Configure automation rule groups

Rule groups enable you to coordinate multiple processes within a larger more complex automation rule. You can add related components together in a group which will execute completely before moving to the next components or another group in the rule.

As an IT incident management team, one group could handle receiving diagnostics, while another group could involve prioritizing and triaging the ticket between team members.

Or as a HR team onboarding new employees, one group could handle adding the employee to all the relevant IT products, while another group could handle enrolling in role-specific training courses.

You can do the following with a rule group:

• Customize by renaming each group to match your business process

• Sequence multiple groups within a rule

• Use all components – actions, conditions and branches like in your other rules

• Configure how data flows through your rule for multiple components at a time

Start using rule groups

To start using groups within your automation rule:

1. Go to an automation rule.

2. Add a trigger component.

3. Select Add an advanced component and select any component option to automatically add a group. The first group you add will automatically be added to your rule titled Group 1.

4. Select the group from the rule for all configuration options:

   1. To build your rule group, select + Add component from within the rule group.

   2. To rename the group, update the default Group name.

   3. To control how data flows between rule groups, configure the inputs and outputs.

Configure how data flows between rule groups

You can now control exactly how data flows throughout your rule, by configuring the inputs and outputs of each rule group.

Outputs refer to the data you make available for another group to use in your rule. There are 2 parts of an output:

• Reference: The name you want to use to refer to the output in other locations.

• Value: The data, which could be values you manually enter, or a smart value.

Inputs are the data that the group can use after receiving from other groups' outputs. There are 2 parts of in input:

• Variable: A name to refer to the input, which will become a smart value that can be used within the group.

• Value: Refer to part of whole of an output from another group.

Use rule groups to automate employee onboarding

Imagine an IT team is managing the onboarding of a new employee, with an employee ID of 12345.

When creating an automation rule to help with this process, an IT team member adds the Branch at the same time component with 3 branches and 3 corresponding rule groups.

They set the outputs for all 3 rule groups:

• Laptop request group reference is laptopProvisionRequestId and the value is {{issue.id}}

• Licensing request group reference is LicensingRequestId and the value is {{issue.id}}

• Enroll courses group reference is EnrolledCourseId and the value is {{issue.id}}

Then, the IT team wants to send an email to the employee to notify them of the progress of their requests on their first day at work.

So they create a 4th group called Employee notification, and they set the inputs to be:

• Variable is laptopRequestId and the value is {{laptopRequestProvisionedId}}

• Variable is licensingId and the value is {{licensingRequestId}}

• Variable is enrolledId and the value is {{enrolledCourseId}}

Using inputs and outputs, the notification email might look like:

Hey {{employee12345}},

We’re delighted to have you join the company. Welcome to your first day!

There are a few things in progress to help you get started with orientation. We’ll keep you updated on the status of the following:

• Your laptop {{laptopRequestId}} request has been raised should be ready for pick up in the next 5 business days. We’ll notify you when your laptop is ready.

• You’ve been granted access to all the software you need for your role, reference {{licensingId}} if needed.

• You’ve also been automatically enrolled in all mandatory training courses, you have 30 days to complete them. Use your ID:{{enrolledId}} to sign in for the first time.