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Data Conversion Actions

Data Conversion actions are used to automate the conversion of a record into another record using predefined conversion rules. They are frequently used to take data from one record and map that data to create one or more new records, or update one or more existing records. The records can be in the same table that contains the action or a different table. Data Conversion actions can run in several ways, each permitting different levels of visibility and/or control to the user who initiates the action. For more information, see Data Conversion.

Examples

  • Automatically map the Time Spent and Work Description fields from a change request record into the Time Entries table when the change request record is saved.
  • Convert task templates selected in a project into new task records that are linked to the project.
  • In a contract, allow users to click an action button to create a renewal contract record and bring up the new contract form to fill out additional fields.

Create a Conversion Action

You can access the Actions wizard in several ways, but the easiest way is to select Setup [Table] from the table where you want to create the action.

  1. From the top nav bar, expand the table's drop-down and select Setup [Table].
  2. Select the Actions tab in the Table wizard.
  3. Click Create Data Conversion Action.

  4. On the General tab, name your action and give it a description.

    Once your action is saved, the system automatically adds a C: before your given title to distinguish the action as Data Conversion.

  5. On the Conversion tab, choose an existing conversion mapping or create a new one. The Conversion tab shows all the conversion mappings that have been configured from that table to any other table. Clicking New opens the Data Conversion wizard, where you can create new mappings for your action. For more information, see Data Conversion.

  6. On the Options tab, choose how the conversion should run. If the action is going to be triggered by a rule, make sure not to choose to run the conversion interactively, since rules can't interact with conversions. Interactive conversions also do not set default values in the new records until those records are saved. Make sure users who run interactive conversions have the necessary permissions to interact with them. You can choose to run the conversion:

    • Silently, with no confirmation: The records are created without any user intervention or confirmation. This option is used with action buttons and background conversion performed by rules.

    • Interactively, showing the conversion dialog and results: The Conversion Dialog opens before the conversion runs. This allows users to confirm the conversion and edit any fields that are configured for editing during conversion. After the conversion runs, a confirmation screen appears that lists the hyperlinked IDs of the newly created record(s). This option is used primarily when converting to multiple new records to allow edits of certain fields for each record. This is similar to clicking the Convert button on the action bar.

    • Interactively, showing the new record page: The conversion runs and opens the new record(s) for users to complete, edit, and save. This option is usually used when the conversion is triggered by an action button that brings up the new record(s) for completion. This option is not compatible with linked fields with multiple values enabled (MVE), and if you choose this option when MVE fields are involved, the MVE fields are skipped and not converted. If default values are set based on another field, they aren't set during the interactive conversion; instead, they are set when the user completes and saves the record.

      When running a conversion with this option selected, a user's permissions determine the fields they can see and edit.

    • Automatically, but showing the confirmation screen: The conversion runs and a confirmation screen appears that lists the hyperlinked IDs of the newly created record(s). This option is used mainly for action buttons that convert in the background but report the results.

  7. Click Finish.

Using the Convert Button

In addition to running Data Conversion actions with an action button or in the background via a rule, they can also be run by a user selecting a record in the table view and clicking Convert on the action bar. This brings up a Conversion Dialog for completing the conversion, making it similar to using the "Interactively, showing the conversion dialog and results" option if running the conversion from an action button. The visibility of the Convert button is controlled by a group permission. For more information, see Conversion Permissions.

By default, the Convert button runs all conversion mappings defined for the table. However, you can also give the user the option to choose which conversion mappings run. For more information, see Data Conversion.