Workflow Foundations

Workflow events

The events that can start a workflow for requests, changes, assets, users and custom objects.

Every workflow starts with an event: something that happens to a record, such as a request being created or an asset's warranty date changing. You pick the events in the Events section of the workflow builder by clicking Add event. You can add more than one, and any one of them starts the workflow.

Events tell a workflow when to run. To narrow down which records it acts on, add conditions after the events. For example, you might start a workflow on Priority is updated, then add a condition so it only continues when the new priority is Urgent.

The events you can pick depend on the kind of record the workflow runs on.

Request events

These events are available for request workflows, including service requests and incidents.

Event	Starts the workflow when
Request is created	A new request is raised.
Request is updated	Anything on the request changes.
Request is converted	The request is converted to another type, for example a service request to an incident.
Request is moved	The request is moved to another workspace.
Request is restored	A deleted request is restored.
Private note is added	A private note is added to the request.
Reply is sent	A reply is sent to the requester.
Approval status is updated	An approval on the request changes state.
Resolution SLA is breached	The request misses its resolution target.
First response SLA is breached	The request misses its first response target.
Service item is added, updated or removed	The service catalog item on the request is added, changed or removed.
Incident form is added, updated or removed	The incident form on the request is added, changed or removed.
Subject is updated / Description is updated	The subject or description changes.
Group is updated / Agent is updated	The request is reassigned to a different agent group or agent.
Tags is updated	Tags are added to or removed from the request.
Status is updated / Priority is updated	The status or priority changes.
Impact is updated / Urgency is updated	The impact or urgency changes.
Linked assets is updated	Assets are linked to or unlinked from the request.

Change events

These events are available for change workflows.

Event	Starts the workflow when
Change is created	A new change is raised.
Change is updated	Anything on the change changes.
Change is restored	A deleted change is restored.
Private note is added / Reply is sent	A private note is added or a reply is sent on the change.
Subject is updated / Description is updated	The subject or description changes.
Tags is updated	Tags are added to or removed from the change.
Group is updated / Agent is updated	The change is reassigned to a different agent group or agent.
Change type is updated	The change type changes.
Status is updated / Priority is updated	The status or priority changes.
Urgency is updated / Impact is updated	The urgency or impact changes.
Planned start date is updated / Planned end date is updated	The planned window for the change moves.
Actual start date is updated / Actual end date is updated	The recorded start or end of the change is updated.
Linked assets is updated	Assets are linked to or unlinked from the change.

For an end-to-end example, see Automate your change lifecycle with event-driven workflows.

Asset events

These events are available for asset workflows. Besides the two record-level events, there are events for changes to individual asset attributes, including the ones below.

Event	Starts the workflow when
Asset is created	A new asset is added.
Asset is updated	Anything on the asset changes.
Operating system is updated / OS version is updated	The device's operating system or OS version changes.
Last connected is updated / Last check-in is updated	The last connected or last check-in time changes.
Cost is updated / Date of purchase is updated / Warranty expiration date is updated	Purchase or warranty details change.
Local Asset Id is updated / Management ID is updated	The asset's identifiers change.
App logo URL, App support URL, App status URL or App access URL is updated	The details of an application asset change.

For example, a workflow that starts on Warranty expiration date is updated can check whether the new date falls within the next 30 days and open a service request to renew the warranty.

User events

These events are available for user workflows. They start a workflow when a person's record in your directory is created or changes, for example when an HR system or identity provider syncs an update.

Event	Starts the workflow when
User is created	A new user is added to Atomicwork.
User is updated	Anything on the user's record changes.
Work email is updated / Personal email is updated	Either email address changes.
Employee ID is updated	The user's employee ID changes.
First name, Middle name or Last name is updated	Any part of the user's name changes.
Date of birth is updated / Gender is updated	Those personal details change.
Hire date is updated / Exit date is updated	The user's start or leaving date is set or changed.
Job title, Level, Team or Department is updated	The user's role or place in the organization changes.
Reporting manager is updated / HR Business Partner is updated	The user's manager or HR business partner changes.
Timezone is updated / Language is updated	The user's timezone or language preference changes.

For example, a workflow that starts on Exit date is updated can kick off offboarding as soon as HR records a leaving date, well before the person's last day.

Custom object events

Every custom object type gets its own set of events, built from its attributes:

[Object] is created and [Object] is updated, for the record as a whole.
[Attribute] is updated for each attribute on the object type.

For example, a Location object with Display name, Name, Location type, Time zone, Site Contact and Business hours attributes offers Location is created, Location is updated, Display name is updated, Name is updated, Location type is updated, Time zone is updated, Site Contact is updated and Business hours is updated. When you add an attribute to the object type, a matching event becomes available.

Schedules

Workflows can also run on a schedule instead of an event. See Scheduled workflows.