Seeking some insights on a roadblock regarding time based workflow.
Is there a way to trigger time based workflow for existing records?
A time based workflow has been created to notify student 14,7 days before the book due date and 7,14,30,and every other 30 days after the book due date. It's working as expected for any new records.
Is there a way to activate the time based workflow for existing loaned books whose due date falls in the past? We need to send alerts to those device loaners whose loaned device matches the criteria. I tried just nominal update via Data Loader, but it didn't work.
I also tried these steps but the flow isn’t working either:
– Create a new checkbox field on Device called ‘Trigger Workflow’.
– Edit the time dependent workflow to include the new OR condition ‘Trigger Workflow = True’
– Update the existing record that matched the critieria to set the field to true
Best Answer
Time based workflow will trigger on trivial updates so long as the settings for the workflow are correct. For example, if you choose to trigger "only on create", then it obviously won't work on updates. Also, using "of not previously met criteria" means you must make sure the records do not meet the criteria upon entry to the workflow. For example, if filter by "some field less than next 30 days", you must make two updates to the records if they are within 30 days; the first to move them out more than 30 days, then a second update to move them back to their original dates. The same principle applies if you use a "field is not null" type filter.