Workflow management

The Workflow and Business Logic > [Module] > [Object Class] > Workflow sections of the Sidebar allow you to organize full lifecycle of Alloy Navigator objects.

Each Workflow section consists of the following subsections:

• Actions

• Triggers

• Components

NOTE: For additional information on workflow management, see Administration Guide: Workflow Management.

Actions

Actions are workflow steps that Alloy Navigator users (persons or services) perform when handling their tasks. Actions consist of Interactive Actions and Service Actions.

• Interactive Actions are initiated by the user. Technicians access interactive Actions through the user interface. There are two types of interactive Actions:

• Create Actions - These Actions are used to define how new objects are created. Every object must have at least one Create Action to allow creation, but you may have several to create different types of objects.

Technicians access interactive Create Actions through the New menu on the Module menu (above grids or in open object details windows) or from the File menu on the standard menu (File > New).

You manage Create Actions for a particular object class in the Workflow and Business Logic > [Module] > [Object Class] > Workflow > Actions > Create Actions section as follows:

• To add a new Create Action:

  1. Click New. The Create Action [ID] window opens.

  TIP: If you want to base the new Action on an existing one, select the source Action and click Copy Item.

  2. Configure the Action. For instructions, see Configuring Create Actions.

  3. Click OK.

• To modify an existing Create Action:

  1. Double-click the Action to modify.

  2. Modify the Action. For details, see Configuring Create Actions.

  3. When done, click OK.

• To change the display order of Create Actions:

  1. Click Display Settings. The Display Order window opens.

  2. Drag each Action to the desired position. The user will see the Actions in the order that they appear in the list. For details, see Changing the display order of Actions.

  3. Click OK when done.

• To enable or disable a Create Action:

  • Right-click an Action in the list and choose Enable or Disable from the pop-up menu.

• To delete a Create Action:

  • Select the action in the list and click Delete.

• Step Actions - These Actions are used when working with an already created object for the purpose of performing tasks. Step Actions may be used to further an object's lifecycle or to perform general actions such as adding notes.

Technicians access interactive Step Actions through the Actions menu on the Module menu (above grids or in open object details windows) or in the context pop-up menu on grids, or through the Action Bar (the Action Bar shows all Actions available to technicians according to technicians' roles and the lifecycle of the record they are working with) in open object details windows. In the Web App, technicians can also access interactive Step Actions by clicking the Actions menu icon in the leftmost column of the grid.

You manage Step Actions for a particular object class in the Workflow and Business Logic > [Module] > [Object Class] > Workflow > Actions > Step Actions section as follows:

• To add a new Step:

  1. Click New. The Step [ID] window opens.

  TIP: If you want to base the new Step on an existing one, select the source Step and click Copy Item.

  2. Configure the Step. For instructions, see Configuring Steps.

  3. Click OK.

• To modify an existing Step:

  1. Double-click the Step to modify.

  2. Modify the Step. For details, see Configuring Steps.

  3. When done, click OK.

• To change the display order of Steps:

  1. Click Display Order. The Display Order window opens.

  2. Drag each Step to the desired position. The user will see the Steps in the order that they appear in the list. For details, see Changing the display order of Actions.

  3. If you want to organize Steps in a group, select the Step before which you want to add a separator, click New Group, type in a caption for the group, and click OK.

  4. Click OK when done.

• To enable or disable a Step:

  • Right-click a Step in the list and choose Enable or Disable from the pop-up menu.

• To delete a Step:

  • Select the Step in the list and click Delete.

NOTE: Alternatively, you can create and modify Create Actions and Steps assigned to a specific Process in the Workflow and Business Logic > Advanced > Processes > [Process] section. For details, see Grouping Actions and Triggers into Processes.

• Service Actions are non-interactive workflow steps initiated by Alloy Navigator services (the Mail Connector, Alloy Discovery Connector, Active Directory Import tool, and the Self Service Portal) . There are two types of Service Actions:

• Create Service Actions - These Actions are used to define how the service creates new objects. Create Service Actions are only available for certain object classes: Incidents, Problems, Change Requests, Work Orders, Computers, Hardware, Organizations, Locations, and Persons.

You manage Create Service Actions for a particular object class in the Workflow and Business Logic > [Module] > [Object Class] > Workflow > Actions > Service Actions section as follows:

• To add a new Create Service Action:

  1. Click New > Create Action for [Service].The Create Action for [Service] [ID] window opens.

  TIP: If you want to base the new Service Action on an existing one, select the source Service Action and click Copy Item.

  2. Configure the Service Action. See Configuring Service Actions for details.

  3. Click OK.

• To modify an existing Create Service Action:

  1. Select the Service Action in the list and click Open (or double-click it).

  2. Modify the Action. For details, see Configuring Service Actions.

  3. When done, click OK.

• To enable or disable a Create Service Action:

  • Right-click a Service Action in the list and choose Enable or Disable from the pop-up menu.

• To delete a Create Service Action:

  • Select the Action in the list and click Delete.

• Update Service Actions - These Actions are used to define how the service modifies already created objects. You configure Service Actions for a particular object class in the Workflow and Business Logic > [Module] > [Object Class] > Workflow > Actions > Service Actions section. Update Service Actions are only available for certain object classes: Incidents, Problems, Change Requests, Work Orders, Computers, Hardware, and Persons.

You manage Update Service Actions for a particular object class in the Workflow and Business Logic > [Module] > [Object Class] > Workflow > Actions > Service Actions section as follows:

• To add a new Update Service Action:

  1. Click New > Update Action for [Service]. The Update Action for [Service] [ID] window opens.

  TIP: If you want to base the new Update Service Action on an existing one, select the source Action and click Copy Item.

  2. Configure the Service Action. See Configuring Service Actions for details.

  3. Click OK.

• To modify an existing Update Service Action:

  1. Select the Service Action on the list and click Open (or double-click it).

  2. Modify the Action. For details, see Configuring Service Actions.

  3. When done, click OK.

• To enable or disable an Update Service Action:

  • Right-click a Service Action in the list and choose Enable or Disable from the pop-up menu.

• To delete an Update Service Action:

  • Select the Action in the list and click Delete.

Triggers

Triggers are non-interactive workflow items based on a condition or an event such as record creation, modification, or deletion. As opposed to Actions, Triggers are not dependent on the object's lifecycle stage or the particular workflow step.

There are three types of Triggers:

• On Condition - These Triggers will fire when existing objects satisfy a specified condition. Alloy Navigator checks this condition at specific times. You may set a schedule to determine when or how often the condition is checked or configure Alloy Navigator to check the condition whenever an object is created or modified. These Triggers do not run on inactive objects, i.e. objects in "Closed," "Retired," or "Inactive" status.

• On Created/Modified - These Triggers react to an object creation or modification. Unlike "On Condition" Triggers that check their condition after the object has been saved, "On Created/Modified" Triggers fire before the new data is saved into the database.

• On Delete - These Triggers react to the event of an object's deletion.

You manage Triggers for a particular object class in the Workflow and Business Logic > [Module] > [Object Class] > Workflow > Triggers > [Type] section as follows:

• To add a new Trigger:

  1. Click New. The Trigger [Type] [ID] window opens.

  TIP: If you want to base the new Trigger on an existing one, select the source Trigger and click Copy Item.

  2. Configure the Trigger. For details, see Configuring Triggers.

  3. Click OK.

• To modify an existing Trigger:

  1. Select the Trigger in the list and click Open (or double-click it).

  2. Modify the Trigger. For details, see Configuring Triggers.

  3. When done, click OK.

• To change the execution order of Triggers:

  1. Click Order. The Execution Order window opens.

  2. Select each Trigger you want to move and use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to order the Triggers as you need. Or, you can just drag Triggers to the desired positions.

  Triggers will run in the order that they appear in the list. For details, see Changing the execution order of Triggers.

  3. Click OK when done.

• To delete a Trigger:

  • Select the Trigger in the list and click Delete.

NOTE: Alternatively, you can create and modify Triggers assigned to a specific Process in the Workflow and Business Logic > Advanced > Processes > [Process] section. For details, see Grouping Actions and Triggers into Processes.

Components

• Workflow components - Just as there are several unique types of workflow items in Alloy Navigator, there are also four types of workflow components, which are the building blocks of workflow items:

• Templates - Templates are used in Create Actions for assigning initial values to fields of newly created objects. Additionally, you can use Templates in Create Object operations within Functions.

You manage Templates for a particular object class in the Workflow and Business Logic > [Module] > [Object Class] > Workflow > Components > Templates section as follows:

• To add a new Template:

  1. Click New. The Template [TemplateName] window opens.

  TIP: If you want to base the new Template on an existing one, select the source Template and click Copy Item.

  2. Configure the Template. For details, see Configuring Templates.

  3. Click OK.

• To modify an existing Template:

  1. Select the Template in the list and click Open (or double-click it).

  2. Modify the Template. For details, see Configuring Templates.

  3. When done, click OK.

• To delete a Template:

  • Select the Template in the list and click Delete.

• Forms - Forms are used in interactive Create Actions and Step Actions for requesting user input through customizable pop-up dialog boxes or wizards. You design Forms to request only the information needed for a specific situation. Additionally, Forms allow you to specify suggested values for important fields, filter field values, provide instructions, and validate user's input.

You manage Forms for a particular object class in the Workflow and Business Logic > [Module] > [Object Class] > Workflow > Components > Forms section as follows:

• To add a new Form:

  1. Click New. The Action Form [FormName] window opens.

  TIP: If you want to base the new Form on an existing one, select the source Form and click Copy Item.

  2. Configure the Form. For details, see Configuring Forms.

  3. When done, click OK.

• To modify an existing Form:

  1. Select the Form in the list and click Open (or double-click it).

  2. Modify the Form. For details, see Configuring Forms.

  3. When done, click OK.

• To delete a Form:

  • Select the Form in the list and click Delete.

• Functions - Functions be invoked by Actions, Triggers, and other Functions to perform various operations (for details, see Adding workflow operations).

You manage Functions for a particular object class in the Workflow and Business Logic > [Module] > [Object Class] > Workflow > Components > Forms section as follows:

• To add a new Function:

  1. Click New. The Function [FunctionName] window opens.

  TIP: If you want to base the new Function on an existing one, select the source Function and click Copy Item.

  2. Configure the Function. For details, see Configuring Functions.

  3. When done, click OK.

• To modify an existing Function:

  1. Select the Function in the list and click Open (or double-click it).

  2. Modify the Function. For details, see Configuring Functions.

  3. When done, click OK.

• To delete a Function:

  • Select the Function in the list and click Delete.

• E-mail Notifications - E-mail Notifications are used to communicate workflow-related events to the people involved in the business process. You can define notification templates and use E-mail Notifications as operations in Actions, Triggers, and Functions.

You manage E-mail Notifications for a particular object class in the Workflow and Business Logic > [Module] > [Object Class] > Workflow > Components > E-mail Notifications section as follows:

• To add a new E-mail Notification:

  1. Click New. The E-mail Notification window opens.

  TIP: If you want to base the new Notification on an existing one, select the source Notification and click Copy Item.

  2. Configure the E-mail Notification. For details, see Configuring E-mail Notifications.

  3. Click OK.

• To modify an existing E-mail Notification:

  1. Select the E-mail Notification in the list and click Open (or double-click it).

  2. Modify the Notification. For details, see Configuring E-mail Notifications.

  3. When done, click OK.

• To delete an E-mail Notification:

  • Select the E-mail Notification in the list and click Delete.

Depending on the type, each workflow item requires various combinations of workflow components. You can configure these components separately and link to them in workflow items.

• Push Notifications - Push Notifications are workflow operations used to communicate workflow-related events to the participants of the business process. Push notifications appear as text messages on technician's mobile device to alert them about important events, such as ticket escalations or announcements. For details, see Configuring Push Notification.

You manage Push Notifications for a particular object class in the Workflow and Business Logic > [Module] > [Object Class] > Workflow > Components > Push Notifications section as follows:

• To customize a Push Notification:

  1. Select the E-mail Notification in the list and click Open (or double-click it).

  2. Modify the Notification. For details, see Configuring Push Notification.

  3. When done, click OK.

Related Information:

Configuring workflow items

Configuring Triggers

Configuring workflow components

Specifying workflow operations