • Asset Attribute for Recurring Tasks: Select the asset date attribute that controls recurring tasks for this action. 
  • Email on New Task: Toggle on to send an email to the assignees when a new task is created by this rule.
  • Email on Task Updates: Toggle on to send an email to the assignees when an existing task is updated by this rule.
  • Overwrite Values: Toggle on to replace existing values. Toggle off to only replace blank values on any update. This is commonly set to ‘false’ to retain existing data and only add missing data.
    • If updating a task, Overwrite Values must be set to ‘true’.

Lock or Unlock Form

The Lock / Unlock Form action locks and unlocks  the workflow to control edits when the rule triggers are met. This action must be paired with a “Form Answer Comparison”, “Form Locked”, “Form Type Match”, or “Form Unlocked” trigger.

  • Action Type*: Select the type of action to perform. Select “Lock Form” or “Unlock Form”.

Lock or Unlock Telemetry

The Lock / Unlock Telemetry action locks and unlocks the telemetry records when the rule triggers are met. This action must be paired with a “Telemetry Aggregate” trigger. Do not use the ‘Date Grouping’ field when setting the Telemetry Aggregate trigger as this will group all returned records.

  • Action Type*: Select the type of action to perform. Select “Lock Telemetry” or “Unlock Telemetry”.

Send Email

The Send Email action sends an email when the rule triggers are met. This action may be paired with any trigger.

  • Action Type*: Select the type of action to perform. Select “Send Email”. 
  • Email Recipients*: Enter the list of email addresses, contact identifiers, or form answers (that contain a contact as an answer) that will receive the email. Separate multiple recipients with a semicolon (e.g., {FormAnswer:Form Question External Identifier}; email2@company.com). You may append variables to create a dynamic recipients list.
  • Email Subject*: Enter the subject to use for the email. You may append variables to make the subject dynamic.
  • Email Body: Enter the body to use for the email, message, or task. You may append variables to make the body dynamic.
  • Document Template: The document template to attach to the email.
  • Report: Select the report data to attach to the email as an XLSX file.
  • Parameters: Enter the report or document template parameters to use when retrieving the data.
    • When setting a value in a dropdown list, use the following format:
      SL#<<Selection List GUID>>#=<<GUID of item in selection list>>

    • For example: SL#ParticipantsList#=4c6081db-25b8-47ec-845f-08daf275ba74
  • Summary Email: Toggle on to send one summary email for the workflow regardless of how many items are returned. Toggle off to create one email for each item matched.

Send SMS

The Send SMS action sends an SMS message when the rule triggers are met. This action may be paired with any trigger. Messages are sent from the number (844) 542-3501. SMS messages may only be sent to phone numbers in the United States. Local carrier rates apply to delivered messages.

When setting up the workflow, please use the Validate button in the Triggers section to confirm the number of SMS messages that may be triggered by the workflow.

  • Action Type*: Select the type of action to perform. Select “Send SMS”. 
  • SMS Recipients*: Enter the list of phone numbers, contact identifiers, or form answers (that contain a contact as an answer) that will receive the SMS message.
    • Messages are only sent to “Mobile” numbers that are marked as “Use” at the contact record. Separate multiple recipients with a semicolon (e.g., {FormAnswer:Form Question External Identifier}; email2@company.com).
    • You may append variables to create a dynamic recipients list.
  • Message*: Enter the content of the SMS message. You may append variables to make the subject dynamic.
  • Summary Message: Toggle on to send one summary SMS message for the workflow regardless of how many items are returned. Toggle off to create one message for each item matched.

Set Asset Attribute

The Set Asset Attribute action sets the answer to an existing asset attribute type when the rule triggers are met. This action will set the attribute for each asset associated to the workflow where the attribute type exists. This action may be paired with an “Asset Attribute Comparison”, “Asset Property Comparison”, “Form Answer Comparison”, “Form Locked”, “Form Type Match”, “Form Unlocked”, “Telemetry Aggregate”, and “Telemetry Comparison” trigger.

  • Action Type*: Select the type of action to perform. Select “Set Asset Attribute”.
  • Asset Attribute*: Select the asset attribute type where the answer will be set.
  • Value*: Enter the value to set for the asset attribute type identified above. You may append variables to make the value dynamic.
    • If you use the {CurrentUser} variable to set an answer, the Data Type of the asset attribute type where the answer is being set needs to be a Dropdown List with the List specifying a Contact Selection List report. Otherwise, a 36-character GUID will display instead of the current user’s name.
    • The {EVALUATE:} function may be used in this field. See the Evaluate page for examples of how to use this function.

Set Asset Property

The Set Asset Attribute property sets the answer to an existing asset property when the rule triggers are met. This action will set the property for each asset associated to the workflow. This action must be paired with an “Asset Attribute Comparison” or “Asset Property Comparison” trigger.

  • Action Type*: Select the type of action to perform. Select “Set Asset Property”.
  • Property*: Select the asset property where the answer will be set.
  • Value*: Enter the value to set for the asset property identified above. You may append variables to make the value dynamic.
    • The {EVALUATE:} function may be used in this field. See the Evaluate page for examples of how to use this function.

Set Contact Attribute

The Set Contact Attribute action sets the answer to an existing contact attribute type when the rule triggers are met. This action will set the attribute for each contact associated to the workflow where the attribute type exists. This action may be paired with a “Contact Attribute Comparison”, “Contact Property Comparison”, “Form Answer Comparison”, “Form Locked”, “Form Type Match”, or “Form Unlocked” trigger.

  • Action Type*: Select the type of action to perform. Select “Set Contact Attribute”.
  • Contact Attribute*: Select the contact attribute type where the answer will be set.
  • Value*: Enter the value to set for the contact attribute type identified above. You may append variables to make the value dynamic.
    • If you use the {CurrentUser} variable to set an answer, the Data Type of the contact attribute type where the answer is being set needs to be a Dropdown List with the List specifying a Contact Selection List report. Otherwise, a 36-character GUID will display instead of the current user’s name.
    • The {EVALUATE:} function may be used in this field. See the Evaluate page for examples of how to use this function.

Set Form Answer

The Set Form Answer action sets the answer to an existing form question when the rule triggers are met. This action may be paired with a “Form Answer Comparison”, “Form Locked”, “Form Type Match”, or “Form Unlocked” trigger.

  • Action Type*: Select the type of action to perform. Select “Set Answer”. 
  • Form Question*: Select the question where the answer will be set.
  • Value*: Enter the value to set for the question identified above. You may append variables to make the value dynamic.
    • If you use the {CurrentUser} variable to set an answer, the Data Type of the question where the answer is being set needs to be a Dropdown List with the List specifying a Contact Selection List report. Otherwise, a 36-character GUID will display instead of the current user’s name.
    • The {EVALUATE:} function may be used in this field. See the Evaluate page for examples of how to use this function.
  • Overwrite Values: Toggle on to replace existing values. Toggle off to only replace blank values on an update. This is commonly set to false to retain existing data and only add missing data.

Set Task Attribute

The Set Task Attribute action sets the answer to an existing task attribute type when the rule triggers are met. This action will set the attribute for each task associated to the workflow where the attribute type exists. This action may be paired with an “Task Attribute Comparison” or “Task Property Comparison” trigger.

  • Action Type*: Select the type of action to perform. Select “Set Task Attribute”.
  • Task Attribute*: Select the task attribute type where the answer will be set.
    • If the trigger(s) apply to exactly one task type, this list will display only the attribute types of that task type; otherwise, this list will show all attribute types.
  • Value*: Enter the value to set for the task attribute type identified above. You may append variables to make the value dynamic.
    • If you use the {CurrentUser} variable to set an answer, the Data Type of the task attribute type where the answer is being set needs to be a Dropdown List with the List specifying a Contact Selection List report. Otherwise, a 36-character GUID will display instead of the current user’s name.
    • The {EVALUATE:} function may be used in this field. See the Evaluate page for examples of how to use this function.
  • Overwrite Values: Toggle on to replace existing values. Toggle off to only replace blank values on an update. This is commonly set to false to retain existing data and only add missing data.

Set Task Property

The Set Task Property action sets the value to an existing task property when the rule triggers are met. This action will set the property for each task associated to the workflow. This action may be paired with an “Task Attribute Comparison” or “Task Property Comparison” trigger.

  • Action Type*: Select the type of action to perform. Select “Set Task Property”.
  • Task Property*: Select the task property where the value will be set.
    • If the trigger(s) apply to exactly one task type, this list will display only the properties of that task type; otherwise, this list will show all properties.
  • Value*: Enter the value to set for the task property identified above. You may append variables to make the value dynamic.
    • The {EVALUATE:} function may be used in this field. See the Evaluate page for examples of how to use this function.
  • Overwrite Values: Toggle on to replace existing values. Toggle off to only replace blank values on an update. This is commonly set to false to retain existing data and only add missing data.

Set Telemetry

The Set Telemetry action sets telemetry values at the associated asset when the rule triggers are met. This action will set telemetry for each asset associated to the workflow. This action may be paired with an “Asset Attribute Comparison”, “Asset Property Comparison”, “Form Answer Comparison”, “Form Locked”, “Form Type Match”, “Form Unlocked”, “Telemetry Aggregate”, and “Telemetry Comparison” trigger.

  • Action Type*: Select the type of action to perform. Select “Set Telemetry”.
  • Telemetry Type*: Select the telemetry type to use for the telemetry.
  • Unit of Measure*: Select the unit of measure to use for the telemetry.
  • Telemetry Tag: Enter the asset’s telemetry tag identifier to use for the telemetry.
  • Active Date*: Select the active date to use for the telemetry.
  • Inactive Date: Select the inactive date to use for the telemetry.
  • Time Zone: The time zone of the Active and Inactive dates.
    • NOTE: Existing telemetry data is typically stored in UTC, so if any “Triggering Date” variable is used for the Set Telemetry Active/Inactive Dates, the Time Zone should typically be set to UTC. “Triggering Date” variables include: {TriggeringActiveDate}, {TriggeringInactiveDate}, {TriggeringGroupActiveDate}, {TriggeringGroupInactiveDate}, {TriggeringMaxActiveDate}, {TriggeringMaxInactiveDate}, {TriggeringMinActiveDate}, {TriggeringMinInactiveDate}
  • Numeric Value: Enter the numeric value to use for the telemetry.
  • Text Value: Enter the text value to use for the telemetry.
  • Estimated: Toggle on to indicate the telemetry is estimated.
  • Invalid: Toggle on to indicate the telemetry is invalid.
  • Locked: Toggle on to indicate the telemetry is locked.
  • Collected Date: Select the collection date to use for the telemetry. If no date is set, the collected date will default to the date the form was submitted.
  • Comments: Enter the comments to use for the telemetry.

Manage actions

Once actions have been created, manage these records to maintain accurate information. 

  1. Locate the action record.
  2. To the right of each record, under the Actions menu, you may:
    • Edit the action.
    • Delete the action.
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