Branching allows you to quickly build complicated flows, especially if you have a workflow with multiple applications and data formats. You can create or edit a branching based on your requirements.
You can add branching to a flow when you want to split the data from a step into different parts for further processing. This feature is available for imports and lookups.
Tip
You can easily reorder steps by dragging and dropping them to a different location in your flow. This option can be useful while planning, designing, or testing your flow. All associated tools, such as mappings and filters, move along with the step, preserving your configurations. It's a good practice to check and update your configuration if required after you've reordered any step.
When you add branching, you must name the branching and configure these components.
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Components |
Configure… |
|---|---|
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Branching type |
The way in which records must match conditions in all the branches, that is, sequentially or in parallel. |
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Branches |
The conditions that records must match in each branch to flow through. (You must also provide a suitable name and description for each branch.) |
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Click Tools > Flow Builder to create a new flow. Or, select an existing flow.
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In Destination & Lookups, click the plus sign (+) next to a flow step. From the list, select Add branching.
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In the Add branching window, enter a name for your branching. You can provide a name that indicates what the branching represents or does in the flow. For example, Inventory branching or Tiered support branching. (If your branching name is long, it's shown partially on the Flow builder, but you can see the full name if you hover over it.)
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Branching type: Choose either the First matching branch or All matching branches. For more information, see Apply branching to your flow.
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Branches: Two branches are automatically included in the Add branching window with default names Branch 1.0 and Branch 1.1
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Edit the default name and description for the branches.
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If you want to add another branch, click + Add branch and configure details. (You can also reorderor delete branches.)
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Configure conditions in each branch using either Rules or JavaScript.
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Click Preview and check if you have the required results.
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Input – Preview the input data/record for branching.
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Output – Preview the branch index and name into which the record will move, that is, the first branch that matches or all branches that match the filter condition based on your configuration.
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Click Save and close.
Configure branch conditions using Rules
By default, the Rules format is selected in the right corner to add conditions. You can add rules in a branch based on the conditional and logical operators provided. Only records that match the filter conditions flow through a branch.
Note
Branching does not support array type fields. You must transform your data before using it in branching rules. For more information, see "Branches & array data" in Apply branching to a flow.
You can also add condition groups if required. Groups allow you to segment your filtration logic for complex circumstances if you have a set of rules that use multiple Boolean conditions. For example, you could create one condition group that uses the NOT Boolean operator to exclude records that were created before a certain date, then create another condition group to include records that use the AND or OR operator.
You can collapse and expand conditions by clicking the arrow icon next to the branch name. By default, the conditions are shown in the expanded format.
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Add conditions using the conditional and logic operators provided in the Filter editor.
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If required, click Add condition to include another condition.
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If required, click Add conditions group to combine conditions.
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Click Preview and check your output, then click Save and Close.
You can edit a branching that you’ve added to your flow. At a more granular level, you can rename the branching, as well as rename, reorder, merge, unmerge, or delete branches. You can also delete a branching. Note that the Add branching and Edit branching windows have the same fields.
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In Flow builder, click the branching router icon.
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If required, in the Edit branching window, you can edit the branching name.
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If you haven't already changed the default names of the branches, edit the branch names.
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If required, refine filter conditions using either Rules or JavaScript. The default option is the Rules format. You can click JavaScript in the top-right corner and edit your script.
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Click Preview and check if you have the required results.
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Click Save and close.
Edit branch names and descriptions
Every branch has a default name. For example, Branch 1.0, Branch 1.1, and so on. We recommend changing the default branch names based on the type of branching, the conditions you’ve configured, and your flow. You can rename a branch in either Add branching/Edit branching windows.
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In the Edit branching window, click the branch name to edit it.
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Click the Actions(...) menu to edit the name and description.
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In the Edit branch name/description pane, enter the name and description. Click Save & close.
You can now see the new name here and in Flow builder. To see the branch description, you must click the information (i) icon near the Actions (...) menu.
Merge and unmerge branches
You can merge or unmerge branches in Destinations & Lookups based on the merge target paths and points. However, you cannot merge a flow step that was branched back to the step from which it was branched.
In a linear flow, you will see the merge icon; but, it is disabled because merging is only applicable when you have flow branches.
To merge branches,
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Click the merge icon (
). As you start dragging the merge icon, you will see various merge paths and merge targets (diamond/rhombus shape in light blue).
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Drop the icon to the required merge target. It changes to dark blue indicating a successful merge. You can now see the merged block, and a new flow step (bubble) is added automatically.
Caution
If you merge a branch that has the branching type as All matching branches, then you will have duplicate records.
To unmerge, you can click () and then the Unmerge branch icon (
) on any merged branch.
You can delete a branching. However before you delete a flow branching, it’s good to carefully check whether it’s likely to have an impact on subsequent flows in your process.
To delete a branching:
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Click the branching router icon. The Edit branching window opens.
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In the Edit branching window, click the overflow menu (...) in the top-right corner.
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Select Delete branching. Read the Confirm delete message, then click Delete.
Tip
You could create a snapshot of your integration before you delete a branching, especially if the integration is in the production environment.
Delete branches
Deleting a branch also removes all associated steps; they will not be visible in Flow builder. If the deleted branch was merged earlier with another branch, the merging point will also be deleted (given that only two branches were merged.)
The index number of the deleted branch is automatically reassigned to the next branch, and the rest of the branches are accordingly renumbered. You can’t delete all the branches in a flow branching; at least, one branch is required. When you have only one branch, it will look like a linear flow but will have the branching router icon.
To delete a branch: