Bulk Record Actions

Actions are a means to quickly update one or more records without the need to edit each record manually.

Actions can be created and configured by users with the appropriate permissions for the individual app.

To create an Action:

1. Select the app you want to configure from the Applications panel. 

2. In the left pane under the Tables header, locate the Table you which to configure the action for and choose the Edit (pencil) icon.  Note that an Action can only affect records on its native table, so it is critical to build the Action on the appropriate table, even though Actions can be included on other Views.

3. You will see a list of existing Actions for this table (if any). Note that an existing Action may be similar or identical to the Action you plan to build, so it is important to be familiar with all existing Actions before creating new ones. In some cases, utilizing or modifying an existing Action may be preferable to creating a new one.

4. Select [+Create] to define a new Action.

5. Give the Action a [Name], an optional [Description] (if completed, the Description will appear in the right pane once the Action is selected.)

6. Each Action must be defined as a type. Supported Action types are:

• Delete - deletes the selected record(s). Note that deletion cannot be undone, and is not generally recommended except for cases where records have been confirmed to be erroneous or duplicates. Retention of older records is an important way to retain historical production data, so we always recommend seeking guidance from the SF Professional Services team before implementing a Delete Action.

• Label - used for printing labels

• Relationship - creates or updates the relationship between records across tables. Common examples include assigning shots to a shot list, or assigning samples to a shipment.

• Update - updates the record(s) with new information in one or more fields. Common examples include changing the Location and/or Status of samples.

7. Depending on the type of Action selected in step 6, there may be additional required and/or optional configuration elements that are displayed. For example, configuring an Update Action displays optional [Field] and [Value]. By specifying which field and a specific value, this will save steps when the user executes the Action. Alternatively, these optional configuration elements can be left blank, which will prompt the user to designate them when the Action is executed. In this way, Actions can be very specific, or more flexible, depending on the desired workflow.

8. Once all of the Action criteria are defined, select [Create Action].