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Configure workflow properties

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Important

Customers using Human Resources, the functionality noted in this article is currently available in both the stand-alone Dynamics 365 Human Resources and the merged Finance infrastructure. Navigation might be different than noted while we make updates. If you need to find a specific page, you can use Search.

This article explains how to configure the various properties of a workflow.

To configure the properties of a workflow, open the workflow in the workflow editor. Click the canvas of the workflow editor, and then click Properties to open the Properties page. You can then use the following procedures to configure the various properties of the workflow.

Name the workflow

Follow these steps to enter a name for the workflow.

  1. In the left pane, click Basic Settings.
  2. In the Name field, enter a unique name for the workflow. For example, if you create a purchase requisition workflow for each country/region that you operate in, you can name the purchase requisition workflow Purchase Requisitions Denmark or Purchase Requisitions Spain.

Specify the workflow owner

The workflow owner is the person who manages and maintains the workflow. Follow these steps to specify the workflow owner.

  1. In the left pane, click Basic Settings.
  2. In the Owner list, select the name of the person who will manage the workflow.

Select an email template

Follow these steps to select the email template that is used to generate notification messages about the workflow.

  1. In the left pane, click Basic Settings.
  2. In the Email template for workflow notifications list, select the template.

Enter instructions for users

You can provide instructions to users who submit documents for processing and approval. These users are also referred to as originators. For example, you're creating a purchase requisition workflow, and you enter instructions. Those instructions can then be viewed by users who enter purchase requisitions on the Purchase requisitions page. To view instructions, the originator clicks the icon in the workflow message bar. Follow these steps to enter instructions for users.

  1. In the left pane, click Basic Settings.

  2. In the Submission instructions field, enter the instructions.

  3. To personalize the instructions, you can insert placeholders. Placeholders are replaced with the appropriate data when the instructions are shown to users. To insert a placeholder, follow these steps:

    1. Click in the Submission instructions field to specify where the placeholder should appear.
    2. Click Insert placeholder.
    3. In the list that appears, select the placeholder to insert.
    4. Click Insert.

  4. To add translations of the instructions, follow these steps:

    1. Click Translations.
    2. On the page that appears, click Add.
    3. In the list that appears, select the language that you will enter the text in.
    4. In the Translated text field, enter the text.
    5. To personalize the text, you can insert placeholders. For instructions about how to enter a placeholder, see step 3.
    6. Click Close.

Note

Placeholders cannot be added using copy and paste because the target information is not pasted in correctly. Use the interface to add placeholders.

Specify when this workflow is used through activation conditions

You can create multiple workflows that are based on the same workflow type. When you have multiple workflows that are based on the same type, you must specify when each workflow is used using activation conditions. If activation conditions are not met, then the default workflow is used. Similarly, if there is only one workflow configuration defined for a workflow type, then that workflow configuration will be used regardless of the activation conditions.

For example, you can create a purchase requisition workflow for each country/region that you operate in, such as Purchase Requisitions Denmark and Purchase Requisitions Spain, with the following conditions:

  • Purchase Requisitions Denmark is used when: country/region = DK
  • Purchase Requisitions Spain is used when: country/region = ES

Follow these steps to specify when the workflow that you're configuring is used.

  1. In the left pane, click Activation.
  2. Select the Set the conditions for running this workflow check box.
  3. Click Add condition.
  4. Enter a condition.
  5. Enter any additional conditions that are required.
  6. Run through the workflow with some target records to verify that the condition correctly includes and excludes records.

Specify when notifications are sent

When a document is submitted for processing, a workflow instance is created. You can send notifications to users when workflow instances that are based on the workflow are started, completed, terminated, or stopped because of an error. Follow these steps to specify when notifications are sent.

  1. In the left pane, click Notifications.

  2. Select the check box for each event that should trigger notifications:

    • Started – Send notifications when a workflow instance is started.
    • Stopped – Send notifications when a workflow instance is stopped because of an error.
    • Completed – Send notifications when a workflow instance is completed.
    • Unrecoverable – Send notifications when a workflow instance is stopped because of an unrecoverable error.
    • Terminated – Send notifications when a workflow instance is terminated.

  3. Select the row for an event that you selected in step 2.

  4. On the Notification text tab, enter the text of the notification.

  5. To personalize the text, you can insert placeholders. Placeholders are replaced with the appropriate data when the text is shown to users. To insert a placeholder, follow these steps:

    1. Click in the field to specify where the placeholder should appear.
    2. Click Insert placeholder.
    3. In the list that appears, select the placeholder to insert.
    4. Click Insert.
    5. A common Notification text placeholder to include is "Last Notes: %Workflow.Last note%", which displays any comments from the previous step.

  6. To add translations of the text, follow these steps:

    1. Click Translations.
    2. On the page that appears, Click Add.
    3. In the list that appears, select the language that you will enter the text in.
    4. In the Translated text field, enter the text.
    5. To personalize the text, you can insert placeholders. For instructions about how to enter a placeholder, see step 5.
    6. Click Close.

  7. On the Recipient tab, use the following options to specify who should receive the notifications.

    Option Notifications are sent to these users To send notifications, follow these steps
    Participant Users who are assigned to a specific group or role
    1. On the Recipient tab, click Participant.
    2. On the Role based tab, in the Type of participant list, select the type of group or role to send notifications to.
    3. In the Participant list, select the group or role to send notifications to.
    Workflow user Users who are participants in this workflow
    1. On the Recipient tab, click Workflow user.
    2. On the Workflow user tab, in the Workflow user list, select a participant in this workflow.
    User Specific users
    1. On the Recipient tab, click User.
    2. On the User tab, the Available users list includes all users. Select the users to send notifications to, and move those users into the Selected users list.

  8. Repeat steps 3 through 7 for each event that you selected in step 2.

Enter comments about the changes that you made to the workflow

To enter comments about the changes that you made to the workflow, follow these steps.

  1. In the left pane, click Notes.
  2. In the Enter comments about the workflow field, enter your comments.
  3. Review your comments. After you add comments, you can't modify them.
  4. Click Add to add your comments to the Comment history area.