Introduction
What workflows are, when to use them, and a glossary of workflow terms with links to deeper topics.
Workflows let you automate multi-step processes on a visual canvas: you add nodes (steps), connect them with edges, configure each step, then run the flow on demand or on a schedule.
Use workflows when you need to:
- Pass data through several steps in a fixed order (or with branches).
- Connect to external systems (for example HTTP APIs, databases, queues, or file storage).
- Reuse the same process with different inputs each time.
- Review execution history, outputs, and errors in one place.
Workflow Components and Terms
The table below lists the main words used in this guide and in the product. Each term names part of the workflow feature; the description explains what it is for.
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Workflow | The full automation: the graph of nodes and edges, plus workflow settings, parameters, and resources. |
| Canvas | The main workspace in the editor where you place nodes and connect them with edges. |
| Node | One step in the process: a block on the canvas tied to a component type (for example HTTP request, transform, or approval). |
| Edge | A link between two nodes; it defines execution order and branching from one step to the next. |
| Component (node type) | The built-in or registered type of step a node performs. You pick a component from the sidebar to add that kind of node. |
| Resource | A reusable connection or storage object (database, files, queue, and similar) configured once on the workflow and referenced from node settings. |
| Parameter | Input collected when someone runs the workflow; defined on the workflow and shown as the run (and run test) form. |
| Run | One full execution of a workflow: overall status, progress, and the parameter values used for that execution. |
| Task run | One execution of a single node inside a run—its status, inputs, outputs, errors, and approval state when applicable. You see these in the run detail view. |
| Test session | Temporary data for your user and this workflow while testing: saved test parameters, resource snapshots, node outputs, and a link to the latest test run. Used by Run Test and single-node test; you can clear it from the editor when you want a clean slate. |
| Library node | A saved node template stored outside one workflow’s canvas. You can drag it from the sidebar into any graph or export it (for example as a ZIP). Often called a saved or library node in the UI. |
| Scheduler | A configuration that starts a workflow on a repeating interval, using the parameter values you set on the scheduler. |
The other pages in this section walk through creating and managing workflows, the graph editor, node types and configuration, Workflow control components (Fan Out/In, Split/Merge, parallel paths), plus the SandsBytes Component guide (calling product APIs from the graph, args, file uploads, and troubleshooting), branching with Workflow Conditional Paths, testing, runs, approvals, schedules, Exporting and Importing Whole Workflows, and sharing nodes.