Troubleshooting Automations

This guide provides systematic troubleshooting approaches for diagnosing and resolving common Automation issues in the Magentrix platform. When Automations do not execute as expected, work through the diagnostic steps in this document to identify root causes and implement solutions. Effective troubleshooting requires methodical investigation of configuration, permissions, data quality, and system behavior.

General Troubleshooting Approach

Systematic Diagnosis Process

When facing Automation issues, follow this structured approach:

1. Verify the Automation is Active: Check the Active checkbox on the Automation detail page. Inactive Automations never execute regardless of other configuration.
2. Confirm Triggering Records Meet Criteria: Create test records that should meet rule criteria and verify they actually do. Review Evaluation Criteria and Rule Criteria carefully.
3. Check Task Configuration: Examine individual task settings including required fields, sequence numbers, and target selections (users, roles, groups, courses).
4. Validate Permissions: Verify that all participants (senders, assignees, followers, group members) have necessary permissions to access records and perform actions.
5. Review System Logs: Check system logs for error messages, execution timing, and failure indicators that provide diagnostic information.
6. Test in Isolation: Disable other tasks or Automations temporarily to identify whether issues result from specific task configurations or interactions between multiple Automations.
7. Consult Task-Specific Documentation: Review detailed troubleshooting sections in individual task type documentation for specialized guidance.

This systematic approach prevents overlooking common issues and accelerates root cause identification.

Isolate the Problem

Determine whether issues affect:

• All Automations: Suggests system-wide configuration or permission problems
• Single Automation: Indicates issues with specific Automation configuration
• Specific Task Type: Points to task-specific configuration or dependency problems
• Particular Records: Suggests data quality or field value issues
• Certain Users: Indicates permission or role assignment problems

Problem scope clarification focuses troubleshooting efforts on relevant configuration areas.

Gather Diagnostic Information

Before investigating deeply, collect:

• Automation name and entity
• Evaluation Criteria and Rule Criteria configuration
• Task list with sequence numbers and types
• Sample record IDs that should trigger the Automation
• Expected behavior vs. actual behavior
• Error messages from system logs if available
• Recent configuration changes to Automation or related systems

Comprehensive diagnostic information enables efficient problem analysis and communication with support if needed.

Automation Not Triggering

Symptom

The Automation does not execute when records are created or updated, even though records should meet criteria.

Common Causes and Solutions

Automation is Inactive

Diagnosis: Check the Active checkbox on the Automation detail page.

Solution: Activate the Automation by checking the Active checkbox and saving. Inactive Automations never execute regardless of other configuration.

Records Do Not Actually Meet Rule Criteria

Diagnosis: Carefully review Rule Criteria comparing filter conditions or formulas to actual field values on test records. Pay special attention to:

• Exact field value matching (case sensitivity, extra spaces, different formats)
• Null or empty field values that fail criteria checks
• Date and datetime field comparisons using correct formats
• Picklist values matching exactly as configured in criteria
• Boolean (checkbox) field values (true/false, checked/unchecked)

Solution: Adjust Rule Criteria to match actual record field values, or correct record data to meet existing criteria. Test with known-good field values to validate criteria logic.

Wrong Evaluation Criteria Selected

Diagnosis: Review Evaluation Criteria selection and understand its behavior:

• "Created": Executes only on record creation, never on updates
• "Created, and every time updated": Executes on creation and every subsequent update meeting criteria
• "Created, and any time updated which previously did not meet the criteria": Executes only when records transition from not meeting to meeting criteria

Solution: Select Evaluation Criteria matching intended triggering pattern. If testing updates on existing records, use "Created, and every time updated" temporarily, or create new test records to trigger "Created" criteria.

Formula Syntax Errors

Diagnosis: If using formula-based Rule Criteria, validate formula syntax:

• Merge field format uses correct syntax: {!FieldName}
• Function names are spelled correctly and use proper capitalization
• Comparison functions use correct syntax: Equal(field,value) not field = value
• Parentheses are balanced and nested correctly
• Field names match actual entity field names exactly

Solution: Correct formula syntax errors. Use Insert Field and Functions menus to ensure proper syntax. Test formulas by saving and checking for validation errors. Consult Formulas documentation for syntax reference.

Entity Does Not Support Required Features

Diagnosis: Verify the entity supports Automation features:

• Entity must support Automation in general (not all entities do)
• Feed/Message tasks require feed-enabled entities (TrackFeeds = true)
• Activity tasks require activity-enabled entities (TrackActivities = true)
• Follow tasks require feed-enabled entities
• Change Security Role tasks only work on User Journey entity

Solution: Select an entity that supports the required Automation capabilities. Review entity configuration to confirm feature support. Choose appropriate task types for the entity's capabilities.

Automation Triggering Timing Expectations

Diagnosis: Understand when Automations evaluate:

• Automations trigger during record save operations only
• Viewing or opening records without saving does not trigger Automations
• Scheduled or time-based triggering is not supported (must be based on record changes)
• Automations execute synchronously during save, not asynchronously later

Solution: Ensure test scenarios actually save records with field changes. Automations cannot trigger on scheduled times or record views without modifications.

Automation Triggers Too Often

Symptom

The Automation executes repeatedly on the same records, creating duplicate tasks, multiple notifications, or excessive activity.

Common Causes and Solutions

Wrong Evaluation Criteria

Diagnosis: "Created, and every time updated" Evaluation Criteria executes on every record save meeting criteria, even if criteria were already met on previous saves.

Solution: Change Evaluation Criteria to "Created, and any time updated which previously did not meet the criteria" to execute only when records transition from not meeting to meeting criteria. This prevents repeated execution on records that already met criteria.

Rule Criteria Always True

Diagnosis: Rule Criteria evaluate to true on every record save because they check conditions that remain constant (e.g., "Status Is Not Null" when status is always populated).

Solution: Refine Rule Criteria to target specific state transitions or changes rather than persistent conditions. Use criteria that identify meaningful events (status changes to specific values, field updates to thresholds) rather than conditions that are always true.

Multiple Automations Overlap

Diagnosis: Multiple Automations on the same entity have overlapping criteria, each executing independently.

Solution: Review all active Automations on the entity. Consolidate overlapping Automations into single Automations with multiple tasks, or refine criteria to ensure distinct triggering conditions. Document Automation purposes to prevent future overlap.

Automation Loops

Diagnosis: Automation tasks modify record fields that cause the same Automation to trigger again, creating infinite loops.

Solution: Design Automations carefully to avoid self-triggering. Use "Created" or "Created, and any time updated which previously did not meet the criteria" Evaluation Criteria. Ensure Automation tasks do not modify fields referenced in Rule Criteria. Test thoroughly to identify loop scenarios before activation.

Specific Tasks Not Executing

Symptom

The Automation triggers successfully but specific tasks within it do not execute or complete.

Common Causes and Solutions

Task Sequence Number Issues

Diagnosis: Task sequence numbers are out of logical order or duplicated.

Solution: Review and renumber task sequence values ensuring logical progression. Use increments of 10 (10, 20, 30) for flexibility. Verify no duplicate sequence numbers exist. Tasks execute in sequence number order regardless of creation order.

Required Fields Missing

Diagnosis: Tasks have incomplete configuration with required fields left blank.

Solution: Open each task and verify all required fields are populated:

• Email Alert: Sender, Recipients, Subject, Message
• Course Assignment: Assigned To (implicit - user from record), Course
• Group Member: Group, Member Role, Notification Preference, Notification Frequency
• Follow: At least one follower configured
• Feed/Message: Sender, Message Type, Message, and type-specific fields (Visibility, Group, or Recipient)
• Activity: Assigned To, Subject, Due Date components, Status, Priority
• Change Security Role: Security Role, Action
• Slack Message: Slack Integration Connection, Message Type, Message, and type-specific fields (Channel or Recipient)

Solution: Complete all required fields and save tasks. Validation errors prevent saving incomplete configurations.

Permission Issues

Diagnosis: Task participants (senders, assignees, followers) lack necessary permissions to access records or perform actions.

Solution: Verify permissions for all task participants:

• Email Alert senders can access the entity record
• Course assignment users can access Training Module and have permissions to be assigned courses
• Group member users can access Collaboration Groups module
• Follow users can view the entity record (permissions to view the record they'll follow)
• Feed/Message senders can access records, groups, or recipients
• Activity assignees can access entity records and Activities module
• Slack Integration bot has access to target channels

Solution: Grant necessary permissions through Security Roles or select different task participants with appropriate access.

Target Objects Deleted or Inactive

Diagnosis: Selected objects in task configuration no longer exist or are inactive:

• Users are inactive or deleted
• Courses are unpublished or deleted
• Groups are deleted or archived
• Security Roles are deleted or deactivated
• Slack channels are deleted or bot removed

Solution: Review task configurations and update selections to active, existing objects. Remove references to deleted objects. Reactivate or replace missing objects as needed.

Task-Specific Limitations

Diagnosis: Tasks encounter specific limitations:

• Email Alert exceeds 1,000 recipient limit
• Follow task exceeds 50 follower limit per execution
• Follow task triggered during bulk operation affecting more than 200 records
• Change Security Role attempts to assign Administrator or System role
• Course Assignment targets unpublished course
• Slack Message targets private channel without bot membership

Solution: Respect system limitations:

• Split Email Alert recipients across multiple tasks if exceeding 1,000
• Split Follow followers across multiple tasks if exceeding 50
• Design alternative approaches for bulk operations (Follow tasks won't execute)
• Assign only Portal roles through Change Security Role tasks
• Ensure courses are published before assignment
• Invite bot to private Slack channels before configuration

Notifications Not Received

Symptom

Tasks execute successfully but recipients do not receive expected email notifications, feed notifications, Slack messages, or other communications.

Common Causes and Solutions

User Notification Preferences Disabled

Diagnosis: Users have disabled notifications in their personal preferences:

• Email notifications disabled for specific modules or globally
• Feed notifications set to "Never" or "Only mentions"
• Group notification frequency set to "Never"
• Slack notification preferences mute channels or direct messages

Solution: Inform users that Automation tasks respect individual notification preferences. Users must enable notifications in their personal settings to receive automated communications. Automation cannot override user notification preferences.

Invalid Email Addresses

Diagnosis: User records have missing, incorrect, or invalid email addresses.

Solution: Verify user email addresses are valid, current, and properly formatted. Update user records with correct email addresses. Test email delivery to confirmed addresses before concluding Automation failure.

Email Deliverability Issues

Diagnosis: External email systems filter, block, or reject automated emails:

• Spam filters classify automated emails as spam
• Corporate email security blocks messages from platform domain
• Recipient mailbox is full or unavailable
• Email server temporarily unavailable

Solution: Check spam/junk folders for automated emails. Whitelist platform email domain in corporate email security settings. Verify email server availability. Contact IT support if corporate email policies block legitimate automated communications.

Slack Integration Issues

Diagnosis: Slack Integration Connection is inactive, bot lacks permissions, or channels are inaccessible.

Solution:

• Verify Slack Integration Connection is active and authorized in portal settings
• Confirm bot is member of target channels (especially private channels)
• Check that channel names or IDs are correct and match existing channels
• Verify recipient email addresses or User IDs match Slack workspace users
• Re-authorize Slack Integration if authorization expired

Users Not Following Records or In Groups

Diagnosis: Feed/Message notifications only reach users who follow records or belong to groups.

Solution: Ensure Follow tasks execute before Feed/Message tasks so users are subscribed when messages are posted. Verify Group Member tasks add users to groups before posting group messages. Check task sequence numbers to ensure proper ordering.

Feed/Message Visibility Settings

Diagnosis: Messages posted with "Share internally" visibility are not visible to external partner or customer users.

Solution: Review Message Visibility settings for Feed/Message tasks. Use "Share with anyone with access" if external users should see messages. Use "Share internally" only for employee-only communications.

Wrong Recipients or Incorrect Assignments

Symptom

Tasks execute but wrong users receive notifications, assignments, or role changes.

Common Causes and Solutions

Formula Errors in Recipient Calculations

Diagnosis: Formulas used for email recipients, followers, or other dynamic selections contain errors or resolve to wrong User IDs.

Solution:

• Verify formula syntax is correct
• Test formulas with diverse record scenarios
• Confirm formulas return expected data types (User IDs for followers, email addresses for email recipients)
• Check that referenced fields exist and contain expected values
• Use Insert Field feature to ensure correct field references

See Formulas documentation for syntax reference and examples.

Wrong Users or Roles Selected

Diagnosis: Task configuration references incorrect users, roles, or groups.

Solution: Review all task configurations and verify selections:

• Email Alert sender and recipients
• Course Assignment targets appropriate users
• Group Member adds users to correct groups with appropriate roles
• Follow subscribes appropriate stakeholders
• Feed/Message sender and recipients
• Activity tasks assign to responsible users
• Change Security Role targets appropriate roles

Update selections to correct users, roles, or groups and test thoroughly.

Multiple Overlapping Automations

Diagnosis: Multiple Automations create conflicting assignments or notifications.

Solution: Review all active Automations on the entity. Identify overlapping criteria causing multiple Automations to trigger. Consolidate overlapping Automations or refine criteria to ensure distinct triggering conditions. Document which Automation handles which scenarios.

Role Membership Changed

Diagnosis: When using role-based assignments (Email Alert to role, Follow by role, Group Member by role), role membership has changed since task configuration.

Solution: Review current role membership and verify appropriate users are assigned to roles. Update role assignments if membership has changed. Role-based targeting is dynamic and reflects current membership at execution time.

Data or Permission Issues

Symptom

Automations fail due to data quality problems or permission mismatches.

Common Causes and Solutions

Null or Missing Field Values

Diagnosis: Rule Criteria or formulas reference fields that are null or empty on records.

Solution:

• Design Rule Criteria to handle null values appropriately (use IsNull, IsNotNull operators)
• Provide default values for critical fields used in Automation criteria
• Add data validation rules requiring field population before records can be saved
• Test Automations with records that have various field value combinations including nulls

Incorrect Data Types

Diagnosis: Formulas or criteria compare fields of incompatible data types (e.g., comparing text to numbers, dates to text).

Solution: Verify field data types match comparison requirements. Use appropriate comparison operators for each data type. Convert data types using formula functions if necessary. Test with records containing expected data type values.

Users Lack Record Access

Diagnosis: Task participants cannot access entity records due to Security Role restrictions or security hierarchy limitations.

Solution:

• Review Security Role permissions for entity access
• Verify security hierarchy rules don't prevent record visibility
• Grant necessary read permissions to users involved in Automation tasks
• Test with sample users to confirm record access before activating Automations

See Security Roles and Security Hierarchy documentation for permission configuration.

Course or Group Access Restrictions

Diagnosis: Users cannot access courses or groups assigned through Automation due to visibility or permission settings.

Solution:

• Verify course visibility settings allow target user Security Roles to access courses
• Check group privacy settings and user permissions to join or participate in groups
• Ensure training module and collaboration module access through Security Roles
• Test with sample users confirming they can access courses and groups after assignment

Performance Issues

Symptom

Automations execute slowly, cause record save delays, or impact system performance.

Common Causes and Solutions

Complex Rule Criteria

Diagnosis: Overly complex filter logic or formulas require extensive calculation during each record save.

Solution:

• Simplify Rule Criteria using fewer filters or simpler formulas
• Use indexed fields in filter criteria when possible
• Break complex Automations into multiple simpler Automations if necessary
• Test performance with representative record volumes

Too Many Tasks

Diagnosis: Single Automation contains excessive tasks creating long execution times.

Solution: Consider whether all tasks are necessary. Remove redundant or low-value tasks. Split large Automations into multiple Automations triggered by different criteria. Balance comprehensive workflows with reasonable execution times.

High-Volume Triggering

Diagnosis: Automation triggers on very frequent events (every record save on high-volume entities).

Solution:

• Refine criteria to target only meaningful events rather than all record saves
• Use "Created, and any time updated which previously did not meet the criteria" to reduce execution frequency
• Consider whether real-time automation is necessary or whether periodic batch processing would suffice
• Monitor execution volumes and adjust criteria if performance issues arise

Bulk Operation Impact

Diagnosis: Large data imports or mass updates trigger many Automations simultaneously.

Solution:

• Temporarily deactivate non-critical Automations during planned bulk operations
• Process bulk data in smaller batches to distribute Automation execution over time
• Remember Follow tasks don't execute during bulk operations exceeding 200 records
• Plan bulk operations during low-usage periods to minimize user impact

Integration-Specific Issues

Journey Builder Integration

Problem: Change Security Role tasks fail or assign wrong roles during journey progression.

Solution:

• Verify Automation is on User Journey entity (required for Change Security Role tasks)
• Confirm journey milestones update correctly triggering Automation criteria
• Check that Security Roles are Portal roles not Administrator or System roles
• Verify users have baseline access through other roles if removing roles
• Test journey progression with sample users validating role changes

Training Module Integration

Problem: Course assignments fail or users cannot access assigned courses.

Solution:

• Verify courses are published (unpublished courses cannot be assigned)
• Confirm users have Training Module access through Security Roles
• Check course visibility settings allow user Security Roles to access courses
• Ensure course prerequisites are met if configured
• Validate that Course Assignment tasks are on User entity only

Social Collaboration Integration

Problem: Group memberships fail, feed messages don't post, or followers aren't subscribed.

Solution:

• Verify entities support feeds (TrackFeeds = true) for Follow and Feed/Message tasks
• Confirm users have Collaboration Groups module access
• Check that groups exist and are active
• Verify senders have access to post to target feeds or groups
• Remember Follow tasks don't execute for bulk operations over 200 records
• Ensure Follow tasks execute before Feed/Message tasks for proper notification

Slack Integration

Problem: Slack messages don't deliver to channels or users.

Solution:

• Verify Slack Integration Connection is active and authorized
• Confirm bot is member of target channels (especially private channels)
• Check channel names include # prefix or use channel IDs
• Verify recipient emails or User IDs match Slack workspace users
• Test Slack Integration independently outside of Automation
• Re-authorize Slack Integration if token expired

See Slack Integration documentation for detailed troubleshooting.

Getting Additional Help

Before Contacting Support

Gather comprehensive information to accelerate support resolution:

• Automation name, entity, and configuration screenshots
• Evaluation Criteria and Rule Criteria details
• Complete task list with sequence numbers and configurations
• Sample record IDs that should trigger Automation
• Detailed description of expected vs. actual behavior
• Error messages from system logs if available
• Steps already taken to troubleshoot the issue
• Recent configuration changes that may have introduced the problem

Support Resources

Leverage available support resources:

• Magentrix Documentation: Review detailed task-specific documentation for configuration requirements and troubleshooting guidance
• Magentrix Support: Contact support with detailed diagnostic information for complex issues
• User Community: Engage with other administrators for peer insights and solutions
• Professional Services: Consider consulting services for complex workflow design or optimization

Escalation Criteria

Escalate to Magentrix support when:

• Systematic troubleshooting does not identify root cause
• Issues appear to be platform bugs rather than configuration errors
• System logs contain error messages requiring platform team interpretation
• Multiple administrators cannot resolve the issue collaboratively
• Business-critical workflows are disrupted requiring urgent resolution

Prevention Strategies

Proactive Monitoring

Prevent issues through regular monitoring:

• Review system logs weekly for error patterns
• Track Automation execution volumes identifying unusual spikes or drops
• Monitor task completion rates for assigned activities and courses
• Check email delivery reports for bounce rates or failures
• Validate integration connection health (Slack, external systems)

Regular Maintenance

Maintain Automation health through periodic reviews:

• Quarterly review of all active Automations validating continued relevance
• Update task configurations when users, groups, courses, or roles change
• Test Automations after platform updates or configuration changes
• Deactivate or delete obsolete Automations no longer serving business needs
• Document changes in Automation descriptions for future troubleshooting

Testing Best Practices

Prevent production issues through comprehensive testing:

• Test all Automations with Active checkbox unchecked before production deployment
• Create diverse test scenarios covering normal and edge cases
• Verify all task types execute successfully in test environments
• Test with users from different Security Roles validating permission requirements
• Confirm notification delivery to actual recipients before broad activation

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