With auto-start workflows, you can configure Vault to initiate a workflow within an entry action or event action. This configuration supports process automation in a variety of different use cases.
Example Usage
When a Product record enters the In Approval state, a configured workflow could notify a set of users, update Approval Start Date on the record, and open a task for the record owner to acknowledge the change.
Eligible Workflows
You can find general instructions for workflow setup in Configuring Object Workflows. An object workflow must meet these criteria to be eligible for auto-start:
- Allow auto-start from entry action and event action setting (within Workflow Details) must be selected.
- Use workflow for single object record setting (within Workflow Details) must be selected.
- Participant control must use the Use roles as participants or Use custom action to define participants setting.
- Start step cannot include controls for Instructions, Date, Prompt for Fields, or Variable.
- Workflow cannot include notifications assigned to Workflow Owner.
- Workflow cannot include tasks assigned to Workflow Owner.
Note: If you enable the Allow auto-start from entry action and event action setting before configuring any steps, Vault will filter the steps and settings to only show valid options. If the workflow includes steps or settings that make it ineligible for auto-start, Vault will not allow you to save the workflow with the auto-start option selected.
Defining the Entry Action or Event Action
You can find general instructions for creating entry actions in Configuring Object Lifecycles, and details on event actions in Defining Event Actions.
The Start Workflow entry and event action requires that you select a workflow. Only workflows that are eligible appear in the list.
Workflow Errors
If an error prevents Vault from starting the configured workflow when the object record changes lifecycle states, Vault will roll back the record state change.
For example, when a Product record moves into In Approval state, an entry action begins the Approval workflow. That workflow configuration would assign the first task to the user in the object record’s Approver role. When a user initiates the state change to In Approval on the product WonderWidget, Vault fails to start the workflow because there is no user in the Approver role and the first task cannot be assigned. Because the workflow failed to start, the WonderWidget product would not move into In Approval state but would stay in its current state.
In addition, if a canceled workflow moves a record to a state with a Start Workflow entry action, Vaul does not start the workflow. Start Workflow entry actions will not execute if the previous workflow was canceled.