Why Automations Matter
Consistency & Reliability
Rules run the same way every time—enforcing business policies and reducing human error.
Speed at Scale
Process high volumes automatically with consistent execution times and parallel processing capabilities.
Cross-System Orchestration
Connect apps and data sources using APIs and prebuilt actions to keep systems in sync.
Human-in-the-Loop
Blend automation with approvals, forms, and assignments where judgment is required.
Core Building Blocks
Triggers
Start automations on record changes, status transitions, comments, file events, or schedules.
Conditions
Target the right scenarios with filters, comparisons, and Branch (if/else) logic.
Actions
Update fields, create related records, send notifications, request approvals, call webhooks, or invoke AI.
Schedules & SLAs
Time-based triggers and deadline tracking to escalate or remind when work is overdue.
Error Handling
Built-in retries and failure paths keep processes resilient; log outcomes for audits.
Observability
View automation runs, success rates, and bottlenecks to improve reliability.
Implementation Examples
SLA Escalation
Trigger: Scheduled (hourly)
Condition: Status = “Open” AND Assigned = null AND Created > 2 hours ago
Actions: Send notification to team, update priority to “High”, assign to manager
Condition: Status = “Open” AND Assigned = null AND Created > 2 hours ago
Actions: Send notification to team, update priority to “High”, assign to manager
System Integration
Trigger: Field change (Status → “Approved”)
Condition: Record type = “Contract”
Actions: HTTP POST to ERP webhook, Teams notification with contract details, update audit log
Condition: Record type = “Contract”
Actions: HTTP POST to ERP webhook, Teams notification with contract details, update audit log
Validation Pipeline
Trigger: Record submission
Condition: Required fields populated
Actions: Run AI classification, validate against business rules, block progression if validation fails
Condition: Required fields populated
Actions: Run AI classification, validate against business rules, block progression if validation fails
Data Processing
Trigger: File upload event
Condition: File type = PDF
Actions: Extract text via OCR, populate structured fields, create follow-up task with extracted data
Condition: File type = PDF
Actions: Extract text via OCR, populate structured fields, create follow-up task with extracted data
Automation Patterns
Event-Driven Rules
Event-Driven Rules
Execute immediately when data changes occur. Use for data validation, field calculations, notifications, and workflow state transitions.Common triggers: Field updates, status changes, record creation, comment additions
Best for: Real-time processing, data consistency, immediate notifications
Best for: Real-time processing, data consistency, immediate notifications
Use field-level triggers sparingly to avoid automation loops. Consider batching related field updates.
Scheduled Processing
Scheduled Processing
Run at fixed intervals for batch operations, maintenance tasks, and time-based business logic.Schedule options: Hourly, daily, weekly, monthly intervals with specific day/time selection
Best for: SLA monitoring, data reconciliation, periodic reports, cleanup tasksExample: Monthly schedule on day 1 to generate compliance reports, or hourly checks for overdue tasks
Best for: SLA monitoring, data reconciliation, periodic reports, cleanup tasksExample: Monthly schedule on day 1 to generate compliance reports, or hourly checks for overdue tasks
Human-in-the-Loop Workflows
Human-in-the-Loop Workflows
Combine automated processing with human decision points using assignments, approvals, and conditional routing.Components: Assignment rules, approval chains, timeout handling, escalation paths
Best for: Complex decisions, compliance requirements, exception handling
Best for: Complex decisions, compliance requirements, exception handling
System Integration
System Integration
Synchronize data and trigger actions across external systems using webhooks, APIs, and message queues.Integration types: REST APIs, webhooks, database connections, file transfers
Considerations: Authentication, rate limiting, error handling, data mapping
Considerations: Authentication, rate limiting, error handling, data mapping
Always implement retry logic and dead letter queues for external system calls.
Design Principles
- Single responsibility: Each automation should handle one specific business rule or process step
- Idempotency: Design actions to be safely repeatable—multiple executions produce the same result
- Observability: Log execution details, measure success rates, and monitor performance metrics
- Failure resilience: Implement retry policies, error handling, and dead letter queues for failed operations
- Testability: Use staging environments and test data to validate automation behavior before production
Performance tip: Batch similar operations and use conditional logic to minimize unnecessary executions. Monitor automation frequency to avoid overwhelming system resources.
Technical Implementation
Trigger Configuration
Trigger Configuration
Configure when automations execute based on data events, schedules, or external triggers.Event triggers: Field changes, record creation/updates, status transitions, file uploads
Time triggers: Scheduled intervals (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly), relative delays (e.g., 2 hours after creation)
External triggers: Webhook calls, API requests, message queue eventsBest practice: Use the most specific trigger possible to reduce unnecessary executions
Time triggers: Scheduled intervals (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly), relative delays (e.g., 2 hours after creation)
External triggers: Webhook calls, API requests, message queue eventsBest practice: Use the most specific trigger possible to reduce unnecessary executions
Conditional Logic
Conditional Logic
Filter automation execution using field values, record states, and complex expressions.Operators: Equals, contains, greater than, in list, regex matching
Logical operators: AND, OR, NOT for combining conditions
Advanced: JavaScript expressions for complex business logicExample:
Logical operators: AND, OR, NOT for combining conditions
Advanced: JavaScript expressions for complex business logicExample:
status == "pending" AND priority IN ["high", "critical"] AND created_date > DATE_SUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 1 DAY)Action Types
Action Types
Execute specific operations when trigger and condition criteria are met.Data actions: Update fields, create/delete records, manage relationships
Communication: Send emails, in-app notifications, webhook calls
Integration: HTTP requests, database queries, file operations
AI actions: Text processing, classification, content generationError handling: Configure retry attempts, timeout values, and failure notifications
Communication: Send emails, in-app notifications, webhook calls
Integration: HTTP requests, database queries, file operations
AI actions: Text processing, classification, content generationError handling: Configure retry attempts, timeout values, and failure notifications
Testing & Debugging
Testing & Debugging
Validate automation behavior using test environments and monitoring tools.Testing: Use staging data, dry-run mode, and step-by-step execution
Monitoring: Execution logs, success/failure rates, performance metrics
Debugging: Error traces, variable inspection, and conditional logging
Monitoring: Execution logs, success/failure rates, performance metrics
Debugging: Error traces, variable inspection, and conditional logging
Next Steps
Automation System
Deep dive into triggers, conditions, and actions.
Automation Triggers Reference
Browse all available triggers with configuration examples and use cases.
Automation Actions Reference
Browse all available actions (updates, integrations, AI, and more).
API Reference
Trigger workflows and actions from external systems.
Collaboration & UX
Design human-in-the-loop steps that pair with your automations.
Core Concepts
See how Automations fit with Apps, Elements, AI, and Collaboration.