Nodes
In Varicent Incentives, in addition to swimlanes, a workflow in the Workflows module also contains a series of nodes. Each node represents a step in the workflow that notifies payees, requires payees to take action, or requires the system to run an action.
Note
Nodes can only be added and edited for workflows that are in a draft state, or are being newly created. Once a workflow has been initiated or archived, changes can no longer be made to the workflow.
There are several types of nodes.
- Start node
This node is added by default when a workflow is created and defines the beginning of the workflow.
- End node
This node is added by default when a workflow is created and defines the end point of the workflow.
- Alert node
Use this node to send customizable notifications to users by email or through web messages that are delivered to the Sales Portal. You can use this type of node to notify specific users or groups of users when a workflow requires their input or action to proceed.
- Action node
This node defines the path that the workflow takes, based on an action that is taken by a user. Each action node contains action paths that are associated with a Presenter report and different routes in the workflow. For example, if a user has the choice to either approve or cancel a report, the action node defines a different workflow path that is followed based on which option the user selects.
- Process node
This node runs a saved Scheduler process. The scheduled process can be accessed through the Scheduler module.
- Conditional node
This node routes users to different paths in the workflow, depending on defined conditions.
- Auto Adjust node
This node enables you to make changes to amounts in reports and in Sales Portal. For example, if a payee questions an amount in a report on Sales Portal, you can have a new value approved in Inquiry Management, and the report instantly gets updated for the user in Sales Portal.
After the nodes for the workflow are created in the appropriate swimlanes, you can then connect them to create the workflow process.
Adding alert nodes
Alert nodes are used to send customizable notifications to payees by email or through Sales Portal. When sending notifications through external email, the email addresses used are determined by the data in the Payee table in Varicent Incentives. You can use the Alert node to notify specific payees or groups of payees when a workflow requires their input or action to proceed.
When creating notification messages in an Alert node, you can use variables such as the recipient's name, report name, or a link to the report specified in your workflow. Clicking each variable automatically adds it to the email body as part of the message content.
Imagine you're managing a workflow and need to ensure that Regional Managers are alerted when a specific report is ready for their review and input. You can achieve this by adding an 'Alert' node into your workflow. This alert will notify the Regional Managers whenever a report is ready to view and update. To organize this efficiently, you can create a custom swimlane specifically for Regional Managers who must approve the report. Then, you can add an alert node within this swimlane, ensuring that all necessary managers are promptly informed about the report's status. To learn more about creating swimlanes, read: Adding a swimlane.
From the Workflows module, create a new workflow, or open an existing one.
Note
You cannot edit a workflow that is currently running. Instead, create a duplicate of the active workflow and then make your modifications.
Place your cursor over the column in the swimlane to which you want to add the alert node, and click +New Node.
Select Alert Node.
Type a name and description for the node and click Save.
From the Message Type drop-down list, choose one of the following options:
Message type
Description
Sales Portal Inbox
This option is used to send a message directly to the payees' inbox within the Sales Portal.
This ensures that important notifications are viewed by Sales Portal users only.
Specified Email
This option allows you to send a message to specific email addresses listed in the Payee table.
This is useful for direct, targeted communications where the recipient list is predefined.
Internal Message and Email Notification
This dual-combination option sends a message to the payees both through their Sales Portal inbox and to external email addresses specified in the Payee table.
It provides the flexibility of reaching payees through multiple channels, maximizing the chances of message receipt and acknowledgment.
In the Email subject field, type the subject for the message.
If you are using the Specified Email message type, enter the payee's email address in the To and BCC fields.
Note
Make sure that this email address is already listed as a record in the Payee table.
In the Body field, type the message.
You can insert the following variables into the message body:
Variable
Description
Form Initiator
Inserts the name of the individual or payee who initiated the form process.
If John Smith initiated the form, the placeholder %formInitiatorName% would be replaced with "John Smith".
Recipient Name
Inserts the name of the payee who receives the message.
If the message is sent to Jane Doe, the placeholder %recipientName% would be substituted with "Jane Doe".
Report Name
Inserts the title of the report that is associated with the workflow.
If the report is titled "Quarterly Sales Analysis", the placeholder %reportName% will result in "Quarterly Sales Analysis" being displayed in the message.
Report Name with Link
This variable is available for messages sent through the Sales Portal inbox or as an internal email notification. This variable not only adds the report's name but also includes a hyperlink to the report on the Sales Portal.
If the report is titled "Market Trends 2023", the placeholder %reportNameWithLink% will provide a clickable link titled "Market Trends 2023" that takes users directly to the report on the Sales Portal.
Note that this variable requires the configuration of the Base URL in Model Settings. Read Configuring the base URL for workflow email notification links to learn more.
Click Done.
Adding action nodes
In Varicent Incentives, you can use an Action node to define operations that can be performed on a report in a particular step of the workflow in Workflows.
From the Workflows module, create a new workflow, or open an existing one.
Place your cursor over the column in the swimlane to which you want to add the action node, and click
, and then click + New Node.Select Alert Node.
Type a name and description for the node and click Save.
To define the action paths for the web users, complete the following steps:
Click Add action.
Hover your cursor over the new action, click the Edit
icon, and type a name for the action path.Select the Submit when selected checkbox to send the report to the next step in the workflow, and submit the data when the action is performed in Sales Portal.
Select the Required by all checkbox if all initiated workflows that are defined by the proceeding swimlane must reach the Action node before the action path is visible.
Select the Submit by all checkbox if all payees in the swimlane must perform the action before the workflow can move on.
This option can be selected for only one action and it cannot be combined with the Required by all selection.
On the Expiry tab, add an expiration date that can trigger the workflow to advance if no action has been taken by the specified date.
From the Expiry Type drop-down list, you can choose an expiration date or length of time before the Action node expires.
Set the date or the number of days and hours for the expiration of the Action node.
From the Expiration Path drop-down list, select the path that the workflow must take if the Action node expires.
On the Layout restrictions tab, you can perform the following actions:
In the Visible column, clear the checkboxes next to the layout tables that you do not want to be visible to payees on the Sales Portal.
In the Editable column, clear the checkboxes next to the layout tables that you do not want to be editable by users on the Sales Portal.
Important
The only fields that are editable in the report are the fields that were marked as editable in the data grids in Presenter. If you do not select the Editable checkbox on the Layout restrictions tab, the fields are not displayed as an editable part of the workflow, regardless of the Presenter settings.
Click Create.
Adding process nodes
In Varicent Incentives, you can use a Process node to add a process that was created in the Scheduler module to a workflow.
In the Workflows module, open the workflow.
Place your cursor over the column in the swimlane that you want to add the process node to, and click + New Node.
Select Process Node.
Type a name and description for the node and click Save.
Select the Scheduler process folder that you want the node to run.
Click Create.
If an error occurs when the defined process runs, the workflow either stops and enters an error state, or continues to run. The result depends on the configuration of the Stop Process on Error option in Scheduler.
Adding conditional nodes
In Varicent Incentives, you can use a Conditional node to define conditions that must be met in a particular step of a workflow.
Conditional nodes must have two exit paths. You can configure conditions with the following variables: parameters, editable value columns, stored values, and dates. You can create a maximum of five conditions in each Conditional node. To use the IF function with text values, you must have text values or text parameters defined in your associated Presenter report and disable the Enforce best practices for formulas option.
In Workflows, open the workflow.
Place your cursor over the column in the swimlane that you want to add the conditional node to, and click + New Node.
Select Conditional Node.
Type a name and description for the node and click Save.
Click Add a conditional path.
Click the Edit icon and type a name and description for the path.
Drag the available parameters into the window to create the formula for the condition.
Note
Both Report Data Model and non-Report Data Model tables can be used as parameters when creating conditional nodes.
Click Save.
When you are finished defining conditions, click Done.
Adding auto adjust nodes
Auto adjust nodes allow you to streamline the approval and update processes for changes to amounts in reports. If a payee questions an amount in a report on Sales Portal, you can quickly approve a new value via the Inquiry Management module. Once approved, the report is automatically updated, and the corrected amount is reflected for the user in Sales Portal.
To add an Auto Adjust node to your Inquiry workflow:
Note
Make sure your inquiry form is properly set up to gather the essential information necessary for updates. This usually includes form fields such as: Transaction ID to identify the correct row in the source table, Requested Amount as the updated value to apply, and Adjustment Reason for audit purposes.
Read Configuring the inquiry form to learn more.
From the Workflows module, create a new inquiry workflow, or open an existing one.
Note
You cannot edit a workflow that is currently running. Instead, create a duplicate of the active workflow and then make your modifications.
Hover over the column and swimlane where you want to add the node, and then click + New Node.
Select Auto Adjust Node as the node type.
Type a name and description for the node and click Save.
Select a source table that is used in your report.
This mapping is important for the automatic data adjustment based on requests initiated in Sales Portal.
Match the inquiry form fields to key columns in the source table.
This allows the table to be automatically adjusted based on the payee requests in the Sales Portal.
Note
Match at least one form field to a source column for updates.
Click Create.
Connect the Auto Adjust node to other nodes, integrating it into the workflow process.
Read Nodes to learn about creating different nodes in the workflow.
From the Reports module, assign the inquiry workflow to the report.
Read Assigning inquiry workflows to a report to learn more.
From the Reports module, map your table to the inquiry form so that the fields auto-populate in the Sales Portal.
Read Enabling copying a row of a Presenter Adaptive table to an Inquiry to learn more.
A payee can now quickly request changes to the report table after approval. The selected row information from Sales Portal is included in the inquiry form, which the Reports module automatically populates.
The payee can submit a new inquiry form to request adjustments to a field. Their manager receives a notification regarding the submitted inquiry and can take action on it.
Editing nodes
In Varicent Incentives, you can edit most nodes in a workflow in Workflows.
You cannot change the node type after the node is created. You cannot change or delete Start and End nodes.
Note
Editing nodes is only available for workflows that are in draft status or are newly created. Once a workflow is running or is archived, nodes and workflows cannot be edited.
From the Workflows module, create a new workflow or select an existing one.
Place your cursor over the node that you want to edit and click the Edit
icon.Update the fields that you wish to edit in the node wizard, and click Save.
Cutting, copying, and pasting nodes
In Workflows, you can copy and paste nodes into different columns in the same workflow or to columns in a different workflow.
In Workflows, open the workflow.
Place your cursor over the node that you want to move, click the ellipsis and select Cut or Copy.
Or select the node you want to move and then click the Cut
or Copy
icon from the floating toolbar.Or select the node you want to move and then use the keyboard shortcuts for CutCtrl + X or CopyCtrl + C.
Place your cursor over an empty column in the same workflow or a different workflow, click the ellipsis and select Paste.
Connecting nodes
After you create nodes, you must connect them to define the workflow process in Workflows.
In Workflows, open the workflow.
To connect the Start node to the first node of the process, click the Start node and drag the arrow to the node that you want to connect to.
Or select the first node of the process and then click the icon
from the floating toolbar to automatically connect that node to the Start node.
Connect the rest of the nodes to the workflow process by dragging the arrows from one node to another.
For each Action node with multiple action paths, complete these steps:
Click the Action node and drag the arrow to one of the nodes that you want to connect to.
Select the action path that you want to connect to the node, and click Save.
Repeat steps a and b to connect the other action paths to the appropriate nodes.
Connect the last node in the workflow process to the End node to complete the workflow.
You can specify whether the last node results in the workflow being approved or rejected.
Or select the last node of the process and then click the icon
from the floating toolbar to automatically connect that node to the End node.