Create Workflow (Guide)
To create a new workflow, you need an existing project. If you don’t have one yet, see Manage projects.
- Open the project that should contain the workflow.
- Switch to the Workflows tab.
- Click New Workflow in the toolbar.
- Fill in the form:
- Name — short, descriptive (e.g., “Monthly close — load actuals”)
- Memo — optional longer description for context
- Workflow Type — Standard Serial (default), Standard Parallel, or Advanced (DAG canvas). See Choosing a workflow type below.
- Trigger Remediation Workflow on Error — optional; enable it to pick a remediation workflow (see About remediation workflows below).
- Click Create.
The workflow appears in the Workflows tab and is ready to have steps added to it. Double-click it to open the Workflow Explorer and start building.
Choosing a Workflow Type
Section titled “Choosing a Workflow Type”The Workflow Type you pick when creating a workflow determines how its steps are arranged and run. It defaults to Standard Serial, and you set it from the type selector in the New Workflow form.
| Type | How steps are arranged and run |
|---|---|
| Standard Serial | Steps run from the Steps list, one at a time, in order. |
| Standard Parallel | Steps run from the Steps list, in parallel where their dependencies allow. |
| Advanced (DAG canvas) | Steps are laid out on a visual canvas and run in dependency order, with independent branches running in parallel. Advanced also unlocks breakpoints, containers, run-from-here, simulation, and real-time collaboration. |
A fourth type, Macro — a reusable, callable workflow with declared inputs and outputs — is coming soon and appears in the selector as disabled.
Choose Advanced (DAG canvas) here if you want the Visual Workflow Designer from the start. The choice isn’t permanent: you can promote a Standard workflow later with Convert to Advanced… from the Workflows list.
About Remediation Workflows
Section titled “About Remediation Workflows”If the new workflow ends in an error, PlaidCloud can automatically run a remediation workflow in response. This is useful for:
- Sending a notification to a Slack channel, email distribution list, or webhook so someone investigates
- Triggering a rollback or cleanup workflow that restores a known-good state
- Logging the failure to an audit table
A remediation workflow is optional. You can leave it blank now and configure it later if needed. The remediation workflow only fires on terminal failures, not on per-step warnings.
Next Steps
Section titled “Next Steps”- Workflow explorer — add steps to your new workflow
- Advanced workflows — choose a workflow type and build on the visual canvas
- Run a workflow — execute the workflow once it has steps
- Managing step errors — debugging failures