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Creating Workflow Rule Actions

You can create multiple actions for a workflow rule, up to a maximum of 25 actions for each rule.

NOTE: If you specify more than one action for a workflow rule, the actions are performed in the order specified on the workflow rule, starting with the action numbered 1. Each action is completed before the next action starts. After you have created the workflow rule actions, you can change the order of the actions. For more information, see Changing the Order of Workflow Rule Actions.

When creating workflow rule actions, you use the Siebel Query Language Expression Builder to select fields from records and to define expressions to calculate variables. You can merge the record fields and variables into the Subject and Message body text of an email, the Subject and Description text of a task, or the new value for a field that is to be updated. For more information about Expression Builder, see Creating Expressions with Expression Builder.

Field names in expressions in the Subject and Description fields on tasks, and in the Subject and Message Body fields on emails, are designated by %%%[<FieldName>]%%%. For example, the specification for the text of an email could include the following:

Hello Mr %%%[<ContactLastName>]%%%,

This is similar to the syntax used in Web Links. For more information about Web Links, see Setting Up Web Links.

If the same expression is used in places other than tasks and email, the expression is specified as "Hi Mr."+[<fieldName>].

Field names are replaced by field values when the workflow rules are implemented.

Before you begin. To perform the procedures described in this topic, you must have the Manage Workflow Rules privilege in your user role. For information on adding privileges to roles, see Adding Roles.

To create a workflow rule action

  1. Navigate to the rule where you want to create the action:
    1. In the upper-right corner of any page, click the Admin global link.
    2. In the Business Process Management section, click the Administer Workflow Rules link.
    3. On the Workflow Rules List page, find the rule where you want to create the action.

      For information about searching for workflow rules in the list page, see Filtering Lists.

  2. Click the Workflow Name link on the rule.
  3. In the Actions title bar on the Workflow Rule Detail page, click the Menu button, and select the type of action that is to be performed.

    The trigger event on the workflow rule determines what types of actions can be created on the rule.

  4. In the Key Action Details section of the Workflow Action Edit page, enter a name for the action. If you want to enable the action, select the Active check box.
  5. Depending on the action type, complete the details of the action as follows, and then save the rule:
    • For Create Email Notification actions, fill in the fields described in the following table.

      NOTE: The address that appears in the From field in emails sent by workflow rules is a system default. You cannot change this address.

      Field

      Description

      To

      Select or enter the mail recipient:

      • Select the type of recipient (Related User on Record or Specific User), and then select the recipient:
        • If you select Related User on Record, select the recipient from the drop-down list.
        • If you select Specific User, click the Lookup icon, and select the user.
      • Alternatively, select the Valid Email Address option, and enter an email address.

      Subject

      Enter the subject line for the email, or click the fx icon beside the field, and use the Expression Builder to define the subject line for the email. Using the Expression Builder, you can embed individual expressions into the text. The embedded expressions are surrounded by '%%%'. You can use the Check Syntax button in the Expression Builder to test your syntax.

      If you are entering only static text, you do not need to use the Expression Builder.

      Message Body

      Enter the message for the email, or click the fx icon beside the field, and use the Expression Builder, as described for the Subject field.

    • For Create Task actions, fill in the fields described in the following table.

      Field

      Description

      Owner

      Select the type of owner for the task (Related User on Record or Specific User), and then select the owner:

      • If you select Related User on Record, select the user from the drop-down list.
      • If you select Specific User, click the Lookup icon, and select the task owner.

      Type

      Select the activity type from the drop-down list.

      Due Date

      Specify the due date by entering a numeric value. The due date is calculated by adding this value to the date that the task is created.

      Priority

      Select the activity priority from the drop-down list.

      Status

      Select the activity status from the drop-down list.

      Task Currency

      Select a currency.

      Private

      Select this check box if you want the task to be visible only to the task owner.

      Subject

      Enter the subject line for the task or click the fx icon beside the field and use the Expression Builder to define the subject for the task. Using the Expression Builder, you can embed individual expressions into the text. The embedded expressions will be surrounded by '%%%'. You can use the Check Syntax button in the Expression Builder to test your syntax.

      If you are entering only static text, you do not need to use the Expression Builder.

      Description

      Enter the description of the task or click the fx icon beside the field and use the Expression Builder, as described for the Subject field.

    • For Create Integration Event actions, save the workflow action, then click the Configure link beside the action name on the Workflow Rule Detail page. In the Field Tracking page, select the Track Changes check box for each field that you want to track. For more information on integration events, see About Integration Events.
    • For Assign a Book actions, click the selector button beside the Book Name field then, in the Book lookup, choose the book to which you want to assign records. Select the Assignment Option and the Apply To option. For a description of the options, see Assigning Records to Books.
    • For Update Values actions, fill in the fields described in the following table.

      Field

      Description

      Field Name

      Select the name of the field that is to be updated from the drop-down list.

      Value

      Click the fx icon beside the field, and define the expression that calculates the new value for the field. You can use the Check Syntax button in the Expression Builder to test your syntax.

      If you define an expression to calculate a field, such as a custom Margin field, where:

      Margin = Revenue - Cost

      the field value is calculated each time the workflow rule is triggered, even if the Revenue or the Cost has not changed. For better performance, you can define an additional condition on the workflow rule, such as:

      FieldValue('<Revenue>') <> PRE('<Revenue>') OR FieldValue('<Cost>') <> PRE('<Cost>')

      The PRE function returns the value that was in the field before the field was updated.

      Overwrite Existing Values

      Select this check box if the existing value in the field is to be overwritten with the new value.

      If the field already contains a value, the value will not be updated unless this check box is selected.

      If the field is blank, the field is updated with the new value, even if this check box is not selected.

Related Information

See the following topics for related workflow information:


Published May 2008