Recurring workflows in Dynamics 365

Workflow triggers

Are you using Dynamics 365 to compliment your workforce automation? Dynamics 365 allows both admins and developers to automate processes such as performing routine business calculations, sending friendly reminders to end users or customers, creating scheduled activities and much more! These processes are often controlled by Workflows. Workflow processes can be triggered by the following events:

You can also create timeout triggers by using wait conditions based on a specified date field:

or a point in time post workflow execution:

Problem with recurring workflows

What if you have a large gap in time before the workflow needs to execute? Additionally, what if this needs to occur on thousands of records? Well, you could certainly design workflows to accomplish this with the help of some additional background admin customizations. However, over the course of time and as new records are created, these long wait conditions can wreak havoc on your systems performance. Even worse, the workflow could fail (if you’ve viewed System Jobs, you know this can happen on occasion) and never fire again! So, how do you avoid this?

Solution to recurring workflows

Scribe Online is a tool that both our dev, implementation and support teams use frequently. We primarily use it to support ongoing custom data integrations as well as CRMFD integrations for our customers. It can also be used to trigger recurring time-based workflows or replace recurring time-based workflows. The primary benefit is that it offers better, efficient choices for time-based triggers:

Furthermore, you can include additional logic within your map if you require a more specific trigger date/time:

Scribe Online also offers a friendly, practical admin interface so that your team can easily monitor successes and errors. If errors occur, they’re easy to reprocess (where as in Dynamics 365, you are limited to reprocessing 250 at a time ☹).

Beringer Technology Group is always here to provide expert knowledge in topics like these. Contact us with any questions you may have.

Beringer Technology Group, a leading Microsoft Gold Certified Partner specializing in Microsoft Dynamics 365 and CRM for Distribution. We also provide expert Managed IT Services, Backup and Disaster Recovery, Cloud Based Computing and Unified Communication Systems.