Creating and Maintaining Workflows

Owned by Stonebranch (Deactivated)
Last updated: Sept 21, 2023

Overview

A Workflow is a task comprised of one or more tasks of one or more task types, including other Workflows.

To create a Workflow, you enter task Details just as you would for any task, and then design the Workflow on the Workflow Editor, where you add, connect, and organize the tasks that will comprise the Workflow.

During and after a Workflow run, you can view detailed results of the run in the Workflow Task Instance Details, and monitor the status of the Workflow on the Workflow Monitor.

Although a typical Workflow is a single group of tasks, a Workflow can contain multiple groups of tasks and/or individual tasks. Each task in a group of tasks is connected to one or more other tasks in that group. Each connection is made from one task (the predecessor) to another task (the successor). There is no limit to the number of connections that can be made to or from a task.

The following sample Workflow contains a single group of tasks.
 

 

When you launch a Workflow, the first predecessor task in all task groups, and all individual tasks, begin to run. In this example, task stonebranch-saptask-01 would begin to run.

Built-In Variables

The following built-in variables can be used in a Workflow task to pass data where appropriate:

Creating a Workflow Task

Step 1

From the Automation Center navigation pane, select Tasks > Workflow Tasks. The Workflow Tasks list displays a list of all currently defined Workflow tasks.
 
Below the list, Workflow Task Details for a new Workflow task displays.
 

Step 2

Enter/select Details for a new Workflow task, using the field descriptions below as a guide.

  • Required fields display an asterisk ( * ) after the field name.
  • Default values for fields, if available, display automatically.

To display more of the Details fields on the screen, you can either:

  • Use the scroll bar.
  • Temporarily hide the list above the Details.
  • Click the  button above the list to display a pop-up version of the Details.

Step 3

Click a  button. The Workflow task is added to the database, and all buttons and tabs in Workflow Task Details are enabled.

Step 4

Click the Edit Workflow button to display a blank Workflow Editor canvas.

Step 5

Follow the instructions provided below for designing the Workflow in the Workflow Editor.

Note

To open an existing record on the list, either:

  • Click a record in the list to display its record Details below the list. (To clear record Details below the list, click the  button that displays above and below the Details.)
  • Clicking the Details icon next to a record name in the list, or right-click a record in the list and then click Open in the Action menu that displays, to display a pop-up version of the record Details.
  • Right-click a record in the a list, or open a record and right-click in the record Details, and then click Open In Tab in the Action menu that displays, to display the record Details under a new tab on the record list page (see Record Details as Tabs).

Workflow Task Details

The following Workflow Task Details is for an existing Workflow task.

Depending on the values that you enter / select for these fields, and whether or not the Workflow task has ever been launched, more (or less) fields may display. See the field descriptions, below, for a description of all fields that may display in the Workflow Task Details.
 


For information on how to access additional details - such as Metadata and complete database Details - for Workflows (or any type of record), see Records.

Workflow Task Details Field Descriptions

The following table describes the fields, buttons, and tabs that display in Workflow Task Details.
 

Field Name

Description

General

This section contains general information about the Workflow task.

Name

User-defined name of this task (Maximum = 255 alphanumeric characters); variables supported. It is the responsibility of the user to develop a workable naming scheme for tasks.

Version

System-supplied; version number of the current record, which is incremented by the Controller every time a user updates a record. Click the Versions tab to view previous versions. For details, see Record Versioning.

Description

Description of this record. Maximum length is 255 characters.

Member of Business Services

User-defined; Allows you to select one or more Business Services that this record belongs to.  (You also can Check All or Uncheck All Business Services for this record.)

You can select up to 62 Business Services for any record type, and enter a maximum of 2048 characters for each Business Service.

If the Business Service Visibility Restricted Universal Controller system property is set to true, depending on your assigned (or inherited) Permissions or Roles, Business Services available for selection may be restricted.

Resolve Name Immediately

If enabled, the Instance Name of the task instance will be resolved immediately at trigger/launch time.

Time Zone Preference

User-defined; Allows you to specify the time zone that will be applied to the task.

Options:

  • – System Default –
    Time zone is based on the value of the Task Time Zone Preference Universal Controller system property: Server or Inherited.
  • Server (xxx)
    Where (xxx) is the time zone ID of the server; time zone is evaluated in the time zone of the server.
  • Inherited
    Time zone is evaluated in the time zone of the Parent Workflow or Trigger / Launch specification in the case there is no Parent Workflow.

Hold on Start

If enabled, when the task is launched it appears in the Activity Monitor with a status of Held. The task runs when the user releases it.

Hold Reason

Information about why the task will be put on hold when it starts.

Virtual Resource Priority

Priority for acquiring a resource when two or more tasks are waiting for the resource. This priority applies to all resources required by the task.

Options: 1 (high) - 100 (low).

Default is 10.
Mutually Exclusive With Self

If enabled, the task will not be allowed to run concurrently with itself. Task will not start until the instance that is running finishes. An instance will transition to Exclusive Wait status if it cannot start due to another instance already running. 
Simulate

Specifies if the instance should execute under simulation mode. 
Override Previous Instance Wait

Specifies whether or not to override the parent workflow's Previous Instance Wait configuration.

This option only applies for an instance running within a workflow.

Options: 

  • No

    Behavior determined by the parent workflow configuration.

  • Yes / -- None --

    Regardless of the parent workflow configuration, the task instance will never wait for a previous instance to complete.

  • Yes / Wait for Last

    Regardless of the parent workflow configuration, the task instance will remain in Instance Wait until the most recent prior instance of the same task has completed.

  • Yes / Wait for Last / Same Workflow

    Regardless of the parent workflow configuration, the task instance will remain in Instance Wait until the most recent prior instance of the same task, within an instance of the same workflow, have completed.

  • Yes / Wait for All

    Regardless of the parent workflow configuration, the task instance will remain in Instance Wait until all prior instances of the same task has completed.

  • Yes / Wait for All / Same Workflow

    Regardless of the parent workflow configuration, the task instance will remain in Instance Wait until all prior instances of the same task, within an instance of the same workflow, have completed.

Workflow Details

This section contains assorted detailed information about the Workflow task.

Show/Hide Skipped Tasks


Specification to either show or hide tasks that have been skipped in a Workflow (see Skipping a Task).

Options:

  • Show Skipped
  • Hide Skipped

Auto Layout

If Show/Hide Skipped Tasks = Hide Skipped; specification for the layout of the Workflow Monitor.
 
Options:

  • - - None - -
  • Horizontal Layout
  • Vertical Layout

Default Calendar

Default calendar used by the Workflow. If the Workflow is launched by a trigger, the trigger calendar overrides this default calendar.

Override Inherited Calendar

If enabled, uses the selected Default Calendar for this Workflow instead of the calendar used in the trigger or parent Workflow.
Previous Instance Wait

Specification for which previous task instance(s) a task instance of the same task needs to wait to complete before starting. Applies to every task instance directly in the workflow.

Options: 

  • -- None --

  • Wait for Last

    Every task instance directly within the workflow instance will remain in Instance Wait until the most recent prior instance of the same task has completed.

  • Wait for Last / Same Workflow

    Every task instance directly within the workflow instance will remain in Instance Wait until the most recent prior instance of the same task, within an instance of the same workflow, have completed.

  • Wait for All

    Every task instance directly within the workflow instance will remain in Instance Wait until all prior instances of the same task has completed.

  • Wait for All / Same Workflow

    Every task instance directly within the workflow instance will remain in Instance Wait until all prior instances of the same task, within an instance of the same workflow, have completed.

Wait / Delay Options

This section contains specifications for waiting to start and/or delaying on start the task.

Wait To Start

Amount of time to wait before starting a task from the time that it was launched.
 
Options are:

  • – None –
  • Time
  • Relative Time
  • Duration
  • Seconds

Wait Time

If Wait To Start = Time or Relative Time; Time of day (in 24-hour time) to wait until before starting the task. 

Wait Day Constraint

If Wait To Start = Time or Relative Time; Specification for whether or not to advance the wait time to another day.

Valid values:

  • -- None --
    • If Wait To Start = Time; Advance to the next day if the specified wait time is before the time that the task instance is eligible to start; that is, all dependencies have been met. For example: it is not being held, and it is not waiting on any predecessors.
    • If Wait To Start = Relative Time; Advance to the next day if the specified wait time is before the task instance Trigger Time or, if there is no Trigger Time, before the task instance Launch Time. In the latter case, when a task instance is within a workflow, it will inherit the Launch Time of the top-level parent workflow task instance.
  • Same Day
    Do not advance day.
  • Next Day
    Advance to the next day.
  • Next Business Day
    Advance to the next business day.
  • Sunday
    If today is not Sunday, advance to next Sunday.
  • Monday
    If today is not Monday, advance to next Monday.
  • Tuesday
    If today is not Tuesday, advance to next Tuesday.
  • Wednesday
    If today is not Wednesday, advance to next Wednesday.
  • Thursday
    If today is not Thursday, advance to next Thursday.
  • Friday
    If today is not Friday, advance to next Friday.
  • Saturday
    If today is not Saturday, advance to next Saturday.

Default is – None --.

Wait Duration

If Wait To Start = Duration; Number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds to wait before starting the task.

Wait Duration In Seconds

If Wait To Start = Seconds; Number of seconds to wait before starting the task.

Delay On Start

Amount of time to delay the start of a task, after it has been launched, from the time that it is eligible to start; that is, all dependencies have been met. For example: it is not being held, it is not waiting on any predecessors, or there is no wait time specified.
 
Options are:

  • – None –
  • Duration
  • Seconds

Delay Duration

If Delay On Start = Duration; Number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds to delay after starting the task.

Delay Duration In Seconds

If Delay On Start = Seconds; Number of seconds to delay after starting the task.

Workflow Only

Specification for whether or not to apply the Wait To Start and Delay On Start specifications only if the task is in a Workflow.
 
Options are:

Time Options

This section contains time-related specifications for the task.

Late Start

If enabled, and if the task instance starts after the time or period specified, the task instance is flagged as late. You can specify a time or duration to determine a late start (see Late Start Type). To determine whether a task instance started late, open the task instance and locate the Started Late field; the field is checked if the instance started after the specified time. The Started Late field displays in the task instance Details only if the user specified a Late Start in the task Details.

Late Start Type

Required if Late Start is enabled.

Options:

  • Time - Flag the task if it starts after the specified time.
  • Duration - Flag the task if it starts a certain amount of time after the programmed start time. The task must have a specific start time.

Late Start Time

If Late Start Type = Time; Time after which the task start time is considered late. Use HH:MM, 24-hour time.

Late Start Day Constraint

If Late Start Type = Time; Specification for whether or not to advance the late start time to another day.
 
Valid values:

  • -- None --
    Advance to the next day if the specified late start time is before the Created time of the task instance.
  • Same Day
    Do not advance day.
  • Next Day
    Advance to the next day.
  • Next Business Day
    Advance to the next business day.
  • Sunday
    If today is not Sunday, advance to next Sunday.
  • Monday
    If today is not Monday, advance to next Monday.
  • Tuesday
    If today is not Tuesday, advance to next Tuesday.
  • Wednesday
    If today is not Wednesday, advance to next Wednesday.
  • Thursday
    If today is not Thursday, advance to next Thursday.
  • Friday
    If today is not Friday, advance to next Friday.
  • Saturday
    If today is not Saturday, advance to next Saturday.
  • Nth Day
    Advance to a specific number of days in the future.

Default is – None --.

Late Start Nth Amount

If Late Start Day Constraint = Nth Day; Number of days to advance.

Late Start Duration

If Late Start Type = Duration; Duration (amount of relative time) after which the task is considered to have started late.

For a task within a workflow, the duration is the period between the time the workflow starts and the time the task itself starts. For example, a task might have a Late Start Duration of 60 minutes. If the workflow starts at 9:00 a.m. but the task itself does not start until 10:30, the task has started late.

For a task that is not within a workflow, Late Start Duration has meaning only if the task has been held upon starting. For example, if a task has a Late Start Duration of 60 minutes and the Hold on Start field is enabled, if the task is not released from hold within the amount of time specified in the Late Start Duration field, the task has started late.

Late Finish

If enabled, and if the task instance finishes after the time or period specified, the task instance is flagged as late. You can specify a time or duration to determine a late finish (see Late Finish Type). To determine whether a task instance finished late, open the task instance and locate the Finished Late field; the field is checked if the instance finished after the specified time or lasted longer than expected. This field only appears on the task instance if the user specified a Late Finish in the task definition.

Late Finish Type

Required if Late Finish is enabled.

Options:

  • Time - Flag the task if it finishes after the specified time (see Late Finish Time).
  • Duration - Flag the task if it finishes a certain amount of time after the programmed finish time (see Late Finish Duration). The task must have a specific finish time.
  • Average Duration - Flag the task if it finishes before the average duration (see Average Instance Time) for the task, less an offset (see Late Finish Offset Type), if specified.

Late Finish Offset Type

If Late Finish Type = Average Duration;

Options:

  • Percentage
  • Duration

Late Finish Percentage Offset ( + )

Required if Late Finish Offset Type = Percentage; Percentage of Average Duration to use as an offset.  The late finish time is calculated by adding the offset to the Average Duration.

Late Finish Duration Offset ( + )

Required if Late Finish Offset Type = Duration; Duration to use as an offset.  The late finish time is calculated by adding the offset to the Average Duration. 

Late Finish Duration Offset Unit

If Late Finish Offset Type = Duration;

Options:

  • Seconds
  • Minutes
  • Hours

Late Finish Time

If Late Finish Type = Time; Time after which the task finish time is considered late. Use HH:MM, 24-hour time.

Late Finish Day Constraint

If Late Finish Type = Time; Specification for whether or not to advance the late finish time to another day.
 
Valid values:

  • -- None --
    Advance to the next day if the specified late finish time is before the Created time of the task instance.
  • Same Day
    Do not advance day.
  • Next Day
    Advance to the next day.
  • Next Business Day
    Advance to the next business day.
  • Sunday
    If today is not Sunday, advance to next Sunday.
  • Monday
    If today is not Monday, advance to next Monday.
  • Tuesday
    If today is not Tuesday, advance to next Tuesday.
  • Wednesday
    If today is not Wednesday, advance to next Wednesday.
  • Thursday
    If today is not Thursday, advance to next Thursday.
  • Friday
    If today is not Friday, advance to next Friday.
  • Saturday
    If today is not Saturday, advance to next Saturday.
  • Nth Day
    Advance to a specific number of days in the future.

Default is – None --.

Late Finish Nth Amount

If Late Finish Day Constraint = Nth Day; Number of days to advance.

Late Finish Duration

If Late Finish Type = Duration; Longest amount of time this task instance should take to run.

Early Finish

If enabled, and if the task instance finishes before the time or period specified, the task instance is flagged as early. You can specify a time or duration to determine an early finish (see Early Finish Type). To determine whether a task instance finished early, open the task instance and locate the Finished Early field; the field is checked if the instance finished before the specified time or did not last as long as expected. This field only appears on the task instance if the user added Early Finish specifications to the task definition.

Early Finish Type

Required if Early Finish is enabled.

Options:

  • Time - Flag the task if it finishes before the specified time (see Early Finish Time).
  • Duration - Flag the task if it finishes a certain amount of time before the programmed finish time (see Early Finish Duration). The task must have a specific finish time.
  • Average Duration - Flag the task if it finishes before the average duration (see Average Instance Time) for the task, less an offset (see Early Finish Offset Type), if specified.

Early Finish Offset Type

If Early Finish Type = Average Duration;

Options:

  • Percentage
  • Duration

Early Finish Percentage Offset ( - )

Required if Early Finish Offset Type = Percentage; Percentage of Average Duration to use as an offset.  The early finish time is calculated by subtracting the offset from the Average Duration.

Early Finish Duration Offset ( - )

Required if Early Finish Offset Type = Duration; Duration to use as an offset. The early finish time is calculated by subtracting the offset from the Average Duration.

Early Finish Duration Offset Unit

If Early Finish Offset Type = Duration;

Options:

  • Seconds
  • Minutes
  • Hours

Early Finish Time

If Early Finish Type = Time; Time before which the task finish time is considered early. That is, enter a time at which the task should still be running. Use HH:MM, 24-hour time.

Early Finish Day Constraint

If Early Finish Type = Time; Specification for whether or not to advance the early finish time to another day.

 
Valid values:

  • -- None --
    Advance to the next day if the specified early finish time is before the Created time of the task instance.
  • Same Day
    Do not advance day.
  • Next Day
    Advance to the next day.
  • Next Business Day
    Advance to the next business day.
  • Sunday
    If today is not Sunday, advance to next Sunday.
  • Monday
    If today is not Monday, advance to next Monday.
  • Tuesday
    If today is not Tuesday, advance to next Tuesday.
  • Wednesday
    If today is not Wednesday, advance to next Wednesday.
  • Thursday
    If today is not Thursday, advance to next Thursday.
  • Friday
    If today is not Friday, advance to next Friday.
  • Saturday
    If today is not Saturday, advance to next Saturday.
  • Nth Day
    Advance to a specific number of days in the future.

Default is – None --.

Early Finish Nth Amount

If Early Finish Day Constraint = Nth Day; Number of days to advance.

Early Finish Duration

If Early Finish Type = Duration; Shortest amount of time this task instance should take to run.

User Estimated Duration

Required if Early Finish Type or Late Finish Type = Average Duration; Estimated amount of time it should normally take to run this task. The Controller uses this information to calculate the User Estimated End Time on a task instance record.

User Estimated Duration is used when the Average Duration is not available; for example, on the first launch of a task.

Critical Path Options

This section contains Critical Path-related specifications for the task.

Calculate Critical Path

If enabled (checked), the Controller calculates the Critical Path of this Workflow and, by default, displays it in the Workflow Monitor. You can toggle between the normal view and the Critical Path view by using the Toggle Critical Path View icon on the Workflow Monitor toolbar.

If disabled (unchecked), the Controller does not calculate the Critical Path of this Workflow and display it in the Workflow Monitor, and the Toggle Critical Path View icon on the Workflow Monitor toolbar is disabled.
 

Note

This field displays only if the Critical Path Calculations Permitted Universal Controller system property is set to true.

The Calculate Critical Path option on the workflow will be ignored when the Simulate option is on.

If the Simulate option on the workflow is off, but on for one or more tasks within the workflow, the Calculate Critical Path option will be honored.

CP Duration

Optional; Allows you to override the estimated Critical Path Duration of the task when running in a Workflow; used in conjunction with the CP Duration Unit field. In most cases, this field should be left blank, which implies that the Controller will estimate the Critical Path Duration based on historical executions. Valid values are any integer equal to or greater than 0. Variables and Functions are supported.

CP Duration (Resolved)

Displays the current resolved value of the CP Duration field, which may contain variables or functions that will be displayed as unresolved until the task instance starts. The CP Duration (Resolved) field can continue to change value until the task instance starts, at which time CP Duration will display as resolved and CP Duration (Resolved) will no longer be visible unless there was an issue resolving the variables and/or functions contained within CP Duration. If the Controller is unable to resolve CP Duration or it resolves to an invalid value, CP Duration will be ignored and the Controller will estimate the Critical Path Duration based on historical executions.

CP Duration Unit

Type of CP Duration; used in conjunction with the CP Duration field. For example, for a CP Duration of two minutes, specify 2 in the CP Duration field and select Minutes in this field.
 

Options:

  • Seconds
  • Minutes
  • Hours

Default is Minutes.

Workflow Execution Options

This section contains Execution Restriction specifications for the task if it is within a Workflow.

Execution Restriction

Specification for whether or not there is a restriction for this task to be run, skipped, or held.

Options are:

  • -- None -- No restriction for this task.
  • Run Restriction for when this task will be run.
  • Skip Restriction for when this task will be skipped.
  • Hold Restriction for when this task will be held.

If Execution Restriction on a task is Run or Skip, then when it is part of a Workflow that is being launched, the Restriction Period is evaluated. The task instance will be skipped if Execution Restriction is Skip and the date is within the Restriction Period or Execution Restriction is Run and the date is not within the Restriction Period. Execution Restriction can be set to Skip with a Restriction Period of - None -, meaning the restriction is always active and the task will be skipped when it is part of a Workflow.

Restriction Period

If Execution Restriction = Run, Skip, or Hold; Period of time when the task is restricted.

Options are:

  • – None –
    No period of restriction for this task.
  • Before
    Restriction is valid if the date is before the Before Date value.
  • After
    Restriction is valid if the date is after the After Date value.
  • Span
    Restriction is valid if the date is before the Before Date value and after After Date value.
  • On
    Restriction is valid if the date is one of the Date List values.

Before Date

If Restriction Period = Before or Span; Date before which the restriction is valid.

Before Time

If Restriction Period = Before or Span; Time on the selected date before which the restriction is valid.

After Date

If Restriction Period = After or Span; Date after which the restriction is valid.

After Time

If Restriction Period = After or Span; Time on the selected date after which the restriction is valid.

Date List

If Restriction Period = On; Date(s) on which the restriction is valid.
Self-Service Options This section contains Self-Service specifications for the task.
Enforce Variables 

Specifies whether or not to enforce Launch with Variables... when launching a task using the User Interface.
Lock Variables 

Specifies whether or not to prevent editing variables when using Launch with Variables... from the User Interface.

Statistics

This section contains time-related statistics for task instances of the task.
First Execution

System-supplied; End Time of the first instance of this task to complete.

Last Execution

System-supplied; End Time of the last instance of this task to complete.

Last Instance Duration

System-supplied; Amount of time the task took to run the last time it ran.

Lowest Instance Time

System-supplied; Lowest amount of time this task has taken to run.

Average Instance Time

System-supplied; Average amount of time this task takes to run.

Highest Instance Time

System-supplied; Highest amount of time this task has taken to run.

Number of Instances

System-supplied; Number of instances in the database for this task.

Metadata

This section contains Metadata information about this record.

UUID

Universally Unique Identifier of this record.

Updated By

Name of the user that last updated this record.

Updated

Date and time that this record was last updated.

Created By

Name of the user that created this record.

Created

Date and time that this record was created.

Buttons

This section identifies the buttons displayed above and below the Workflow Task Details that let you perform various actions.

Save

Saves a new task record in the Controller database.

Save & New

Saves a new record in the Controller database and redisplays empty Details so that you can create another new record.
Save & Edit Saves a new record in the Controller database and opens the workflow editor. 

Save & View

Saves a new record in the Controller database and continues to display that record.

New

Displays empty (except for default values) Details for creating a new task.

Update

Saves updates to the record.

View Parents

Displays a list of any parent Workflow tasks for this task.
Launch with Variables... Launches this Workflow with one or more variables that you will specify on a Task Variables pop-up dialog.

Launch


Manually launches the task.

Edit Workflow

Displays the Workflow Editor for this task.

Copy

Creates a copy of this task, which you are prompted to rename.

Delete

Deletes the current record.

Note

You cannot delete a task if it is either:

  • Specified in an enabled Trigger.
  • The only task specified in a disabled Trigger.

Refresh

Refreshes any dynamic data displayed in the Details.

Close

For pop-up view only; closes the pop-up view of this task.

Tabs

This section identifies the tabs across the top of the Workflow Task Details that provide access to additional information about the task.

Workflow Task

Displays details about this Workflow task.

Task Run Criteria


Workflows only. Allows you to specify skip and run criteria for specific tasks in the workflow.

Step Conditions

Lists all step conditions defined for this task.

Variables


Lists all user-defined variables associated with this record; that is, variables that have been defined for this specific record.

Actions


Allows you to specify actions that the Controller will take automatically based on events that occur during the execution of this task.

Events are:

  • Task instance status
  • Exit codes
  • Late start
  • Late finish
  • Early finish

Actions are:

Abort Action

Abort the task if certain events occur. For details, see Abort Actions.

Email Notification

Send an email if certain events occur. For details, see Email Notification Actions.

Set Variable

Used in tasks and workflows to set a variable based on the occurrence of certain events. For details, see Creating a Set Variable Action within a Task or Workflow.

SNMP Notification

Send an email if certain events occur. For details, see SNMP Notification Actions.

System Operation

Run an Universal Controller system operation based on specified conditions. For details, see System Operation Actions.

Virtual Resources


Lists all Virtual Resources to which this task is assigned.
 
If you want to create a Task Virtual Resource for this task, you can select an existing Virtual Resource (or, optionally, first create a new Virtual Resource and then select it as the Task Virtual Resource) or enter a Virtual Resource variable. The variable must be a supported type as described in Variables and Functions.

Mutually Exclusive


Lists all tasks that have been set to be mutually exclusive of this task.
Critical Endpoints Lists all critical endpoints defined for this task.

Step Actions

Lists all step actions created for this task.

Instances

Lists all instances of this Workflow.

Triggers

List of all triggers that reference this task in the Task(s) field of the trigger Details; that is, a list of all triggers that have been defined to launch this task. Also allows you to add new triggers. If you add a new trigger from this location, the Controller automatically constructs a default trigger name as follows: <current task name>#TRIGGER#. You can change the default name if desired. For instructions on creating triggers, see Triggers.

Notes


Lists all notes associated with this record.

Versions


Stores copies of all previous versions of the current record. See Record Versioning.

Viewing a Workflow Task Instance

When a Workflow task is launched, the Controller creates a task instance record of that Workflow (and task instance records of all tasks in that Workflow).

A task instance contains detailed information about a single execution of that task.

You can access a Workflow task instance from:

Workflow Task Instance Details

The following Workflow Task Instance Details contains information on the execution of the Workflow shown in the Workflow Task Details.

Workflow Task Instance Details Field Descriptions

The following table describes the fields, buttons, and tabs that display in Workflow Task Instance Details.
 

Field Name

Description

General

This section contains general information about the task instance.

Instance Name

Name of this task instance.

Instance Number

System-supplied; Sequentially assigned number, maintained per task, representing the creation order of the instance.

Description

Description of this record. Maximum length is 255 characters.

Member of Business Services

User-defined; Allows you to select one or more Business Services that this record belongs to.  (You also can Check All or Uncheck All Business Services for this record.)

You can select up to 62 Business Services for any record type, and enter a maximum of 2048 characters for each Business Service.

If the Business Service Visibility Restricted Universal Controller system property is set to true, depending on your assigned (or inherited) Permissions or Roles, Business Services available for selection may be restricted.

Task

Name of the task that was run to create this task instance. Click the icon to display Task Details for the task.
Source Version

Version of the task that was run to create this task instance.

Launch Source

System-supplied; Source from which this task was launched.

Options:

  • Scheduled Trigger

    If the instance was directly launched by a scheduled trigger, the Trigger (trigger_id) column is assigned the UUID of the scheduled trigger.

  • Trigger Monitor

    If the instance is a monitor associated with monitor trigger, the Trigger (trigger_id) column is assigned the UUID of the monitor trigger.

  • Trigger Now / User Interface

    If the instance was directly launched by a Trigger Now command, the Trigger (trigger_id) column is assigned the UUID of the trigger.

  • Trigger Now / System Operation

    If the instance was directly launched by a Trigger Now command, the Trigger (trigger_id) column is assigned the UUID of the trigger and the Source Instance (source_instance) column will be assigned the UUID of the instance invoking the System Operation.

  • Trigger Now / Web Service

    If the instance was directly launched by a Trigger Now command, the Trigger (trigger_id) column is assigned the UUID of the trigger.

  • Trigger Now / Command Line
    If the instance was directly launched by a Trigger Now command, the Trigger (trigger_id) column is assigned the UUID of the trigger.

  • Workflow

    If the instance was launched by a workflow, the Workflow (workflow_id) column is assigned the UUID of the workflow instance.  Likewise, the Source Instance (source_instance) column will also be assigned the UUID of the workflow instance.

  • Launch Task / User Interface

    If the instance was directly launched by the Launch Task command, the Source Instance (source_instance) column will be null.

  • Launch Task / System Operation

    If the instance was directly launched by the Launch Task command, the Source Instance (source_instance) column will be assigned the UUID of the instance invoking the System Operation.

  • Launch Task / Web Service

    If the instance was directly launched by the Launch Task command, the Source Instance (source_instance) column will be null.

  • Launch Task / Command Line
    If the instance was directly launched by the Launch Task command, the Source Instance (source_instance) column will be null.

  • Recurring

    If the instance was directly launched by a Recurring Task Instance, the Source Instance (source_instance) column will be assigned the UUID of the Recurring Task Instance.

Source Instance

System-supplied; UUID of the source instance.

  • If the instance was directly launched by a Trigger Now command; the UUID of the instance invoking the System Operation.
  • If the instance was launched by a workflow; the UUID of the workflow instance.
  • If the instance was directly launched by the Launch Task command; the UUID of the instance invoking the System Operation.
  • If the instance was directly launched by a Recurring Task Instance; the UUID of the Recurring Task Instance.

Invoked by

System-supplied; how the task instance was launched.

Options:

  • Trigger: (Trigger Name)
    Instance was launched by the named trigger.
  • Workflow: (Workflow Name)
    Instance was launched by the named workflow.
  • Manually Launched
    Instance was launched by a user. To identify the user, check the Execution User column for that task instance on the Task Instances screen or, on most task instance screens, the Execution User field.

Execution User

System-supplied; If the task was launched manually; ID of the user who launched it.

Calendar

Calendar associated with the task instance.

Time Zone Preference

User-defined; Allows you to specify the time zone that will be applied to the task.

Options:

  • – System Default –
    Time zone is based on the value of the Task Time Zone Preference Universal Controller system property: Server or Inherited.
  • Server (xxx)
    Where (xxx) is the time zone ID of the server; time zone is evaluated in the time zone of the server.
  • Inherited
    Time zone is evaluated in the time zone of the Parent Workflow or Trigger / Launch specification in the case there is no Parent Workflow.

Virtual Resource Priority

Priority for acquiring a resource when two or more tasks are waiting for the resource. This priority applies to all resources required by the task.

Options: 1 (high) - 100 (low).

Default is 10.
Mutually Exclusive With Self

If enabled, the task will not be allowed to run concurrently with itself. Task will not start until the instance that is running finishes. An instance will transition to Exclusive Wait status if it cannot start due to another instance already running. 
Simulate

Specifies if the instance should execute under simulation mode. 
Previous Instance Wait Resolved

System-supplied; If the Override Previous Instance Wait field for the task is set to No, the Previous Instance Wait Resolved field will be set to the value of the Previous Instance Wait field of the parent workflow. Otherwise, it will be set to the value specified by the Override Previous Instance Wait.

Options: 

  • -- None --

  • Wait for Last

    Every task instance directly within the workflow instance will remain in Instance Wait until the most recent prior instance of the same task has completed.

  • Wait for Last / Same Workflow

    Every task instance directly within the workflow instance will remain in Instance Wait until the most recent prior instance of the same task, within an instance of the same workflow, have completed.

  • Wait for All

    Every task instance directly within the workflow instance will remain in Instance Wait until all prior instances of the same task has completed.

  • Wait for All / Same Workflow

    Every task instance directly within the workflow instance will remain in Instance Wait until all prior instances of the same task, within an instance of the same workflow, have completed.

Status

This section contains information about the current status of the task instance.

Status

System-supplied; see Task Instance Statuses. 

Exit Code

System-supplied; the exit code captured by the Agent when executing the task (for example, a command or script).

Status Description

System-supplied; additional information, if any, about the status of the task instance.

Operational Memo

User-defined operational memo.

Evaluation Time

If time zone of user is different than time zone of task instance; Time at which Execution Restrictions and Run Criteria were evaluated based upon the requested time zone. (Time zone of task instance displays in parentheses.)

Critical

Indicates that this task is in the Critical Path of a workflow.

Wait Until Time

Amount of time calculated to wait before the task was started, based on Wait To Start and Delay On Start times.

Queued Time

System-supplied; Date and time the task was queued for processing.

Trigger Time

System-supplied; Date and time the task instance was triggered.

Launch Time

System-supplied; Date and time the task instance was launched.

Start Time

System-supplied; Date and time the task instance started.

End Time

System-supplied; Date and time the task instance completed.

Duration

System-supplied; amount of time the task instance took to run.

Progress

Number of tasks in the Workflow that are in Success, Skipped, or Finished status / Total number of tasks in the Workflow.

Workflow Details

This section contains assorted detailed information about the task instance.

Show/Hide Skipped Tasks


Specification to either show or hide tasks that have been skipped in a Workflow (see Skipping a Task).

Options:

  • Show Skipped
  • Hide Skipped
Previous Instance Wait

Specification for which previous task instance(s) a task instance of the same task needs to wait to complete before starting. Applies to every task instance directly in the workflow.

Options: 

  • -- None --

  • Wait for Last

    Every task instance directly within the workflow instance will remain in Instance Wait until the most recent prior instance of the same task has completed.

  • Wait for Last / Same Workflow

    Every task instance directly within the workflow instance will remain in Instance Wait until the most recent prior instance of the same task, within an instance of the same workflow, have completed.

  • Wait for All

    Every task instance directly within the workflow instance will remain in Instance Wait until all prior instances of the same task has completed.

  • Wait for All / Same Workflow

    Every task instance directly within the workflow instance will remain in Instance Wait until all prior instances of the same task, within an instance of the same workflow, have completed.

Wait / Delay Options

This section contains specifications for waiting to start and/or delaying on start the task.

Wait To Start

Amount of time to wait before starting a task from the time that it was launched.
 
Options are:

  • – None –
  • Time
  • Relative Time
  • Duration
  • Seconds

Wait Time

If Wait To Start = Time or Relative Time; Time of day (in 24-hour time) to wait until before starting the task. 

Wait Day Constraint

If Wait To Start = Time or Relative Time; Specification for whether or not to advance the wait time to another day.

Valid values:

  • -- None --
    • If Wait To Start = Time; Advance to the next day if the specified wait time is before the time that the task instance is eligible to start; that is, all dependencies have been met. For example: it is not being held, and it is not waiting on any predecessors.
    • If Wait To Start = Relative Time; Advance to the next day if the specified wait time is before the task instance Trigger Time or, if there is no Trigger Time, before the task instance Launch Time. In the latter case, when a task instance is within a workflow, it will inherit the Launch Time of the top-level parent workflow task instance.
  • Same Day
    Do not advance day.
  • Next Day
    Advance to the next day.
  • Next Business Day
    Advance to the next business day.
  • Sunday
    If today is not Sunday, advance to next Sunday.
  • Monday
    If today is not Monday, advance to next Monday.
  • Tuesday
    If today is not Tuesday, advance to next Tuesday.
  • Wednesday
    If today is not Wednesday, advance to next Wednesday.
  • Thursday
    If today is not Thursday, advance to next Thursday.
  • Friday
    If today is not Friday, advance to next Friday.
  • Saturday
    If today is not Saturday, advance to next Saturday.

Default is – None --.

Wait Duration

If Wait To Start = Duration; Number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds to wait before starting the task.

Wait Duration In Seconds

If Wait To Start = Seconds; Number of seconds to wait before starting the task.

Delay On Start

Amount of time to delay the start of a task, after it has been launched, from the time that it is eligible to start; that is, all dependencies have been met. For example: it is not being held, it is not waiting on any predecessors, or there is no wait time specified.
 
Options are:

  • – None –
  • Duration
  • Seconds

Delay Duration

If Delay On Start = Duration; Number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds to delay after starting the task.

Delay Duration In Seconds

If Delay On Start = Seconds; Number of seconds to delay after starting the task.

Time Options

This section contains information on time-related specifications for the task instance.

Late Start

If enabled, and if the task instance starts after the time or period specified, the task instance is flagged as late. You can specify a time or duration to determine a late start (see Late Start Type). To determine whether a task instance started late, open the task instance and locate the Started Late field; the field is checked if the instance started after the specified time. The Started Late field displays in the task instance Details only if the user specified a Late Start in the task Details.

Late Start Type

Required if Late Start is enabled.

Options:

  • Time - Flag the task if it starts after the specified time.
  • Duration - Flag the task if it starts a certain amount of time after the programmed start time. The task must have a specific start time.

Late Start Time

If Late Start Type = Time; Time after which the task start time is considered late. Use HH:MM, 24-hour time.

Late Start Day Constraint

If Late Start Type = Time; Specification for whether or not to advance the late start time to another day.
 
Valid values:

  • -- None --
    Advance to the next day if the specified late start time is before the Created time of the task instance.
  • Same Day
    Do not advance day.
  • Next Day
    Advance to the next day.
  • Next Business Day
    Advance to the next business day.
  • Sunday
    If today is not Sunday, advance to next Sunday.
  • Monday
    If today is not Monday, advance to next Monday.
  • Tuesday
    If today is not Tuesday, advance to next Tuesday.
  • Wednesday
    If today is not Wednesday, advance to next Wednesday.
  • Thursday
    If today is not Thursday, advance to next Thursday.
  • Friday
    If today is not Friday, advance to next Friday.
  • Saturday
    If today is not Saturday, advance to next Saturday.
  • Nth Day
    Advance to a specific number of days in the future.

Default is – None --.

Late Start Nth Amount

If Late Start Day Constraint = Nth Day; Number of days to advance.

Late Start Duration

If Late Start Type = Duration; Duration (amount of relative time) after which the task is considered to have started late.

For a task within a workflow, the duration is the period between the time the workflow starts and the time the task itself starts. For example, a task might have a Late Start Duration of 60 minutes. If the workflow starts at 9:00 a.m. but the task itself does not start until 10:30, the task has started late.

For a task that is not within a workflow, Late Start Duration has meaning only if the task has been held upon starting. For example, if a task has a Late Start Duration of 60 minutes and the Hold on Start field is enabled, if the task is not released from hold within the amount of time specified in the Late Start Duration field, the task has started late.

Computed Late Start Time

If Late Start is enabled, the computed Date/Time for when the task instance will be Late Started.

Late Finish

If enabled, and if the task instance finishes after the time or period specified, the task instance is flagged as late. You can specify a time or duration to determine a late finish (see Late Finish Type). To determine whether a task instance finished late, open the task instance and locate the Finished Late field; the field is checked if the instance finished after the specified time or lasted longer than expected. This field only appears on the task instance if the user specified a Late Finish in the task definition.

Late Finish Type

Required if Late Finish is enabled.

Options:

  • Time - Flag the task if it finishes after the specified time (see Late Finish Time).
  • Duration - Flag the task if it finishes a certain amount of time after the programmed finish time (see Late Finish Duration). The task must have a specific finish time.
  • Average Duration - Flag the task if it finishes before the average duration (see Average Instance Time) for the task, less an offset (see Late Finish Offset Type), if specified.

Late Finish Offset Type

If Late Finish Type = Average Duration;

Options:

  • Percentage
  • Duration

Late Finish Percentage Offset ( + )

Required if Late Finish Offset Type = Percentage; Percentage of Average Duration to use as an offset.  The late finish time is calculated by adding the offset to the Average Duration.

Late Finish Duration Offset ( + )

Required if Late Finish Offset Type = Duration; Duration to use as an offset.  The late finish time is calculated by adding the offset to the Average Duration. 

Late Finish Duration Offset Unit

If Late Finish Offset Type = Duration;

Options:

  • Seconds
  • Minutes
  • Hours

Late Finish Time

If Late Finish Type = Time; Time after which the task finish time is considered late. Use HH:MM, 24-hour time.

Late Finish Day Constraint

If Late Finish Type = Time; Specification for whether or not to advance the late finish time to another day.
 
Valid values:

  • -- None --
    Advance to the next day if the specified late finish time is before the Created time of the task instance.
  • Same Day
    Do not advance day.
  • Next Day
    Advance to the next day.
  • Next Business Day
    Advance to the next business day.
  • Sunday
    If today is not Sunday, advance to next Sunday.
  • Monday
    If today is not Monday, advance to next Monday.
  • Tuesday
    If today is not Tuesday, advance to next Tuesday.
  • Wednesday
    If today is not Wednesday, advance to next Wednesday.
  • Thursday
    If today is not Thursday, advance to next Thursday.
  • Friday
    If today is not Friday, advance to next Friday.
  • Saturday
    If today is not Saturday, advance to next Saturday.
  • Nth Day
    Advance to a specific number of days in the future.

Default is – None --.

Late Finish Nth Amount

If Late Finish Day Constraint = Nth Day; Number of days to advance.

Late Finish Duration

If Late Finish Type = Duration; Longest amount of time this task instance should take to run.

Computed Late Finish Time

If Late Finish is enabled, the computed Date/Time for when the task instance will be Late Finished.

Early Finish

If enabled, and if the task instance finishes before the time or period specified, the task instance is flagged as early. You can specify a time or duration to determine an early finish (see Early Finish Type). To determine whether a task instance finished early, open the task instance and locate the Finished Early field; the field is checked if the instance finished before the specified time or did not last as long as expected. This field only appears on the task instance if the user added Early Finish specifications to the task definition.

Early Finish Type

Required if Early Finish is enabled.

Options:

  • Time - Flag the task if it finishes before the specified time (see Early Finish Time).
  • Duration - Flag the task if it finishes a certain amount of time before the programmed finish time (see Early Finish Duration). The task must have a specific finish time.
  • Average Duration - Flag the task if it finishes before the average duration (see Average Instance Time) for the task, less an offset (see Early Finish Offset Type), if specified.

Early Finish Offset Type

If Early Finish Type = Average Duration;

Options:

  • Percentage
  • Duration

Early Finish Percentage Offset ( - )

Required if Early Finish Offset Type = Percentage; Percentage of Average Duration to use as an offset.  The early finish time is calculated by subtracting the offset from the Average Duration.

Early Finish Duration Offset ( - )

Required if Early Finish Offset Type = Duration; Duration to use as an offset. The early finish time is calculated by subtracting the offset from the Average Duration.

Early Finish Duration Offset Unit

If Early Finish Offset Type = Duration;

Options:

  • Seconds
  • Minutes
  • Hours

Early Finish Time

If Early Finish Type = Time; Time before which the task finish time is considered early. That is, enter a time at which the task should still be running. Use HH:MM, 24-hour time.

Early Finish Day Constraint

If Early Finish Type = Time; Specification for whether or not to advance the early finish time to another day.

 
Valid values:

  • -- None --
    Advance to the next day if the specified early finish time is before the Created time of the task instance.
  • Same Day
    Do not advance day.
  • Next Day
    Advance to the next day.
  • Next Business Day
    Advance to the next business day.
  • Sunday
    If today is not Sunday, advance to next Sunday.
  • Monday
    If today is not Monday, advance to next Monday.
  • Tuesday
    If today is not Tuesday, advance to next Tuesday.
  • Wednesday
    If today is not Wednesday, advance to next Wednesday.
  • Thursday
    If today is not Thursday, advance to next Thursday.
  • Friday
    If today is not Friday, advance to next Friday.
  • Saturday
    If today is not Saturday, advance to next Saturday.
  • Nth Day
    Advance to a specific number of days in the future.

Default is – None --.

Early Finish Nth Amount

If Early Finish Day Constraint = Nth Day; Number of days to advance.

Early Finish Duration

If Early Finish Type = Duration; Shortest amount of time this task instance should take to run.

Projected Late

System-provided if Late Start Time, Late Start Duration, or Late Finish Time is specified; This field is flagged if the task instance is projected to be late based on critical path projected end times (see Critical Path Projected Late Action Maximum and Critical Path Projected Late Threshold In Minutes Universal Controller system properties).

. 

Critical Path Options

This section contains Critical Path-related specifications for the task.

Calculate Critical Path

If enabled (checked), the Controller calculates the Critical Path of this Workflow and, by default, displays it in the Workflow Monitor. You can toggle between the normal view and the Critical Path view by using the Toggle Critical Path View icon on the Workflow Monitor toolbar.

If disabled (unchecked), the Controller does not calculate the Critical Path of this Workflow and display it in the Workflow Monitor, and the Toggle Critical Path View icon on the Workflow Monitor toolbar is disabled.
 

Note

This field displays only if the Critical Path Calculations Permitted Universal Controller system property is set to true.

The Calculate Critical Path option on the workflow will be ignored when the Simulate option is on.

If the Simulate option on the workflow is off, but on for one or more tasks within the workflow, the Calculate Critical Path option will be honored.

CP Duration

Optional; Allows you to override the estimated Critical Path Duration of the task when running in a Workflow; used in conjunction with the CP Duration Unit field. In most cases, this field should be left blank, which implies that the Controller will estimate the Critical Path Duration based on historical executions. Valid values are any integer equal to or greater than 0. Variables and Functions are supported.

CP Duration (Resolved)

Displays the current resolved value of the CP Duration field, which may contain variables or functions that will be displayed as unresolved until the task instance starts. The CP Duration (Resolved) field can continue to change value until the task instance starts, at which time CP Duration will display as resolved and CP Duration (Resolved) will no longer be visible unless there was an issue resolving the variables and/or functions contained within CP Duration. If the Controller is unable to resolve CP Duration or it resolves to an invalid value, CP Duration will be ignored and the Controller will estimate the Critical Path Duration based on historical executions.

CP Duration Unit

Type of CP Duration; used in conjunction with the CP Duration field. For example, for a CP Duration of two minutes, specify 2 in the CP Duration field and select Minutes in this field.
 

Options:

  • Seconds
  • Minutes
  • Hours

Default is Minutes.

Workflow Execution Options

This section contains Execution Restriction specifications for the task if it is within a Workflow.

Execution Restriction

Specification for whether or not there is a restriction for this task to be run, skipped, or held.

Options are:

  • -- None -- No restriction for this task.
  • Run Restriction for when this task will be run.
  • Skip Restriction for when this task will be skipped.
  • Hold Restriction for when this task will be held.

If Execution Restriction on a task is Run or Skip, then when it is part of a Workflow that is being launched, the Restriction Period is evaluated. The task instance will be skipped if Execution Restriction is Skip and the date is within the Restriction Period or Execution Restriction is Run and the date is not within the Restriction Period. Execution Restriction can be set to Skip with a Restriction Period of - None -, meaning the restriction is always active and the task will be skipped when it is part of a Workflow.

Restriction Period

If Execution Restriction = Run, Skip, or Hold; Period of time when the task is restricted.

Options are:

  • – None –
    No period of restriction for this task.
  • Before
    Restriction is valid if the date is before the Before Date value.
  • After
    Restriction is valid if the date is after the After Date value.
  • Span
    Restriction is valid if the date is before the Before Date value and after After Date value.
  • On
    Restriction is valid if the date is one of the Date List values.