1. Data Management
  2. Data Entry Workflow
  3. Design
  4. Design data entry workflow templates

Test data entry workflow template

You can run a data entry workflow template version in test mode.

When you run a data entry workflow template version in test mode:

  • The history and staging data are logged, marked as test mode.
  • You can change test staging data when a test resulted in an error. And then restart the failed step.
  • You can remove fields from the workflow template steps. Note: To do so, first deactivate the data entry workflow version.
  • You can remove records or fields from the workflow document. Note: To do so, first delete the test staging data.

 


Designer (Data entry workflow) Designer (Data entry workflow) The Data entry workflow designer (DewDataEntryWorkflowDesigner): Enables the Data entry workflow setup. Designs and maintains data entry workflow templates. Manages data entry workflow template versions. Deploys data entry workflow templates. Start Start Test workflow template version Test workflow template version You can run a data entry workflow template version in test mode. If you do so, no history is logged when you initiate a data entry workflow based on the workflow template. If you have started a data entry workflow in test-mode: The workflow dialog is opened with the first step of the workflow. So, you do not need to navigate to the form as defined in the dynamic menu form setup. When you complete a step: The entered data is stored in a staging table. Automatically the next step is opened on the workflow dialog. When you finish the data entry workflow, the entered data is saved in the target tables. Therefore, you are advised not to use the test-mode in your production environment. When you have finished testing, you can deactivate the workflow template version. Based on your test results, you can make changes to the version. Procedure 1. Go to Data entry workflow > Design > Data entry workflow templates. 2. In the list, click the link of the desired data entry workflow template. 3. Sub-task: Activate workflow template in test mode. 4. On the Action Pane, click Versions. 5. Click Activate. 6. Select Yes in the Test mode field. 7. Click OK. 8. Sub-task: Run workflow in test mode. 9. On the Action Pane, click Versions. 10. Click Test version. 11. For data entry steps, fill in the fields and do the desired action. For example, click Complete. 12. For approval steps, do the desired action. For example, click Approve. 13. Sub-task: Deactivate workflow template. 14. On the Action Pane, click Versions. 15. Click Deactivate. 16. Click OK. Did the workflow test  result in an error? Did the workflow test  result in an error? Troubleshoot data entry workflow Troubleshoot data entry workflow A workflow error can occur when data is transferred from the staging table to the target tables. Data is transferred from the staging table to the target tables when: A task is completed for which Transfer to target is enabled. The last task of a workflow is completed. Procedure 1. Click Data entry workflow management. 2. Click the Workflows with an error tab. 3. Sub-task: View workflow errors. 4. In the list, find and select the desired workflow. 5. Click Show errors. 6. Sub-task: Restart workflow task where errors occurred. 7. In the list, find and select the desired record. 8. Click Restart failed step. Do you want to  modify test data? Do you want to  modify test data? Modify data entry workflow test data Modify data entry workflow test data You can run a data entry workflow template version in test mode. When you run a data entry workflow template version in test mode, the test history and test staging data is logged, marked as test mode. If you investigate the errors, it can conclude, for example, that a field value is missing or that you want to retry with another field value. Instead of rerunning the full data entry workflow, you can change the test staging data. This especially saves testing time for data entry workflow templates with several steps. When these changes are done, you can restart the failed step. Procedure 1. Click Data entry workflow management. 2. Click the Workflows with an error tab. 3. In the list, click the link of the desired data entry workflow. Note: Make sure, you select a data entry workflow that is in test mode. 4. Expand the Tracking details list section. 5. In the list, find and select the desired record. 6. Click Field values. 7. For the field which value you want to change, click the Value history button to open the drop dialog. Note: The Value history button is located to the right of the field: 8. Click Update to open the drop dialog. 9. In the New value field, type the new value for the field. 10. To set the new field value, click OK. 11. To close the Workflow field values dialog, click OK. 12. Close the page. Do you want to change  the workflow document? Do you want to change  the workflow document? Delete data entry workflow test staging data Delete data entry workflow test staging data When you run a data entry workflow template version in test mode, the history and staging data is logged, marked as test mode. When you test a data entry workflow template, it can be required to edit the workflow document. For example to add or remove records or fields. Before you can remove records or fields from the workflow document, you must delete the test staging data (field values) from the history. Note: To delete test staging data if the data entry workflow template, first deactivate it. Procedure 1. Go to Data entry workflow > Design > Data entry workflow templates. 2. In the list, find and select the desired data entry workflow template. 3. On the Action Pane, click General. 4. Click Workflow document. 5. Click Delete test staging data. 6. Click Yes. 7. Close the page. Edit workflow document Edit workflow document The workflow document is used to write the data, as entered using a data entry workflow, to D365 FO. If you create a: Workflow template, automatically the first version of the related workflow document is created. New version of a workflow template, based on a previous version, also a new version of the related workflow document is created. New blank version of a workflow template, also a new blank version of the related workflow document is created. If you select fields for a data entry workflow template step, the workflow document is updated based on the selections you made. Existing document record relations are not changed. Based on the selected fields, this is added to the automatically created workflow document: Records: Fields on a page are linked to a datasource. A page can have fields from several datasources. For each datasource from which you select fields, a record is added to the workflow document. Each page has a main datasource. Always a record is added for the main datasource, whether you select a field from the main datasource or not. Fields: All selected fields are added to the applicable record in the workflow document. Datasource connection fields: If you select fields from several datasources, the fields that connect the datasources are always added, whether selected or not. Ranges: If a datasource has a range defined for the page, the range is also added to the workflow document record. For example, on the Released products page, you can fill in fields of the InventTableModule datasource for that apply to one of these modules: Sales, Purchase, or Inventory. For each of these modules, a separate record is added to the workflow document. For each of these records a range is added indicating the applicable module. Virtual fields: To a workflow template step of type 'Data entry', you can add virtual fields. you can add virtual fields of these types: Generic, Document attachment, Picture, or Product attribute. On creation, you link a virtual field to a workflow document record. Based on this link, a virtual field is added to the workflow document. You can review and adjust a workflow document. If you do so, make sure these rules are applied: For workflow template documents, the records must be in line with how the data is structured and named in D365 FO. Each document record must have the data fields which values must be written to D365 FO. The fields must be in line with naming in D365 FO. Also, the fields must have the same type as in D365 FO. Procedure 1. Go to Data entry workflow > Design > Data entry workflow templates. 2. In the list, find and select the desired data entry workflow template. 3. On the Action Pane, click General. 4. Click Workflow document. 5. Sub-task: Add record. 6. In the Record section, click Add line. 7. In the Record table field, enter or select a value, and fill in the other fields as desired. 8. Sub-task: Add field. 9. In the Record section, in the list, find and select the desired record. 10. On the Fields tab, click Add field. Note: To add several fields at once, click Select fields. 11. In the D365 FO field name field, enter or select a value, and fill in the other fields as desired. 12. Sub-task: Add range. 13. In the Record section, in the list, find and select the desired record. 14. Click the Fixed fields tab. 15. You can define a range manually. You can use a range to set a fixed value for a field. Usually, you only use this for fields that are not visible to the user. The fixed value is applied when a record is transferred to target. Click New and fill in the fields as desired. Note: For fields that are visible to the user and if only a default value is needed, use the default value option in the data entry workflow template fields. 16. Close the page. Notes This section gives a detailed explanation of the Workflow document fields. The fields are grouped by tab page. Record: Field Description (Primary key) If a field is part of the primary key of a record, the key symbol is shown for the field. Record The name of the record in the workflow document. Note: If you first selected the Record table, the record name is automatically defaulted wit the table name. Record table The D365 FO table that is used as datasource for this record. Join mode This setting is only applicable to parent records. Inner join: To process the parent record, the child record must exist. Example: A sales order is only processed if it has a sales line. If no sales line exists, the sales order is not processed. If a sales line exists, both the sales order and the sales line are processed. Outer join: To process the parent record, it is not required that child a record exists. Example: A sales order with no sales lines is processed. Exists join: To process the parent record, a child record must exist. Example: If sales order has a sales line, only the sales order is processed. If the sales order does not have a sales line, the sales order is not processed. NoExistsJoin: Only parent records are processed that do not have child records. Example: A sales order is only processed if it does not have a sales line. Reference record You can manually add a record to the workflow document and mark it as reference record. Use a reference record to enable selecting a value from a lookup on a data entry workflow task. Only use a reference record if it is technically not possible to directly add the field to the data entry workflow. Record - Fields - Details: Field Description Line number Indicates the sequence of the field in the record. The fields are transferred to target in the defined sequence. Field name Select a field from the D365 FO table as defined in the Record table field. Usually, you do not change the value of the Field name field. D365 FO field name To structure the data records and fields, use the D365 FO fields. The value of this field is the field as selected in the Field name. Parent field Define the field of the parent record table to which this field is connected. Parent record If a parent field is defined, the related parent record table is shown. Default value For the field, you can define a default value to be shown in the field on the related data entry workflow tasks. Mandatory Indicate if the field is mandatory to be filled. Write condition You can have a record setup with parent-child relations. In some cases, if the parent is defined, automatically a related child record is created as well. You can apply the write condition to only create the child record if the applicable data is filled when doing a data entry workflow. Example: For a customer, customer bank accounts can be defined. The bank accounts are stored in a different table (CustBankAccount) than the customer data (CustTable). If you create a customer as a result of a data entry workflow, and the write condition is: No: Also, a bank account record is created, whether the bank account number is filled in or not. Yes: A bank account record is only created if the bank account number is filled in. Length Set the field length carefully. Make sure, the number of characters is sufficient to contain the value. Usually, you keep the field length as defaulted from the properties of the selected field. Dimension set Indicates that the field is a financial dimension. Dimension name Indicates which financial dimension is applicable. Note: For financial dimensions, the field name and D365 FO field name are the same. Therefore, an additional identification is required for financial dimensions. Type The data type of the field. Extended data type name If applicable, the extended data type of the field is shown. Enum If applicable, the enum of the field is shown. Alignment Defines how the data is aligned in the field. Field type A workflow document record field can be of these types: Physical: The field exists in a D365 FO table. Virtual: The field does not exist in a D365 FO table. You can use this type of field to enter additional information during data entry workflow execution. Record - Fields - Virtual field: Field Description Virtual field type In a data entry workflow, you can use several types of virtual field: Generic: You can use the virtual field for several scenarios, for example, to pass information to a next step. Document: You can use the virtual field to upload a document attachment. Picture: You can use the virtual field to upload a picture. Product attribute: You can use the virtual field to define product attributes. Allow multiple attachments You can indicate if, during data entry, several documents or pictures can be uploaded for the document attachment  or picture field. Note: This field only applies to virtual field of type Document or Picture. Attachment document type The document type that is used to create a document management attachment for an uploaded document or picture. Note: You can only use document types with the 'Attach file' class. This field only applies to virtual field of type Document or Picture. Attribute The applicable product attribute. Note: This field only applies to virtual fields of type Product attribute. Record - Fixed fields: Field Description Record field The record field for which the range is defined. Range The range value that is applied to the record field on transfer to target.   End End Yes No Yes No Yes No

Activities

Name Responsible Description

Test workflow template version

Designer (Data entry workflow)

You can run a data entry workflow template version in test mode. If you do so, no history is logged when you initiate a data entry workflow based on the workflow template.

If you have started a data entry workflow in test-mode:

  • The workflow dialog is opened with the first step of the workflow. So, you do not need to navigate to the form as defined in the dynamic menu form setup.
  • When you complete a step:
    • The entered data is stored in a staging table.
    • Automatically the next step is opened on the workflow dialog.
  • When you finish the data entry workflow, the entered data is saved in the target tables. Therefore, you are advised not to use the test-mode in your production environment.
  • When you have finished testing, you can deactivate the workflow template version. Based on your test results, you can make changes to the version.

Troubleshoot data entry workflow

Designer (Data entry workflow)

A workflow error can occur when data is transferred from the staging table to the target tables.

Data is transferred from the staging table to the target tables when:

  • A task is completed for which Transfer to target is enabled.
  • The last task of a workflow is completed.

Modify data entry workflow test data

Designer (Data entry workflow)

You can run a data entry workflow template version in test mode.

When you run a data entry workflow template version in test mode, the test history and test staging data is logged, marked as test mode.

If you investigate the errors, it can conclude, for example, that a field value is missing or that you want to retry with another field value.

Instead of rerunning the full data entry workflow, you can change the test staging data. This especially saves testing time for data entry workflow templates with several steps.

When these changes are done, you can restart the failed step.

Delete data entry workflow test staging data

Designer (Data entry workflow)

When you run a data entry workflow template version in test mode, the history and staging data is logged, marked as test mode.

When you test a data entry workflow template, it can be required to edit the workflow document. For example to add or remove records or fields.
Before you can remove records or fields from the workflow document, you must delete the test staging data (field values) from the history.

Note: To delete test staging data if the data entry workflow template, first deactivate it.

Edit workflow document

Designer (Data entry workflow)

The workflow document is used to write the data, as entered using a data entry workflow, to D365 FO.

If you create a:

  • Workflow template, automatically the first version of the related workflow document is created.
  • New version of a workflow template, based on a previous version, also a new version of the related workflow document is created.
  • New blank version of a workflow template, also a new blank version of the related workflow document is created.

If you select fields for a data entry workflow template step, the workflow document is updated based on the selections you made. Existing document record relations are not changed.

Based on the selected fields, this is added to the automatically created workflow document:

  • Records: Fields on a page are linked to a datasource. A page can have fields from several datasources. For each datasource from which you select fields, a record is added to the workflow document. Each page has a main datasource. Always a record is added for the main datasource, whether you select a field from the main datasource or not.
  • Fields: All selected fields are added to the applicable record in the workflow document.
  • Datasource connection fields: If you select fields from several datasources, the fields that connect the datasources are always added, whether selected or not.
  • Ranges: If a datasource has a range defined for the page, the range is also added to the workflow document record. For example, on the Released products page, you can fill in fields of the InventTableModule datasource for that apply to one of these modules: Sales, Purchase, or Inventory. For each of these modules, a separate record is added to the workflow document. For each of these records a range is added indicating the applicable module.
  • Virtual fields: To a workflow template step of type 'Data entry', you can add virtual fields. you can add virtual fields of these types: Generic, Document attachment, Picture, or Product attribute. On creation, you link a virtual field to a workflow document record. Based on this link, a virtual field is added to the workflow document.

You can review and adjust a workflow document. If you do so, make sure these rules are applied:

  • For workflow template documents, the records must be in line with how the data is structured and named in D365 FO.
  • Each document record must have the data fields which values must be written to D365 FO. The fields must be in line with naming in D365 FO. Also, the fields must have the same type as in D365 FO.

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