When referring to a workflow, there are actually two types that you can select. The actual workflow displays when you select All Workflows in the List View and also displays when you select the Form View. In addition, when workflow is in progress, there is an assignment record for each person assigned to the step in the workflow. The table you select in the Select Fields dialog box changes based on the alert type.
The Workflow Steps tab of Workflow Type Configuration provides an easy way to see the steps required for workflow approval and the step actions to be performed during the step. When rows are added to these grids, user-initiated and scheduled alerts are generated. You can view these alerts that were created, but you cannot change them.
The user-initiated alerts can be viewed by selecting Administration » Alerts » User-Initiated Alerts. User-initiated alerts act on the workflow itself and not the assignment. Therefore, to view the alert, select Area = <workflow type>.
For each type there are at least two sets of user-initiated alerts created when a step is added to the workflow:
The first is titled Step setup and it adds the step number, step start date, and so on to the workflow record. In addition, this step creates an assignment record for each person assigned to the workflow and puts the due date for the step on the assignment record.
The second alert performs these notifications:
Notify when the step starts
Notify when the step ends
Notify on rejection
Notify on approval
Notify on suspension
Originator notification
Since these notification are performed on the workflow, the tables that are available for the addition of fields are:
Project
Control account
Workflow
To provide more information in notifications, fields are inserted into the body or subject of an email or dashboard to display information from the workflow in the notification. Fields such as the title, the due date, and so on are used to provide information in the notification so the user gains better context without having to access PM Compass.
The scheduled alerts created by the insertion of step actions on the Workflow Steps tab can be viewed by selecting Administration » Alerts » Scheduled Alerts. Scheduled alerts act on the assignment record that is generated.
Scheduled alerts do not work off the workflow. They are based on the assignment record. Therefore, to view the scheduled alerts created by the step actions on the Workflow Steps tab, select Area = Assignment. The description for each scheduled alert indicates the step, the notification type, and the workflow type.
These alerts are scheduled to occur at a certain time of the day and then process all assignment records looking for the conditions defined in this view to be met.
The following notifications are scheduled alerts:
Reminder notices
Past due notifications
Management Escalation
Since these notifications work off the assignment record, they include the following tables in the Select Fields dialog box:
Project
Control account
Workflow
Parent
Reminder notifications are telling the assignee when their assignment is due. The default reminder notification uses the table Workflow field: due date to tell the assignee the due date of their assignment. The default notification for management escalation has both the assignment date (table Workflow field: due date) and the workflow due date (table Parent, field: due date). This gives the manager a better sense of the “drop dead” date.
In summary, when the workflow notification is a scheduled notification:
Select the table Workflow for the assignee’s due date.
Select the table Parent for the workflow due date.