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Practice Management Source: Not Available: APS, Iris, MYOB AE & AO, CCH, MYOB Practice Management (formerly GreatSoft) Available: FYI or Xero Practice Manager
The Event Trigger is available when creating Custom Automation Processes, allowing practices to control the way in which a process can be triggered. Using this trigger, practices can create an automation to run when the following events occur: New Client, New Job, Updates to Client or Job details.
When the event occurs, the automation is immediately processed, enabling real-time execution of automation steps based on changes to client or job information.
Trigger - Event
Selecting the Event trigger allows automations to run automatically when a defined event occurs within the platform, instead of running an automation manually or scheduling for a specific time period.
Once Event is selected, users must choose an event from the Event Filters to determine the exact condition that will trigger the automation.
Event Filter Details
The Filter details are used to define the specific condition that will trigger the automation.
| Event Filter | Details | Example |
| New Client |
When selected, the process will run when any new client is created or synchronised to FYI. This filter does not require additional fields to be selected, as the automation will run for every new client created. |
When a new client is created, the process executes steps as part of an onboarding process. |
| New Job |
When selected, the process will run when any new job is created or synchronised to FYI. This filter does not require additional fields to be selected, as the automation will run for every new job created. |
When a new job is created, create a Task to review the job details to ensure all information is correct. |
| Client Update |
When selected, users can choose a field in On Update To drop-down. The process will run whenever that selected field is updated, including when the field value is removed. |
When a client's Mobile Number changes, add a step to the process to Create a Task to review the related Client Group details. |
| Job Update |
When selected, users can choose a field in On Update To drop-down. The process will run whenever that selected field is updated, including when the field value is removed. |
When a job Partner changes, create a Task for the Manager to review other jobs in the group. |
Setting Up an Event Process
Once a process has been configured with an Event, automation steps can be added in the same way as building other custom processes. Refer to Automation Process Steps and to the articles in the section Process Step Details for detailed information.
Note that the following steps are not supported when an Event trigger is selected:
- Summary Notification
- Xero Ledger
- FYI Reports
Ensure that each event trigger is clearly defined and that existing automations are reviewed to avoid duplicate data and errors occurring.
Testing an Event Process
Processes configured with an Event still require testing to ensure they work as expected. However, due to the nature of this automation type normally being triggered by a system activity, for example, a New Client or Update Job, the testing approach differs from standard methods.
Rather than waiting for an activity to occur, for example, a new client created, a test is run using an existing Client or Job record as sample data. This allows a user to still safely test the automation process steps without waiting for a live event to trigger the automation.
Important Note: The test runs in the same way as when the process is active. For example, the process may update client or job records, create emails, documents or tasks. It is recommended to choose a Sample Client or create a sample Job to run the test against.
To test a process configured with an Event:
- Open the relevant Custom Process.
- Click the Test button.
- The Select Test pop-up displays.
- Select a View. The type of view available depends on the Event Type:
- Client View: New Client and Client Update event type.
-
Job View: New Job and Job Update event type.
The following is an example of selecting a sample client from a Client View.
- Once a view is selected, search for and select an active client or job to test against.
- Click Run Test.
The Automation test will run using the selected record as sample data and displays the result in the same way as standard testing methods.
Working with an Event Process
On Update To Event Conditions
When selecting the event filter Update Job or Update Client, the process is triggered by a change to the selected field. It does not check what the field was changed to.
To target a specific field change, use a Stop step and Look Up Job or Look Up Client in the process:
- Stop step stops the process if the value does not match the required criteria. For example, stop the process if the job state does not equal At Review.
-
Look Up Client or Job step checks and targets the specific update to the value of the field. For example, only look for jobs in the state At Review using the Look Up Job step.
Note: If no Look Up step is configured, the process may check all jobs that are not At Review.
Automation Loops and Chain Reactions
Event processes can trigger other automations, especially when they create or update the same type of record that caused the process to run. It is important to consider the following scenarios to ensure data integrity and to make sure duplicate records aren't created unexpectedly,
| Automation Loop | Details |
| Loop |
A looping process occurs where a step created by the process may trigger the same process to run again. The automation will continue to run, however it will automatically stop after 8 executions. For example, an event process is triggered by a New Job and includes a Create Job step. The new job created by the process may trigger the same process again. This can create a loop. |
| Chain Reaction |
A chain reaction can occur when multiple processes both target changes to the same field, or both update the same field. For example, two processes run when the same Client Update field changes, and both processes update that field. When the field changes, the processes run. Each process updates the field again, causing the other process to run again and could result in a large number of executions and duplicate records. A Chain Reaction warning is displayed, and the process cannot be tested or set to active until the chain reaction is resolved. |