Mass Initiating Workflow Instances

You can initiate multiple instances of a specific workflow simultaneously on multiple records in NetSuite. You can mass initiate workflow instances for standard NetSuite record types or custom record types. Use this feature to avoid viewing each record individually to initiate a workflow instance on the record.

For example, use this feature if your company recently imported a large number of employee records for an acquisition. After they are imported, you decide that you want to initiate a workflow named New Employee Process on each employee record. NetSuite can initiate a separate workflow instance for each employee record, based on filters you specify for the mass update.

Note:

You can also use a scheduled workflow to initiate multiple instances of a specific workflow simultaneously on multiple records. See Scheduling a Workflow.

To mass initiate a workflow on multiple records:

1. Go to Lists > Mass Update > Mass Updates.

2. On the Mass Updates page, expand Workflow.

   For each record type in NetSuite, the Mass Updates page lists the workflows that are available to initiate, process, cancel, or transition.

3. Click Initiate <workflow name> to initiate the appropriate workflow. The Mass Update page displays.

4. On the Mass Updates page, enter a Title and define the filters and other options on the following subtabs:

   Subtab	Required / Optional	Description
   Criteria	Required	Select a field or formula in the dropdown list and enter values in the popup that appears. See Advanced Search Criteria Filters.
   Results	Optional	Define display options for mass update results. The results appear when you preview the records for the mass update. See Search Results Display Options.
   Audience	Optional	Define the users who can run the mass update.
   Schedule	Optional	Define a schedule on which to perform the mass update. See Scheduling a Mass Update.

   The following screenshot shows the Mass Updates page for employee records created between two dates:

   

5. Click Preview to view the records on which the mass update will run:

   

6. Do one of the following:

   • To perform the update immediately, in the Apply column, select the records you want to initiate the workflow on and click Perform Update. The status of the mass update is displayed on the Mass Update Status page.

   • To save the update and perform it later, click Save. NetSuite saves the mass update and displays the Saved Mass Updates page. You can return to this page to initiate the workflow instances by going to Lists > Mass Update > Saved Mass Updates. Click Preview next to the name of the update. On the Mass Update Preview page, click Perform Update to initiate the workflow instances.

Note:

Optionally, from the Mass Update page, you can use the Audit Trail tab to view the changes to the current mass update or use the Action Title Translation tab to localize the title of the mass update.

Related Topics

Workflow Mass Updates

Mass Processing Records in a Workflow

Mass Canceling Workflow Instances

Mass Transitioning Workflow Instances

General Notices