Best Practices
Essential patterns and strategies for building effective Elementum workflows
Elementum Best Practices
Master the art of building effective workflows with these proven patterns and strategies. This guide covers the essential principles that separate good Elementum implementations from great ones.Core Objects Overview
Understanding Elementum’s core objects is fundamental to building effective workflows. Each object serves a specific purpose and excels in particular scenarios.Process-Oriented Objects
Services, Applications, Tasks - For structured workflows and processes
Data-Oriented Objects
Elements, Tables, Surveys - For data management and collection
Services
Best for: Customer support, help desk, and request portalsWhen to Use Services
When to Use Services
- Creating user-facing portals for request submission
- Automatically generating Application records from submissions
- Standardizing intake processes across teams
- Providing self-service capabilities to end users
- IT helpdesk portal
- Employee onboarding requests
- Customer support ticket system
- Equipment request portal
Applications
Best for: Tracking individual business processes and work itemsWhen to Use Applications
When to Use Applications
- Managing unique work items that progress through stages
- Tracking complex business processes with multiple stakeholders
- Coordinating work that spans multiple departments
- Maintaining audit trails for compliance
- Contract approval workflows
- Employee onboarding processes
- Customer implementation projects
- Compliance audits
Tasks
Best for: Breaking down work into manageable, assignable activitiesWhen to Use Tasks
When to Use Tasks
- Decomposing complex Applications into smaller activities
- Assigning specific work to individual team members
- Creating parallel workstreams within larger processes
- Tracking progress on detailed work items
- Tasks should be specific and actionable
- Assign clear ownership and deadlines
- Use Tasks to create accountability within larger workflows
- Complex Applications often require multiple related Tasks
Elements
Best for: Managing structured data with unique identifiersWhen to Use Elements
When to Use Elements
- Storing configuration, master, or transactional data
- Managing data that needs unique identification
- Creating relationships between different data types
- Building searchable, updateable data repositories
- Each record must have a unique identifier
- Data structure should be relatively stable
- Updates need to be tracked and auditable
Tables
Best for: Data analysis, reporting, and automation triggersWhen to Use Tables
When to Use Tables
- Joining and manipulating Elementum objects for insights
- Accessing Snowflake data without primary key requirements
- Powering Data Mines for automation workflows
- Creating complex analytical views
- No primary key requirements unlike Elements
- Effective for aggregations and analytics
- Essential for automation triggers
Surveys
Best for: Collecting structured feedback and responsesWhen to Use Surveys
When to Use Surveys
- Gathering feedback from internal and external users
- Collecting parallel responses from multiple stakeholders
- Linking feedback directly to Application records
- Creating standardized data collection processes
- Design questions to minimize ambiguity
- Link Surveys to relevant Applications for context
- Use conditional logic to improve user experience
- Plan for data analysis during survey design
Implementation Strategies
Object Selection Framework
Follow this decision tree to choose the right object for your needs:1
Define Your Primary Goal
- Need to track work through stages? → Applications + Tasks
- Need to gather information? → Surveys + Elements
- Need to analyze or report? → Tables + Data Mines
- Need user self-service? → Services
2
Consider Your Data Requirements
- Unique identifiers needed? → Elements
- No unique ID required? → Tables
- User input required? → Surveys
- Process tracking needed? → Applications
3
Plan for Relationships
- Link Surveys to Applications for process feedback
- Connect Tasks to Applications for work breakdown
- Relate Elements to Applications for contextual data
- Use Tables to join multiple object types for analysis
Building Effective Relationships
Strategic relationships between objects unlock Elementum’s full potential:Process Relationships
Service → Application → TasksCreates complete workflow from request to completion
Data Relationships
Survey → Application → ElementsConnects feedback to processes and reference data
Relationship Best Practices
- Hierarchical Relationships: Use parent-child relationships for natural hierarchies
- Reference Relationships: Link to Elements for master data lookups
- Process Relationships: Connect workflow stages through Applications and Tasks
- Contextual Relationships: Link Surveys to Applications for process-specific feedback
Performance Optimization
Query Performance
Element Optimization
Table Optimization
Data Architecture
1
Design for Scale
- Plan for data growth from day one
- Use appropriate object types for your data volume
- Consider Snowflake warehouse configuration early
2
Optimize Relationships
- Avoid deep relationship chains (>3 levels)
- Use reference relationships instead of duplicating data
- Regular relationship cleanup and validation
3
Monitor and Maintain
- Regular performance reviews
- Optimize slow-running Data Mines
- Clean up unused objects and relationships
Security and Governance
Access Control
- Role-Based Access: Align Elementum roles with organizational structure
- Data Sensitivity: Classify data and apply appropriate restrictions
- Workflow Permissions: Control who can view, edit, and approve at each stage
- Audit Trails: Maintain complete records of all changes and approvals
Governance Framework
Establish consistent naming patterns:
- Applications:
[Department]_[Process]_[Year] - Elements:
[Type]_[Category]_[Identifier] - Tasks:
[Action]_[Object]_[Stage] - Surveys:
[Purpose]_[Audience]_[Version]
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Critical Mistakes That Can Break Your Implementation
❌ Object Misuse
Using the Wrong Object Type
Using the Wrong Object Type
Problem: Choosing Tables when Elements are needed, or vice versaSolution:
- Use Elements when you need unique identifiers and data integrity
- Use Tables for analysis and reporting without unique constraints
- Use Applications for process tracking, not just data storage
- Multiple “Tables” that should be related Elements
- Applications with no associated Tasks or workflow
- Elements being used purely for analytics
❌ Over-Engineering
Creating Unnecessarily Complex Relationships
Creating Unnecessarily Complex Relationships
Problem: Building elaborate relationship networks that slow performanceSolution:
- Keep relationship chains under 3 levels deep
- Document the business justification for each relationship
- Regular reviews to eliminate unused connections
- Relationships that require multiple hops to access data
- Circular references between objects
- Relationships created “just in case”
❌ Poor Data Design
Inadequate Planning for Data Growth
Inadequate Planning for Data Growth
Problem: Not considering how data volume will impact performanceSolution:
- Plan for 10x current data volume
- Implement archiving strategies early
- Use appropriate Snowflake table types (see Table Types Guide)
- No data retention policies
- Single large tables without partitioning
- No performance monitoring in place
Success Metrics
Track these key indicators to measure your Elementum implementation success:Process Efficiency
System Performance
Next Steps
Ready to implement these best practices? Here’s your roadmap:1
Assess Current State
- Review existing workflows against these best practices
- Identify quick wins and improvement opportunities
- Plan your optimization roadmap
2
Implement Foundational Changes
- Start with data best practices
- Optimize your CloudLink setup
- Configure proper table types and warehouses
3
Optimize and Scale
- Implement advanced automation with Data Mines
- Build comprehensive governance frameworks
- Monitor and continuously improve performance
Data Best Practices
Deep dive into data management and optimization
CloudLink Setup
Optimize your data connectivity and performance
This guide is regularly updated based on customer feedback and new Elementum features. Last updated: