Splitter Functionality

Overview

Splitter functionality lets users configure Workflow Definitions to take a single object and split it into groups of items for processing. This provides flexibility to turn up services and begin billing items in different intervals for a single order.

Configuring Splitter Steps

Adding a Splitter Step to a Definition

A new step type was created for the Splitter functionality. This step type provides the ability to start multiple workflows from a single step.

To add a splitter step to a definition, users can click on the splitter step icon.

After you click the splitter step icon, like other step types, the system will prompt you to provide a step name and description.

Once you click SAVE, the step details can be configured. You must configure a default grouping prior to checking in the definition. If you attempt to check in the definition without default grouping configuration, the system will present the following error message:

Selecting Split Method and Method Grouping

To configure a splitter step you must select a Split Method and Method Grouping. The Method Grouping will be disabled until a Split Method is selected.

Split Method

This determines what your splitting.
For the initial release of splitter functionality, the selection is limited to Split Order by Service.

Method Grouping

This determines how you are splitting items.
For the initial release of splitter functionality, the selections are:
- Service – This is the most granular method for splitting. This will split to the individual services on an order.
- Service Catalog – This method will split to the service type(s) on an order.
- Service Processing Action – This method will split to the action(s) for the services on an order (for example: add, disconnect, and update).
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Creating Splitter Groups and Assigning Group Members

Once the Split Method and Split Method Grouping are selected, you can start to configure the grouping details. The Groupings details consists of:

Group Name – The group name is a required field that helps identify what is configured with the grouping. The group name for the default is populated by the system, is read-only and cannot be changed.
Group Members – Group Members let you define how you want the split method grouping to group items. For example, if your Split Group Method is Service Catalog, you may want to define a group for traditional services and one for hosted or cloud-based services.
Subworkflows – Each split Grouping will require subworkflow configuration. This will tell the system which Workflow definition to start if the items that were grouped exist in the item being processed.

Before you can configure user-defined Groupings, a default Grouping is required. The default Grouping is necessary to ensure that all items are accounted for within a splitter step. The group name for the default is populated by the system, is read-only and cannot be changed. The only action that you need to take for the default Grouping is the Subworkflow configuration. To access the necessary display, click on the SUBWORKFLOW tab.

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The subworkflow configuration for Groupings is the same as configuring a Subworkflow Step, with one exception. Because your Grouping can contain several assigned members, the system provides the option for how you want the Subworkflows created.

Option 1 – You can choose to create one Subworkflow for each Grouping.
Option 2 – The other option is to create a separate subworkflow instance for each grouping member. You may choose this option if you are working with a service level implementation and want to turn up billing and processing for one service at a time. Your Split Method for this example would be Service, then each service would have its own subworkflow instance. The subworkflow instances could each contain the necessary Order actions to add the services to the account and begin billing.

The system defaults to one Subworkflow per Grouping (checkbox for setting is not checked).

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Once the default Grouping is configured, you can add user-defined groupings. To add a user-defined Grouping, click the Add icon.

Depending upon the Method Grouping, the system will display different options for Group Member assignments.

Service – When the Method Grouping is Service, Group Member configuration is not needed. This is because you are configuring the system for each service you want to create Subworkflow(s).
Service Catalog – When the Method Grouping is Service Catalog, the system will provide you with search options to find the desired service types.
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You can type the service type into the search input field and then click the search icon. The system will return all service types from your Product Catalog. In addition to service types, the system will also return an option for Account Level Features. This lets you configure a Grouping to process your Account Level Features separately from services.
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From the search results, click on the link to assign the Group Members to the Grouping. Once you assign an item, this is no longer available for selection within another Grouping for this Splitter step. In the example below, Active Users was assigned to the Grouping, so the option is displayed as text vs. a link for selection.
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To remove an assigned Group Member, click on the red ‘X’.
If you have not clicked SAVE, the assigned Group Member will be immediately removed from the display and be available for selection. If you are editing existing configuration, the system will display an undo indicator and the item will not be available until you save your updates.
Service Processing Action – When the Method Grouping is Service Processing Action, the system will provide you with search options to find the desired action types.
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Adding and removing Service Processing Action assigned members functions the same as Service Catalog Member Grouping.
The system does support the ability to change your Split Method and Grouping after they have been configured. However, because these selections dictate the options for your Grouping Assignments, a change will delete the Group Member configuration. You will be prompted with a confirmation prior to any items being deleted.

Configuring Order Actions

One of the benefits to using Splitter functionality is the ability to begin billing order line items as soon as they are implemented, even if some order line items are still being processed. This means that you can configure several order actions within each split.

The Order actions that were updated to support this functionality are:

Billing System Update
Set Start Date
Set End Date
Update Billing Status

The above-mentioned actions now include parameter filters for each Split Method Grouping. The filters are defaulted and should not be modified.

When you configure the action within a subworkflow that will be created using a splitter step, the system will look to see if any split group data exists for that Workflow instance. If data exists, the system will only process the action for the items identified.

The Complete Order action was not updated. This action should still be configured in your Workflow definitions at the root level.

System Defined Smart Data for Splitters

New system defined smart data is available with Splitters. The main use case for these would be for Workflow name override or Communication templates.

The new options are:

SplitGrouping.GroupingName
Split Grouping.MemberName

Workflow Instances with Splitters

When viewing a Workflow instance that includes Splitter steps, you’ll gain benefits to quickly identify the order items that require processing.

Workflow Details & Extended Data Dialogs

The Workflow Details and Extended Data dialogs have been updated to include Splitter Data and better navigation to the Orders module.

The dialogs have two tabs:

EXTENDED DATA
SPLIT GROUPINGS
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Extended Data

The information on the EXTENDED DATA tab displays the extended data for that Workflow Instance. When the Workflow instance was created from a Splitter Step, the system will automatically populate the Global Extended Data.

Also, when the Workflow instance was created from a Splitter Step, the system will update the Cart Details link to navigate the user to the Orders app with the order details filtered to those specifically to the way the order has been split based on the Workflow configuration.

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When the filter is applied, the icon will display as filled in. Clicking on the filter icon will show you what filters have been applied. This will also provide you with an option to remove the filter.

Split Grouping

The information on the SPLIT GROUPING tab displays the split data for that Workflow Instance.

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The Split Grouping Options will display on the left side of the dialog. If the Workflow instance was created from a Splitter Step and the Split Method Grouping is applicable, then a green checkmark will display. If the Split Method Grouping is not applicable, a ban symbol will display.

If the Split Method Grouping is applicable, you can click on the option to display the specific data from your order.

When more than one green checkmark is displayed, it means the Workflow instance has gone through several Splitter Steps. The system will continue to filter the data as you complete each Splitter Step.

Layout Page

The Layout page has been updated to display Splitter Steps and their details.

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Like the other step types, click on the Splitter Step to view its details. The details include the Grouping Names, Subworkflow names and Subworkflow statuses. Clicking on the Subworkflow name will navigate you to the Overview page for that Subworkflow instance.

To see how the Splitter Step was configured, you can click on the more info icon. This will display the Step Details page in read-only mode.

Cancelling Splitter Steps and Splitter Groups

Similar to Subworkflows, when the root Workflow instance is placed on hold, you will be able to cancel a splitter step or splitter groups within a splitter step.

From the Layout page, click on the Splitter Step you would like to cancel. The system will display the splitter step details below the layout. The following options will be presented:

Cancel and Create New
Cancel
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Cancel and Create New

When you select the Cancel and Create New option, the system will display a dialog. The dialog lets you cancel all Split Grouping, or individually select which grouping you would like to cancel. Based on your selection, the system will cancel the existing instance and create new instance(s).

Upon clicking OK, the system will display a confirmation.

Cancel

When you select the Cancel option, the system will display a dialog. The dialog lets you cancel all Split Grouping or individually select which grouping you would like to cancel. Based on your selection, the system will cancel the existing instance.