How to
Addressing flows in the error state

Key concepts

• Flow: A structured sequence of nodes, beginning with a trigger and followed by actions, designed to automate processes.
• Experience: The individualised path a recipient takes through a flow, shaped by their responses and interactions with each node.
• Flow Version: Each modification to an active flow results in the creation of a new flow version.

When a flow version enters the Error state, all experiences for that flow version are paused. The Error state indicates a flow configuration or connection issue that requires attention from the Flow designer.

Note: Flows can sometimes transition into an Error state because of particular experiences retrying consecutively. For more on this, see Understanding the Experience Lifecycle.

Resolving these issues allows you to resume the paused experiences and transition the flow back to the Active state.

When and why flows enter the Error state

Flows can transition to an Error state for multiple reasons:

1. Configuration issues within the flow itself
2. Connection problems with external systems
3. Multiple retries across experiences

Pendula distinguishes between temporary issues affecting specific experiences and systematic problems with the flow configuration. While individual experiences may encounter errors, a flow typically enters the Error state when there are underlying issues that would affect multiple experiences.

Common types of flow errors

Locating and viewing flow errors

1. Noticing errors:
   • Flows in the error state are marked with an Error badge in the Flow list.
   • You may also have chosen to receive error notification emails to alert you about the issue.
2. Accessing error details:
   • Navigate to the Flow Details page of the relevant errored flow.
   • Click View error or navigate to the Errors tab to review detailed information about the issue.

The Error tab provides:

• Information about the problem and suggested action to fix it
• Option to Resume experiences once the issue has been resolved

Resolving flow errors

There are two main approaches to resolving flow errors:

1. Create a new flow version (for configuration issues)

Problems with the flow design itself require creating a new flow version with corrected settings. Resuming experiences will not resolve these issues; a new flow version must be created.

For instructions on creating a new flow version, see Editing active flows.

Common configuration issues and how to resolve them:

• Field reference errors (e.g., "The field 'Gender__c' for the object 'Console_Message__c' doesn't exist")
  • Check field names in the Experience start payload of an Experience (the fields from the connected system) match up with the Flow's configuration
• Data type validation errors (e.g., "TODAY is not a valid value for the type dateTime")
  • Review and correct data formatting in your flow configuration
• Schedule configuration errors (e.g., "The schedule expression is invalid because it will never schedule an invocation")
  • Review and correct schedule settings for the new flow version

2. Resume experiences (for external-to-flow issues)

Problems related to permissions, connections, or external systems can be resolved without changing the flow configuration. After fixing these external issues, you can simply resume the experiences.

Example external issue:

• Permission errors (e.g., "Connection to Salesforce unauthorised. Update connection in Integrations and resume experiences.")
  • Update permission sets or authentication credentials in the connected system, then click Resume experiences

Steps to resume experiences:

1. Fix the external issue (update permissions, credentials, etc.)
2. Navigate to the Errors tab of the flow
3. Click the Resume experiences button
4. Ensure the flow returns to Active state

If the issue remains unresolved, the flow may transition to an errored state again. Resuming some experiences may mean certain actions are retried, which could result in duplications in other systems.

Best practices

Monitoring flows

• Regularly check your Flows list for any Error statuses
• Configure error notification emails to receive alerts

Troubleshooting

• For field reference errors, verify that all referenced fields exist in Experience start activity details