About Magentrix Automations

The Magentrix Automations module enables administrators to automate business processes and workflows by automatically executing tasks when specific conditions are met. Automations eliminate manual, repetitive work by monitoring record changes and triggering predefined actions such as sending emails, assigning training courses, creating tasks, posting messages, managing group memberships, and updating user permissions. Automations transform static business processes into dynamic, responsive workflows that react instantly to data changes. Organizations use Automations to streamline partner onboarding, accelerate deal registration approvals, enforce training compliance, maintain data quality, and ensure timely stakeholder notifications across their entire portal ecosystem.

Core Functionality

Automation Architecture and Logic

Entity-Based Configuration: Every Automation is associated with a specific Magentrix Entity or integrated CRM object. The Automation monitors records belonging to that Entity and executes tasks only when those records meet defined criteria. Administrators can create Automations for virtually any entity in the system, including standard entities like Users, Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities, and custom entities created for specific business requirements. Two-Tier Evaluation System: Automations use a dual-criteria system to determine when tasks should execute. First, Evaluation Criteria define when the system checks the record—at creation, on every update, or only when updates cause the record to newly meet rule conditions. Second, Rule Criteria define what conditions must be true for the Automation to proceed, using either field-based filters with logical operators or custom formula expressions for complex business logic. Sequential Task Execution: When both criteria are satisfied, the Automation executes one or more tasks in a defined sequence. Task sequence numbers determine execution order, allowing administrators to orchestrate multi-step workflows where later tasks depend on earlier task completion. Each task runs independently but in order, ensuring predictable workflow behavior.

Evaluation Criteria Options

Administrators choose when the system evaluates records to determine if the Automation should run: Created: The Automation evaluates only when a new record is created. This option is ideal for welcome emails, initial task assignments, or onboarding workflows that should trigger once at the beginning of a record's lifecycle. Created, and every time updated: The Automation evaluates at record creation and again whenever the record is updated, regardless of what changed or whether criteria were previously met. This option ensures the Automation responds to every modification but may result in repeated task execution if records are frequently updated while matching criteria. Created, and any time updated which previously did not meet the criteria: The Automation evaluates when a record is created and whenever an update causes the record to transition from not meeting rule criteria to meeting rule criteria. This option prevents repeated triggering when records are updated multiple times while continuing to match criteria, making it the preferred choice for status-change notifications and milestone-based workflows.

Rule Criteria Configuration

After defining when to evaluate records, administrators specify what conditions must be met for tasks to execute: Criteria Are Met: Standard field-based filtering using Field, Operator, and Value combinations. Administrators can add multiple filter rows and control logical relationships using Filter Logic expressions such as (1 AND 2) OR 3. This approach works well for straightforward business rules based on field values, picklist selections, date comparisons, or numeric thresholds. Formula Evaluates to True: Custom formula expressions that return true or false, enabling complex conditional logic that cannot be expressed through simple filters. Formulas support field references, mathematical operators, logical functions, date/time calculations, text manipulation, and role-based conditions. This option is essential for sophisticated business rules involving multiple fields, calculations, or organizational hierarchy checks. See the Formulas documentation for complete syntax and function reference.

Automation Task Types

Automations can execute up to eight different task types, each designed for specific workflow requirements. Task availability depends on the Entity's capabilities and system configuration.

Email Alert Tasks

Email Alert tasks send automated email notifications using predefined Email Templates. Administrators specify the template, reply-to address, and up to 1,000 recipients per task. Recipients can include specific users, all users in a Security Role, record owners, manually entered email addresses, or formula-calculated addresses. Recipients can be configured as To, CC, or BCC to control visibility. Email Alerts are available for all entities and are the most commonly used task type for stakeholder notifications.

Course Assignment Tasks

Course Assignment tasks automatically enroll users in Training Module courses when Automation criteria are met. This task type is available only for Automations on the User entity. Administrators select a published course and optionally enable learner email notifications. The system does not reassign courses if users are already enrolled, preventing duplicate assignments. This task type is essential for compliance training, onboarding curricula, and certification requirements triggered by user status changes or profile updates.

Group Member Tasks

Group Member tasks automatically add users to Collaboration Groups with specified member roles and notification preferences. This task type is available for Automations on the User and User Journey entities. Administrators select the target group, assign member roles (Standard or Manager), and configure default notification settings. The system adds users only if they are not already group members. Group Member tasks enable automatic community building, team formation, and communication channel management based on user characteristics or journey progress.

Follow Tasks

Follow tasks automatically subscribe users to record feeds, ensuring they receive notifications about record activity and updates. This task type is available for entities with feed tracking enabled (TrackFeeds = true). Administrators can add up to 50 followers per record using specific users, all users in a Security Role, record owners, or formula-calculated users. This task has important limitations: it does not execute during bulk operations affecting more than 200 records in a single transaction. Follow tasks ensure stakeholder visibility into critical records without requiring manual follow actions.

Feed/Message Tasks

Feed/Message tasks automatically post messages to record feeds, Collaboration Group feeds, or send direct messages to individual users. This task type is available for entities with feed tracking enabled (TrackFeeds = true). Administrators select a sender (who must have appropriate permissions), choose the message type, configure visibility settings, and compose the message with @mention support for users and groups. Feed/Message tasks provide automated communication, audit trails, and stakeholder engagement directly within the collaboration interface.

Activity Tasks

Activity tasks automatically create and assign action items to specific users with configured due dates, priorities, and status settings. This task type is available for entities with activity tracking enabled (TrackActivities = true), excluding the Task entity itself to prevent recursion. Administrators specify the assigned user, subject, calculated due date (based on trigger date or record field values with day offsets), initial status, priority level, and optional comments. Activity tasks ensure follow-up actions are created automatically when records reach specific states or milestones.

Change Security Role Tasks

Change Security Role tasks automatically reassign users to different Security Roles when User Journey records meet specified criteria. This task type is available only for Automations on the User Journey entity. Users can only be switched to Security Roles of the same type (Partner-to-Partner, Customer-to-Customer, Employee-to-Employee), ensuring permission consistency. This task enables permission progression workflows where partners or customers advance to higher privilege levels after completing certification requirements, training programs, or performance milestones.

Slack Message Tasks

Slack Message tasks send structured notifications to Slack channels or users when Automation criteria are met. Administrators configure Slack workspace connections, select message destinations (channels or direct messages), and build Record Cards showing key field values, dynamic descriptions, and action buttons linking back to portal records. Slack Message tasks require prerequisite Slack Integration configuration. These tasks enable real-time team notifications in tools where stakeholders already collaborate, reducing context switching and improving response times.

Task Availability by Entity Type

Not all task types are available for every entity. The system determines available tasks based on entity capabilities:

Integration with Other Modules

Automations work seamlessly with other Magentrix modules to create comprehensive workflow solutions: Training Module Integration: Course Assignment tasks automatically enroll users in training based on their characteristics, journey progress, or record changes. Organizations use this integration to enforce compliance requirements, deliver role-specific training, and support certification programs. See Training Module documentation for course configuration details. Journey Builder Integration: Change Security Role tasks enable automatic permission progression when users complete journey phases or meet milestone criteria. Automations on User Journey records can also trigger notifications, task assignments, or group memberships at specific journey stages. See Journey Builder documentation for journey configuration and User Journey entity details. Social Collaboration Integration: Group Member tasks automatically build communities by adding users to Groups based on their attributes or activities. Follow tasks and Feed/Message tasks leverage the Mingle social collaboration features to ensure stakeholders remain informed about important record changes through feed notifications and @mentions. See Groups and Mingle documentation for collaboration feature details. Security and Permissions Integration: Email Alert tasks can target recipients by Security Role, ensuring notifications reach all users with specific permission sets. Change Security Role tasks modify user permissions as part of automated workflows. Understanding Security Role configuration and hierarchy is essential for effective Automation design. See Security Roles documentation for permission architecture details.

Common Automation Scenarios

Partner Onboarding: When a new Partner User is created, automatically assign onboarding courses, add them to the Partner Community group, send a welcome email to the user and notification to their partner manager, and create a follow-up task for the channel manager to schedule an introductory call. Deal Registration Approval: When a Deal Registration status changes to "Approved," automatically send approval notification to the partner who submitted it, post a congratulatory message on the deal record's feed, assign the next-step course on deal progression, and create a follow-up activity for the account manager. MDF Request Processing: When an MDF Request is submitted, automatically notify the MDF approval team via email, add the finance team as followers to the record, post approval requirements to the record feed, and send a Slack message to the marketing operations channel with request details and a link to review. User Journey Progression: When a User Journey phase is completed, automatically send congratulations to the user, notify their manager, add them to the next-level community group, assign advanced training courses, and if all phases are complete, change their security role to "Certified Partner" with expanded portal access.

Best Practices

Descriptive Naming Conventions: Use clear, consistent names that identify the entity, trigger condition, and primary action. Examples include "User - Onboarding Complete - Assign Advanced Training" or "Deal Reg - Approved - Notify Partner and Manager." Descriptive names help administrators quickly locate relevant Automations and understand their purpose without opening configuration details. Testing Before Activation: Create Automations in inactive state, configure all criteria and tasks, then test with sample records in a non-production environment or with carefully controlled production records before enabling. Verify that Evaluation Criteria trigger at the correct times, Rule Criteria accurately identify target records, and tasks execute as intended with proper recipients, assignments, and content. Purposeful Task Sequencing: When configuring multiple tasks, assign sequence numbers that reflect logical execution order and task dependencies. Email notifications typically run last so they can reference outcomes of earlier tasks. Activity task creation should precede assignment notifications. Change Security Role tasks should run early if subsequent tasks depend on new permissions. Formula Validation: When using formula-based Rule Criteria or recipients, validate formula syntax carefully and test with diverse data scenarios. Invalid formulas prevent Automation execution and may not generate clear error messages. Reference the Formulas documentation for proper syntax, available functions, and merge field formatting requirements. Recipient List Management: When configuring Email Alert tasks, consider using Security Roles rather than individual users when possible, allowing recipient lists to scale automatically as team membership changes. For tasks with multiple recipients, use BCC for privacy when recipients should not see each other's addresses. Stay within the 1,000-recipient limit per task by creating multiple tasks if necessary. Bulk Operation Awareness: Remember that Follow tasks do not execute during bulk operations affecting more than 200 records. If bulk follower assignment is required, consider alternative approaches such as running Automations in smaller batches or using manual follow operations for large-scale changes. Regular Automation Review: Periodically audit active Automations to ensure they remain aligned with current business processes. Deactivate or delete Automations that no longer serve business needs. Update task configurations when email templates, courses, groups, or organizational structures change. Well-maintained Automations prevent obsolete workflows from executing and creating confusion.

Performance and Limitations

Execution Timing: Automations execute immediately when their criteria are met during record save operations. Task execution is typically instantaneous but may experience brief delays during high system load periods. Email delivery depends on external email service timing and recipient server availability. Recipient Limits: Email Alert tasks support up to 1,000 recipients per task. This is a hard system limit enforced per individual task, not per Automation. If more than 1,000 recipients are required, create multiple Email Alert tasks within the same Automation, each targeting different recipient segments. Follower Limits: Follow tasks support up to 50 followers per record. Follow tasks do not execute during bulk operations affecting more than 200 records in a single transaction. These technical limitations prevent system performance degradation during large-scale data operations. Role Type Restrictions: Change Security Role tasks can only reassign users to Security Roles of the same type. Partner users can only be switched to other Partner roles, Customer users to other Customer roles, and Employee users to other Employee roles. Cross-type transitions require manual administrator intervention to maintain security and permission model integrity. Entity-Specific Task Availability: Task types are restricted based on entity capabilities. Course Assignment works only for User entity. Change Security Role works only for User Journey entity. Group Member works for User and User Journey entities. Follow and Feed/Message tasks require TrackFeeds capability. Activity tasks require TrackActivities capability. Administrators cannot create tasks that are incompatible with the selected Automation entity.

Permissions and Access Control

Administrator-Only Configuration: Only users assigned to Security Roles with Administrator system role permissions can access the Automations module, create or edit Automations, configure tasks, or view Automation lists. Standard users, partner users, and customer portal users cannot view or interact with Automation configuration regardless of their other permissions. Task Execution Permissions: While Automations run automatically based on criteria, certain tasks have permission dependencies. Email Alert senders must have permission to access referenced email templates. Feed/Message task senders must have permission to post to target record feeds or groups. Course Assignment tasks require published courses accessible to target users. Activity task assignees must be active users with appropriate entity access. Slack Message tasks require valid Slack Integration connections. Record-Level Security: Automations respect record-level security rules and cannot override user access restrictions. If an Automation attempts to create tasks or send notifications for records that recipients cannot access, the tasks may be created but recipients may not be able to interact with linked records. Administrators should design Automations with organizational security model awareness.

Video Tutorial

Related Documentation

Integration Documentation:

• Training Module
• Journey Builder
• Groups (Social Collaboration)
• Mingle (Feed and Messaging)
• Security Roles

Automations Checklist >>