Workflow Configuration Overview
You use workflows to specify conditions in Info Center applications for which you want to be alerted. With Workflows, you can automate the process of being alerted each time that a given event takes place.
There are different kinds of workflows:
- User initiated workflows are triggered when a user adds, changes, or deletes a record or a portion of a record.
- Scheduled workflows are database queries that run at regular intervals via the process server. They are triggered when user-defined conditions are met.
- Web services are created by your organization and triggered when a user saves, approves, or routes a record.
You can create workflows for both standard and user-defined fields and grids.
Workflows and Info Centers
To create actions, workflows use the tables in Info Centers, such as the following:
- Project/Client Association (PRClientAssoc)
- Employee Resume (EMResume)
- Marketing Campaign Leads (MktCampaignLeads)
When you create a workflow, you determine whether you want it to apply to the entire application record or to only a part of the record. For example, you can create a workflow alert that is generated when a project association is added to a Project Info Center record.
Workflow and Multiple Languages
If your firm uses multiple languages in Vision, a Languages lookup displays on the Actions grid. This lookup displays the languages that the system administrator has enabled in Module Activation. Use this lookup to select the language for this workflow; only employees with the same language receive the message. If the field is blank, all employees receive the message.
For example, if an email alert is set up for English US and English UK, then only employees who have English US or English UK as the Language field in the Employee Info Center receive that message. The administrator must set up a separate alert rule for Spanish-speaking employees if they should receive a message in Spanish.
The Language field displays <languages selected> if any languages are selected.
Workflows and Multicompany
If your firm uses the Multicompany feature, the scheduled and user-initiated workflows include field options and operators that provide access to all companies, including the home company. See the Concepts section of the online help for more information.
Additional Advanced Documentation for Workflows
Below is a list of additional documentation available from the Customer Care Connect site. The actions that these documents describe require knowledge of Web servers and/or the development of a Microsoft .NET assembly. If you do not have development experience, please contact Deltek Customer Care.
- Extending Data-Validation Business Logic for Timesheets
- Extending Data-Validation Business Logic for Expense Reports
- Invoking a Web Service to Process Workflow Actions
- Invoking a Custom Method to Process Workflow Actions
- Test Client Application for Vision Web APIs / Web Services
Related Topics
- User Initiated Workflow Overview
When you set up user initiated workflows, you specify conditions so that certain Vision events automatically trigger related actions, such as sending an alert or running a process. The events that you specify may occur in the Info Center or in other applications. - Scheduled Workflow Overview
Scheduled workflows allow you to create queries that run at regular intervals via the process server. If an event occurs that meets the conditions you specify, Vision performs an action such as sending an email alert, changing the value of a column, or initiating an activity. - Approval Workflows Configuration Overview
Use Approval Workflows Configuration to set up and configure approval workflows that allow you to use an approval process for Purchasing and Inventory applications, accounts payable vendor invoices, and employee absence requests. - Web Services Workflow Overview
Vision's open architecture supports the ability to create interfaces between applications. These interfaces, also called "Web Services," offer the flexibility to automate processes, either as standard Vision-supported extensions or through the creation of custom applications that plug into Vision. You can also create workflows based on Web services. - Workflow Actions Overview
Workflow actions occur when all the conditions of an event take place. The actions that are available for user initiated and scheduled workflows are identical with this exception: scheduled workflows cannot use the Validate Error or Validate Warning actions.