Databases are a powerful feature which can be used within the workflow automation product. We’ll cover the different methods of creating a Database in Flowingly and what your options are when it comes to maintaining these over time.

By default Flowingly has “Teams” and “Users” database which reflects the users and teams added to you specific environment and as a result are only editable from those specific areas within Flowingly.

Users must be assigned the Business Administrator or Flow Model Administrator role to access and edit Databases

Your business must be licensed for Workflow to use this feature

When creating a Database, the first step is to create the column structure. This is critical as once this structure is confirmed it is not possible to edit these or change them in any way.

To create a Database, navigate to Setup > Databases and click “Add Database”

This will open a new page to begin configuring the columns of your Database.

Firstly, enter a unique name for the Database. This cannot contain any spaces, but underscores can be used.

Optionally, toggle the “Enable User Extension” option. This will not be necessary for the vast majority of databases. It is only necessary when the Database is going to be updated via API. If this is enabled without the intention to update via API, then it will not be possible to add any data to the Database.

By default, a single column will be available to edit. However, more can be added by clicking the “Add New Column” button.

There are 2 editable items per Database column. This includes:

Data Type — This selection is critical if these fields are intended to be used in tandem with other features such as Formula fields, Custom Emails or Step Rules. Click on the current selection to open a dropdown menu to select one of the following options:

Column Name — Enter a unique name for the column to make this easily identifiable when configuring your fields. Spaces can be entered in the name, but these will be replaced with underscores once saved.

Note: To edit the Column Name, click on row you want to edit the name for under the Column Name column to enable the text editor.

Once you have created all of the columns necessary, click “Save” to begin adding data to your database.

When the column structure has been confirmed it’s possible to start adding items to the database. This can be managed in 2 ways:

Click the “Add New Record” button to add items one-by-one. Selecting this option will present a pop-up menu to add a new record including each of the columns added while creating the database. Once all the items have been added click “Add New Record”.

Make sure to save any new records once they have been added.

If this data already exists elsewhere it is likely better to import these items rather than adding them one-by-one. To import your data, click on the extra option button and select “Import”.

As per the instructions in the pop-up window, download the CSV template (as this will contain the necessary column structure), paste the relevant data into the corresponding columns, reupload the CSV and import.

Assuming the data entered matches the data type selected when creating the database there should be no errors. However, if any should occur this will be noted in the pop-up window.

Note: Any data for User columns need to be entered in the following format:

“FirstName Lastname (Email)”

Should any records need to be edited or deleted, this can be done by selecting the relevant option. Make sure to save any changes once completed.

Once items have been added to a database the items contained within can be adjusted or deleted.

Navigate to the Database tab in Setup and click the pencil ✏️ icon next to the Database which needs adjusting.

Locate the specific database row which contains the item(s) which need to be edited and click the pencil ✏️ icon. This will open a pop-up menu to update the items for the specific database item selected.

Adjust the item(s) which need to be changed and click "Save".

Navigate to the Database tab in Setup and click the trash can 🗑 next to the database which needs to be removed.

This will present a pop-up menu containing a warning message due to potential workflow issue which may arise if the database is currently in use.

Type "Delete" in the text field to enable the "Delete Team" button and click this to confirm deletion.

If a dataset already exists it is highly recommended that the bulk import method is utilised.

Databases can be overwritten by exporting the database and reimporting the dataset with the updated values. When exporting to CSV, there will be a column named “customdatabseid” which must be left untouched to ensure each database item is updated accurately.

Databases are incredibly powerful when used alongside Dropdown and Lookup fields within your workflows.