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Business process templates

Business process templates are a collection of forms and workflows that allow you to automate your organization's business processes such as KYC, client onboarding, or account plan approvals.

A business process is a workflow that can consist of completing a predefined form (Process Management form) and a series of approval steps, or only the approval steps without a form. A NexJ CRM user can use a business process to record and update information about their clients.

You can view, activate, or deactivate business process templates in the Business Processes tab on the Customize workspace.

To add, update, or delete business process templates, click the Manage Business Processes button

in the Business Processes tab on the Customize workspace. This opens the Manage Business Processes application in a new tab.

For information about using business processes based on the business process templates, see Business processes.

FAQs for business process templates

When should I use business processes?

Consider using business processes when you need to automate a workflow that updates information for contacts or companies or to automate a workflow approval process for opportunities or service requests.

For examples of using a business process to open an account or to update company information, see Business processes.

What are the main components of a business process template?

The main components are forms and steps. A form is a questionnaire that contains pages of questions for users to fill out with details about their client, a company, opportunity, or service request. Steps define tasks that are assigned to other users, who review the completed form, then approve or reject it.

What else can I add to a business process template?

You can also optionally add entry criteria, attachments, and exit actions to the template. Entry criteria are conditions for an object that must be met before a user can start a business process or a step. Attachments are documents or images that can provide additional information or context related to the business process.  Actions are additional work items such as tasks, emails, and notifications, which are assigned to users. 

You can also add entry criteria, entry actions, exit actions, and attachments to individual steps in the template.

Can I make a business process start immediately?

You can create a trigger event that starts a business process when the object associated with the business process is created or updated. For example, you can automatically start a business process when a contact is created or updated.

What are the steps to creating a business process template?

Four steps are required to create a business process template. For example, you may want to configure a business process template for a Know Your Client (KYC) update that requires management approval. You would preform the following steps:

  1. Add a new business process template, specifying that is will be used for a KYC update, and that it will run automatically.
  2. Add a Process Managemet form to the template. When the questions are answered by users, the fields for the contacts that relate to the KYC will be updated.
  3. Add a step to the template and specify that the relationship manager will need to approve the updates to the contact information when the form is submitted by the users.
  4. Activate the template so the users can run the business process.

Once the new template is active, users can then add the business process to a contact, complete the questions in the form, and then submit the form for approval.

Business process template components

The main components of a business process template are its form and its steps. A form is a questionnaire that contains pages of questions for users to fill out with details about their client, a company, opportunity, or service request. Steps define tasks that are assigned to other users, who review the completed form, then approve or reject it.

If the information in the form is configured to update underlying contact, company, opportunity, or service request data then the information is updated when the business process is approved. When you create the form, you can configure questions to update fields in the contact, company, opportunity, or service request record. If questions are not configured to update the contact, company, opportunity, or service request the information in the form can still be viewed at any time by opening the completed business process.

After you create and activate a business process template, it is available for users to run as a business process. When a user initiates a business process, the associated contact, company, opportunity or service request is locked until the business process is approved, rejected, or deleted. Users can add activities to a locked item but cannot edit other details of the item.

Depending on how a business process is configured, it can be run manually, or it can be automatically initiated when a contact, company, opportunity, or service request record is created or updated. When a business process runs in NexJ CRM, the form displays and the user answers questions as they navigate through the pages.

After the user fills out the form, they submit it for approval. The review tasks defined by the steps are then assigned to users. If all of the reviewers approve the form, the business process is marked as approved. If any of the reviewers reject the form, the user can read the reviewers' comments, make changes to the form, and resubmit it.

When a business process is initiated but not submitted, it has a status of outstanding. Users can delete an outstanding business process at any time. However, after a business process form is submitted, users cannot delete it, regardless of whether it is approved or rejected. This is because the submitted form provides an audit trail of updates to the contact, company, opportunity, or service request record.

Form
A form is not required for a business process, but you can choose to add an existing CPM (Process Management) form. On the Form tab for the business process template, click Select CPM Form. In the Select Template dialog that appears, select the form and click OK. Forms are designed and created using the CPM Admin Portal. For more information, see Managing Process Management forms.

Steps
When you add a step to a business process template, you configure it to be assigned to a specified user, coverage role, or work queue. You can add attachments to a business process step, which can be accessed when the approval task is opened.

Attachments
Attachments are documents or images that can provide additional information or context related to the business process. Attachments can contain merge fields. When you print the document, merge fields populate with the corresponding information from the form or the record for the contact, company, opportunity, or service request.

Entry criteria
Entry criteria are conditions that must be met before a user can start a business process or a step. Entry criteria enable you to control which contacts, companies, opportunities, or service requests the business process applies to, and the circumstances in which specified steps are assigned to users. For example, you can add entry criteria to a step so that it assigns a task to a reviewer only if the client has an annual income exceeding $100,000.

Exit actions
Exit actions define additional work that must be performed after a business process is completed. You can configure an exit action to send an email to a user, update a field in a contact, company, opportunity, service request, or KYC record, create a web service call, or assign an activity plan or task to a user. Exit actions are assigned to specified users automatically when you configure exit actions to be assigned to specified users automatically when a business process is approved or rejected.

Business Processes tab

The Business Processes tab on the Customize workspace in NexJ CRM enables you to manage business processes.

The data table in the Business Processes tab contains the following columns:

Name
Displays the names assigned to business processes.

Create Security
Displays who can run the business process:

  • Public
    Any user can start the business process.
  • <User name>
    Only the specified user can run the business process.

Status
Displays whether business processes are active or inactive.

You can use the Search by name field and the Status filter chip to find business processes in the business processes data table. For more information about searching and filtering functionality, see Searching and filtering in NexJ CRM. For more information about sorting data tables and selecting data table columns, see Navigating the NexJ CRM user interface.

You can view, activate, or deactivate selected business process templates in the Business Processes tab on the Customize workspace.

  • Deactivate a business process when you no longer want it to be available to users, or when you want to make changes to it. When you deactivate a business process template, existing instances of the business process that have been added to contact, company, opportunity, or service request records are not affected. To deactivate a business process, select the business process in the data table, and click the Deactivate button
    .
  • Activate a business process template when you want to allow users to add instances of the business process to their contact, company, opportunity, and service request records. Active business process templates cannot be modified. If you need to make changes to a business process template, you must first deactivate it. To activate a business process, click the Activate
    button.

To add, update, or delete business process templates, click the Manage Business Processes button

to open the Manage Business Processes application in a new tab.

Manage Business Processes application

To add, update, or delete business process templates, click the Manage Business Processes button

to open the Manage Business Processes application in a new tab.

In the Manage Business Processes application, you can search for a business process template by selecting its status in the Any status field to the right of the Add button. After you have selected the desired status, click Run. To remove the selected status, click Clear.

Adding business process templates

Add a business process template to define a workflow that enables users to record or update information about their contacts, companies, opportunities, or service requests.

When you add a business process template, you can initially specify its details, steps, and attachments. After you have added the template, you can then edit it to specify additional components such as actions, entry criteria, and the form that the user fills out when they run the business process.

To add a business process template, in the Manage Business Processes application click the Add button

in the top left of the new tab, and complete the following fields in the New Business Process Template dialog:

TabField or checkbox nameDescriptionRequired field
DetailsCreate Security

Choose who can run the business process:

  • Public
    Any user can start the business process.
  • <User name>
    Only the specified user can run the business process.
Yes
Default View Security

Choose who you want to be able to see instances of the business process:

To start a business process, a user adds an instance of a business process to a contact, company, opportunity, or service request record.
    • Public
      All users can see instances of the business process.
    • Group
      Only members of the specified user group can see instances of the business process. To specify a group, click the Select button
      .
    • Private
      Only you can see instances of the business process.

      When a user adds an instance of a business process, they can override the default view security for that instance.
Yes
Hide template from filters

To hide the template from filters that display to users in NexJ CRM, select Hide Templates from Filters. Use this option to hide a deactivated template. If you do not select this option, the deactivated template remains available in NexJ CRM. For example, you will be able to see the template in the Business Processes tab on a contact's profile.

No
Icon

Select the icon to use for the business process.

Yes
NameEnter a name for the business process.Yes
NotesEnter notes that you want to provide to users who view the business process.No
Object Type

Choose the object that the business process applies to:

  • Company
    Use the business process to record and approve company updates.
  • Contact
    Use the business process to record and approve contact updates.
  • KYC
    Use the business process to record and approve KYC updates.
  • Parent Opportunity
    Use the business process to record and approve parent opportunity updates.
  • Product Opportunity
    Use the business process to record and approve product opportunity updates.
  • Service Request
    Use the business process to record and approve service request updates.

    The object cannot be modified after you save the template.
Yes
Template DescriptionEnter a description of the template.No
Trigger

Specify how you want instances of the business process to be added to a contact, company, opportunity, or service request record.

    • Manual
      A user starts a business process by manually adding an instance of it to a contact, company, opportunity, or service request record. Select Create New Object if you want a new object to be created when an instance of the business process is added.
    • Automatic
      Instances of the business process are added automatically when a specified trigger event occurs. You can select the following trigger events:
      • On Create
        Add an instance of the business process when the associated object is created. For example, if Object Type is set to Contact, a business process will be automatically triggered when a contact is created.
      • On Update
        Add an instance of the business process when the associated object is updated. For example, if Object Type is set to Contact, a business process will be automatically triggered when a contact is updated.
No
StepsSee Configuring steps.

Add steps to the business process. For more information about steps, see Configuring Steps.

You can also add steps after you create the business process template. Select the business process on the left side of the page and select the Steps tab.

AttachmentsDocument Manager items and Attachments

Attachments are documents and images that you can include in a business process template.

They are typically used to provide additional information or context pertaining to the business process. When a user views the business process, they can view and print the attachments.

You can include merge documents as attachments in a business process template. Merge documents are Microsoft Word, PDF, or CSV documents that contain merge fields, which, when printed, automatically populate with corresponding information from a contact, company, opportunity, or service request record.

Add an attachment to a step in a business process template when you want to provide a document or image to users who view the business process.

You can create and manage documents, including attaching files to documents, in the Document Manager workspace in NexJ CRM. A document must exist in the Document Manager workspace before it can be added to a business process template.
  • To add attachments to the business process, in the Document Manager Items area, click the Select button , In the Select Document dialog that appears, select a document that includes the attachments you want to add and click OK. Any files included in the document are displayed in the Attachments area.
  • To remove attachments from the step, in the Document Manager Items area, select the document that includes the attachments you want to remove and click the Remove button .

The next time that a user runs this business process, the attachment will be included. If the attachment is a merge document, it will automatically populate with information from the entity record or the submitted form. Merge documents are Microsoft Word, PDF, or CSV documents with defined placeholders, or merge fields, that are filled in with associated information upon merging. 

You can also add attachments after you create the business process template. Select the business process on the left side of the page and select the Attachments tab.

Attachments are typically used to provide additional information or context related to the step or business process. When a user views the step, they can view and print the attachments.    

No

You can now edit the template to specify additional components such as actions, entry criteria, and a form.

Before a user can run the business process, you must activate it.

Modifying business process templates

Modify a business process template when you want to make changes to its details, or when you want to add, edit, or remove components in the template.

If the business process template has been used in NexJ CRM, any changes that you make to the template apply only to new instances of the business process. Instances that use a previous version of the template are not modified.

Before you modify a step, ensure that you have deactivated the business process template. You cannot modify active templates.

Configuring steps

Steps define the review process for the form in a business process.

A step can contain the following parts:

Entry criteria
Entry criteria are conditions for an object that must be met before a user can start a business process or a step. If a step's entry criteria is not met, then the step is skipped and the entry criteria for the next step in the business process is evaluated.

Entry actions
Entry actions are automatically performed when you start a business process step. You can configure an entry action to send an email to a user, update a field in a contact, company, opportunity, service request, or KYC record, create a web service call, or assign a task or activity plan to a user when you start a business process step.

Exit actions
Exit actions are automatically performed when a business process step is approved or rejected. You can configure an exit action to send an email to a user, update a field in a contact, company, opportunity, service request, or KYC record, create a web service call, or assign a task or activity plan to a user. Exit actions are performed regardless of whether the step is approved or rejected.

Your company might have policies that define a formal review process for the client information that you record. For example, your company's anti-money-laundering team reviews investments that exceed a certain value before they are committed to the client's financial profile. Steps define the approval process to create or update contact, KYC, company, opportunity, or service request records with information from a business process.

A step is an approval task that is assigned to a specified user or group of users when the form in a business process is submitted, or a task that is dynamically assigned to a user using coverage roles. When a user starts an approval task, they may have to review the form. When they finish reviewing the information in the form, they can choose to either approve or reject it.

Once the first step is approved or rejected, the next step is assigned to the approver. If the step is the last step in the business process, then the business process is marked as completed and approved. The information in the form can then update any applicable fields in the contact, company, or opportunity record.

If the reviewer rejects the form, they must enter comments that can be viewed by the user who submitted the form. The user can then restart the business process to make changes and resubmit the form. When the form is resubmitted, steps are assigned to the designated reviewers again.

Steps are not required for a business process template. If a business process template does not have steps, the information in the form is automatically approved when the business process is submitted.
Before you configure a step, ensure that you have deactivated the business process template. You cannot modify active templates.

Adding steps

Add steps to a business process template to specify the approvals required to update a contact, KYC, company, opportunity, or service request record with information from a submitted business process.

You can add steps to assign approval tasks to a user or group. The order in which you add steps to the template is the order in which they are assigned.

Additionally, you can include attachments with a step, which can provide information or context related to the step. When a user views the step, they can also view its attachments.

To add a step to a business process template, select the template in which you want to add a step, select the Steps subtab, click the Edit button 

, click the Add button
, and complete the following fields:

TabField nameDescriptionRequired fields
DetailAssign Action Item

Choose who the task for this step will be assigned to:

  • User assigned to the plan
    Assigns the step to the user that the business process is assigned to.

    This is also the default value that is used if a specific coverage role, user, or work queue is unavailable when the business process is run.
  • Coverage Role
    Assigns the step to a coverage role that you specify. To select a coverage role, in the first field, select the coverage group. In the second field, select the role to which you want to assign the step.
  • Specific User
    Assigns the step to a user that you specify. To specify a user, click the Select button
    .
  • Work Queue
    Assigns the step to a work queue that you specify. To specify a work queue, click the Select button
    .
Yes

Create Date

Specify when to create the task, relative to the completion date of the preceding step.

The first step in a business process is created relative to the date that the business process is submitted.
Yes

Default Edit Security

Choose who you want to be able to edit the step after it is assigned:

  • Public
    All users can edit the step.
  • Group
    Only members of the specified user group can edit the step. To specify a group, click the Select button
    .
  • Private to Assigned User
    Only the user assigned to the business process can edit the step.

If you want to allow users to change the default security settings for the step after it has been assigned, select Enable editing the security settings for instances of this template.

Yes

Default View Security

Choose who you want to be able to see the step after it is assigned:

  • Public
    All users can see the step.
  • Group
    Only members of the specified user group can see the step. To specify a group, click the Select button
    .
  • Private to Assigned User
    Only the user assigned to the business process can edit the step.
Yes

DescriptionEnter a name for the step.Yes

Due Date Specify when the step should be completed by.No

For

Choose which entity the step should be associated with:

When you associate a step to a contact or company, the step is recorded in the Activities tab for that entity when the step is assigned. This does not apply to business process templates for opportunities or service requests.
  • Entity in the plan
    Associates the step to the entity for whom the business process is being run.

    This is also the default value that is used if a specific related entity or role is unavailable when the business process is run.
  • Related Entity
    Associates the step to the entity that has the specified relationship with the entity for whom the business process is being run. To specify a related entity, click the Select button
    .
  • Role
    Associates the step to any entity that has the specified role in a hierarchy. To select a role, in the first field, select the hierarchy from which you want to choose a role. In the second field, select the role to which you want to associate the step.
Yes

NotesEnter notes that you want to provide to users who view the step.No

PrioritySelect a priority level for the step.No

StatusSelect Outstanding.Yes
Attachments

Attachments are typically used to provide additional information or context related to the step or business process. When a user views the step, they can view and print the attachments.

You can create and manage documents, including attaching files to documents, in the Document Manager workspace in NexJ CRM. A document must exist in the Document Manager workspace before it can be added to a step.

To add attachments to the step, in the Document Manager Items area, click the Select button

, In the Select Document dialog that appears, select a document that includes the attachments you want to add and click OK. Any files included in the document are displayed in the Attachments area.

To remove attachments from the step, in the Document Manager Items area, select the document that includes the attachments you want to remove and click the Remove button

.

The next time that a user runs and submits this business process, the attachment will be included when the step is assigned. If the attachment is a merge document, the merge fields will populate with information from the entity record, or from the submitted form.

Merge documents are Microsoft Word, PDF, or CSV documents with defined placeholders, or merge fields, that are filled in with associated information upon merging. 

You have added a step to the business process template. The step displays in the Steps subtab.

After you add a step, you can add components to it such as entry criteria and actions.

Managing entry criteria for steps

Entry criteria are conditions that you can add to a step, which must be met before the step will be assigned.

Sometimes you only want to assign steps in a business process under specific circumstances. For example, your business process assigns a step to your company's compliance officer when it is submitted. However, you want to also assign a step to the regional manager if the business process changes to the financial profile of a Tier A client.

Entry criteria define conditions that determine whether to assign a step when a business process is submitted. Rules are conditional statements that are evaluated by comparing a specified value to a field from the contact, KYC, company, opportunity, or service request record, or business process form.

You can add entry criteria to each individual step in a business process template. When the business process is submitted, entry criteria for the first step are evaluated. If the conditions in the entry criteria are met, the step is assigned to the user or group of users specified in the step. If the conditions are not met, the step is skipped and entry criteria for the next step in the business process are evaluated.

Examples of entry criteria for steps

The following examples demonstrate how entry criteria can be used in steps.

Using contact or KYC fields in entry criteria

In a business process template, you can create a step that is assigned to a specified user only when a client's annual income exceeds $100,000. You create the step, then add a rule in the Entry Criteria subtab with the following parameters:

  1. In the Field field, click the Select button
    , then select Contact > Annual Income.
  2. In the Condition field, select greater than.
  3. In the Value field, enter 100000.

When the business process is submitted, the task for this step is assigned to the reviewer only if the annual income in the client's profile is greater than $100,000.

Using form fields in entry criteria

In some cases, such as when you are using a business process to fill in a new contact's profile, you cannot use the above rule because an annual income has not yet been recorded.

However, in the form for your business process template, you can create a question in which the user fills out their client's annual income when they run the business process. You can then configure the step to also evaluate the annual income question from the form to determine if it exceeds $100,000.

To do this, you need to add two more rules to the step. You first add a rule to check if the annual income was filled out in the form. For example, if the form is called know_your_client and the annual income is requested in the General section of the form:

  1. In the Field field, click the Select button
    , then select CPM > know_your_client > General > Annual Income.
  2. In the Condition field, select specified.
  3. In the field on the right side of the preceding question, select OR.

Then you add a rule to check if the value entered for the annual income is greater than $100,000:

  1. In the Field field, click the Select button
    , then select CPM > know_your_client > General Annual Income.
  2. In the Condition field, select greater than.
  3. In the Value field, enter 100000.
  4. In the field on the right side of the preceding rule, select AND.

When the business process is submitted, entry criteria is evaluated using the annual income from both the contact record and the submitted form. If either of the values are greater than $100,000, the task for this step is assigned to the user specified in the step.

Adding entry criteria to steps

Add entry criteria to a step in a business process template when you want to specify conditions that must be met before the step is assigned.

When you add entry criteria to a step, you create one or more rules that will be evaluated as either true or false. Rules are evaluated by comparing a value that you specify to a field from the contact, KYC, company, opportunity record, service request record, or business process form.

To add entry criteria to a selected step for a selected template, select the Entry Criteria subtab, click the Edit button

, click the Add button
to add a rule to the entry criteria, and complete the following fields.

Field or checkbox nameDescriptionRequired field
AND/OR

If you add another rule, a new field appears in line with the preceding rule. Select one of the following options to specify the relationship between the two rules.

  • AND
    Indicates that the current rule and its following rule must both evaluate to true for the entry criteria to pass.
  • OR
    Indicates that either the current rule or its following rule must evaluate to true for the entry criteria to pass.
Yes

Condition

Select a condition to specify how the value in the Field field will be compared to the value in the Value field.Yes
Field

Click the Select  button

, and select the field that you want to use for this rule from the contact record, KYC record, company record, opportunity record, service request record, or form in the business process template. When the rule is evaluated, the selected field is compared to the Value field.

Yes
Not

Select the Not checkbox if you want to invert the condition that you specify in the Condition field. For example, if Condition is set to equals, select the Not checkbox to specify that you want to evaluate this rule as though it is set to not equals.

No
ValueEnter or select the value to which the Field field will be compared.Required when certain conditions are selected

When a user submits the business process, the entry criteria are evaluated. If the entry criteria are met, the step is assigned. If they are not met, the step is skipped and the entry criteria for the next step in the business process are evaluated.

Managing step entry and exit actions

In business process steps, entry and exit actions define additional work that must be performed when a step begins and when a step completes.

Use entry actions to assign actions to specified users when a business process is submitted and its approval steps are created. Use exit actions to assign actions to users when a step in a submitted business process is approved or rejected.

You can add the following types of entry and exit actions:

  • Activity plans
  • Tasks
  • Emails
  • Notifications
  • Service calls

Adding activity plan actions to steps

Use activity plan entry and exit actions to assign activity plans to users. The users that you can assign plan to can be named, or can be the user managing the business process.

An activity plan entry action assigns an activity plan when a business process step begins. An activity plan exit action  assigns activity plans when a step is completed.

To add an activity plan entry or exit action to a selected step for a selected template, select the Entry Actions subtab (to assign the activity plan as an entry action to the step) or Exit Actions subtab (to assign the activity plan as an exit action to the step), click the Add button

, select Create Activity Plan, and complete the following fields:

Field nameDescriptionRequired field
Assign Activity Plan

Select one of the following options to define who the activity plan is assigned to:

  • Current User invoking Action
    Assigns the activity plan to the user who is working with the business process when the activity plan is created.
  • Coverage Role
    Assigns the activity plan to the user who belongs to a specified coverage role. To select a coverage role, in the first field, if you want to specify a coverage team role, select Client Coverage. If you want to specify a opportunity team role, select Opportunity Coverage. In the second field, select the user role you want to assign the activity plan to.
  • Specific User
    Assigns the activity plan to a specific user. To select a user, click the Select button
    .
Yes
DescriptionEnter a new description of the action.Yes
Due Date

Specify how long the user has to complete the plan after the activity plan is created. For example, you can select 1 day after Create Date.

No
For Contact

If you want to associate the activity plan with a contact other than the one that the business process is for, select one of the following:

  • Contact from the Target Object
    Associates the activity plan with the same contact as the one associated with the business process template.
  • Contact specified in the For Field of the triggering object
    Select an entity provided by the For field for the business process that you want to associate with the activity plan.
  • Specific Contact
    Defines a specific contact that the activity plan will always be created for. To specify a contact, click the Select button
    .
  • No Contact
    If you do not specify a contact, then the activity plan will be created for the contact associated with the business process by default.
Yes
NotesEnter any additional details about the activity plan.No
PrioritySelect a priority for the activity plan.No
Template

Click the Select button

and select an activity plan template.

Yes

The activity plan entry or exit action is added to the step.

Adding email actions to steps

Use email entry and exit actions to send emails to either a specific user or a specific email address.

An email entry action sends an email when a business process step begins. An email exit action sends an email when a business process step is completed.

To add an email entry or exit action to a selected step for a selected template, select the Entry Actions subtab (to send an email as a step entry action) or the Exit Actions subtab (to send an email as a step exit action, click the Add button

, select Send Email, and complete the following fields:

Field nameDescriptionRequired field
Body

Enter the body content of the email.

You can include mail merge token fields in the body of your emails.
No
DescriptionEnter a description of the action.Yes
Document

To add a document as an attachment to the email, click the Select button

.

Documents containing merge fields will not be personalized.
No
Subject

Enter the subject line of the email.

You can include mail merge token fields in the subject of your emails. Mail merge tokens allow you to automatically populate and personalize the email. A mail merge token is entered in the form of ${[<target>:] <field1> <field2> <field3>}. For example,  ${kyc: fullName annualIncome} will populate the email with the full name of the contact and their annual income, pulled from their KYC record.
No
To

Select one of the following.

  • User assigned to business process
    Sends the email to the user that is assigned to the business process.
  • User assigned to business process step
    Sends the email to the user that is assigned to the business process step.
  • User that submitted object type
    Sends the email to the user that submitted the form or other business process form for approval.
  • Coverage Role
    Sends the email to a user based on an assignment model. To select a coverage role, in the first field, select whether you want the role to be Coverage or Opportunity Team type. In the second field, select the user role you want to send the email to.
  • Specific User
    Sends the email to a user that you specify. To select a user, click the Select button
    .
  • Specific Email
    Sends the email to an email address that you specify. When you select this option, enter the desired email address in the Specific Email field.
No

Adding notification actions to steps

Use notification entry and exit actions to send notifications to either a user or email specified for a user.

A notification entry action sends an email notification when a business process step begins. A notification exit action sends an email notification when a business process step is completed.

Before you can localize business process templates, your system administrator must have enabled localization privileges using NexJ Admin Console.

To add a notification entry or exit action to a selected step for a selected template, select the Entry Actions subtab (to send a notification as a step entry action) or the Exit Actions subtab (to send a notification as a step exit action, click the Add button

, select Send Notification, and complete the following fields:

TabField or checkbox nameDescriptionRequired field
Details


Description

Enter a description for the notification.

Users can see descriptions for turned-off notifications in the Notifications tab in the User Preferences dialog under the Options menu.
Yes
Execution

Select one of the following options to define when the notification is sent:

  • Immediate
    Notification is sent immediately after the step begins for a notification entry action or immediately after the step completes for a notification exit action.
  • Time Based
    Notification is sent relative to a time or date field in the step, for example, relative to the Created Date or Due Date field. To specify the relative time or date, in the Time Based fields, define the number of days or hours before or after the time or date field for a step. For example, to create a notification to remind an approver two days before the due date of an approval step, specify 2 Days Before Business Process Step -> Due Date.
Yes
LocaleSelect the required locale for the notification message. For example, select fr for the French locale.Yes
Mandatory

To make the notification mandatory for users, select Mandatory.

Users cannot unsubscribe from mandatory notifications.
No
Channels & MessagesChannels

Select the required notification channel. Specify whether to deliver the message to the notification stream in NexJ CRM, to a user's email address, or both.

Yes
Email Body

Enter the notification message that users will receive. As described in the previous step, you can use tokens to include values from updated fields and links to approval records in the Email Body field.

In the Email Body field, you can include a link to an approval record by using the following token: ${url,this,title}, which shows the title of an approval record as the link.
No
Email Subject

Enter the subject for the email notification that users will receive.

Only plain text tokens that cannot be linked are supported in the Email Subject field.
No
Notification Stream Message

To define the notification message that users will receive in the notifications stream, in the Notification Stream Message field, enter a message.

Notifications can display a maximum of 255 characters. If you enter more than 255 characters, notifications are truncated in the notification stream. The maximum character limit can also be exceeded when tokens are interpreted, for example, when the ${assignToCaption} token is replaced with multiple user names.
Yes
RecipientsRecipients

Define which recipients to send notifications to.

To specify who will receive a notification when the rule criteria is satisfied:

    • If you want to specify recipients by role, click the Select button
      to the right of the word "Roles". In the Type column, select the subject area to define recipients for. For example, select Product Opportunity. Select further recipient criteria in the remaining columns. For example, to define the coverage team associated with a product opportunity as recipients, select Product Opportunity from the Type column, and Coverage Team and Account Manager from the Name columns.
    • If you want to define specific users as recipients, click the Select button
      to the right of the word "Users".
    • If you want to define the members of one or more user groups as recipients, click the Select button
      to the right of the word "Groups".
Yes
Quick ResponsesNot applicable

Specify the quick responses that you want to make available to users for the notification.

To use the quick responses to approve changes to service requests, approvers will need NotificationsManage privileges from the ManageContacts privilege group and ServiceRequestApprovalApprove privileges from the Business Process Approver privilege group. To use the quick responses to approve changes to opportunities, approvers will need NotificationsManage privileges from the ManageContacts privilege group and OpportunityApprovalApprove privileges from the Business Process Approver privilege group. To use quick responses to approve changes to contacts or companies, approvers will need EntityApprovalApprove privileges and NotificationsManageprivileges.

To add a quick response, click the Select button

. Select a quick response in the left column and click Add to move it to the right column. You can also click Add All to add all quick responses.

Not applicable

You can use tokens to include values from updated fields and links to approval records in notification messages. You can include token fields in notification stream messages, email subjects, and email bodies. 

You can use the following tokens for the business process subject area for contacts, companies, opportunities, and service requests:

TokenDescription
${entityParticipant entity fullName}First and last name for the contact belonging to a business process
${entityParticipant entity tier}Tier type for the contact belonging to a business process
${entityParticipant entity companyName}Name of the company belonging to a business process
${entityParticipant entity lastName}Last name for the contact belonging to a business process
${opportunity title}Title for the opportunity belonging to a business process
${opportunity typeString}Type of the opportunity belonging to a business process
${primaryEntity firstName}The first name of the primary entity belonging to a business process
${primaryEntity lastName}The last name of the primary entity belonging to a business process
${serviceRequest primaryEntity fullName}Primary entity associated with a service request and belonging to a business process
${serviceRequest priority}Priority for the service request belonging to a business process
${serviceRequest severity}Severity for the service request belonging to a business process
${serviceRequest title}Title for the service request belonging to a business process

You can use the following tokens for approval plans:

TokenDescription
${plan:status}Status of an approval plan
${plan:priority}Priority of an approval plan
${plan:title}Description of an approval plan
${plan:text}Notes for an approval plan

You can use the following tokens for business process template steps:

TokenDescription
${step:startTime}Start date and time of a business process template step
${step:title}Description of a business process template step
${step:createTime}Creation date and time for a business process template step
${step:text}Description of a business process template step
${step:status}Status of a business process template step
${step:editTime}Date and time when a business process template step is modified
For additional subject areas, including call records, documents, events, leads, schedule items and tasks, you can also use the tokens described in Tokens for notification messages in your notification messages. For links, only the token used for links for schedule items and tasks is supported. For example, you may wish to provide a link that opens the approval task record in a docked workspace or the docked view of an opportunity from the body of your email.

Adding task actions to steps

Use task entry and exit actions to assign tasks to either the user managing the business process or to a specific user.

A task entry action assigns a task when a business process step begins. A task exit action assigns a task when a business process step is completed.

To add a task entry or exit action to a selected step for a selected template, select the Entry Actions subtab (to send a notification as a step entry action) or the Exit Actions subtab (to send a notification as a step exit action, click the Add button

, select Create Task, and complete the following fields:

Field nameDescriptionRequired field
Assign Task

Select one of the following:

  • Current User invoking Action
    Assigns the task to the user who is working with the current instance of the business process.
  • Coverage Role
    Assigns the task to the user who fits a specified coverage role. To select a coverage role, in the first field, select whether you want the role to be Coverage or Opportunity Team type. In the second field, select the user role you want to assign the task to.
  • Specific User
    Assigns the task to a specific user. To select a user, click the Select  button
    .
  • Work Queue
    Assigns the task to an existing work queue. To select a work queue, click the Select  button
    .
Yes
Description

Enter a description of the action.

If you select a task template, the description field populates with the task template's description.
Yes
Due Date

Select a due date in relation to the date that the task is created. For example, you can select  1 day after Create Date.

No
For Contact

Select one of the following:

  • Contact from the Target Object
    Associates the task with the contact specified in the business process template.
  • Contact specified in the For Field of the triggering object
  • Select an entity provided by the For field for the business process that you want to associate with the task.
  • Specific Contact
    Defines a specific contact that the task will always be created for. To specify a contact, click the Select button
    .
  • No Contact
    If you do not specify a contact, then the task will be created for the contact associated with the business process by default.
Yes
NotesEnter any additional details about the task.No
PrioritySelect a priority for the task.No
Template

Click the Select button

, and select a task template.

Yes

Configuring entry criteria for business process templates

Entry criteria are conditions that you can add to a business process template, and which must be met before the business process can be started. For example, you might want users to use a business process to open a new line of credit only if the client has a specific credit rating.

Entry criteria are compared to one or more rules that determine whether or not a business process can be started. Rules are conditional statements, which are evaluated by comparing a specified value to a field from the contact, KYC, company, opportunity, or service request record.

When a user tries to run the business process, the entry criteria are evaluated. If the conditions in the entry criteria are met, the business process starts. If the conditions are not met, an error is displayed, and the business process is not added to the contact, company, opportunity, or service request record.

Examples of business process template entry criteria

The following examples demonstrate how entry criteria can be used in business process templates.

Using contact or KYC fields in entry criteria

Using entry criteria, you can create a business process that can be run only for contacts whose annual income exceeds $100,000. To do this, in the Entry Criteria subtab of the business process template, add a rule with the following parameters:

  1. In the Field field, click the Select button
    , then select Contact > Annual Income.
  2. In the Condition field, select greater than.
  3. In the Value field, enter 100000.

When a user tries to add the business process to a contact, the business process will run only if the annual income in the contact record is greater than $100,000.

Using multiple fields in entry criteria

In some cases, you might want to specify more than one rule in the entry criteria of a business process. For example, you can create a business process that can be run only for contacts whose annual income and net worth are both specified.

To do this, you first add a rule to check if the annual income is filled out in the client's profile:

  1. In the Field field, click the Select button
    , then select Contact > Annual Income.
  2. In the Condition field, select specified.

Then you add a rule to check if the net worth is also filled out:

  1. In the Field field, click the Select button
    , then select Contact > Net Worth.
  2. In the Condition field, select specified.
  3. In the field on the right side of the preceding rule, select AND.

When you create multiple rules in an entry criteria, you must indicate how the rules relate to each other. In the previous example, you specified that both rules must pass for the entry criteria to pass. However, you could instead specify that only one of the rules must pass for the entry criteria to pass.

When a user now tries to add the business process to a contact, the business process will run only if both the annual income and net worth are specified in the contact record.

Adding entry criteria for business process templates

Add entry criteria to a business process template when you want to specify conditions that must be met before the business process can be started.

When you add entry criteria to a business process template, you create one or more rules that will be evaluated as either true or false. Rules are evaluated by comparing a field from the contact, KYC, company, opportunity, or service request record to a value that you specify.

To add entry criteria to a selected business process template, click the Edit button

in the Entry Criteria subtab, click the Add button
to add a rule to the entry criteria, and complete the following fields:

Field or checkbox nameDescriptionRequired field
AND/OR

If you add another rule, a new field appears inline with the preceding rule. Select one of the following options to specify the relationship between the two rules.

    • AND
      Indicates that the current rule and its following rule must both evaluate to true for the entry criteria to pass.
    • OR
      Indicates that either the current rule or its following rule must evaluate to true for the entry criteria to pass.
Yes
ConditionSelect a condition to specify how the value in the Field field will be compared to the value in the Value field.Yes
Field

Click the Select button 

to select the field in the Field Picker dialog that you want to use for this rule. When the rule is evaluated, the selected field is compared to the Value field.

Yes

Not

Select the Not checkbox if you want to invert the condition that you specify in the Condition field. For example, if Condition is set to equals, select the Not checkbox to specify that you want to evaluate this rule as though it is set to not equals.

No
ValueEnter or select the value to which the Field field will be compared.Required when certain conditions are selected

When a user tries to run the business process, the entry criteria are evaluated. If the entry criteria are met, the business process starts. If they are not met, an error is displayed, and the business process is not added to the contact, company, opportunity, or service request record.

Configuring exit actions for business process templates

In business processes, exit actions define additional work that must be performed when a business process is completed. A business process is completed when all of its steps have been approved, or when one step has been rejected. Use exit actions to automatically assign actions to specified users when a submitted business process is completed.

The types of exit actions that you can create include activity plans, tasks, emails, notifications, service calls, and field updates. When you create an exit action, you can specify whether you want it to be assigned when the business process is approved, or when it is rejected.

There are two types of exit actions that you can add to a business process template:

Approval actions
Approval actions are performed when all of a business process' approval steps are approved.

Rejection actions
Rejection actions are performed when any of a business process' approval steps are rejected.

Adding activity plan exit actions for business process templates

An activity plan exit action assigns an activity plan to either the user managing the business process or to a specific user when a business process ends.

To add an activity plan exit action to a selected business process template, click the Exit Actions subtab, click the Add button

 in the area that corresponds to the kind of action that you want to create, then select Create Activity Plan, and complete the following fields:

For an action that is triggered when a business process is approved, add the action in the Approval Actions area. For an action that is triggered when a business process is rejected, add the action in the Rejection Actions area. 
Field nameDescriptionRequired field
Assign Activity Plan

Select one of the following:

  • Current User invoking Action
    Assigns the activity plan to the user who is working with the current instance of the business process template.
  • Coverage Role
    Assigns the activity plan to the user who fits a specified coverage role. To select a coverage role, in the first field, select whether you want the role to be Coverage or Opportunity Team type. In the second field, select the user role you want to assign the activity plan to.
  • Specific User
    Assigns the activity plan to a specific user. To select a user, click the Select button
    .
Yes
Description

Enter a description of the activity plan exit action.

When you select an activity plan template, the Description field is automatically populated with the activity plan template's description.
Yes
Due Date

Select a due date in relation to the date that the activity plan is created. For example, you can select 1 day after Create Date.

No
For Contact

Select one of the following:

    • Contact from the Target Object
      Associates the activity plan with the contact specified in the business process template.
    • Contact specified in the For Field of the triggering object
      Select an entity provided by the For field for the business process that you want to associate with the activity plan.
    • Specific Contact
      Defines a specific contact that the activity plan will always be created for. To specify a contact, click the Select button
      .
    • No Contact
      If you do not specify a contact, then the activity plan will be created for the contact associated with the business process by default.
Yes
NotesEnter any additional details about the activity plan.No
PrioritySelect a priority for the activity plan.No
Template

Click the Select button

, and select an activity plan template.

Yes

Adding email exit actions to business process templates

An email exit action sends an email to either a specific user or a specific email address when a business process ends.

To add an email exit action to a selected business process template, select the Exit Actions subtab, click the Add button

in the area that corresponds to the kind of action that you want to create, and then select Send Email, and complete the following fields:

For an action that is triggered when a business process is approved, add the action in the Approval Actions area. For an action that is triggered when a business process is rejected, add the action in the Rejection Actions area.
Field nameDescriptionRequired field
BodyEnter the body content of the email.No
DescriptionEnter a description of the email exit action.Yes
Document

To add a document as an attachment to the email, click the Select button

.

Documents containing merge fields will not be personalized.
No
SubjectEnter the subject line of the email.No
To

Select one of the following:

    • User assigned to Approval Plan
      Sends the email to the user that is assigned to the business process.
    • User that submitted Approval Object
      Sends the email to the user that submitted the business process form for approval.
    • Coverage Role
      Sends the email to a user based on an assignment model. To select a coverage role, in the first field, select whether you want the role to be Coverage or Opportunity Team type. In the second field, select the user role you want to send the email to.
    • Specific User
      Allows you to select a user to send the email to. To select a user, click the Select button
      .
    • Specific Email
      Allows you to enter an email address to send the email to. When you select this option, enter the desired email address in the Specific Email field.
No

Adding notification exit actions to business process templates

A notification exit action sends a notification to a specific user or group of users when a business process ends.

To add a notification exit action to a selected business process template, select the Exit Actions subtab, click the Add button

in the area that corresponds to the kind of action that you want to create, then select Send Notification, and complete the following fields:

For an action that is triggered when a business process is approved, add the action in the Approval Actions area. For an action that is triggered when a business process is rejected, add the action in the Rejection Actions area.
TabField or checkbox nameDescriptionRequired field
Details

DescriptionEnter a description of the action.Yes
Locale

Select the required locale for the notification message. For example, select fr for the French locale.

No
Mandatory

Select Mandatory to define the notification as required for viewing. Users cannot turn off or unsubscribe from mandatory notifications.

No
Channels & MessagesChannels

Select the required notification channel. Specify whether to deliver the message to the notification stream in NexJ CRM, to a user's email address, or both.

Yes
Email Body

Enter the notification message that users will receive.As described in the previous step, you can use tokens to include values from updated fields and links to approval records in the Email Body field. In the Email Body field, you can include a link to an approval record by using the following token:
${url,this,title}, which shows the title of an approval record as the link.

No
Email Subject

Enter the subject for the email notification that users will receive.

Only plain text tokens that cannot be linked are supported in the Email Subject field.
No
Notification Stream Message

To define the notification message that users will receive in the notifications stream, in the Notification Stream Message field, enter a message.

Notifications can display a maximum of 255 characters. If you enter more than 255 characters, notifications are truncated in the notification stream. The maximum character limit can also be exceeded when tokens are interpreted, for example, when the ${assignToCaption} token is replaced with multiple user names.
Yes
RecipientsRecipients

Define which recipients to send notifications to. To specify who will receive a notification when the rule criteria is satisfied:

    • If you want to specify recipients by role, click the Select button
      to the right of the word "Roles". In the Type column, select the subject area to define recipients for. For example, select Product Opportunity. Select further recipient criteria in the remaining columns. For example, to define the coverage team associated with a product opportunity as recipients, select Product Opportunity from the Type column, and Coverage Team and Account Manager from the Name columns.
    • If you want to define specific users as recipients, click the Select button
      to the right of the word "Users".
    • If you want to define the members of one or more user groups as recipients, click the Select button
      to the right of the word "Groups".
Yes

You can use tokens to include values from updated fields and links to approval records in notification messages. You can include token fields in notification stream messages, email subjects, and email bodies. For further information about email subjects and email bodies, see the next step in this procedure.

You can use the following tokens for the business process subject area for contacts, companies, opportunities, and service requests:

TokenDescription
${entityParticipant entity fullName}First and last name for the contact belonging to a business process
${entityParticipant entity tier caption}Tier type for the contact belonging to a business process
${entityParticipant entity companyName}Name of the company belonging to a business process
${entityParticipant entity lastName}Last name for the contact belonging to a business process
${opportunity title}Title for the opportunity belonging to a business process
${opportunity typeString}Type of the opportunity belonging to a business process
${primaryEntity firstName}The first name of the primary entity belonging to a business process
${primaryEntity lastName}The last name of the primary entity belonging to a business process
${serviceRequest primaryEntity fullName}Primary entity associated with a service request and belonging to a business process
${serviceRequest priority}Priority for the service request belonging to a business process
${serviceRequest severity}Severity for the service request belonging to a business process
${serviceRequest title}Title for the service request belonging to a business process

You can use the following tokens for approval plans:

TokenDescription
${plan:status}Status of an approval plan
${plan:priority}Priority of an approval plan
${plan:title}Description of an approval plan
${plan:text}Notes for an approval plan

You can use the following tokens for business process template steps:

TokenDescription
${step:startTime}Start date and time of a business process template step
${step:title}Description of a business process template step
${step:createTime}Creation date and time for a business process template step
${step:text}Description of a business process template step
${step:status}Status of a business process template step
${step:editTime}Date and time when a business process template step is modified
For additional subject areas, including call records, documents, events, leads, schedule items and tasks, you can also use the tokens described in Tokens for notification messages in your notification messages. For links, only the token used for links for schedule items and tasks is supported. For example, you may wish to provide a link that opens the approval task record in a docked workspace or the docked view of an opportunity from the body of your email.

Adding field update exit actions to business process templates

A field update exit action updates a field in a contact, KYC, company, or opportunity record to a specific value when a business process ends.

To add a field update exit action to a selected business process template, select the Exit Actions subtab, click the Add button

in the area that corresponds to the kind of action that you want to create, then select Update Field, and complete the following fields:

For an action that is triggered when a business process is approved, add the action in the Approval Actions area. For an action that is triggered when a business process is rejected, add the action in the Rejection Actions area.
Field nameDescriptionRequired field
DescriptionEnter a description of the field update exit action.Yes
Set value ofSelect a KYC, contact, company, or opportunity record field to update when the business process ends.No
To

Select or enter the value you want populated in the selected field when the business process ends.

No

Adding task exit actions to business process templates

A task exit action assigns a task to either the user managing the business process or to a specific user when a business process ends.

To add a task exit action to a selected business process template, select the Exit Actions subtab, click the Add button

in the area that corresponds to the kind of action that you want to create, then select Create Task, and complete the following fields:

For an action that is triggered when a business process is approved, add the action in the Approval Actions area. For an action that is triggered when a business process is rejected, add the action in the Rejection Actions area.
Field nameDescriptionRequired field
Assign Task

Select one of the following:

  • Current User invoking Action
    Assigns the task to the user who is working with the current instance of the business process template.
  • Coverage Role
    Assigns the task to the user who fits a specified coverage role. To select a coverage role, in the first field, select whether you want the role to be Coverage or Opportunity Team type. In the second field, select the user role you want to assign the task to.
  • Specific User
    Assigns the task to a specific user. To find and select the user you want to assign to the task, click the Select button
    .
  • Work Queue
    Assigns the task to an existing work queue. To select the work queue you want to assign the task to, click the Select button
    .
Yes
Description

Enter a description of the task exit action.

When you select a task template, the Description field is automatically populated with the task template's description.
Yes
Due Date

Select a due date in relation to the date that the task is created. For example, you can select 1 day after Create Date.

No
For Contact

Select one of the following:

  • Contact from the Target Object
    Associates the task with the contact specified in the business process template.
  • Contact specified in the For Field of the triggering object
    Select an entity provided by the For field for the business process that you want to associate with the task.
  • Specific Contact
    Defines a specific contact that the task will always be created for. To specify a contact, click the Select button
    .
  • No Contact
    If you do not specify a contact, then the task will be created for the contact associated with the business process by default.
Yes
NotesEnter any additional details about the task.No
PrioritySelect a priority for the task.No
Template

Click the Select button

, and select a task template.

Yes

Adding forms to business process templates

A form is not required for a business process, but you can choose to add an existing CPM (Process Management) form. On the Form tab for the business process template, click Select CPM Form. In the Select Template dialog that appears, select the form and click OK. Forms are designed and created using the CPM Admin Portal. For more information, see Managing Process Management forms.

Editing or deleting business process template components

You can edit or delete business process template components.

Editing business process template details

Edit the details of a selected business process template when you want to change its name, description, icon, security settings, or triggers by clicking the Edit button

in the Details subtab for the selected template.

Editing or deleting business process template components

You can edit or delete selected steps, selected attachments for steps, selected entry criteria, or selected entry or exit actions for selected business process templates by either clicking the Edit button

in the required tab or subtab, or where provided, clicking the Action button
, and selecting Edit.

If you want to change the order in which the steps, entry actions, or exit actions are assigned, select a step, entry action, or exit action, and click the Up

or Down 
buttons to move the step or exit action up or down in the list.

You can delete selected steps, selected attachments for steps, selected entry criteria, or selected entry or exit actions from a selected business process template by clicking either the Action button 

in the required tab or subtab, selecting Delete, and clicking Delete in the confirmation dialog, or where provided, clicking the Delete button
.

Activating business process templates

Activate or deactivate business process templates to make them available or unavailable to users.

You can activate or deactivate business process templates in NexJ CRM, using the the Business Processes tab on the Customize workspace. For more information, see Business Processes tab.

You can also activate or deactivate business process templates using the Manage Business Processes application.

Activate a business process template when you want to allow users to add instances of the business process to their contact, company, opportunity, and service request records. Active business process templates cannot be modified. If you need to make changes to a business process template, you must first deactivate it.

Deactivate a business process when you no longer want it to be available to users, or when you want to make changes to it. When you deactivate a business process template, existing instances of the business process that have been added to contact, company, opportunity, or service request records are not affected.

When you create or copy a business process template, its initial status is inactive.

To activate a selected business process template using the Manage Business Processes application, click the Action button 

for the template, and select Activate.

To deactivate a selected business process template using the Manage Business Processes application, click the Action button 

for the template, and select Deactivate to Edit.

Copying business process templates

Copy a business process template when you want to create a new template from an existing one. When you copy a business process template, all details from the template are copied, including the form, steps, attachments, entry criteria, entry actions, and exit actions.

To copy a selected business process template, click the Action button 

  for the template that you want to copy, then select Add Copy, and modify your desired business process template information in the DetailsSteps, and Attachments tabs.

You can modify the copied template, and make your desired changes.

Copied business process templates are inactive by default. You must activate the template before it can be used.

Deleting business process templates

Delete business process templates that you no longer require.

You cannot delete a business process that has previously been used in NexJ CRM. You can instead deactivate the template so that it is no longer available to users.
Before you can delete a business process template, you must deactivate it.

To delete a selected business process template, click the Action button 

  for the template that you want to delete, select Delete, and click Delete in the confirmation dialog.

Exporting and importing business process templates

Export and import business process templates when you want to move them between instances of NexJ CRM, or when you want to create a backup of a template.

Your company might require that you develop a new business process in a test system before you can deploy it to a production system. To avoid having to recreate the business process in each of your company's environments, you can export a business process template from your test system, then import it into your production system.

When you export a business process template, you download a file that is generated by the system to your local machine. This file contains all of the components from the template, including the form, approval steps, associations, follow-ups, attachments, and security settings. You can then import the file into another system to create a new copy of the template.

You can also keep an exported file as a backup of a business process template. This is useful when you are making changes to a business process template, and you want to be able to revert to a known version of the template if something goes wrong.

If you want to import or export Scheme files, you must be assigned the flow:ExportImportSchemeAdmin privileges in the NexJ Admin Console.

Exporting business process templates

Export a business process template when you want to generate a file that you can use to copy the template into a different instance of NexJ CRM, or when you want to create a backup of it.

You can export a template as a dump or Scheme file. When you export, a .dump  or  .scm  file is generated that contains all of the components from the template, including the form, approval steps, associations, follow-ups, attachments, and security settings.

To export a selected business process template:

  1. Click the Action button
    for the template that you want to export, then select one of the following export options:
    • Export to dump file
      Export the template as a .dump file.
    • Export to Scheme file
      Export the template as a .scm file.
      The Export confirmation dialog opens.
  2. Click Yes to generate and download the .dump or  .scm file. The file will be automatically downloaded by your web browser.

The business process template is exported as a file on your local machine. The original template remains in the system, so you can continue to use it or make changes to it.

If you want to use the exported template in another system, you must import the file into that system to create a copy of the template.

Importing business process templates

Import a business process template when you want to create a copy of a template from an exported file. When you export a business process template, a file is generated that contains all of the components from the template, including the form, approval steps, associations, follow-ups, attachments, and security settings. You can import this file to create a new business process template or to modify an existing template.

Before starting this task, ensure that you have the exported .dump or .scm file for the business process template that you want to import.

If you are importing a business process template to modify an existing template, you must ensure that you have deactivated the existing template.

You must also ensure that certain items referenced in an exported template, such as users and tasks, exist in the system to which you are importing the template. If you try to import a template to a system in which a referenced item does not exist, you will receive an error, and the Import button will be disabled.

To import a business process template:

  1. At the top of the list of templates in the Business Processes tab, click the Options button
    , and select one of the following import options:
    • Import dump file
      Import a template in .dump file format.
    • Import Scheme file
      Import a template in .scm file format.
      The Import Business Process Template dialog opens.
  2. Click Browse and, in your browser, navigate to the .dump  or .scm file that you want to import. Then, select the file click Open. The selected file is checked to ensure that it can be imported. In the Import Business Process Template dialog, one of the following messages displays:
    • If the file is validated successfully, a green check mark
        displays.
    • If any problems are found, a red X  
      displays. You can view more information about the import, including errors and warnings, by clicking View Report.
  3. Click Import.

If any problems were found, the Import button is disabled.

If you imported the file as a new template, an entry is created in the list of business process templates. If you imported the file as a modified version of an existing template, the existing template is replaced.

When you import a modified version of an existing template, the system also preserves a copy of the previous version of the template in case it is currently being used. However, the copy is not available for you to view or modify.
Imported business process templates are inactive by default. Before the imported template can be used, you must activate it.

Rules for importing business process templates

When you import a business process template, rules are applied that determine what components are imported from the export file, and what components are overwritten in an existing template.

Most components from a template can be imported, and will overwrite components in an existing template, but there are some exceptions. Before you import a template, it is important to be aware of the following rules so that you can prepare the importing system accordingly.

Components that are not imported

Related items such as contacts and tasks in a business process template are not imported and must already exist in the system to which you import the template.

For example, assume that you have exported a template that contains an entry action for one of its steps. This entry action references a task called Follow Up. If you want to import the template into another system, you must ensure that the importing system also has a corresponding task called Follow Up.

If a related item is present in an exported template, but does not exist in the system to which you import the template, you will not be able to complete the import. When the export file is checked, an error will be given, and the Import button will be disabled. You can view the details of the error by clicking View Report.

The following components are not imported when you import a business process template. To help you read any errors, the components are listed using their names as they appear in the report.

Unless otherwise specified, items in an exported template are matched to items in the system using their ID and name.

Contact
The contact that a business process step, entry action, or exit action is for. Matched using the ID or, if the ID is not found, using the first name, last name, and telephone numbers. Contacts are managed in the Contacts workspace in NexJ CRM.

UserPerson
The user that a business process step, entry action, or exit action is assigned to. Matched using the ID or, if the ID is not found, using the first name, last name, and telephone numbers. Users are managed on the Users page in NexJ Admin Console.

ActivityPlanTemplate
An activity plan template used for an entry or exit action. Activity plan templates are managed in the Customize workspace in NexJ CRM.

ActionItemTemplate
A task template used for an entry or exit action. Tasks are managed on the Document Codes page in NexJ Admin Console.

AssignmentModel
The assignment model that a business process step, entry action, or exit action is assigned to. For example, Coverage or Opportunity Team. Assignments models are managed on the Assignment Models page in NexJ Admin Console.

AssignmentModelRole
The specific assignment model role that a business process step, entry action, or exit action is assigned to. For example, Account Manager or Advisor. Matched using the ID or, if the ID is not found, using the assignment model and the role enumeration value. Assignments model roles are managed on the Assignment Models page in NexJ Admin Console.

WorkQueueInteraction
The work queue that a business process step, entry action, or exit action is assigned to. For example, General Client Service Requests. Work queues are managed on the Work Queues page in NexJ Admin Console.

EntityHierarchyContext
The entity hierarchy that a business process step, entry action, or exit action is for. For example, Company or Household. Entity hierarchies are managed on the Entity Codes page in NexJ Admin Console.

EntityHierarchyRole
The specific entity hierarchy role that a business process step, entry action, or exit action is for. For example, Dependent or Spouse. Matched using the ID or, if the ID is not found, using the hierarchy and the role enumeration value. Entity hierarchy roles are managed on the Entity Codes page in NexJ Admin Console.

TelephoneNumber
The telephone number of the contact or user for a business process step, entry action, or exit action. This is used to match the contact or user when a match is not found using the ID, first name, and last name. Telephone numbers are managed in the Contacts workspace in NexJ CRM. They use the following international format: + <countryCode> <nationalDestinationCode> <subscriberNumber>.

UserGroup
The user group specified in the view or edit security settings of a business process step, entry action, or exit action. User groups are managed on the Users page in NexJ Admin Console.

Components that are not overwritten

In addition to the components that are not imported, some components do not overwrite duplicates in the system to which you import a business process template.

For example, assume that you have exported a template that contains an attachment called Financial Plan. If a document called Financial Plan already exists in the system to which you import the template, the document from the template will not overwrite the document in the importing system. The newly imported template will use the existing document in the system.

The following components are not overwritten when you import a business process template. When a duplicate component is found in the importing system, the import will proceed, and a warning will be listed in the report. You can view the details of the warning by clicking View Report. To help you read any warnings, the components are listed using their names as they appear in the report.

ActAttachment
An attachment for a business process or business process step. If a match is found in the importing system, the attachment in the exported template will not be imported; the existing attachment in the system will instead be used. If a match is not found, the attachment will be imported, and its document will be added to the root folder of the Document Manager.

ActTemplateResult
The outcome of a business process, either Approved or Rejected.

ActTemplateStatus
The status of a business process, one of Completed, Outstanding, or Pending.

DocumentMgrItem
A file in the Document Manager. If a match is found in the importing system, the document in the exported template will not be imported; the existing document in the system will instead be used. If a match is not found, the document will be imported, and added to the root folder of the Document Manager.

flow:FlowTemplateVersion
The version number of the flow for the form in a business process template. Instead of overwriting this, the system increments the version number of the current flow.

Configuring dynamic approvals for process management forms

As of NexJ CRM 9.5, you can define dynamic approvals based on process management form data. When users submit Process Management forms that have been configured for dynamic approvals, the forms are automatically directed to the required approvers.

To configure dynamic approvals for a process management form:

  1. From the Business Processes tab, select the business process template for the form.

  2. In the Steps tab, click the Edit button
    , and create the required approval steps for the business process template.
  3. In the Entry Criteria tab, click the Edit button to open the Edit Criteria dialog.

  4. Click the Add button 

    to add a rule to the entry criteria. A new line is added in the Rule Criteria area. Click the Select button
    in the rule to open the Field Picker dialog.

    Entry criteria are conditions that you can add to a business process template, and which must be met before the business process can be started.

    Entry criteria are compared to one or more rules that determine whether a business process can start. Rules are conditional statements, which are evaluated by comparing a specified value to a field from the contact, KYC, company, opportunity, or service request record.

    When a user tries to run the business process, the entry criteria are evaluated. If the conditions in the entry criteria are met, the business process starts. If the conditions are not met, an error is displayed, and the business process is not added to the contact, company, opportunity, or service request record.

  5. In the Field Picker dialog, select CPM.

  6. Select the page field, section field, and question field that you want to use for the rule.
  7. Click OK.
  8. (Optional) Select the rule conditions for the selected fields.
    • If you want to invert the condition that you specify in the Condition field, select the Not checkbox. For example, if Condition is set to equals, select the Not checkbox to specify that you want to evaluate this rule as though it is set to not equals.
    • In the Condition field, select a condition to specify how the value in the rule field will be compared to the value in the Value field.
    • In the Value field, enter or select the value to which the rule field will be compared.

      If you add another rule, a new field appears inline with the preceding rule. Select one of the following options to specify the relationship between the two rules.
      • AND
        Indicates that the current rule and its following rule must both evaluate to true for the entry criteria to pass.
      • OR
        Indicates that either the current rule or its following rule must evaluate to true for the entry criteria to pass.
  9. When you have finished adding rules to the entry criteria, click OK.

For example, you can create an approval step for an on-boarding form where the company's chief operating officer (COO) approves all high net worth clients, while additional approval is required for high risk clients by the chief executive officer (CEO). 

For more information, see Adding entry criteria for business process templates.

User roles for approving business processes

This information describes the available user roles for approving business processes.

Approval requestors submit requests for approval to Approval Approvers who approve or reject the changes.

For example, to designate users as Approval Approvers for a change to a contact's address, you must add them to the Business Process Approver privilege group that has gGenericApprovalApprove privileges before they can approve or reject approval requests.

The following table shows which user roles can perform specific functions.

FunctionAdministratorApproval RequestorApproval Approver
Create and modify business process templates in the Business Processes tab on the Customize workspaceYesNoNo
Create and modify Process Management forms in the Business Processes tab on the Customize workspaceYesNoNo
Approve or reject a business process by updating the status and the outcome when modifying a business process step in the Business Processes tab on the Contacts workspaceYesNoYes
Approve or reject a business process on the Home, Tasks, or Contacts workspacesYesNoYes
View a business process in the Business Processes tab on the Customize workspaceYesYesYes



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