How-toInfor ION (Infor OS)ION Workflow / ION Desk

Infor ION Workflow Examples: Approval and Notification Flows

Question
infor ion workflow examples

Also searched as

  • infor visual workflow designer
  • infor visual workflow
  • infor ion desk user guide cloud edition

Short answer

ION Workflow models a business process as triggers, tasks, decisions and notifications, and users act on those tasks through ION Desk. A typical example is a purchase or change approval that starts from an application event, routes to an approver, and writes the decision back. Infor VISUAL's workflow features are separate from ION.

Applies to: Infor OS ION Workflow and ION Desk (cloud and on-premise). Infor VISUAL workflow is a different product feature; check your version.

How to build an approval workflow in ION

  1. 1Define the trigger: an event or BOD from the source application that should start the process, or a manual start.
  2. 2Open the workflow designer in ION and create a new workflow definition with a clear name and version.
  3. 3Add the start event and map the incoming data to workflow variables such as requester, amount and document id.
  4. 4Add a decision step that routes by rule, for example amount above a threshold goes to a second approver.
  5. 5Add a user task for the approver; define who receives it (user, role or group) and the form fields they see.
  6. 6Add a notification step to tell the requester about approval or rejection.
  7. 7Add a final step that writes the outcome back to the source application through an API or a BOD.
  8. 8Test with a sample trigger, check the task in ION Desk and then activate the workflow definition.

Example one: approval with threshold

A request enters with an amount and a requester. A gateway checks the amount; small items go straight to a team lead, large items to a manager and then finance. Each user task offers approve or reject and a comment.

The outcome branch sends a notification and updates the source record. Keep escalation rules explicit: if no action within a set time, reassign or remind.

Example two: notification-only flow

Some processes need no human task: an event, such as a quality hold, triggers a notification to a group in ION Desk or by email. This is simpler to maintain than a full workflow.

Use it for alerts like a shipment blocked, a work order past due or a document failure.

ION Desk and the Infor VISUAL question

ION Desk is where users see tasks, alerts and approvals from ION, including in the cloud edition. It is a user-facing inbox rather than a design tool.

Infor VISUAL searches for workflow designer often refer to VISUAL's own workflow features, which run inside that ERP and are configured separately. Do not assume an ION workflow can be edited from VISUAL or the other way round.

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Common pitfalls

  • !Routing approvals to named individuals instead of roles, which breaks when staff change.
  • !No timeout or escalation, leaving requests stuck in a task inbox.
  • !Writing the decision back without handling failure, so the workflow shows complete but the ERP did not change.
  • !Activating without testing role assignments in the target environment.
  • !Confusing ION Workflow with VISUAL workflow and searching the wrong documentation.

How an ERP-grounded AI assistant handles this

An assistant can explain a pending approval by gathering the underlying ERP document, the history and the policy, so the approver decides faster; it can also draft the workflow definition from a plain-language process description for a person to review. Netray builds this with private models so approvals and ERP data stay on your infrastructure.

See ERPray

Frequently asked questions

What is ION Desk used for?

It is the user interface where people receive and act on workflow tasks, alerts and approvals generated through ION, available in cloud and on-premise editions.

Can ION Workflow call an API?

Workflows commonly integrate with applications through ION API or BODs to read data and write outcomes. The exact activity types depend on your version, so check the designer.

Is Infor VISUAL workflow the same as ION Workflow?

No. VISUAL has its own workflow capabilities within the ERP. ION Workflow is an Infor OS service. They are configured in different places.

How do I stop approvals getting stuck?

Assign tasks to roles or groups, set reminders and escalation, and monitor open tasks regularly so absences do not block the process.

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