Why isn't my automated work flow working?

Sierra Randall

I have a large reporting system of dashboards where I have long term items move to short term once "days until due" has reached 31 and from short term to archived once days until due reaches 0. However, these reports are not moving into their assigned sheet . As you can see it is now -12

I really need this functionality to work please help!!!

Sameer Karkhanis

@Sierra Randall Your original workflows on "Days Until Due" will not trigger the events as it is a formula based column. Workflow triggers are based either on dates or manual updates to the rows. That is why when you manually updated the value to 0 and saved the sheet the workflow was triggered.

I would recommend setting up workflows based on the "Due Date" as I have mentioned above.

Hope this help. Please do not forget to accept the suggestion as an answer if this works for you.

Thanks.

Sameer Karkhanis

@Sierra Randall Couple of things:

1. Given your "Days Until Due" is a formula based column not sure if it triggers a row change event.
2. Assuming #1 still triggers the event, if your workflow was setup after the fact that "Days Until Due" was zero or less than zero, then the workflow will not trigger the event, but you can change the run workflow temporarily to "Hourly" or so and force it to run.

Sierra Randall

1) The workflow was created before it hit zero, do you have any recomendations on how to fix this? It worked on my other workflow that transfers long term reports to short term once it hits 31 days. It is just not working for short term to archived.

2) It wont allow me to change it to hourly

Sierra Randall

@SK

Sierra Randall

@SK IN just checked another sheet and it looks like the long to short term once 31 days was hit is also not working

Sameer Karkhanis

@Sierra Randall If both the workflows are not working then it confirms that formula based columns do not get registered as a row change event and hence the workflows are not triggered.

Also changing the existing workflow to run "Hourly" will also not help as your trigger condition is 0 and 31 and if none of your "Days Until Due" values are 0 or 31 it will not trigger the event.

You should manually update one row to have the days until due value to 0 and save the sheet and see if the workflow is triggered. That will at least confirm that workflow does works.

Sameer Karkhanis

@Sierra Randall Alternatively, you can create automated workflow on the "Due Date" column.

Long Term to Short Term:

Use the Trigger "When a date is reached"

Run once "30 days before" Date field "Due Date

Short Term to Archive:

Use the Trigger "When a date is reached"

Run once "on" Date field "Due Date" (or 1 Day After, whatever works for you)

Sierra Randall

@SK I tried to make a row and set Days Until Due to 0 and it worked, not sure why this worked but it is not working for some other sheets. I have also noticed that the days until due column doesnt update for some sheets unless I open them. Should I try to set up new work flows using Due Date category rather than the Days Until Due category? The current work flow works for some and not others idk why

Sierra Randall

@SK

Sameer Karkhanis

@Sierra Randall Your original workflows on "Days Until Due" will not trigger the events as it is a formula based column. Workflow triggers are based either on dates or manual updates to the rows. That is why when you manually updated the value to 0 and saved the sheet the workflow was triggered.

I would recommend setting up workflows based on the "Due Date" as I have mentioned above.

Hope this help. Please do not forget to accept the suggestion as an answer if this works for you.

Thanks.

Sierra Randall

@SK Thank you!!