Automate Workflows with Chains

To automate workflows in the Workiva platform and across other data sources, workspace owners can create and manage linear sequences of tasks as chains. For example, you can create a chain to automatically refresh financial information from a data source in a table, and then push that data to another data source to generate a report. To view and manage your chains, click Chains .

Build a Chain

To set up an automated workflow as a chain, define its steps—or nodes—and when it should run. To ease reuse, you can create variables to use within the chain or at runtime.

Step 1: Add the Chain and Set Up Its Details

1

From Chains , click Build  device_hub and Create Chain  add.

2

Under Setup, enter a unique name and description to help identify the chain and its intent.

3

To enable the chain to run multiple times simultaneously, such as with different runtime inputs for each instance, select Allow concurrent runs.

4

To prevent the chain from being run, such as to postpone its usage, select Disable execution.

5

Define any shared or dynamic values used in the chain:

• Under Variables  code, define values that appear in multiple commands and many change frequently.
• Under Dynamic Variables  code, define values to set when the chain starts to run or during its execution, such as based on the outputs of earlier commands.

6

To automatically run the chain on regular intervals or during a specific date range, under Schedules  alarm, specify when and how often it should start.

7

Click Save.

Step 2: Define the Nodes of the Chain

When you build a chain, you include and link its multiple nodes:

• Commands, or the tasks executed by the chain to interact with the Workiva platform or another data source.
• Chain Events that occur within the chain, such as to enable an approval workflow or manual upload of files.
• Trigger Events, such as runtime inputs to set variables—such as to specific accounts, regions, or time periods—when you execute the chain, or to automatically start the chain based on changes in other data sources.

When you add a node, move it to where it occurs in the chain, and link it to its next and previous steps.

• To add the first node of the chain, move it to Start.
• To add a node as the start of a new branch of a logic tree, link the previous step in the chain to the first node of the multiple branches.
• To run commands in parallel with each other or together as part of a serial process, move them on top of each other to create a command group as the step.

After you define the nodes of the chain, click Publish to enable it to run.

Copy a Chain as a Starting Point

To create a chain similar to another chain in the workspace, you can use a copy as a starting point.

1

From Chains , click Build  device_hub, and select Chains.

2

From the existing chain's menu, select Copy   file_copy .

3

For the new copy, click Edit  create, and update its nodes or properties as necessary.

Promote a Chain to a Different Environment

As part of your development lifecycle, you may build chains in an environment separate from where collaborators run them. For example, you may create chains in a DEV environment until they're ready for use in a PROD environment. To move a chain from one environment to another, you can promote it.

1

From Chains , click Build  device_hub, and select Chains.

2

From the chain's menu, select Promote  trending_up.

3

Select the environment to promote the chain to, and click Next.

4

For each connection in the chain, choose the connection to use in the new environment, and click Next.

5

Review the connection mapping, and click Promote.

Edit a Chain

To update the steps or properties of a chain:

1

From Chains , click Build  device_hub, and select Chains.

2

For the chain, click Edit  create, and update its commands and events as necessary.

3

To update the chain's properties, click Chain Settings, and adjust its schedules, variables, and notifications as necessary.

Run a Chain

After you publish a chain, you can run it manually or automatically:

• To manually run a chain, select it in your workspace, and then click Execute flight_takeoff and Run Chain.
• To have a chain run automatically, set its schedule.

For details about a chain's runs from Chains , click Build device_hub, and select Versions assignment_return from the chain's menu.

To view a history of all chains in the workspace, from Chains , click Monitor flight_takeoff, and select the status of the runs to view. For information about a specific run, such as to determine at which step the chain had an error, select the run.

To then view a history of the chain's runs, click All History; to view the chain itself, click Back to Execute.

Analyze Chain Usage

To track and analyze the usage and success of your chains, from Chains , click Home home, and select the period of time to analyze.

From Home, you can monitor:

• Chain Results, for how many chains succeeded, failed, or resulted in a warning during the set time period.
• Activity Feed, for an audit log of updates to chains during the set time period, including who makes the change and when.
• Command Stats, to track how many commands run during the set time period.

To update a metric with the latest activity, click Refresh refresh.