Workflows Overview

Workflows Overview

Workflows are Tadabase's most powerful automation tool. A Workflow is a sequence of steps that runs automatically (or on demand) whenever something happens in your app — a record is created, a schedule fires, a user logs in, or a button is clicked.

Think of a Workflow as a recipe: a Trigger starts it, and then one or more Steps run in order. Each step can update data, send a message, call an outside service, generate a PDF, branch on a condition, or even run your own JavaScript.

What can Workflows do?

Workflows can chain together many actions in a single, organized place. Common examples:

• Send a welcome email when a new client is added — and create a follow-up task two days later.
• Every Monday at 7 AM, look up overdue invoices and email the assigned account manager.
• When an order is marked "Paid," charge the customer in Stripe, post the order to Slack, and update the inventory record.
• When a user submits a form, run an AI Prompt to summarize their answer, then save the summary back to the record.
• When a user logs in, log the event and update their "Last Login" field.

Workflows vs. Record Rules vs. Action Rules

Tadabase has three automation systems, each suited for different jobs.

If you only need to update a few fields when a form is submitted, a Record Rule is usually simpler. If you need anything more — multiple steps, external services, schedules, conditional branches, or PDF generation — a Workflow is the right tool.

Anatomy of a Workflow

Every Workflow has the same three pieces:

1. A Trigger — what starts the workflow. There are six trigger types (Record Created, Record Updated, Record Created or Edited, Schedule, Manual, and User Event). See Workflow Triggers.
2. A Table — most workflows are scoped to one of your data tables. The records in that table become the "source record" that flows through the steps.
3. Steps — the things the workflow does, in order. Steps can be Actions (do something), Conditions (only continue if X is true), or Branches (go down different paths based on the data).

Where to find Workflows

Open your app in the Builder, then click Workflows in the left navigation. From there you can:

• See every workflow in the app (filtered by table, folder, status, or search).
• Open the editor to add steps, change the trigger, or test runs.
• Toggle a workflow on/off without deleting it.
• View the full run history and queue.

Workflows is a paid feature on most plans. If you don't see it in the left nav, check your subscription — your plan may not include it. The number of workflows you can create and how often scheduled workflows can run also depends on your plan.

Where to go next

• Creating Your First Workflow — a hands-on walkthrough.
• Workflow Triggers — full list of trigger types and when each one fires.
• Workflow Actions Overview — every action you can drop into a workflow.
• Conditions and Branches — adding logic and branching to your workflow.