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Information Catalog

With an Information Catalog, frequently needed information can be centrally managed and standardized for provision. Instead of rewriting information each time an entry is created, users can rely on predefined information entries. This saves time, ensures consistent communication, and reduces potential input errors.

Information catalogs are particularly suitable for notes, announcements, or information that is regularly used and shared with various users or user groups.

Setting Up an Information Catalog

Follow these steps to create an Information Catalog:

  1. Start in the Flow Path Administrator Role Center.
  2. Navigate to Catalogs and Templates in the menu bar and select the Information Catalog option.
  3. Click on + New to create a new Information Catalog.
  4. Assign a unique Code for the Information Catalog. This serves to identify the catalog and should be chosen to be as descriptive as possible. Optionally, you can also provide a description to explain the purpose of the catalog.
  5. Navigate to the Information section.
  6. Enter under Information the information that should be stored in this catalog.
  7. Specify whether the information should be marked as critical. To do this, check the box on the right side or leave it unchecked.
  8. Once you have completed the creation of the Information Catalog, you can leave the page.

Important

If you mark an Information as critical and have activated the Blocking Function in the Module Setup, the affected record may not be processed further depending on the chosen blocking settings. Further processing is only possible after the critical information has been acknowledged by the designated users.

Example Scenario Blocking Function of Module Setup

You store information on an Order that the order should not be processed further because the Creditor is in payment arrears.

At the same time, you have activated the Blocking Function in the Module Setup. As a result, the order cannot be processed further until the critical entry has been acknowledged by the designated users.

If you attempt to process the order further before the entry has been acknowledged, the processing will be blocked by an appropriate error message.

You can create as many Information Catalogs for different use cases as you like, thus centrally managing frequently used information.

How to create an information entry through an Information Catalog via the Flow Path Info FactBox is explained in Creating a Flow Path Information Entry.

Removing or Deactivating an Information Catalog

Information catalogs cannot be deleted once they have been used. Instead, they can be deactivated. This keeps existing links and already created entries intact while locking the catalog for further use.

Follow these steps to deactivate or remove an Information Catalog:

  1. Start in the Flow Path Administrator Role Center.
  2. Navigate to Catalogs and Templates in the menu bar and select the Information Catalog option.
  3. Select the Information Catalog you want to remove.
  4. Click on Delete.
  5. If the Information Catalog is already used in a Flow Path Entry, you will receive a notice that the catalog cannot be deleted. In this case, it will be automatically deactivated and removed from the list of available catalogs.
  6. If the Information Catalog has not been used in any Flow Path Entry, it will be completely removed after the delete action is executed.

Important

If you want to remove an information from an Information Catalog, this is only possible as long as no Flow Path Entry has been created with this information. If the information has already been used in a Flow Path Entry, it cannot be deleted to ensure the traceability of existing entries.

Marking Information as Critical Afterwards

When creating an Information Catalog, it is not always immediately clear whether an information should be classified as critical. If it later turns out that an information requires special attention, the Critical designation can be activated at any time afterwards.

Follow these steps to mark an information in an Information Catalog as Critical:

  1. Start in the Flow Path Administrator Role Center.
  2. Navigate to Catalogs and Templates in the menu bar and select the Information Catalog option.
  3. Select the Information Catalog in which you want to mark an information as Critical.
  4. Navigate to the rows where you have defined the information.
  5. Check the box in the critical column to mark the selected information as Critical.

When you are finished, you can leave the page.

Information

If an information in an Information Catalog is marked as critical afterwards, Flow Path automatically applies this change to all existing and future entries that are based on this information.

If you have activated the Blocking Function in the Module Setup, please note that the processability of records may change. If an information is marked as critical afterwards, records for which a corresponding Flow Path Entry already exists may be blocked for further processing until the information has been acknowledged by the responsible users.

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