Trigger Automation by Automation
Noah Callen
I want to be able to trigger an automation from another automation. For example, I have 2 or more automatons that have their own unique triggers, actions, etc., but at the end of those automations, is a common action (such as a notification via teams/slack) that should be the same. It would make sense to have a Parent-Child automation relationship rather than having to modify the 'same notification' in multiple places and would reduce repetitive development
Jon Darbyshire
Hello Noah Callen! I have a few more questions for you:
- Can you provide examples of the unique triggers and actions in your automations?
- What specific notifications would you like to be consistent across all automations?
- Could you elaborate on the 'Parent-Child' automation relationship you mentioned?
Noah Callen
Hi Jon Darbyshire!
- Trigger Enhancements for Flexible Automation
A dynamic option could be “When triggered by another automation.” This would expand integration capabilities, making it possible to create seamless chains of automations within Smart Suite. Since triggers are associated with specific tables, this approach might require a way to link the trigger to the relevant table, which could be done during setup. I can imagine this being done through a drop down within the trigger's configuration.
For actions, adding a “Trigger an Automation” action that could populate a list of available automations for users, allowing selection by solution, table, and then the specific automation. Alternatively, directly listing automations with the “triggered by another automation” setup might streamline the process even further.
- Clarifying Workflow Examples like Consistent Notifications
The consistent notification feature is a good example of a child workflow rather than a standalone feature. This approach could serve as a model for creating smaller, reusable processes to support complex automation needs across the platform. But to further explain my specific example, we have two different automations that run when a new record is created. They perform different actions based on conditions that are configured within the trigger. Both automations, however, notify the user who works the requests that are added to that table and the notification is the same despite the differences in the actions that came before.
- Parent-Child Automations for Reusability
Similar to “functions” in programming, a parent automation could execute a series of actions and then call on child workflows to handle specific subtasks. Some platforms, like Microsoft Power Automate, even allow child flows to inherit attributes or data from the parent workflow. Going back to my example from before, the idea would be that I have two different parent flows that perform their own unique actions to the record such as modify the record title based on initial user input, and then call the child flow 'Notify Queue Manager' at the end.
These enhancements, along with some of the teased features in the upcoming automation update, could significantly improve the efficiency of individual workflows while reducing both development and deployment times