Create or edit a workflow

Can I do this task?

1. In the Navigation Pane, click Settings, and then click Workflows.
2. On the Actions toolbar, click New.
3. In the dialog box, set required properties for the workflow.
   1. In the Workflow name box, type the name that you want to use for this workflow.
   2. From the Entity list, select the primary entity The entity that a related entity is associated to. Sometimes called a parent entity. that you want to use with this workflow.
   3. In the Type area, select whether you want to create a completely new workflow or whether you want to use a workflow template A type of workflow that serves exclusively as the basis for creating other workflows. Workflow templates cannot start workflow jobs..

      If you want to vew details about the workflow template, select the workflow template and click Properties.

   4. Click OK.
4. In the area in the top half of the Workflow form, set additional properties for the workflow.
   1. If you plan to publish this workflow to automate your business processes, from the Publish As list, select Workflow.

      - OR -

      If you plan to publish this workflow as a workflow template A type of workflow that serves exclusively as the basis for creating other workflows. Workflow templates cannot start workflow jobs., from the Publish As list, select Workflow Template.

   2. Under Available to Run, select how you want to make the workflow available to other users People who have active user accounts in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. in your organization:
      • On demand. If you want to make the workflow available as an on-demand workflow A type of workflow that only runs when a user chooses to apply it to records from a toolbar or menu in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online., select this check box.
      • As a child workflow. If you want to make the workflow available as a child workflow A type of workflow that runs only when started by another workflow. It is contained within a parent workflow and cannot be run on its own., select this check box.
   3. If you are creating an automatic workflow A type of workflow that runs as soon as the conditions defined in the workflow logic are met. No user action is required to start the workflow., under Options for Automatic Workflows, set options unique to workflows that run automatically:
      • Scope. Select the access level A security role setting that determines, for a given entity, who can access records. There are four options: just the owner of the record, all users in the current business unit, all users in the current or child business unit, or all users. that matches the workflow scope The range of records that a particular workflow is allowed to take action on. The options available when you specify the scope of a workflow depend on the access level that you have on your workflow's primary entity. Workflow jobs started by your workflow will not take action on records owned at a higher access level than your access level. that you want to set for this workflow.

        Note: The items available to you in this list depend on the privileges A user's rights to perform specific actions on specific record types or to perform tasks. Privileges are assigned by system administrators to security roles. Users are then assigned security roles. Examples of privileges include Update Account and Publish Customizations. that have been assigned to your security role A defined set of privileges. The security role assigned to a user determines which tasks the user can perform and which parts of the user interface the user can view. All users must be assigned at least one security role in order to access the system. for the workflow's primary entity The entity that a related entity is associated to. Sometimes called a parent entity..

      • Start when. Select the check boxes that correspond to the events in your implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online that you want to start the workflow.

        Note: If you select the Record attributes change check box, you must click Select and specify the attributes Properties of an entity with a specific data type. Attributes are analogous to columns in a database table. When attributes are added to an entity form, they are displayed as fields that correspond to their data type. of the primary entity The entity that a related entity is associated to. Sometimes called a parent entity. that you want the workflow to monitor for changes.

5. Add stages to your workflow logic.

   In the Workflow Logic area in the lower half of the Workflow form, you can add workflow stages Elements of workflow logic that group steps. Workflow rules determine the required activities for a workflow and the order in which those activities must be performed. to your workflow logic All of the conditions, actions, and other logical elements that define when and how a particular workflow takes action on Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online records..

   1. Select the line in your workflow logic where you want to add the workflow stage.
   2. On the Workflow Logic toolbar, click Add Step and select Stage.
   3. Click OK.
   4. Click Type a stage description here and replace the default text with a description of what your workflow stage includes.

   Note: If you want to add more stages to your workflow, first click the area to the left of the existing workflow stage. Next, click the Insert menu and select whether you want to add the stage above or below the one you selected. Click Add Step, select Stage, and click OK.

6. Add steps to your workflow logic.

   In the Workflow Logic area in the lower half of the Workflow form, you can add workflow steps Elements of workflow logic that define units of business logic within a workflow. Steps can include conditions, actions, other steps, or a combination of these elements. to your workflow logic All of the conditions, actions, and other logical elements that define when and how a particular workflow takes action on Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online records..

   Tip: You can repeat these steps to add whatever steps you want to include in your workflow logic.

   1. Select the line in your workflow logic where you want to add the workflow step.
   2. On the Workflow Logic toolbar, click Add Step and select one of the following items:
      • Check Condition. Adds a check condition An element of workflow logic that defines a specific situation and any actions that should be taken if that situation occurs. A logical "if-then" statement in a workflow. to the workflow. You can add a check condition at any level in your workflow logic.

        After you have added a check condition to your workflow, you can add one or more conditional branches and a default action to the check condition:

        • Conditional Branch. Adds a conditional branch An element of workflow logic that defines an alternative condition and action or additional steps, in cases when the criteria in a condition element are not met. A logical "else-if-then" statement in a workflow. to the workflow. To add a conditional branch, you must select the If line in a check condition or the Otherwise, if line in another conditional branch.

          Note that more than six levels of conditional branching are not displayed.

        • Default Action. Adds a default action An element of workflow logic that defines an alternative action in all cases that do not match the criteria defined in condition or branch elements. A logical "else" statement in a workflow. to the workflow. You can include only one default action associated with a check condition. To add a default action, you must select the If line in a check condition or the Otherwise, if line in a conditional branch.
      • Wait Condition. Adds a wait condition An element of workflow logic that enables a workflow to pause itself until the criteria defined by the condition have been met. The workflow starts again automatically when the criteria in the wait condition have been met. to the workflow. You can add a wait condition at any level in your workflow logic.

        After you have added a wait condition to your workflow, you can add one or more parallel wait branches to the wait condition:

        • Parallel Wait Branch. Adds a parallel wait branch An element of workflow logic that defines an alternative wait condition with a corresponding set of additional steps that are performed only when the initial criterion is met. You can use parallel wait branches to create timeouts in your workflow logic. They help prevent the workflow from waiting indefinitely until the criteria defined in a wait condition have been met. to the workflow. To add a parallel wait branch, you must select the Wait until line in a wait condition or the Otherwise, wait until line in another parallel wait branch.
   3. Click condition.
      1. In the Specify Workflow Condition dialog box, select the condition An element of workflow logic that defines a specific situation and any actions that should be taken when that situation occurs. A logical "if-then" statement in a workflow. for the workflow step:

         Tip: After you specify one condition, move your cursor over the area to the right of the condition you just specified. New fields appear, in which you can specify additional details about the condition.

         1. In the first list, select a primary entity The entity that a related entity is associated to. Sometimes called a parent entity. or related entity An entity that is associated with a primary entity (record type) through a unique reference defined by using a lookup control on the related entity form. For example, an account has a unique reference to a primary contact..
         2. In the second list, select an attribute A property of an entity with a specific data type. Attributes are analogous to columns in a database table. When attributes are added to an entity form, they are displayed as fields that correspond to their data type. in the entity you selected in the previous step.
         3. In the third list, select the logical operator An element of logic that affects the outcome of a logical expression. Examples of logical operators include Equals and Contains. In Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, logical operators are used in Advanced Find queries, as well as in workflow conditions and dynamic values. that best fits the condition you want to specify, such as Contains or Equals.
         4. In the last lists or boxes, enter the value that you want to use as the criteria for your workflow condition.
         5. Click Save and Close.

      Tip: You can specify multiple conditions for a single workflow step. After you select an entity from the first column, a second line appears, where you can specify another condition. The workflow considers the conditions to have been met only when an event matches all of the criteria.

   4. On the Workflow form, click Type a step description here and replace the default text with a description of what your workflow step includes.
7. Add actions to your workflow logic.

   In the Workflow Logic area in the lower half of the Workflow form, you can add workflow actions Elements of workflow logic that specify the actions that should be performed by workflow jobs when conditions defined in the workflow have been met. to your workflow logic All of the conditions, actions, and other logical elements that define when and how a particular workflow takes action on Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online records..

   Tip: You can repeat these steps to add whatever actions you want to include in your workflow logic.

   1. Select the line in your workflow logic where you want to add an action.
   2. On the Workflow Logic toolbar, click Add Step and select one of the following items:
      • Create Record. Creates a new record. From the Create list, select the entity for which you want to create individual records.
      • Update Record. Updates a record. From the Update list, select the record that you want to update.
      • Assign Record. Assigns a record from one user to another user. From the Assign list, select the record that you want to reassign, and then click the Lookup button and select the user you want to assign the record to.
      • Send E-mail. Sends an e-mail notification. From the Send e-mail list, select whether you want to create a new e-mail message or use an E-mail Template A framework for an e-mail message. Templates are used to ensure consistent layouts and content in similar types of documents..
      • Start Child Workflow. Starts a child workflow A type of workflow that runs only when started by another workflow. It is contained within a parent workflow and cannot be run on its own.. From the Start child workflow list, select the primary entity of the child workflow you want to use, and then click the Lookup button and select the child workflow.
      • Change Status. Changes the status of a record. From the first Change status list, select the record that you want to change the status of, and then select the status from the second list.
      • Stop Workflow. Stops the current workflow. From the Stop workflow with status of list, select the status that you want to set for the stopped workflow.
   3. If a Set Properties button appears next to the new action you added, click Set Properties and specify details about the entity that this step in your workflow is taking action on.
   4. Click Type a step description here and replace the default text with a description of what your workflow step includes.
8. Click Save or Save and Close.

   Notes

   • If you use a wait condition An element of workflow logic that enables a workflow to pause itself until the criteria defined by the condition have been met. The workflow starts again automatically when the criteria in the wait condition have been met. to wait for a timeout A type of wait condition in workflow logic that stops all actions in the workflow until a specified time. You can create a timeout by selecting the following values for the wait condition: Workflow (under Local Values), Timeout, Equals, and a date or specific time., you will no longer be able to change the timeout condition (you can change individual details for the timeout, but you cannot change the timeout to another type of condition). If you need to change the conditions, delete the timeout and add a new wait condition.
   • If you need to back up workflows, or export them for use in a different implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, you can export them as part of exporting customizations. More information: Export Customizations and Configurations