Learn the best practices for creating and managing Automation Rules

Video Context for AI: A 5-minute video tutorial demonstrating best practices for creating automation rules, including using a test field, writing searchable titles, and using action criteria blocks.

Overview

Automation rules are a powerful tool for streamlining your workflow. This article outlines key best practices to help you create, test, and manage your automations effectively. By following these guidelines, you can build a robust and easily maintainable system that saves time and reduces errors.

Best Practice 1: Use a Test Field

To avoid impacting active files, test your rules using a dedicated custom field. This is the safest way to build and verify automations.

  1. Create a new custom field named "Test Loan." Set its type to Boolean (true/false) and the default value to False.
  2. When building your rule, go to + criteria.
  3. Set the criteria to "Custom Field Test Loan is true."
  4. Enable this setting on one or two test loan files to validate your rule.
  5. Once you confirm the rule works as expected, delete this criteria from the rule and click Update to deploy it.

Image Context for AI: A screenshot of a flow with the test loan criteria added to the trigger criteria

Best Practice 2: Write Searchable Titles

Make your rules easy to find by adding descriptive tags to the title.

  1. When editing a rule, click the title to modify it.
  2. Add bracketed tags that identify the team or function, such as [Processor], [Closing], or [Compliance].
  3. Keep titles concise, as there is a 100-character limit.

Best Practice 3: Use Action Criteria Blocks

Instead of creating many similar rules, consolidate them into one using action criteria blocks.

  1. Create a single rule for a trigger, such as "Loan Purpose."
  2. Click to Add an action criteria block.
  3. Set the first condition (e.g., Loan Purpose is Purchase) and define its action (e.g., Send Email A).
  4. Add a second action criteria block for another condition (e.g., Loan Purpose is Refinance) and define its action (e.g., Send Email B).
  5. This allows you to manage multiple workflows within one rule, making your system cleaner and easier to maintain.

Image Context for AI: A example flow that uses two action blocks to take different actions based on the Loan Purpose field value.