When should I use rules?

Consider using rules to automate simple tasks or to send notifications and alerts to users in your organization.

For examples of rules that you can create, see Examples of rules.

What type of actions can I add to rules?

You can add actions that send notifications, create tasks and activity plans, and update fields.

For more information about action types, see Rule actions.

Can a rule have multiple actions?

Yes, a rule can have multiple actions. For example, a rule that tracks high-value opportunities that are lost can have a notification action. The rule can also have a create task action that assigns a due diligence task to the opportunities.

Typically, you would add a maximum of two or three actions to a rule. Otherwise, rules may become too complex to manage.

For more information about action types, see Rule actions.

What are time-based actions?

Time-based actions are actions that execute relative to a date or time associated with a change to a field in a subject area. For example, a time-based action can send a reminder notification to an opportunity owner 14 days before the close date of the opportunity.

Subject areas are:

• Call records
• Contacts, companies, and households
• Documents
• Events, event meeting feedback, event meeting requests, and event schedule items
• Leads and opportunities
• Schedule items and tasks

For more information about immediate and time-based actions, see Immediate and time-based actions.

What are immediate actions?

Immediate actions are actions that execute as soon as a rule is triggered by an object that meets criteria for the rule. For example, an immediate action can send a notification to a user when they are assigned a task.

For more information about immediate and time-based actions, see Immediate and time-based actions.

What units of time can I set for a time-based action?

You can use day and hour time units with time-based actions. For example, you can create a rule to notify you one day before a client’s birthday of or one hour before the start date of a client phone call.

For examples of time-based actions, see Immediate and time-based actions.

What time zone applies to time-based notifications that specify a daily execution period?

Your deployment can define an organization time zone, which determines when the system sends time-based notifications that specify a daily execution period. If the organization time zone is not defined, the default EST time zone applies. A system administrator can view time zone settings in Global Application Settings in NexJ Admin Console.

For more information about viewing the time zone settings, see Enabling application features.

Are trigger dates recalculated for time-based notifications when a record is updated?

Yes, updating a record automatically recalculates the time triggers associated with that object. Also, when a record is deleted, all associated pending time-based actions are deleted.

For more information about how the system recalculates time triggers for objects, see Time triggers for actions.

Does deactivating a rule delete any pending time-based actions?

Deactivating or deleting a rule will automatically delete all time-based action instances associated with objects.

For more information about how time triggers are deleted for time-based actions, see Time triggers for actions.