🔄 Complete Workflow Automation Tutorial

January 15, 2025 · 7 min read

The team behind Axon OS

Learn how to build end-to-end workflow automation solutions using Axon OS. This comprehensive tutorial will guide you through creating, configuring, testing, and deploying automated workflows.

Workflow Automation Banner

📋 What You'll Learn

In this tutorial, you'll master:

🏗️ Workflow Design - Planning and structuring automated processes
🔧 Node Configuration - Setting up and connecting workflow nodes
🧪 Testing & Debugging - Validating workflow logic and troubleshooting
🚀 Deployment & Monitoring - Publishing workflows and tracking performance
📊 Advanced Features - Error handling, conditional logic, and data transformation

🎯 Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial, ensure you have:

✅ Axon OS account with workflow permissions
✅ Basic understanding of business processes
✅ Familiarity with JSON data structures
✅ Access to the Axon OS Visual Designer

🚀 Getting Started

Step 1: Planning Your Workflow

Before diving into the visual designer, it's crucial to plan your automation strategy.

1.1 Define Your Process

Start by identifying the manual process you want to automate:

**Example Process: Customer Onboarding**
New customer registers
Send welcome email
Create customer record in CRM
Assign account manager
Schedule follow-up call
Update customer status

1.2 Identify Data Sources

Document all data sources and systems involved:

📧 Email service (SendGrid, Mailgun)
🗄️ CRM system (Salesforce, HubSpot)
👥 User management system
📅 Calendar system

1.3 Map Data Flow

Create a visual representation of how data flows between systems:

graph LR
    A[Customer Registration] --> B[Email Service]
    A --> C[CRM System]
    C --> D[Account Assignment]
    D --> E[Calendar Booking]
    E --> F[Status Update]

Step 2: Creating Your First Workflow

2.1 Access the Visual Designer

Navigate to the Axon OS dashboard and launch the Visual Designer:

🖱️ Click "Create New Workflow"
📝 Enter workflow name: customer-onboarding-automation
📄 Add description: Automated customer onboarding process
🏷️ Select tags: customer, onboarding, automation

2.2 Add Trigger Node

Every workflow starts with a trigger that initiates the automation:

// Example: Webhook trigger configuration
{
  "triggerType": "webhook",
  "endpoint": "/customer/register",
  "method": "POST",
  "authentication": "api_key",
  "expectedSchema": {
    "email": "string",
    "firstName": "string",
    "lastName": "string",
    "company": "string"
  }
}

2.3 Configure Data Processing

Add nodes to process and transform incoming data:

// Data transformation example
{
  "nodeType": "data_transformer",
  "operations": [
    {
      "action": "map",
      "input": "customer.firstName",
      "output": "personalizedGreeting",
      "transform": "Hello {{firstName}}, welcome to Axon OS!"
    },
    {
      "action": "combine",
      "inputs": ["firstName", "lastName"],
      "output": "fullName",
      "separator": " "
    }
  ]
}

Step 3: Implementing Business Logic

3.1 Conditional Logic

Add decision nodes to handle different scenarios:

// Conditional logic example
{
  "nodeType": "condition",
  "condition": {
    "field": "customer.company",
    "operator": "exists",
    "value": true
  },
  "trueAction": "enterprise_onboarding",
  "falseAction": "standard_onboarding"
}

3.2 Parallel Processing

Configure nodes to run simultaneously for better performance:

// Parallel execution configuration
{
  "nodeType": "parallel",
  "branches": [
    {
      "name": "email_branch",
      "nodes": ["send_welcome_email", "send_setup_guide"]
    },
    {
      "name": "crm_branch", 
      "nodes": ["create_crm_record", "assign_account_manager"]
    }
  ],
  "waitForAll": true
}

Step 4: Integration with External Services

4.1 Email Service Integration

Configure email sending capabilities:

// Email service node configuration
{
  "nodeType": "email_sender",
  "service": "sendgrid",
  "credentials": "{{secrets.sendgrid_api_key}}",
  "template": {
    "templateId": "welcome_email_template",
    "personalizations": [
      {
        "to": "{{customer.email}}",
        "substitutions": {
          "firstName": "{{customer.firstName}}",
          "companyName": "{{customer.company}}"
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

4.2 CRM Integration

Set up customer record creation:

// CRM integration example
{
  "nodeType": "crm_connector",
  "service": "salesforce",
  "operation": "create_contact",
  "credentials": "{{secrets.salesforce_oauth}}",
  "data": {
    "FirstName": "{{customer.firstName}}",
    "LastName": "{{customer.lastName}}",
    "Email": "{{customer.email}}",
    "Company": "{{customer.company}}",
    "LeadSource": "Website Registration",
    "Status": "New"
  }
}

Step 5: Error Handling and Retry Logic

5.1 Implementing Error Handling

Add robust error handling to your workflow:

// Error handling configuration
{
  "nodeType": "error_handler",
  "strategies": [
    {
      "errorType": "network_timeout",
      "action": "retry",
      "maxRetries": 3,
      "backoffStrategy": "exponential"
    },
    {
      "errorType": "validation_error",
      "action": "log_and_continue",
      "notificationChannel": "slack_alerts"
    },
    {
      "errorType": "critical_failure",
      "action": "escalate",
      "escalationWorkflow": "error_escalation_workflow"
    }
  ]
}

5.2 Retry Mechanisms

Configure automatic retry for transient failures:

// Retry configuration
{
  "retryPolicy": {
    "enabled": true,
    "maxAttempts": 5,
    "initialDelay": "2s",
    "maxDelay": "60s",
    "backoffMultiplier": 2.0,
    "retryConditions": [
      "network_error",
      "timeout",
      "rate_limit_exceeded"
    ]
  }
}

Step 6: Testing and Validation

6.1 Unit Testing Individual Nodes

Test each node in isolation:

// Node testing configuration
{
  "testType": "unit_test",
  "nodeId": "email_sender_node",
  "mockData": {
    "customer": {
      "email": "test@example.com",
      "firstName": "John",
      "lastName": "Doe",
      "company": "Test Corp"
    }
  },
  "expectedOutcome": {
    "status": "success",
    "emailSent": true,
    "messageId": "mock_message_id"
  }
}

6.2 Integration Testing

Test the complete workflow end-to-end:

// Integration test configuration
{
  "testType": "integration_test",
  "workflow": "customer-onboarding-automation",
  "testScenarios": [
    {
      "name": "successful_enterprise_onboarding",
      "input": {
        "email": "enterprise@bigcorp.com",
        "firstName": "Jane",
        "lastName": "Smith",
        "company": "Big Corp Inc"
      },
      "expectedFlow": [
        "trigger",
        "data_transformer",
        "enterprise_condition",
        "parallel_processing",
        "crm_creation",
        "completion"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Step 7: Performance Optimization

7.1 Optimizing Node Performance

Configure nodes for optimal performance:

// Performance optimization settings
{
  "performanceSettings": {
    "batchProcessing": {
      "enabled": true,
      "batchSize": 50,
      "maxWaitTime": "30s"
    },
    "caching": {
      "enabled": true,
      "ttl": "15m",
      "strategy": "lru"
    },
    "concurrency": {
      "maxConcurrent": 10,
      "queueLimit": 1000
    }
  }
}

7.2 Monitoring and Metrics

Set up monitoring for workflow performance:

// Monitoring configuration
{
  "monitoring": {
    "metrics": [
      "execution_time",
      "success_rate", 
      "error_rate",
      "throughput"
    ],
    "alerts": [
      {
        "condition": "error_rate > 5%",
        "action": "send_slack_notification",
        "channel": "#ops-alerts"
      },
      {
        "condition": "execution_time > 30s",
        "action": "scale_up_resources"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Step 8: Deployment Strategies

8.1 Environment Configuration

Set up different environments:

// Environment configuration
{
  "environments": {
    "development": {
      "webhookUrl": "https://dev.api.axonos.com/webhooks",
      "emailService": "test_sendgrid",
      "crmService": "salesforce_sandbox"
    },
    "staging": {
      "webhookUrl": "https://staging.api.axonos.com/webhooks",
      "emailService": "sendgrid",
      "crmService": "salesforce_staging"
    },
    "production": {
      "webhookUrl": "https://api.axonos.com/webhooks",
      "emailService": "sendgrid_production",
      "crmService": "salesforce_production"
    }
  }
}

8.2 Blue-Green Deployment

Implement safe deployment practices:

// Deployment configuration
{
  "deploymentStrategy": "blue_green",
  "rollbackPolicy": {
    "enabled": true,
    "healthCheckEndpoint": "/health",
    "rollbackThreshold": "error_rate > 10%",
    "maxRollbackTime": "5m"
  },
  "trafficSplitting": {
    "enabled": true,
    "initialTrafficPercentage": 10,
    "incrementPercentage": 20,
    "incrementInterval": "15m"
  }
}

Step 9: Advanced Features

9.1 Custom Node Development

Create custom nodes for specialized functionality:

// Custom node template
{
  "nodeType": "custom_validator",
  "description": "Advanced email validation with ML",
  "inputs": {
    "email": {
      "type": "string",
      "required": true,
      "validation": "email_format"
    }
  },
  "outputs": {
    "isValid": "boolean",
    "confidence": "number",
    "suggestions": "array"
  },
  "implementation": {
    "runtime": "python",
    "handler": "validate_email",
    "dependencies": ["ml_validation_lib", "email_validator"]
  }
}

9.2 Workflow Templates

Create reusable workflow templates:

// Workflow template
{
  "templateName": "customer_onboarding_template",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Reusable customer onboarding workflow",
  "parameters": [
    {
      "name": "email_service",
      "type": "string",
      "required": true,
      "options": ["sendgrid", "mailgun", "ses"]
    },
    {
      "name": "crm_service",
      "type": "string", 
      "required": true,
      "options": ["salesforce", "hubspot", "pipedrive"]
    }
  ],
  "workflow": {
    // Template workflow definition
  }
}

🔍 Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue 1: Workflow Not Triggering

Symptoms:

Webhook endpoint not receiving requests
Trigger conditions not met

Solutions:

# Check webhook endpoint status
curl -X GET https://api.axonos.com/health/webhook/customer-register

# Verify trigger configuration
axon workflow describe customer-onboarding-automation --section=trigger

Issue 2: Data Transformation Errors

Symptoms:

Invalid data format errors
Missing field exceptions

Solutions:

// Add data validation
{
  "nodeType": "data_validator",
  "schema": {
    "type": "object",
    "required": ["email", "firstName", "lastName"],
    "properties": {
      "email": {"type": "string", "format": "email"},
      "firstName": {"type": "string", "minLength": 1},
      "lastName": {"type": "string", "minLength": 1}
    }
  }
}

Issue 3: Performance Bottlenecks

Symptoms:

Slow workflow execution
High resource usage
Timeout errors

Solutions:

// Optimize with parallel processing
{
  "optimization": {
    "enableParallelProcessing": true,
    "nodePooling": true,
    "cacheFrequentlyUsedData": true,
    "connectionPooling": {
      "database": 20,
      "api": 10
    }
  }
}

📚 Additional Resources

Documentation Links

Code Examples

Community & Support

🎉 Conclusion

Congratulations! You've successfully learned how to create comprehensive workflow automation solutions using Axon OS. You now have the knowledge to:

✅ Design and plan complex automation workflows
✅ Configure and connect various nodes and services
✅ Implement robust error handling and retry logic
✅ Test and validate workflow functionality
✅ Deploy workflows safely to production
✅ Monitor and optimize workflow performance

Next Steps

🚀 Build Your First Production Workflow - Apply these concepts to automate a real business process
🎓 Explore Advanced Features - Dive into custom node development and ML integration
🤝 Join the Community - Share your workflows and learn from other Axon OS users
📈 Scale Your Automation - Implement enterprise-grade automation strategies

Need help with this tutorial? Join our community forum or contact support.

📋 What You'll Learn​

🎯 Prerequisites​

🚀 Getting Started​

Step 1: Planning Your Workflow​

1.1 Define Your Process​

1.2 Identify Data Sources​

1.3 Map Data Flow​

Step 2: Creating Your First Workflow​

2.1 Access the Visual Designer​

2.2 Add Trigger Node​

2.3 Configure Data Processing​

Step 3: Implementing Business Logic​

3.1 Conditional Logic​

3.2 Parallel Processing​

Step 4: Integration with External Services​

4.1 Email Service Integration​

4.2 CRM Integration​

Step 5: Error Handling and Retry Logic​

5.1 Implementing Error Handling​

5.2 Retry Mechanisms​

Step 6: Testing and Validation​

6.1 Unit Testing Individual Nodes​

6.2 Integration Testing​

Step 7: Performance Optimization​

7.1 Optimizing Node Performance​

7.2 Monitoring and Metrics​

Step 8: Deployment Strategies​

8.1 Environment Configuration​

8.2 Blue-Green Deployment​

Step 9: Advanced Features​

9.1 Custom Node Development​

9.2 Workflow Templates​

🔍 Troubleshooting Common Issues​

Issue 1: Workflow Not Triggering​

Issue 2: Data Transformation Errors​

Issue 3: Performance Bottlenecks​

📚 Additional Resources​

Documentation Links​

Code Examples​

Community & Support​

🎉 Conclusion​

Next Steps​

📋 What You'll Learn

🎯 Prerequisites

🚀 Getting Started

Step 1: Planning Your Workflow

1.1 Define Your Process

1.2 Identify Data Sources

1.3 Map Data Flow

Step 2: Creating Your First Workflow

2.1 Access the Visual Designer

2.2 Add Trigger Node

2.3 Configure Data Processing

Step 3: Implementing Business Logic

3.1 Conditional Logic

3.2 Parallel Processing

Step 4: Integration with External Services

4.1 Email Service Integration

4.2 CRM Integration

Step 5: Error Handling and Retry Logic

5.1 Implementing Error Handling

5.2 Retry Mechanisms

Step 6: Testing and Validation

6.1 Unit Testing Individual Nodes

6.2 Integration Testing

Step 7: Performance Optimization

7.1 Optimizing Node Performance

7.2 Monitoring and Metrics

Step 8: Deployment Strategies

8.1 Environment Configuration

8.2 Blue-Green Deployment

Step 9: Advanced Features

9.1 Custom Node Development

9.2 Workflow Templates

🔍 Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue 1: Workflow Not Triggering

Issue 2: Data Transformation Errors

Issue 3: Performance Bottlenecks

📚 Additional Resources

Documentation Links

Code Examples

Community & Support

🎉 Conclusion

Next Steps