About Flows

Overview

In Decisions, a Flow is the visual representation of logic that executes an entire process. Processes executed by Flows may include things such as:

• Presenting an interactive Form to an End-User
• Running data against Rule evaluations
• Compiling Extensive Reports 
• Performing functions for third-party integrations
• And many more...

Flows are created within the Decisions Studio via the Flow Designer. The Flow Designer provides users with a large library of elements known as Steps, referred to as the Toolbox.

Steps are the individual building blocks of a Flow; they can be connected sequentially to perform a process from start to end. Flow steps are a visual representation of the functions that occur in the back-end code. Steps contain Properties that provide the configuration options the step can use to operate; this reduces the need to write these functions into the code. Almost all Steps result in an outcome that continues the Flow, and most Output some type of data. Outcomes in a Flow are represented as paths (lines with arrows) that connect Steps together.

Flow Designer

Decisions version 7 introduces some new interface changes to the Flow Designer from version 6. Upon the initial launch of the Flow Designer, a green and red pinpoint icon will appear to represent the Start and End steps of the Flow. Any steps in the catalog to the left can be added to the workspace, then the arrows from the outcome paths can be used to connect. The properties for a step will populate when the step icon is selected; this panel will list the configuration settings for that step. In the screenshot below, this Flow is configured to send an email when executed. For more information about the Flow Designer, please visit see [Flow Designer Overview].

Steps

Between the Start and End steps, Flows can be built with unlimited size and complexity. Flow operations can be compartmentalized and referenced as Sub Flows, similar to a parent-child relationship. The main Flow can be configured to perform a specific operation. Still, at some point, it can reference the Sub Flow to perform a general core operation before returning data to the main Flow and completing the process.

The screenshot below shows an example Flow with several steps moving and processing data. This Flow will fetch a list of entities. If results are found, it will loop through each entity and find a specific property of that entity, then add it to a list. Once that is complete for each item fetched, a tracking state is triggered for reporting on where the data is in this overall process, then the Flow reaches the end.

Flow Data

Flow Data is the information being managed or accessed by a Flow. Flow Data is generated by every step, which can be accessed downstream from the Flow. Steps generate data in a Flow, but the step also requires data from the Flow to execute. Some steps that consume data include a Rule step, a Send Email step, or a step that retrieves data from an Excel file. These steps produce a specific outcome for the Flow to execute and complete.

Data can also be provided as input to a Flow. A Flow that starts with an end-user taking action on a Form will often have no data as inputs. Flows triggered by service calls or used as Sub Flows often have data as inputs and outputs. This data can be configured on the Start step or on the base Flow properties by clicking into the blank space. The same data can be set up on the outputs of the End step so that data can be passed out of the Flow.

Certain Flow Data is always available when creating a Flow, like pulling in the current or initiating the user account email address. These properties can be mapped to define step inputs as well.

• Refers to all data managed or accessed in a Flow
• All steps can create data that is usable downstream
• Steps may require data to execute
• System-wide constants are available