Automations
Automations provide a convenient way for users to set up automatic actions in their system without having to use SQL code to build rules in order to control and manage data. Automations are a combination of a trigger and a filter-action where the trigger initiates the automation and the filter-action determines what happens.
More complicated automations include multiple triggers and/or filter-actions ordered to occur in a specific sequence. Read on to understand more about what automations can do for your system and how to set them up.
Triggers can be:
field updates
creation of new trackors
relational updates
Workplan task updates
scheduled to run at a specified time.
Popular Filter-Actions include:
error messages
lock/unlock fields
field value updates
color changes
task updates including dates, NA’s, and BlockCalcs.
For Automation Ideas, see Automation Examples and Formulas
On this page:
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An Automation Example
To give you a better idea of how an automation works, here’s a basic automation example. On the Project Trackor Browser page, an organization tracks data for projects. With so much data to track, it makes sense to look for places where updates to fields can be set to happen automatically with an automation rather than the user taking time to manually complete each and every field. Or an organization may want to be sure that data is entered by the system into a read-only field so that human error will not affect the data.
In this example, we have an automation that automatically records who updated a project status field and when they updated it. The screenshot below shows the three fields involved in the automation including a status, set by, and date field. Specifically for this example, when a user updates the Project Master Status field, the Project Master Status Set By field records the user name and the Project Status Change Date records the current date.
In this automation example, the
Trigger is the Project Master Status update.
Filter-Action is the automatic update of the Project Master Status Set By & Project Status Change Date fields.
Here you can see the benefit of setting up an automation to automatically perform tasks. Automations save time and reduce errors too!
Before creating an automation, carefully analyze the triggers and actions needed to accomplish the desired functionality. Automating solutions involving parent/child relationships or other complicated processes may require a rule to be created rather than an automation. In this case, contact your OneVizion® Delivery Manager for assistance.
Viewing Automations
To see the list of automations available in your system, access the Automation page in the Application Process Management Menu in the Dev Center. Users with permissions can view, modify, add, delete, clone, or export automations from this page.
Investigating Automations
You can track where and how a particular element is used in Automations by viewing the Automations tab where you see it in the system. To access the Automations tab for a field, access the Context Menu for the field (right click a cell in the grid or left click the field name in a form) and click Field Info. There you will see the Automations tab.
In the example below, the Automations tab is showing all of the automations that contain the selected field. The hyperlink will take the user to the automation itself where the user can see details about the automation.
The Usage column shows how the element is used in the automation. If usage is “Automation” it means the Trackor Type is selected on the General Info tab for the automation. Other options are Actions, Filters, and Triggers which indicate where the element is used in the automation.
In addition, if you have a question on a field update, you can use the Context Menu to access Field History. In Field History, click the Call Stack button to display details about the field and to determine if an (or which) automation caused the update. From here you can click the Automation ID hyperlink to access the automation itself to see details about the automation.
Adding an Automation
Administrators add automations to their system when it is easier and beneficial to have an action happen automatically. Adding a new automation involves three basic steps:
Add the Automation
Add a Trigger
Add a Filter-Action.
Steps to Add an Automation, Trigger, and Filter-Action | ||
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1 | Access the Automation page in the Application Process Management Menu in the Dev Center. |  |
2 | Click Add. |  |
3 | Complete the following fields: Automation Name* - enter a name for the automation. (Best Practice - Include the name of the target field to help identify the automation.) Automation Process - select the category for the automation. (Optional - used to keep Automations organized. To add a process, see Adding an Automation Process below.) Trackor Type* - click the ellipsis to select the Trackor Type for the field involved in the trigger. Description - type a description for the automation. (Best Practice - Include the name of the target field to help identify the automation.) Stop on Filter Match - click here to stop the automation when a particular filter-action is met and executed, preventing the filter-actions that remain. This is a useful feature if you want to stop the remaining automation actions from running after a condition has been met. Enabled - on/off switch for the automation. Leave this unchecked until you are done with the automation. (You will check it in Step 7.) At times during Admin Testing or if the automation is no longer of value, you can disable the automation by unchecking Enabled. It will cease from running without having to delete the automation. Click Apply. | 
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4 | Additional tabs appear for you to continue to configure your automation. On the Trigger Tab: Click the ellipsis and select the Trigger Type to choose when the trigger will happen. Options are: After the field update is made, Automation will run. After a Trackor is assigned to a parent-related Trackor (by creation or assignment), Automation will run. After a Trackor’s relation is removed (by deletion or unassignment), Automation will run. Before a Trackor’s relation is removed (by deletion or unassignment), Automation will run. After a Workplan Task Date related to the Trackor is updated, Automation will run. (Task Date Pair needs to be specified.) After any Task Date is updated regardless of Date Pair, Automation will run. After a new Trackor is created, Automation will run. After a Trackor is created OR any field on the Trackor is updated, Automation will run. Before a Trackor is deleted, Automation will run. After any field on the Trackor is updated, then automation will run. The Automation will run based on a set assigned schedule. Day of Week or Month and time, and so on. After you select the Trigger Type, a new window appears displaying possible selections (depending on the Trigger Type). (The Field Updated (After) Trigger allows selecting parent and child Trackor Type fields along with related Drill-Down fields.) Click OK. You can repeat these steps to add additional Triggers if applicable to your Automation. |
 Example: “Field Updated (After)” has been selected. This means after a field is updated, the Filter/Action will occur.
 Example: We selected “P_PROJECT_MASTER_STATUS” |
5 | On the Filter-Action Tab: This is where you define what happens when the Automation is Triggered. Click Add. A new window appears.
Complete the following fields: Action Type - Select the type of action you want to take place. A set of fields for that Action Type displays. Order Number - If you create multiple Actions, you can order the sequence in which they are executed. Enabled - Check to enable the Action. Uncheck to disable. Other Fields - Complete the fields that displayed for the Action Type. See Adding Action Types for specific field details. Click OK. You can repeat these steps to add additional Actions if applicable to your Automation. The Clone function can be used to more efficiently create similar actions.
For information on the advanced Automation Action Labels feature on this form, see Automation Action Labels. |
 Example: A second Action was created to populate the Date the trigger occurs. (Formula: “current_date”) |
6 | If you want to limit which records will be updated by your Action, you can select Filter criteria for each Action. When applied, the Action of your Automation works only on records that meet the Filter conditions.
|  Example: This Filter limits the Automation to work only for New Site Build Project Types.
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7 | On the General tab, click Enabled. This allows your Automation to work as soon as it is triggered. |   Example Results: In this video, watch as the Project Master Status field is updated, the User and Date fields automatically update. |
8 | Test your automation to make sure it works as you would expect. |
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Adding an Automation Process
If you want to add a new category to choose for the Automation Process field when adding an automation, complete the following steps.
Steps to Add an Automation Process | ||
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1 | Navigate to Dev Center > Application Process Management > Automation Process |  |
2 | Click Add. |
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3 | On the General tab, complete the Automation Process field with the name of the process. Use a name that will accurately describe a group of automations. Max length is 255 characters. |  |
4 | Click OK. |
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5 | You can now use this process to assign to the automation in the Automation Process field. |  |
Adding Action Types
There are many Action Types to choose from when adding the Filter-Action part of an Automation. See the chart below for the fields to complete for each Action Type.
Action Type | Fields to Complete |
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Chat Message Add | Sender - If you leave this empty, the sender will be the current user; otherwise, select the user who would be sending the chat message. Action Mode - Choose Constant Value or Formula.
Mention - Select the user(s) who needs to be notified of the generated Message via Email. The user(s) will receive an Email via the “Messages” system. This is useful when you need to not only create a “message” for a record, but also notify a specific user of the message. Anyone can see the message, but only those listed here will receive an Email of the message. |
Error Message | Formula - Build an error message to display when the Filter conditions are true. See Building a Formula for Action Types. Use a single quote around your desired error message.
Make sure to set a Filter on your Error Message Action Type to ensure the Error Message only appears when desired conditions are met.
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Field Lock-UnlockLocks or unlocks the selected lockable field | Target Fields - Select the field(s) you want to lock/unlock. Action Mode - Select Constant Value. Is Locked - Select NO to make the field editable; select YES to prevent updates to the field. When the action is triggered, the selected fields will lock or unlock based on your selection. |
Field Set ColorSets cell color for the target field | Target Field - Select the field where you would like to display a color based on the action being triggered. Your selected “Target Field” must have a “Color Table” assigned in the settings of your field. Action Mode - Default is Constant Value. Target Value - Select the color you would like to display in the background of the field when the action is triggered. Make sure to set a Filter on your Field Set Color Action Type to ensure the Color appears when desired conditions are met.
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Field UpdateUpdates the specified field | Execute “After Trackor Update,” “After Trackor Create/Update” rules - Check this box to ensure your Action runs “AFTER” and PL SQL Rules run. This will ensure that any essential “Rules” are executed before your Automation Action takes place. Ignore Locks - If your Target Field is “Lockable” and you would like your Action to bypass the Locked field in order to populate this value, then check this box. If you do not want to overwrite or populate data in a field that has been “Locked,” do not check this box. Target Field - Select the Field that will be updated per your Action. Action Mode - Choose Constant Value or Formula.
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Task Block Calc UpdateSets or unsets Block Calc | When using Workplans, a Task can be marked as Block Calc. When this occurs the Predecessor relation(s) are blocked to prevent auto-calculated updates on the applied task. This means if any Predecessor Task is updated in the Projected or Actual date field, the change will not cascade and drive auto-calculated updates to the Task where Block Calc is applied. In addition, any Task that succeeds a Task where Block Calc has been applied will not be updated by any Predecessor Task update. WorkPlan Template - Select the Workplan that is represented on the Trackor Type associated with your automation. Target Task - Select the Task Name that will have Block Calc updated. Action Mode - Select Constant Value. Target Value - Select YES to Set Block Calc; select NO to remove Block Calc from the Target Task. |
Task Date UpdateUpdates a task date | Execute “After Task Update” rules - Check this box to ensure your action runs “AFTER” and PL SQL Rules run. This will ensure that any essential “Rules” are executed before your automation action takes place. WorkPlan Template - Select the Workplan that is represented on the Trackor Type associated with your automation. Target Task - Select the Task Name that will have the date updated. Task Date Pair - Select the applicable value. Typical selections are Projected or Actual. System Administrators can create their own Date Pair that will show in the list of options. Task S/F - Select Start or Finish to choose for the action to update the Start date or the Finish date. Administrators typically select Finish to have the action update the Finish date. Action Mode - Choose Constant Value or Formula.
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Task Duration Update Updates a task’s duration | WorkPlan Template - Select the Workplan that is represented on the Trackor Type associated with your Automation. Target Task - Select the Task Name that will have the Duration number updated. Action Mode - Select Constant Value. Target Value - Enter the Number that you would like to overwrite as the Duration for the selected Target Task. |
Task N/A Update Sets or unsets a task’s N/A value | WorkPlan Template - Select the Workplan that is represented on the Trackor Type associated with your automation. Target Task - Select the “Task Name” that will have “N/A” updated. Action Mode - Select Constant Value. Target Value - Select YES to N/A the Target Task; select NO to un-N/A the Target Task. |
Building a Formula for Action Types
When creating a Filter-Action, you specify what happens when the Automation is triggered. You must select the Action Mode by choosing between Constant Value and Formula. Choosing Formula allows the user to select Fields assigned to the Trackor Type selected in the drop-down and add them to the Formula box. The Field values can then be put together into Formulas with mathematical operators and PL/SQL aggregate functions. Also, a filter can be applied to filter the records used by the formula. The result of the Formula calculation is then assigned to the target Field when the Automation is executed. For help on building a formula, see the chart below.
Steps to Build a Formula | ||
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1 | When you choose Formula for the Action Mode, the Formula box appears for you to build your formula. |  |
2 | Use the Trackor Types dropdown list to select the Trackor Type for the fields you need to use for the formula. (Some formulas will not need this selection.) |
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3 | Enter the formula or select the fields you need and move them to the Formula box. You will join the field values into formulas with mathematical operators (+, -, /, *) and standard aggregate functions (sum, min, max, avg, count, concatenate) to get the desired result. The result will display when the automation is triggered. For help with formulas, see Automation Examples and Formulas. |
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4 | Click Apply. |
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5 | If desired, you can filter the records used by the formula.
Choose the Trackor Type in the formula to which the filter will be applied. Note that filtering can apply to only one Trackor Type per action.
Click Filter and build the filter as usual. Click OK. Now, when this automation runs, the action includes only the Trackor records that meet the formula filter criteria. |  This example formula is counting records for the Entry Diversity Trackor Type.  Since we want to filter our formula (that counts Entry Diversity Trackor records), we choose the Entry Diversity Trackor Type here.  We create the filter to count only the Entry Diversity Trackor records where the ED:Side field is either Adjacent, Different, or Opposite.
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Automation Action Labels
This panel is located in the lower part of the Filter Action form and is collapsed by default. Users can use it to create labels and assign them to components. Those labels can then be used in PL/SQL to display a language-specific message.
The labels created here will be part of the Component and will be exported/imported with the content.
Using the Force Run Feature
After you have set up your new automation, you can force each new Filter-Action to run. This is a great tool in order to backfill your data when your automation is new. Using the Force Run feature prevents having to run imports or other methods to change data in order to trigger an automation change to take place.
Step | Instruction | Screenshot Help/Example |
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1 | On the Filter-Action tab, select the Filter-Action. Click on the ellipses and click Force Run.
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2 | You will be prompted to continue. Verify the number of records in the messages to be impacted. Click OK to continue or Cancel to quit.
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3 | Once your Force Run executes, you can view update progress from the Processes page. Time to completion will vary based on the number of Trackor records impacted. |
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Circular Dependencies
Circular dependencies occur when there are two fields set by automation and each field is selected as a trigger for the other automation. The filter criteria, execution order, and stop-on filter match must be set correctly to prevent a loop and unexpected results.
If the entered logic for the Automation’s Action results in a dependency, the Circular Dependency tab will list the automation. If the dependency is “circular” or an endless loop, the user will receive a warning advising of the circular dependency. At that point, the user can review further details in the Circular Dependency tab.
An automation has to be enabled in order for this information to be displayed in the Circular Dependency tab.
Run Log
The Run Log tab displays logs for the automation runs executed manually via the Force Run button or by the Schedule trigger.
Watch Automation Videos
Administration for AutomationsThe following Security Groups are required to administer Automations:  |
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