Module 7: Troubleshooting Workflow Execution

🎯 Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this module, you will be able to:

Use Active Workflows to identify workflow instances running on a record
Use Workflow History to identify states visited by each workflow instance
Use the Workflow Execution Log to troubleshoot action and transition execution
Explain the process and benefits of purging workflow history records
Explain the workflow execution history options in the Keep Instance and History dropdown

Active Workflows & Workflow History

When a workflow initiates on a record, NetSuite tracks all processing activity and logs it. This information appears in two sublists on the record:

Active Workflows Sublist

Shows all currently running workflow instances on the record
Completed workflows are automatically removed
Common with single-state workflows and workflows with non-exiting end states

Workflow History Sublist

Displays each state entered during workflow execution
Shows current and past state transitions
Records stay for the life of the record (until purged)
Provides link to the Workflow Execution Log
Shows workflow and state field values set during execution

📋 Finding the Sublists

By default, Active Workflows and Workflow History appear under a System Information subtab. To group them under a "Workflow" subtab, modify the custom record and enable "Allow Attachments" or "Show Notes."

The Workflow Execution Log

The execution log is your primary troubleshooting tool. It shows exactly what happened during workflow processing for each state.

What You Can Learn from the Log

Which actions and transitions did or did not execute
The order of action and transition execution
Server-side errors (client-side errors are NOT logged)
Whether conditions evaluated true or false
Field values that were set or retrieved

⚠️ Enabling Logging

Workflow logging is NOT enabled by default! Check "Enable Logging" on the workflow definition page. The log is only available when:

User is logged in as Administrator
Release Status is Testing or Released
Enable Logging checkbox is checked

Understanding Skipped Actions

When an action's trigger doesn't match the active workflow trigger, it gets skipped—but no user-facing error appears! Only the execution log reveals this.

⚠️ Common Skipped Action Scenario

A Go to Record action configured on Before Record Submit won't execute because Before Record Submit isn't a valid trigger for that action. The log shows "Skipped" but no error displays to users.

Reading the Log

The log shows NetSuite field IDs (not UI labels). Enable Show Internal IDs in User Preferences (Module 0 📚) to match field IDs to form fields. List/record field values show as internal IDs—open the referenced record to verify data.

Suspending Workflow Execution

Set the workflow's Release Status to Suspended to completely halt execution:

No new workflow instances will initiate
Existing instances won't be triggered
No new execution log entries created
Scheduled actions/transitions won't execute
Cannot be initiated from SuiteScript
Current instances can be canceled
Workflow can still be edited in Workflow Manager

✅ Resume Execution

Set Release Status back to Testing or Released to resume normal processing.

Purging Workflow History

Over time, workflow history records can become very large and impact performance. Purging removes old records.

Accessing the Purge Dialog

Open the workflow in Workflow Manager
Click More in the upper right corner
Select Instances and History Records

Purge Options

Delete history records older than X months (default: 3 months)
Enter 0 to delete ALL history records
Only completed workflow instances are deleted
Purge runs as a background task
Only one purge runs at a time; additional requests queue

💡 No Impact on Development

Purging has no effect on currently processing workflows or future development. It also doesn't affect the Update History on the workflow definition page (History subtab).

Disabling Execution History

The Keep Instance and History dropdown on the workflow definition controls whether execution history is saved:

Option	Behavior
Always	Preserves all instances and history entries
Only When Testing	Preserves only when Release Status = Testing
Never	Deletes instances when workflow reaches end state; no new history saved

✅ Performance Tip

For high-volume transaction workflows, consider "Only When Testing" or "Never" to reduce database usage and improve performance.

🎯 Hands-On Exercises

Practice troubleshooting workflows:

Exercise 1: Review Active Workflows and Workflow History sublists
Exercise 2: Analyze the Workflow Execution Log
Exercise 3: Identify and fix a skipped action
Exercise 4: Practice purging workflow history

Go to Module 7 Exercises →

🌟 Key Takeaways

Active Workflows shows currently running instances; Workflow History shows all visited states
The Execution Log is essential for troubleshooting—check it to see skipped actions!
Enable Logging must be checked to generate log entries
Only server-side action execution is logged—client-side is not
Skipped actions don't generate user errors—only visible in the log
When releasing to production, uncheck Enable Logging to reduce overhead
Purge history periodically to maintain performance
Use Keep Instance and History = Never for high-volume workflows