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Make Decisions in a Flow Approval Process
Use Decision elements to create conditions that control what stages are executed in a flow approval process.
Required Editions
| View supported editions for Flow Approval Processes. |
| User Permissions Needed | |
|---|---|
| To open, edit, or create a flow approval process in Flow Builder: | Manage Flow |
| To see the Manage All Flow Approval Processes tile: | Approval Designer |
When a decision element offers two possible outcomes, the default outcome is only followed if the conditions for the first outcome aren’t met.
If a decision element has more than two possible outcomes, the system evaluates them in the order they’re listed. For each outcome:
- Its conditions are checked.
- If the conditions are true, the path associated with that outcome is run.
- If the conditions are false, the system moves on to evaluate the conditions of the next outcome in the list.
At run time, the conditions are evaluated in the order you specify..
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In the flow approval process, click
where you want to insert the element, and then select
Decision.
- Enter a label, API name, and description.
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Select the type of decision logic to use for the Decision element.
- To determine which outcome runs based on traditional logic expressions and explicitly defined data from your flow approval process, select Define Manually (Default)
- To dynamically determine which outcome runs based on AI evaluating data from your flow approval process, select Define with AI (Advanced).
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If you selectedDefine Manually (Default), define the conditions and outcomes for the
element. Outcomes for a Decision element with manual conditions are evaluated in the
order that they’re listed. Therefore, the order that you define your outcomes in can
impact the outcome that the orchestration run associated with a parent approval
submission takes.
- Enter a label and an outcome API name. The outcome API name must be unique within the flow approval process.
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Define the condition requirements to use for the first outcome.
Option Behavior for Decision Outcomes All Conditions Are Met If one of the conditions is false, the flow approval process evaluates the next outcome’s conditions. Any Condition Is Met If one of the conditions is true, the flow approval process immediately takes this outcome’s path. Custom Condition Logic Is Met If you select this option, provide the condition logic by entering up to 1,000 characters. Use:
- Numbers to refer to each condition
- AND, OR, or NOT to identify which combination of conditions must be true
- Parentheses to group parts of the string together
If you enter AND, it’s the same as if you selected All Conditions Are Met. If you enter OR, it’s the same as if you selected Any Condition Is Met. If you enter any other logic, make sure that you include a number for each condition.
For example, for 1 AND NOT(2 OR 3), the flow evaluates whether the first condition is
trueand neither the second nor third condition istrue. -
Define the logic conditions for the first outcome.
Column Header Description Resource Options:
- Select an input variable or automatic output from a stage or step.
- Select a Decision element.
- Select a global variable.
Operator The available operators depend on the data type selected for Resource. See Flow Approval Processes Operators in Decision Elements. Value Resource and Value in the same row must have compatible data types.
Options:
- Select a flow approval process resource, such as an input variable or automatic output from a stage or step.
- Select a global variable.
- Enter a literal value.
When you add or subtract a number from a date value, the date adjusts in days, not hours.
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If you selected Define with AI (Advanced), define the instructions and outcomes for
the element.
- For Decision Instructions, enter text that describes what decision the element makes. Include resources from the flow approval process to improve AI accuracy.
- Enter a label and an outcome API name. The outcome API name must be unique within the flow approval process.
- For Outcome Instructions, enter text that tells AI when to take the outcome. Include resources from the flow approval process to improve AI accuracy. Outcomes for a Decision element with AI conditions are evaluated simultaneously. Therefore, the order that you define your outcomes in has no impact on the outcome that the orchestration run associated with a parent approval submission takes.
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(Optional) To add a decision outcome to a Decision element, click
. Repeat the steps appropriate for the Decision element type to configure the
outcome. For manual conditions, see Step 3b. For AI conditions, see Step 4b.
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(Optional) To reorder a decision outcome in a Decision element, click
and drag the item to its new location. You can’t move a decision outcome with
conditions to the last position on the list because the default outcome is always
last.
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(Optional) To improve the readability of the Decision element, rename the default
outcome.
- Under Outcome Order, select Default Outcome.
- Enter a label.
