Fundamentals
Core Concepts
Foundational building blocks for creating custom business workflows in Elementum
Elementum is a platform designed to build, automate, and scale custom business workflows. This section explains the foundational building blocks of the platform—how data, workflows, automation, and AI come together.
Processes & Apps
Apps
Apps organize your data, configuration, automations, and user permissions into unified spaces tailored to specific processes like onboarding, incident management, or vendor reviews. Think of them as the containers that hold business logic & configuration.
Flow
A visual process builder that lets you design your workflow with stages, decision points, automations, and user inputs. Track automation percentages and visualize your entire process from initiation to completion.
Data & Elements
Elements
Elements are the structured data objects at the heart of every app. They represent business entities—like vendors, products, or login events—and are defined by fields, relationships, and validations. Elements are the foundation that power your complex processes.
CloudLinks
CloudLinks connect Elementum to your existing data repositories (like Snowflake) to use as a data source without copying or syncing. External data becomes instantly usable inside workflows—unlocking real-time solutions and faster value delivery.
Automations
Automations
Automation in Elementum is event-driven. Rules define what should happen when something changes—like a field update, a form submission, or a time-based condition. Triggers start workflows, assign tasks, loop in an AI Agent, or modify records automatically.
External System Integrations
Use platform APIs and prebuilt automation actions to send or receive data between Elementum and other systems. Trigger workflows, update records, or enrich data.
AI & Intelligence
AI & Intelligence
Add reasoning, extraction, and generation to key workflow moments. Use reusable Agents for complex steps and lightweight AI actions for single-use tasks.
Example: An Agent trained on customer histories analyzes a complaint, drafts a response, and escalates only if needed.
AI Providers & Setup
Configure models and providers (OpenAI, Gemini, Snowflake Cortex, etc.) based on your data sensitivity, cost, and needs.
Collaboration & UX
Collaboration & UX
Design human-in-the-loop workflows with layouts, roles, approvals, and notifications. Keep people in control with the right context and accountability.
Flexible Interfaces for Human Users
Users contribute to workflows through forms, comments, and views. Whether it’s a table, timeline, or card layout, each interface is configurable to support collaboration and real-time updates.
How Core Concepts Work Together
Understanding how these concepts work together is key to building effective workflows. Each step builds on the previous ones to create sophisticated, automated business processes.1. Define Your Workflow Structure
1. Define Your Workflow Structure
Start with Apps to organize your data, configuration, automations, and user permissions into unified spaces. Then use Flow to design your visual process with stages, decision points, and automations.Example: Create a “Vendor Onboarding” app with a flow that moves vendors through stages like Application → Review → Approval → Activation.
2. Model Your Business Data
2. Model Your Business Data
Connect to existing data sources using CloudLinks without copying or syncing data. Link data Elements from your CloudLink as structured data objects to represent your business entities (vendors, products, incidents).Example: Connect to your CRM database via CloudLink and create Elements for Customers, Contracts, and Support Tickets.
3. Implement Event-Driven Automation
3. Implement Event-Driven Automation
Set up Event-driven Automation with rules that trigger when you need to automate a task. Use External system connections via APIs and prebuilt actions to integrate with other platforms.Example: Automatically create a support ticket in your help desk system when a customer submits a complaint form.
4. Add AI Intelligence
4. Add AI Intelligence
Deploy Agents as reusable AI components for complex workflow steps that require reasoning. Use AI Powered Automations for lightweight, single-use tasks like categorization and data transformation.Example: Use an Agent to analyze customer feedback and automatically categorize issues, then route them to the appropriate team.
5. Enable Human Collaboration
5. Enable Human Collaboration
Design Human-in-the-Loop Workflows where people maintain control through roles, approvals, and notifications. Create Flexible Interfaces with forms, comments, and configurable views for real-time collaboration.Example: Set up approval workflows where managers review and approve expense requests, with automated notifications and deadline tracking.
Common Implementation Patterns
See how core concepts work together in real-world scenarios:Incident Management System
Incident Management System
Apps organize incident tracking workflows, Elements capture structured incident data, Agents classify severity and analyze context, and External system connections notify stakeholders and update monitoring tools.Flow Example:
- Incident reported → 2. LLM powered automation classifies severity → 3. Agent searches common incident issues & suggests resolution. 4. Auto-assign to team → 5. Human review → 6. Resolution tracking
Getting Started Tip: Begin by identifying your business process, then create an App to organize your workflow. Define Elements to structure your data, design your process Flow, then gradually add Event-driven automation and AI capabilities as needed.
Next Steps
Explore Individual Concepts
Dive deeper into Apps, Elements, Flow, and other core concepts with detailed explanations and examples.
View Platform Features
Learn about advanced capabilities like Agents, CloudLinks, automation system, and collaboration tools.
Follow Implementation Guides
Step-by-step instructions for configuring workflows, setting up automations, and building effective processes.
API Reference
Technical documentation for connecting external systems and building integrations.