Global Workflows vs. Trees

Global Workflows and Trees power the event-driven automation capabilities of the Kinetic Platform.

In this section, we’ll dig into how Global Workflows are constructed using trees, how they listen for system-wide events like user creation or submission updates, and how you can use them to create powerful, reusable processes that operate across your entire environment, not just within a single form or kapp.

Global Workflows

Global Workflows are event-driven workflows that operate at the space level — beyond any single form or kapp. They are triggered by high-level platform activity such as user creation, submission updates, or team management events, allowing you to automate processes that touch the entire system.

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What Is a Global Workflow?

A Global Workflow is a space-wide automation that:

• Is triggered by a system event (like a new user being created or a form being submitted)
• Runs logic that can affect any kapp, form, user, or team
• Is composed of one or more trees, which define the logic and behavior of the workflow

These workflows are ideal when your process needs to monitor or act on activity across the platform, not just within a single form.

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When to Use a Global Workflow

Use a Global Workflow when:

• You want to run automation based on user-level or space-level activity
• You need to enforce consistency or standards across multiple forms or kapps
• You’re handling meta-processes like audit logging, provisioning, or notification routing
• A form-level workflow isn’t flexible or scalable enough for your needs

🧠

Global Workflows are especially useful for platform admins and architects who need to design automation across the system.

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Examples of Global Workflow Triggers

Here are some common events that can trigger a Global Workflow:

• User Created → Automatically provision access, assign teams, or send welcome emails
• Submission Submitted → Apply logic across multiple forms or environments
• Team Created → Sync with an external system or notify owners
• Submission Closed → Archive records or trigger follow-up logic

Each of these is tied to a source and event name defined when building the tree.

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How Global Workflows Are Built

Global Workflows are made up of trees, created from the Space-level Workflow Builder:

1. Go to Build > Workflow at the Space level
2. Click +New Workflow
3. Choose your trigger:
   • Name your workflow: Give it a clear, descriptive name that reflects what it’s responding to (e.g., User Created – Provision Access).
   • Select the triggering event: Choose the system event that should start the workflow. These are tied to high-level platform activity and include:
     • User Created
     • Team Created
     • Submission Submitted
     • Submission Closed
4. Build your workflow using handlers, routines, and connectors
5. Save and test the workflow

Global Workflows vs. Form Workflows

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Trees in the Kinetic Platform

Trees are the foundation of workflow automation in the Kinetic Platform.

A tree is a global workflow triggered by activity in the system, such as a submission being created, a user being updated, or a form being deleted. While form-specific workflows are tied to a single form and often used to get started, trees provide broader control and flexibility across forms, kapps, and spaces.

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What Is a Tree?

A tree is a top-level workflow structure that:

• Starts with a source trigger (e.g., a form submission, a user update)
• Executes a defined series of nodes (handlers, routines, integrations)
• Can respond to platform events across the entire space

📘

Trees are event-driven and allow you to design reusable, scalable automation that isn’t limited to a single form.

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When to Use a Tree

Use a tree when:

• You want to listen to activity across a kapp or the whole space
• You need to run logic not tied to a specific form (e.g., user creation)
• You want to centralize or reuse a process across multiple forms
• You need access to global routines or deferred logic

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Sources and Triggers

Every tree is tied to a source, which defines what type of activity will trigger it. Available sources include:

• Submissions (e.g., a form being submitted or updated)
• Users (e.g., a user profile being created or deleted)
• Spaces (e.g., space-level config changes)
• Kapps (e.g., kapp-level activity)

You’ll also select a source group to scope the event (e.g., a specific form, kapp, or all).

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Creating a Tree

To create a new tree (global workflow):

1. Navigate to Build > Workflow at the Space level.
2. Click New Tree.
3. Fill in the following fields:

Source

The source defines what kind of system event should trigger the workflow. Common sources include:

• Kinetic Request CE:
  Used for workflows triggered by form or submission activity.
  Examples:

  • A submission is created
  • A form is updated
  • A record is deleted

• Kinetic Task:
  Used for workflows that react to workflow activity itself (like one tree triggering another).
  This allows you to daisy-chain processes or create meta-workflows.

ℹ️

Choose Kinetic Request CE if you want the tree to start when a form is submitted, updated, or deleted.

Choose Kinetic Task if you want it to react to another workflow's completion or action.

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Source Group

The source group narrows the scope of the trigger.

• For Kinetic Request CE, this usually follows the format:
  Submissions > [kapp name] > [form name]

  Example:
  Submissions > queue > case-bulk
  This means: run the workflow when someone submits the “case-bulk” form in the “queue” kapp.

• For Kinetic Task, source groups may define specific routines or workflows to monitor.

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Name

This defines the event within the source that will trigger the tree. Available options depend on the source.

For Kinetic Request CE, common event names include:

• Created
• Submitted
• Updated
• Deleted
• Closed

These represent lifecycle events on submissions. For example:

• Submitted: The moment the form is submitted
• Updated: When an existing submission is changed
• Closed: Often used to trigger logic when a form process is considered complete

For Kinetic Task, names will relate to task events (e.g., Completed, Failed, etc.)

4. Once all fields are set, click Create Workflow.

Your tree will be created and opened in the Workflow Builder, where you can begin adding logic using nodes, connectors, and routines.

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Trees vs. Form-Level Workflows

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Best Practices

• Use routines for reusable steps inside trees
• Test tree logic thoroughly — trees can impact many forms
• Name trees clearly based on their event and purpose (e.g., User Created → Provision Account)
• Avoid duplicating logic across trees — use shared routines instead
• Don’t use trees for single-form logic unless you plan to scale it

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What’s Next?

• Looping in Workflows
• Using Sources
• Joins and Junctions
• Cloning and Importing Workflows