NorthStar CCM Workflow Editor

Getting Started

Overview

In NorthStar CCM, scenarios such as sending a PDF file by email or merging two templates in one single output file can be accomplished using workflows. Users can use the online tool to build and customize a series of processing steps or transformations that your data will go through, ultimately resulting in a document or set of documents being published along one or more output channels, like print, email or SMS.

The editor has a friendly interface through which, if you want to add a component to appear in your workflow, you can simply drag it from the left sidebar into the design surface.

Accessing Workflow Editor

The Workflow Editor can be accessed either by creating a new workflow from the Projects module, or by opening the edit mode from the Workflow Preview page.

To create a new workflow:

Starting from the home screen, access Projects;
Click the New button in the toolbar, and choose Workflow;
Enter a relevant name for your workflow and click Ok. You will then be redirected to the Workflow Editor.

To access the workflow preview:

Starting from the Project Details page, select the workflow (the .wk4 file format) you want to edit;
Click the Edit button in the toolbar;
You will be redirected to the Workflow Editor.

Understanding the Workflow Editor Layout

Before you start customizing your workflows within the Workflow Editor, it is important to take some time to familiarize yourself with the interface and terminologies used to describe where options are available.

Within the Workflow Editor, you will be able to find the following units:

Design Surface: the dedicated region in the Form Editor that you will use to add and remove content. This is the central and largest area of the screen and it will display how your form will look like as you design it.
Sidebar: positioned on the left side of the screen, provides access to all the steps, parameters and other workflow settings.
Toolbar Options: at the editing time, it might be necessary to consider the following options:
- Save: Use the Save ( ) button to save changes made to the current document template.
- Undo: Use the Undo ( ) button to move one step back in the undo chain.
- Redo: Use the Redo ( ) button to move one step forward.
- Test Run: Use the Test Run button to run your workflow while you develop it, without the need of being approved first if you have a workspace review and approval process set. The test run will also limit the number of documents produced or sent, as follows:
  - Produces maximum 10 files for a Render step;
  - Produces maximum 10 files for a Split step;
  - Sends maximum 10 emails;
  - Produces maximum 10 prints;
  - Produces maximum 10 files tagged;
  - Produces maximum 10 files when using the Index output;
  - Produces maximum 10 files when using the Merge step;
  - Produces maximum 10 files when using the Group step;
  - API cannot be used in test mode;
  - The following steps are not available and will be skipped within test mode: Wait, Web Request, Electronic Signature, SMS, Copy to FTP, Copy to Amazon, Delete snapshot, Publish snapshot, Custom, Maintenance, Copy to Folder, Post to Social Media, Copy to Sharepoint, Create Project, Create snapshot, Copy to NorthStar CCM, Create Interactive.
- Run: Use the Run button from the More ( ) menu to run the workflow as it would be in a production environment. If you have a workspace review and approval set and do not have an approved workflow version you will receive an error. If you do have an approved version but have made edits to it, NorthStar CCM will run the last approved workflow.
- Save as: Use the Save as button from the More ( ) menu to save the workflow in a new location within the workspace.
- Go to Folder: Use the Go to Folder button from the More ( ) menu to go back to the folder where this workflow is located.
- Share: Use the Share button from the More ( ) menu to generate a public link, that can be copied and send to other NorthStar CCM users with which you may want to share it. This option allows you to make the workflow public.
- Download: Use the Download button from the More ( ) menu to download the workflow on your local machine.
- Versions: Use the Versions button from the More ( ) menu to view a list with all the different workflow versions created. You will also be able to view and modify comments for each version or upload a new one.
- Dependencies: Use the Dependencies button from the More ( ) menu to view all the directly-connected files with the workflow and also the files where it is used, in a separate tab.
- Copy: Use the Copy button from the More ( ) menu to copy the workflow to a different folder within the workspace.
- Move: Use the Move button from the More ( ) menu to move the workflow to a different folder within the workspace.
- Delete: Use the Delete button from the More ( ) menu to delete the workflow all together, but not until your confirmation of deletion.
- Rename: Use the Rename button from the More ( ) menu to provide a new name for your workflow.

Online Editor

In the Workflow Editor, there are three available tabs that can be accessed directly from the sidebar, each one with a different purpose:

Components - creating the workflow with several steps to achieve a purpose (e.g. merge 2 document templates and render the output in one PDF file).
Style - configuring properties of components inserted in your workflow.
Settings - configuring settings related to workflow tags, business rules and jobs.

Components

The workflow components help you to define clear rules to meet your business processes. The steps benefit the creation of the life cycle that your documents go through from simple data to the required business goals.

Components Table

To find out more information on each step, in particular, select the step you need from the table below:


Append	Archive	Assembly	Copy to Amazon S3	Copy to Azure	Copy to NorthStar CCM Folder	Copy to FTP
Copy to Folder	Copy to SharePoint	Create Correspondence	Create Project	Create Version	Create-Update People	Custom
Data Ingestion	Decompress	Delete Version	Electronic Signature	Email	Email (Advanced)	Extract Sub-Form
Get Data	Get Data (Advanced)	Get Files	Group	If	Index	Issue
Maintenance	Overlay	Post to Social Media	Print	Provide Quote	Publish Version	Render
Render (Advanced)	Render DITA	Review Document	Review Journey	Review Snapshot	Run Project	Run Workflow
SMS	Split	Tag	Task	Validation	Wait	Web Request

Adding a new Component

Follow the steps below to insert a component into a workflow:

In the Workflow Editor, select the Components tab from the Sidebar.
Within the Components section, select the step you want to add to the workflow, then drag and drop it into the design surface. Use the More and Less ( ) buttons to quickly find the components you need.
Once a new component was added to the workflow, it will appear in the Steps section under the same tab.

Editing a Component

There are multiple ways to edit a workflow component in the NorthStar CCM Platform:

In the Workflow Editor, select the step you want to edit from the design surface. Select the Edit ( ) button from the top-right corner of the step. You will be redirected to the Properties Pane from where you can customize the step parameters.
In the Sidebar of the Workflow Editor, go to the Step section of the Step tab. Select the Edit ( ) button next to the component name you want to edit. You will be redirected to the Properties Pane from where you can customize the steps parameters.
In the Workflow Editor, select the step you want to edit from the design surface. Then, select the Style tab from the sidebar and start customizing its properties.

Connecting Workflow Steps

The workflow editor does not provide automatic connections between the steps inserted. Therefore, you have to connect it manually, by dragging and dropping a line between them, in the way you need them to run.

If you find that you need to modify the order of your workflow steps after they are inserted or you are creating them out of order you can reconnect the steps in the Design Surface. To remove a connection, right-click on the connection line and select the Delete connection. Also, from the drop down menu displayed after right-clicking on the connection line, you can set the status of Succeeded or Failed. If you decide what step should flow into another step, hover the mouse over the first component, then drag and drop the line to the second one.

Note

It is not required that you have connections if steps fail, but it is highly recommended.

Workflow Stages

Workflow Stages consists of one or more steps enclosed in a phase of more workflow scenarios. By default, the NorthStar CCM Platform provides three stages: Start, Process and End. To edit an existing stage, right-click on it and select the needed option from the contextual menu:

Delete stage: to remove the stage from your workflow. Note that removing a stage will automatically remove all workflow steps included.
Rename stage: to enter a new name for your stage.
Color: to highlight the stage with color.

Style

For configuring steps' properties within the workflow, Style Menu from the sidebar is the first choice. There you will find properties related to the selected step in the design surface.

To view all the available properties for each one of the component inserted in a workflow, access the Steps and Properties section of this guide.

Workflow Parameters

Workflow Parameters will allow users to modify the name of the Job that the Workflow will create, as well as add custom input parameters that can be used throughout the workflow. Use workflow parameters when you need to pass as input: a customer ID, output format, language identifiers and more.

In the Workflow Editor, navigate to the Style tab in the Sidebar. Make sure that no component is selected in the design surface.
Select the +Add parameter button, under the Workflow Parameters section.
Enter a name and a default value in the corresponding boxes.
Do not forget to Save the changes from the toolbar.

Workflow Settings

In this section, you will learn how to specify some general settings for a workflow. When materializing a scenario in a workflow process, firstly, you have to decide upon the business rules that can be applied, if certain tags need to be added or if the corresponding workflow job is transient or not. All these options can be set up before actually build up the scenario by dragging and dropping components into the workflow.

Configuring Workflows

For each workflow scenario, you can create a separate configuration that activates whenever the corresponding workflow runs. The below configurations always takes precedence from data set in Properties pane.

Job Name Pattern

By default, the Job name created by the workflow will be a combination of the Communication name and date/time when the Job was run. If needed, you can change the default pattern by following the steps described below.

In the Workflow Editor, navigate to the Settings tab in the Sidebar.
Enter a job name inside the Job Name Pattern field.
For dynamic and complex expressions, select the Fx button. You will be redirected to the Complex Expression dialog where you can use built-in and customer parameters for your expressions.

Complex Expressions

The Complex Expression Dialog allows you to build dynamic values whenever a Dynamic Value ( fx ) button is present. You can select values from the Data Representation Tree or choose one or more predefined parameters.

The following predefined parameters groups are present:


Date
Year	Current year.
Short Year	Current year.
Month	Current month.
Short Month	Current month.
Day	Current day.
Hour in Day (24 hours)	Current hour, {HH} format. (Ex. 22)
Hour in half-day (12 hours)	Current hour, {hh} format. (Ex. 10 PM)
Minutes	Current minutes, {mm} format. (Ex. 12)
Seconds	Current seconds, {ss} format. (Ex. 20)
Milliseconds	Current milliseconds, {fff} format. (Ex. 126)


Standard
Guid	A uniquely generated value.
Job ID	The ID of the Job that is currently being run.
Position	The ordinal number in an enumeration. For example, a render step can receive multiple work items as input. You can use the position parameter to create an expression for each one of the work items.
Copy Position	The ordinal number in an enumeration that stores a copy.
Trigger File	If the executing workflow is started by a trigger this is the file that was retrieved by the trigger.
Trigger File Name Without Extension	If the executing workflow is started by a trigger this is the file that was retrieved by the trigger. The file name will be the same as the input file, without the extension.
Public Link	A uniquely generated URL for a file that is published either through the Customer Portal or as a public file. Note that the file still has to be tagged to become public.
Interactive Document URL	The URL path for the Interactive Communication Document type.
Input File Path	The path to the XML file that is the source work item for this step. Note that usually, this is the result of the Split step.
Communication Name	The name provided for the new Communication.
Enterprise URL	The URL path for the NorthStar CCM Environment.
Portal URL	The URL path for the Customer Portal platform.
Running User - Username	The username of the person that started the workflow.
Running User - Email	The email of the person that started the workflow.

Transient Run

Document production jobs can now be tagged as transient jobs. When a job is transient, its produced output will be stored in an in-memory repository.

The advantage of transient jobs can include:

Increase in performance;
A reduction in the job rendered time (a transient job runs faster than a normal job);
The storage size does not growth, so the maintenance process can be run less often.
It can replace the DirectRender call when your workflow steps are more complex than rendering a input data (e.g. XML) to a simple output (e.g. PDF).
The DirectJob API returns the output directly.

To run transient jobs, the associated workflow needs to be configured as transient. Follow the steps below to set up a workflow to run in transient mode.

Starting from the Workflow Editor, select the Settings tab from the Sidebar.
Check the Transient Run option to tag a workflow as transient.

Notes

Within a transient workflow you should not use manual steps. This includes the Review Document, Review Snapshot, Issue, Task or Review Journey. Note that, the workflow will allow you to configure it, but at run time (before the job creation), the request will fail.

A workflow tagged as transient can be run either from the Enterprise Website, or from a new API end point. To learn more about working with Direct Jobs, please access this section in the Developers Guide.

There are many ways for running a transient workflow within the Enterprise Website:

Run it from the Workflow User Interface. Access the Workflow file from the Project Details page, then choose Run from the More ( ) contextual menu.
Run it from the Communications module. Access this link to learn how to run a communication.
Run it from the REST API page, by using the Jobs endpoints. Access this section from the Developers Guide to learn more about REST API Jobs.
Run it from Schedules.
Run it from Triggers.

Adding Business Rules to Workflows

In the NorthStar CCM Software, business rules are directly connected with the workflow and must be attached to one of the steps within. Otherwise, they become useless.

In the Workflow Editor, navigate to the Settings tab in the Sidebar.
Select the Add Business Rules button to add an existing rule (.rules file format) to the current workflow. You can also upload a file from your personal computer by selecting Upload File button.
Once ready, select the OK to save the changes. You can add as many files as you want according to your needs. Notice that the path files are listed in the Business Rules section on the left.

Notes

To learn more about business rules and how to edit them, please access this link.

Configuring Tags

Within the NorthStar CCM Platform, you can define and use tags that propagates automatically within the workflow execution.

The first step in using a propagatable tag is to define it, by following the steps below:

In Workflow Editor, select the Settings tab from the Sidebar.
Select the + Add Tags button within the Tag area.
Provide a unique name to the tag you want to propagate.

Next, add the newly created tag to the Tag step:

Access the Properties tab of the Tag component.
Select Add parameter.
Add the name of the propagatable tag previously created, and assign a default value to it.

When the workflow will run, the tag set up will propagate to all the other steps from the workflow flow. For example, let's assume the following workflow flow:

Start >> Get Data >> Tag >> Render >> Email >> End

Under the Tag step we've added the propagatable tag, called CorrelationId, with a random default value. After running the workflow, the Render step output will inherit the CorrelationId from tagged input, and the email ticket (from the Send Email step) will inherit the CorrelationId from the document generated by the Render step. So, the input, the document and the email ticket will contains the same tag named CorrelationId.

Another example can be when your workflow contains an Assembly or Archive component. These steps can receive multiple documents and generate an output combining all the inputs. After running the workflow, the Assembly/Archive steps will contain a tag equal with the value of input documents tags.

Note that the tags can only propagate as long as the workflow logic will allows this. (For example, a custom step will break tag propagation and the user should re-tag the necessary files using the API in order to continue streaming the tags with the workflow).

Workflow Components

Automated Workflow Components (Steps) are programmatic steps that do not require user intervention. These can be added by drag and drop from the Components tab of the Sidebar. To configure it, access the Style tab, below Components. Depending on the step added, you will see basic and advanced parameters. To add an advanced parameter, simply select the +Add Parameter button and choose the needed parameter from the drop-down menu.

Steps and Properties

In this section, you can explore all the steps available in a workflow, together with all their corresponding properties.

Append

The Append step will allow you to add additional files to the end of the rendered documents. This is helpful if you need to add a static terms and conditions page or some other document without having to modify the template being used.

File

Select the file(s) to append to the end of the documents. If you are selecting more than one file to append, they will be added to the document in the order they appear in the step.
For example, let's assume you have a Contract template used in the current workflow and you need to add the Loan Agreement that makes the contract possible. Therefore, you can use \Default\Financial\Loan Agreement\Template.epr to add an additional file to the final output.
Run condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Append step to add the necessary documents to the existing documents. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to check in order to add the additional file, if the "FirstPaymentDate" attribute is less or equal than the current month meaning the first payment has already be done. Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/ns:root/ns:Form-Current/ns:form-submission/ns:content/ns:LoanAgreement/ns:Loan/ns:FirstPaymentDate}{MM}<={MM} as a condition of the step execution.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Assembly

The Assembly step enables the creation of document bundles. These are useful mostly for generating print streams.

The usual options for steps after an Assembly step are Render or Overlay.

Sort by expression

This parameter will allow you to create a specific expression to sort the files before merging them together. To add an expression, you need to :
- Type in the field in the Sort by box or click on the fx button from the right and select the field you want to create the sorting from the Data Source Tree.
- Select if you want to order ascending or descending.
- Select which data type are you using : strings or numbers.
For example, let's assume you want to sort your data by setting a filter criterion based on "Type" field of the Account. Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/ns:Accounts/ns:Account/@Type} as "Sort by" parameter and evaluate only the string values data types.
Sort by page count

This parameter will sort the documents by the number of pages that have been rendered before merging them into a single document. You can choose to either sort by ascending or descending page counts.
Group by Expression

This parameter will allow you to create a complex expression to group the files by before merging them together. This is useful, for example, when you need to perform house-holding (group multiple statements that must be sent to the same address). Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/ns:Accounts/ns:Account/@Street} as a filter criterion for grouping.
Group by Page Count

This parameter will group the documents by the number of pages that have been rendered before merging them into a single document.
Split by Max Output Page Count

Sometimes, when merging files together, the resulting file is too large to be used as is. Using the split by page count parameter will allow you to select how many pages should be merged together before creating a new merged file.

Notes

This feature will never split a rendered document. For example, if you set the split page count to be 100, if the next merged document takes the count from 97 to 103, NorthStar CCM will not split that last document, having part with the first merged document and the rest the next. NorthStar CCM will trim the first merged document at 97 and start fresh.
Split by Max Output Size (MB)

Sometimes, when merging files together, the resulting file is too large to be used as is. Using the split by max output size parameter will allow you to select the max size of the file before it is merged together.

For example, let's assume you want to have a size restriction of 100 MB. Therefore, you can use 100 as the Maximum output size for evaluating your resulting file.
Output File Name

By default, NorthStar CCM will automatically assign the output file name as a combination of the input rendered files and position. However, you can use the output file name parameter to create a file name that works best for you.

Notes

This name will need to be unique if you are using the split by page count parameter mentioned above. To do so, select the fx button to the right of the field and add Date and or Standard Parameters to make the file name unique.
Force Page Count

This parameter is used to impose constraints on the number of pages in an output document. If this constraint is not satisfied, an additional page/pages will be added at the end of the document. The following values are available:
- auto
- even: Forces an even number of pages in the output.
- odd: Forces an odd number of pages in the output.
- end-on-even: Forces the last page in the output to be an even-page.
- end-on-odd: Forces the last page in the output to be an odd-page.
- no-force: Does not force either an even or an odd number of pages in the output.
- multiple-of(x): The behavior is similar to force-page-count="odd". The number of pages in the output will be a multiple of the "x" integer set as value.
- end-on-multiple-of(x): The behavior is similar to force-page-count="even". It forces the last page in the output to be a multiple of the "x" integer set as value.
Parallel processing

Enable the simultaneous processing to run for two or more documents that have to be assembled in parallel by setting this parameter to True. The default value is False.
Duplex

This parameter specifies whether the final output should be printed in duplex mode. The default value is false.
Media Color

This parameter specifies the color to use for printing. The default value is none.
Run Condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Assembly step to run and produce the necessary documents. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.

For example, let's assume you want to assembly documents only if the "Street" parameter is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/ns:Accounts/ns:Account/@Street = 'Street1'} as a testing condition.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Copy to Amazon S3

NorthStar CCM can also accommodate the need to push files directly to an Amazon bucket.

Connection

You will need to select a connection for the drop down list. If there is no connection, visit the Connections page to create a new Amazon connection.
Destination Folder

Supply the destination folder where the file(s) should be copied to in Amazon s3.
Bucket Name

Provide the name of the bucket to be used for this step.
Output File Name

By default, NorthStar CCM will automatically assign the output file name. However, you can use the Output file name parameter to create a file name that works best for you. Note that these names will need to be unique for each file, select the fx button to the right of the field and add Date and or Standard Parameters to make the file name unique.
Run condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Copy to Amazon S3 step to copy all the files directly on Amazon. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to add some invoices in Amazon S3 only if the "number" parameter from the data source is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/root/Invoices/Invoice/InvoiceProperties/number = '02116'} as a testing condition.
Amazon Metadata

You can configure some system metadata for an S3 object that should be copied in Amazon.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Copy to Azure

Connection

You will need to provide the connection name. If there is no connection, visit the Connections page to create a new Azure connection or check for existing ones.
Destination Container

Supply the Azure destination container where the file(s) should be copied to.
Destination Folder

Supply the destination folder where the file(s) should be copied to in Azure container. This is an optional parameter that is used for hierarchy purposes.
Output File Name

By default, NorthStar CCM will automatically assign the output file name. However, you can use the Output file name parameter to create a file name that works best for you. Note that these names will need to be unique for each file, select the fx button to the right of the field and add Date and or Standard Parameters to make the file name unique.
Send condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Copy to Azure step to copy all the files directly on Azure. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to add some invoices in Azure only if the "number" parameter from the data source is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/root/Invoices/Invoice/InvoiceProperties/number = '02116'} as a testing condition.
Azure Metadata

You can configure some system metadata for objects or properties that should be copied in Azure.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Copy to NorthStar CCM Folder

The copy-to-northstar-ccm-folder step allows you to send any project files to a destination folder located in the NorthStar CCM Environment.

Workspace

You will need to select the NorthStar CCM Workspace where the files should be stored.
Path

You will need to specify a path to an NorthStar CCM folder where the files should be sent.
Send condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Copy to Folder step to send the rendered documents to the selected folder. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume that you want to copy the output files for a specific "Type" attribute of Holding node-set. Therefore, you should define a condition based on {XPATH:/ns:FactSheet/ns:Holdings/ns:Holding/@Type}.
Output File Name

By default, NorthStar CCM will automatically assign the output file name. However, you can use the Output file name parameter to create a file name that works best for you. Note that these names will need to be unique for each file, select the fx button to the right of the field and add Date and or Standard Parameters to make the file name unique.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Copy to FTP

NorthStar CCM can also accommodate the need to push files to the host of your choosing using File Transfer Protocol (FTP). With this step, you can configure a few simple parameters for host URL and login credentials, and NorthStar CCM will send the files of your choosing to the host specified.

Connection Type

You must specify the type of connection to be used, either FTP or SFTP.
Connection

You will need to select the connection to use from the list available.
Destination Folder

Supply the destination folder where the file(s) should be copied to.
Send condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Copy to FTP step to send the rendered documents to the selected FTP folder. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a dynamic expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
Output File Name

By default, NorthStar CCM will automatically assign the output file name. However, you can use the Output file name parameter to create a file name that works best for you. Note that these names will need to be unique for each file, select the fx button to the right of the field and add Date and or Standard Parameters to make the file name unique.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Copy to Folder

The copy-to-folder step allows you to send any project files to a destination folder. If you are working with our hosted version, this step will send the files to a folder on our server. If you are working with our custom version, you can send the files to a folder on your server or locally on your machine.

Path

You will need to specify a path to either a local or network directory where the files should be sent.
Send condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Copy to Folder step to send the rendered documents to the selected folder. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
Output File Name

By default, NorthStar CCM will automatically assign the output file name. However, you can use the Output file name parameter to create a file name that works best for you. Note that these names will need to be unique for each file, select the fx button to the right of the field and add Date and or Standard Parameters to make the file name unique.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Copy to SharePoint

NorthStar CCM can also accommodate the need to push files directly to a SharePoint folder.

Connection

You will need to select a connection for the drop down list. If there is no connection created, please visit Connections to find out how to create a sharepoint connection.
Destination Folder

Supply the destination folder where the file(s) should be copied to in SharePoint.
Run condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Copy to SharePoint step to push files directly to a SharePoint folder. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to add some invoices in a SharePoint folder only if the invoice "number" parameter from the data source is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/root/Invoices/Invoice/InvoiceProperties/number = '02116'} as a testing condition.
Output File Name

By default, NorthStar CCM will automatically assign the output file name. However, you can use the Output file name parameter to create a file name that works best for you. Note that these names will need to be unique for each file, select the fx button to the right of the field and add Date and or Standard Parameters to make the file name unique.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Create Correspondence

The Create Correspondence step is used to combined Correspondence documents and Batch Communications. The step allows starting individual communications on multithreads and it supports to override Workflow Parameters. A use case for this would be having a monthly survey form for your customer to fill out.

You would use this step to produce those Correspondence documents in batch and push them to their personal Customer Portal page.

Communication

Select the Batch Communication from the drop down to be used to create the Correspondence Documents. For example, you can select the Fact Sheet.
Use Input

If this parameter is checked the input of the current step will be sent to the new created communication as input. The parameter is optional and the value is of Boolean type.
Public

If this parameter is used the communication will be shared publicly with the specified value, but be sure that the value of Public is unique across the environment. The workflow step parameters with placeholder {InteractiveDocumentURL} will be replaced with the public link. The parameter is optional and the value is of String type.
Contact ID

The Contact ID will be used to publish the Correspondence Document to the correct Customer Portal. This will most likely be a value that is stored in the Data Source; to learn how to connect to NorthStar CCM through the Modeler visit the NorthStar CCM Modeler help guide.
Title

Enter a Title for the Correspondence Document that will be visible on the Customer Portal. This value can be static or you can select the fx button to select a value from your data source.
Run condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Create Correspondence step to construct Correspondence documents. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to create a monthly survey correspondence only if the "number" parameter from the data source of an invoice is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use
{XPATH:/root/Invoices/Invoice/InvoiceProperties/number = '02116'} as a testing condition.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Create Project

This step will create a new Communication Project in the destination Environment as indicated by the values in the parameters.

Create Project is commonly used as one of the Workflow steps in the Deploy Workflow that will be generated by NorthStar CCM when the Deploy Custom Action is added to a Project.

Communication Type

Select the type of communication that will be created.
For example, let's assume that you want to create an Invoice template as a result of this step. Therefore, you should select Batch as the type of communication.
Communication Name

Provide a name for the new Communication.

Based on the example above, you should write the name of the selected communication, e.g. Bookstore Invoice.
Communication Description

Provide a description of the Communication.
Override Communication

Toggle this on to allow the newly created Communication to override a previously created Communication with the same name.
NorthStar CCM URL

The URL path for the NorthStar CCM Environment where the Communication Project will be created.
Access Token

Provide the NorthStar CCM access token.
Workspace

The path for the Workspace where the Workflow used to run the Communication will be held.
Workflow Path

The path for the Workflow used to run the Communication will be held.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Create Version

Create Version will create a Version of a folder and all the files contained within that folder.

Create Version is commonly used as one of the Workflow steps in the Deploy Workflow that will be generated by NorthStar CCM when the Deploy Custom Action is added to a Communication.

To read more information about Versions, please visit the Versions chapter of this guide.

Workspace

The workspace containing the project folder to create the version of.
Folder Path

Provide the path to the folder to create a version of.
Version Name

A unique name for the version to be created. You can also select the fx button to add Date and Time values.
Run condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Create Version step to create a Version of a folder and all the files contained within that folder. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to create a version only if the "number" parameter from the data source of an invoice is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/root/Invoices/Invoice/InvoiceProperties/number = '02116'} as a testing condition.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Data Ingestion

Data ingestion is expected to run as an INSERT query on data sets inserted from other sources (Salesforce, Database, etc.). The step receives as input .edo files configured in Data Modeler and creates specific queries corresponding to defined connections in the Modeler tool.

Output file name

By default, NorthStar CCM will automatically assign the output file name. However, you can use the Output file name parameter to create a file name that works best for you. Note that these names will need to be unique for each file, select the fx button to the right of the field and add Date and or Standard Parameters to make the file name unique.
Fault tolerance

Provide a degree of robustness in handling failures (in accordance with application requirements) while minimizing data loss.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Provide Quote

Provide Quote will help obtaining a quote that describes the work that needs to be done and it will deliver the message outside your organization to a 3rd party. Therefore, a powerful feature is enabled - the ability to have people outside your organization participate in the workflow without needing a user account (for example, Everyone group).

Assign To

Select from the drop down list to assign the step to a user or a group of users.
Title

Provide a relevant title for your quote.
Step description

Provide a description of the step purpose in the current workflow.
Comment

Enter additional information about the step.
Comment Attachments

Select the Dynamic Value button - fx to add attachments for your comments that you want to insert.
Notification Recipients

Within Notification Recipients box, you can add the email addresses of other users that you want to collaborate to the current step.
Run Condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Provide Quote step to create a Quote for a 3rd party. You are able to type the expression directly into the field or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Create-Update People

This step will allow the creation or the modification of People (Contacts, Accounts) entities within your organization.

Accounts

Creates an Account record and uses the data source's dynamic values to pull the desired information from the parent into the Account record.

For example, you can add an account representing the customer of a Fact Sheet template, from the parent node-set "Statements" and use
{XPATH:/ns:Statements/ns:Statement/ns:Account/@AccountType}.
Contacts

Creates a Contact record and uses the data source's dynamic values to pull the desired information from the parent into the Contact record.

For example, you can add a contact representing the client of a Loan Agreement template, from the parent node-set "Accounts" and use
{XPATH:/ns1:Accounts/ns1:Account/ns1:Contacts/ns1:Contact}.
Accounts Field

Allows you to set Account's parameter values according to the parent record.

For example, you can update the "Account" data field that is already introduced, with a "name" attribute. Therefore, you can use
{XPATH:/ns1:Accounts/ns1:Account/ns1:Properties/ns1:Property/ns1:Name}.
Contacts Field

Allows you to set Contact's parameter values according to the parent record.

For example, you can update the "Contact" data field that is already introduced, with a "name" attribute. Therefore, you can use
{XPATH:/ns1:Accounts/ns1:Account/ns1:Contacts/ns1:Contact/ns1:Properties/ns1:Property/ns1:Name}.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Custom

The Custom step will allow you to add custom command line code. Use the fx button to pass authentication token, Job ID, and other useful parameters.

A Custom step should be used when all the other built-in Workflow steps cannot offer a satisfactory solution to a particular use case. Due to this type of step, clients have the ability to configure a specific behavior according to their needs.

For example, a client wants to send faxes. At this moment, NorthStar CCM Solutions does not cover the scenario of configuring fax channels. Therefore, one client can design the following workflow:

Get Data
Render
Custom fax (the rendered documents from the previous step will be used as input and will be further distributed through a fax channel following business logic, customized by the client).

Let’s assume a particular scenario for rendering PDF outputs from inputs received from an executable file. Those inputs will be written as access tokens in a log.txt file within the specified folder.

Step 1 - Create the Application : Firstly, you have to create the application and for that, you have a wide variety of possibilities because it can be written in any programming language and the only limitation of the application is to have an executable file format.
Create a folder on your local machine, where you will store the application assets and the outputs produced by the Custom step.
Step 2 - Integrate with NorthStar CCM Enterprise : In order to be able to use a .exe in the Workflow Editor, you should first declare it in the Custom Paths section from the Admin Settings page. For more details, please view the Custom Paths chapter.
Step 3 - Configure the Workflow : Finally, navigate to the folder location in the workspace where your workflow file is located. For setting up the parameters for the Custom step, you should open the workflow in the Editor. Drag and drop the Custom step from the Sidebar into the Design Surface and access its properties.
For configuring Custom step parameters, select the step in the Design Surface, then select the “Properties” Menu from the Side Bar.
Now, you can proceed with creating a communication and run the project you have just created. Once the communication was executed you should check for the document that is being produced after the execution of the workflow.

Command Line

The Custom step may use the REST API as described in the Developers Guide.

As a recommendation, you should put the used parameters between quotes, like this:

<InstallationPath>\LogStep.exe -accessToken "{Token}" -jobid "{JobId}" -stepid "{StepId}" -steppath "{StepPath}".
Timeout (in seconds)

You may choose to add a max time for the step to run before it times out. This will ensure that the step and job do not continuously run if there is an issue with the custom step.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Decompress

This step will extract files from a Zip folder. You can use this step to extract files form; a previous Archive step, a Zip archive such as one placed in a hot folder Trigger.

Delete Version

The delete version step will need to be after a create version step in the workflow. This step will delete the version that has been created by this workflow.

To read more information about Versions, please visit the Versions chapter.

Workspace

Provide the name of the workspace containing Version to be deleted.
Folder Path

Provide the path to the folder where the version is located.
Version Name

Provide the name of the version to be deleted by this step.
Run condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Delete Version step to remove a Version of a folder and all the files contained within that folder. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to delete a version only if the "number" parameter from the data source of an invoice is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/root/Invoices/Invoice/InvoiceProperties/number = '02116'} as a testing condition.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Electronic Signature

This workflow step can be used if you need to collect electronic signatures for your document. As a prerequisite, you will need to make sure that you have configured an Electronic Signature connection. The section below will highlight the steps to set up and work with an electronic signature provider (DocuSign, EcoSign, etc.) in NorthStar CCM.

Signature Provider

You will need to select a provider from the list of configured Signature Providers.
Subject

Provide a subject for the notification sent to who needs to sign the document.
Message

Provide a Message for the notification sent to who needs to sign the document.
Wait for signatures

By checking this option and if you will check the checkbox Wait for signatures, you will need to configure the callbacks, otherwise, the workflow will never finish.
Run condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Electronic Signature step to collect electronic signatures for your document. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to collect electronic signatures only if the "number" parameter from the data source is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/root/Invoices/Invoice/InvoiceProperties/number = '02116'} as a testing condition.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Email

Use the Email step to quickly configure your workflow to send email to recipients that are either statically or dynamically (retrieved from input data) defined. A common workflow scenario to send emails is Get Data >> Email, or Get Data >> Render >> Email. For more advanced configurations, please see the Email Advanced step.

Email Queue

Select an Email Queue to be used for delivery from the drop down menu.
Template

Select an email template to use for your emails.
Additional Attachments

Choose additional attachment templates to be send with the email.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Email Advanced

If you want to access multiple email parameters, add the Email Advanced step to your workflow.

To send emails to multiple recipients use the Group step to create groups for each recipient. Each group can contain a single Plain Text or Email Body work item and 0 or more attachments.

Queue

Select an Email Queue to be used for delivery from the drop down menu.
From

In the basic parameters section, you are able to add a from email address statically.
To

In the basic parameters section, you are able to add a to email address statically.
Cc

Configure Cc addresses for the email. It can be a static value or you can set them dynamically from the data source that is being used in the workflow by selecting the fx button.
Bcc

Configure Bcc addresses for the email. It can be a static value or you can set them dynamically from the data source that is being used in the workflow by selecting the fx button.
Subject

In the basic parameters section, you are able to add an email subject line statically.
Attachment Name

You are able to specify the name for the attachment that will be sent with this email.
Inherit attachments tags

If your email content has tags, NorthStar CCM allows them to be automatically inherited from the attachment.
Send Attachments as Link

Selecting this option will send any attachments as html links for the recipient to open.
Send Condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the email step to send the necessary email(s). You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
Reply To

Use this parameter to indicate the email address other than the "FROM" address to use to reply to the message.
Header Parameters

The Email step supports custom headers. The associated parameters are key-value pairs, therefore you can have multiple headers but at run time only the latest name from the list will be kept - name duplications are not allowed. The values of the parameters can be dynamic (using XPaths) and you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters. All types of email connections (SMTP and Amazon) benefit from custom headers.
Associate with Account(s)

In NorthStar CCM you are able to associate emails with different company accounts. This will allow you to select an account and view all emails that were sent to them.
Associate with Contacts(s)

In NorthStar CCM you are able to associate emails with different contacts. This will allow you to select a customer and view all emails that were sent to them.
Email Body Validation

To ensure that all emails are sent with an email body you can select to add validation to the emails. You have the option to either suspend any email ticket that does not have a body or fail the entire job and any email does not have a body.
Attachment Validation

To ensure all email attachments are sent properly you can select to add validation for the attachments. You can choose to allow emails to be processed without attachments, suspend any email ticket that does not have an attachment, or fail the entire job if an email does not have an attachment.
Priority

Use the Priority option to select the level of priority once the email is sent.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Extract Sub-Form

This step will fetch the data from a populated sub-form.

Data Source

Choose the sub-form from which you would like to extract data.

For example, let's assume that you want to extract data from a Loan Agreement form, where the client input some values. Therefore, you can use \Default\Financial\Loan Agreement\Form.efd as a parameter.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Get Data

Getting you data is usually the first step in a workflow. Use this step quickly configure the Get Data component to retrieve a data model (.edx file) as an input. For more advanced output and conditions, please see the Get Data(Advanced) step.

Data Source

Select the horizontal dots button to navigate the file system and select the data model you would like to use.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Get Data Advanced

If you want access to multiple input files and data conditions, add the advanced step to your workflow. In NorthStar CCM, you can use XML files that are already uploaded into the repository, NorthStar CCM forms (.efd files) created within Form Editor or data models (.edx files) created using the Modeler tool, which is part of NorthStar CCM Studio. Data models created in Modeler can retrieve data from any data source including SQL databases, Web Services, spreadsheets and more.

Data Source

Select the horizontal dots button to navigate the file system and select the data source file you would like to use.
Output file name

Select the Add parameter button to change the name of the output data source file that is created. This step by default, will be set to rendering PDF. Additionally, select the Dynamic Value (fx) button to define a more complex expression for this field.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Get Files

The Get Files step is used to copy files from the disk drive to the NorthStar CCM Repository. The copied files will become output for this step, and used as input for the next steps (e.g. Assembly).

Note

The user that runs the NorthStar CCM Service needs to have read access to the files that are used in the Get Files step.

File Paths

It is a mandatory step and receives as input a node that describes the location of a file from a disk drive. It allows the use of XPATH, as it is evaluated as a node-set. Additionally, XPATH can be used to bring multiple files to the NorthStar CCM Repository. For example, select {XPATH:/root/file/@src} from the Data Source tree, where the XML file looks like this:

< root>

< file src="C:\GetFilesStep\ *.pdf"/>

< file src="C:\GetFilesStep\Input.docx"/>

< file src="C:\GetFilesStep\testIgnore.pdf"/>

< /root>

Search patterns are also supported (Supported wildcards: * and ?). To take all the files with the same file pattern, you can use *.{extension}. For example, this takes all the PDF files from the GetFilesStep folder: C:\GetFilesStep\*.pdf.
To take all the files from a specified location, you can use *.*. For example, this takes all the files included in GetFilesStep: C:\GetFilesStep\*.*
Ignore if not found

Optionally, check this parameter if you want to ignore absent files at rendering time. By default, it is false.
When false, the process will be stopped and the step will fail when the files do not exist on the disk drive or cannot be accessed.
If true, the files that do not exist or are not accessible will be skipped, and the process will be finished with success.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Group

The Group step will aggregate the input work items according to a given criterion.

Expression

Group criteria to use such as an account number, customer email address or Input File Path. For more details see the complex expression dialog.
For example, let's assume that you want to group Fact Sheets according to their "Country" attribute. Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/ns:FactSheet/ns:Holdings/ns:Holding/@Country} as a criterion of grouping.
Additional Includes Expression

You have the ability to add an expression for any additional files that should be added to the group other than the ones specified in the main expression.
Page Count

This parameter will group the documents by the number of pages that have been rendered before grouping them together.
Output Size (MB)

Sometimes, when grouping files together, the resulting file is too large to be used as is. Using the output size parameter will allow you to select the size of the group.
Group condition

The conditional sequence that can be also configured as a complex expression to limit the performing of a certain Group criterion.
For example, let's assume that you want to restrict the already existent grouping criterion to a specific "Country" attribute in the data source. Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/ns:FactSheet/ns:Holdings/ns:Holding/@Country}="Romania" as a condition.
Maximum Documents Count

This parameter will limit the step with a maximum number of files to be included in the Group.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

If

The If step allows you to set up a condition statement for the execution of a process or another step within the workflow.

Expression

You can configure a complex expression as a condition to test for workflow steps that follow.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Index

The Index step will allow you to create a custom CSV file. This will log the selected values from the rendered data source.

Column

You will need to provide a Column name and the data to be captured in that column. Select the fx button to choose a value from the corresponding data source or one of the predefined parameters.
Run Condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Index step to run. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to log values only if the invoice "number" parameter from the data source is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use
{XPATH:/root/Invoices/Invoice/InvoiceProperties/number = '02116'} as a testing condition.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Issue

The Issue step will take the assets received as an input, and will create a new Issue task within the NorthStar CCM Platform.

Assign To

Select from the drop down list to assign the step to a user or a group of users within the current environment.
Title

Provide a relevant title for your issue.
Step description

Provide a description of the step purpose in the current workflow.
Comment

Enter additional information about the Issue step.
Comment Attachments

Select the Dynamic Value button - fx to add attachments for your comments that you want to insert.
Notification Recipients

Within Notification Recipients box, you can add the email addresses of other users that you want to collaborate to the current step.
Run Condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Issue step to run. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to run Issue step only if the "Street" parameter from the data source is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use
{XPATH:/ns:Accounts/ns:Account/@Street = 'Street1'} as a testing condition.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Maintenance

The Maintenance step will delete old jobs, based on the values indicated by the parameters, to reclaim storage space.

Using this step alone will allow you to create a Maintenance Workflow, which can be used as a Custom Action in a Communication.

Older Than

Provide the time frame for the Jobs that you want to overlook at the time the Workflow is run. The values for this field should be numbers.
For example, let's assume that you want to clear storage after 3 months. Therefore you can use 3 as the timeframe for the maintenance process.
Unit Type

Select the Unit Type for the Other Than value.
Based on the same example above, you should set this parameter to Months.
Stages

Filter the Jobs that will be deleted based on Job outcome. Available values are Aborted, Succeeded, Failed or Waiting for Input.
For example, let's assume you want just "Failed" jobs to be deleted, not all of them. Therefore, you should set the parameter to Failed only.
Communication

You are able to select a communication from the drop down list to run this step for. If a communication is selected only the jobs for the selected communication will be affected.
For example, let's assume you want to clear failed jobs just for Bookstore Invoice template. Therefore, you should set "Bookstore Invoice" as communication to which to apply this step.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Overlay

The Overlay step will allow you to add a one-page template which is rendered over the selected pages. This is helpful when adding watermarks or barcodes to specific pages in the document.

Template

Select the Choose File button, to search the NorthStar CCM repository and pick the overlay template that should be used. If the template to use is not currently in NorthStar CCM you have the ability to upload a new one directly from the step.
Include

Use the drop down list to select which pages should have the overlay included on them.
Exclude

Use the drop down list to select which pages should be excluded from the having the overlay.
Output File Name

By default, NorthStar CCM will automatically assign the output file name. However, you can use the Output file name parameter to create a file name that works best for you. Note that these names will need to be unique for each file, select the fx button to the right of the field and add Date and or Standard Parameters to make the file name unique.
Placement

Use the options in the drop down to choose if the overlay is placed above or below the parent template.
XSLT Engine

Select the transformation engine that you want to use in the workflow. You can select between MSXML, DotNet20, Internal or Saxon.
Language Id

When creating templates either using the Publisher or Online Editor, you are able to create multiple translation files to use with your template. This parameter allows you to indicate the translation id, so the parser to know what language to use when rendering documents. Note that this is only available for templates that have at least one translation file included. This can be a static value that you enter, or the value can be driven dynamically from the data source by selecting the Dynamic Value (fx) button to the right of the field.
Run condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Overlay step to add a one-page template. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to add watermarks only if the invoice "number" parameter from the data source is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/root/Invoices/Invoice/InvoiceProperties/number = '02116'} as a testing condition.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

NorthStar CCM will allow you to post messages and or images directly to your Social Media pages.

Channel

Select the Social Media channel to post to, such as Facebook.
Access Token

Provide the Access Token to be used. You are able to type the Token directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, and select the dynamic parameter for the ID used when configuring the connection.
Page ID

Provide the Page ID of the page to post the message to. You are able to type the Page ID directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, and select the dynamic parameter for the ID used when configuring the connection.
Message

Add a message to be posted to the Social Media site.
Picture

You can choose to add an optional image to the post. You can browse for a file from the NorthStar CCM repository or select the fx button to the right of the field, and select the dynamic parameter for the input file. Selecting the dynamic parameter "{Input-File}" will use the image file that was rendered in a previous Workflow step.
Run condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Post to Social Media step to post messages and or images directly to your Social Media pages. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to post a message only if the invoice "number" parameter from the data source is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/root/Invoices/Invoice/InvoiceProperties/number = '02116'} as a testing condition.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Print

Print step configures how print operation should work.

Printer Name

Provide the name of the printer to be used for this step. You are able to type the name directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to pull the name from the assigned data source.
Queue

Select a Print Queue to be used from the drop down menu.
Send condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Copy to FTP step to send the rendered documents to the selected FTP folder. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a dynamic expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
Input Tray

Provide the name of the input tray to be used for this step. You are able to type the name directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to pull the name from the assigned data source.
Manual Tray

Provide the name of the manual tray to be used for this step. You are able to type the name directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to pull the name from the assigned data source.
Printing Mode

Use the drop down menu to select the printing mode to be used for this job. - Auto: Selecting this will use the default settings from the printer itself. - Simplex: This will print the document as single sided. - Duplex: This will print the document double sided.
Color Mode

Use the drop down menu to select the color mode to be used for this job.
- Auto: Selecting this will use the default settings from the printer itself.
- Color: This will print the document in color.
- Monochrome: This will print the document in gray-scale.
Orientation

Use the drop down menu to select the orientation to be used for this job.
Copy Count

You are able to provide the number of copies you would like to make this job. If nothing is added to this parameter only 1 copy will print.
Collate

Use the drop down menu to select if you want this document to print collated or not.
Associate with Account(s)

In NorthStar CCM you are able to associate print files with different company accounts. This will allow you to select an account and view all files that were created for them.
Associate with Contact(s)

In NorthStar CCM you are able to associate print files with different contacts. This will allow you to select a customer and view all files that were created for them.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Publish Version

The Publish Version step will publish the Version, that was created in the previous Create Version step, to a destination Environment and Folder as indicated by the parameters.

Create Version is commonly used as one of the Workflow steps in the Deploy Workflow that will be generated by NorthStar CCM when the Deploy Custom Action is added to a Communication.

When the Review and Approval is enabled, the step will be on Pending until an approved version of the communication is available. To read more information about Version, please visit the Version chapter.

NorthStar CCM URL

The URL path for the NorthStar CCM destination Environment.
Workspace

The path for the destination Workspace of the Version.
Access Token

Provide the NorthStar CCM access token.
Folder Name

Name of the folder that will be created to house the version files in the destination Workspace.
Delete Existing Files

Selecting this option deletes the files included in Version prior to writing them in the destination folder. This means the versions are lost in the target environment. If there are extra files in the destination folder they will remain untouched.
Delete Folder Files

Selecting this option deletes the destination folder, and all files within, prior to publishing the Version.
Include Tags

In the Version folder of a specified Communication, include also tags, inherited from the initial project folder.
Run condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Publish Version step to create the necessary snapshots for a communication project. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to publish a version only if the "number" parameter from the data source of an invoice is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/root/Invoices/Invoice/InvoiceProperties/number = '02116'} as a testing condition.
Communication Name

Provide the name of the Communication project for which you have to do a Version.
Communication Description

Provide the description of the Communication project for which you have to do a Version.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Render

The Render step produces the output documents. You can quickly add this step to your workflow when you need to quickly generate a simple common output file. For more advanced output and conditions, please see the Render Advanced step.

Output format

Using the Render step, you can use the drop-down button and select an option to generate a PDF, Word Document, PowerPoint or JPEG files.
Template

Select the horizontal dots button to navigate the file system and attach a template you want to use as a base for the output generated.

For more information, please see the Render Advanced step.

Render Advanced

If you want to generate various output files or are you looking for more advanced output conditions, add the advanced render step to your workflow. You can configure what type of output you would like to produce, what template to use, and other variables that will drive this production. In this section, you will have access to the different configuration options for each output type.

Note

Changing the Output Format will automatically reset all parameters related to the previous output format that has been configured previously.

Output format

NorthStar CCM allows you to render your documents in many different types of outputs. By default, the render step will be set to render PDF files.

Notes

Depending on the Output format you have selected, when switching to advanced, you will see different advanced parameters to modify. For more information on each of these visit Output Parameters. However, there are a few standard parameters that are available for each output type.
Template

Use the Choose File button to search the NorthStar CCM Repository, and select the data source you would like to use. If a template does not exist in NorthStar CCM you have the option to upload one to the repository directly from the step.
For example, let's assume you want to generate an output from the Loan Agreement template. Therefore you should use the Financial\Loan Agreement\Template.epr. If not available, visit the Project Ideas chapter to see how to install sample projects.
Output file name

By default, NorthStar CCM will automatically assign the output file name as a combination of the input data source and its position. However, you can use the Output file name parameter to create a file name that works best for you. Please note that these names will need to be unique for each file, select the Dynamic Value (fx) button to the right of the field and add Date and or Standard Parameters to make the file name unique.
Language Id

When creating templates either using the NorthStar CCM Studio Publisher or Online Editor, you are able to create multiple translation files to use with your template. This parameter allows you to indicate the translation id, so the parser to know what language to use when rendering documents. Note that this is only available for templates that have at least one translation file included.
This can be a static value that you enter, or the value can be driven dynamically from the data source by selecting the Dynamic Value (fx) button to the right of the field.
Retry count

By default, if Render step fails within the workflow, a message error will be displayed. Retry Count parameter can be used in case of a failure at Render step level, by specifying the number of times this step must retry execution.
For example, let's assume an error in rendering document is noticed. Therefore, you can set the parameter to 3 times of retrial process.
XSLT Engine

Select the transformation engine that you want to use in the workflow. You can select between MSXML, DotNet20, Internal or Saxon.
Use Compiled Templates

Enabling this option will allow any change done to the template to be processed without recompiling.
Reference Resolver

Reference Resolver Type is a collection of values that can be set to specify options for resolving references for elements such as page-number-citation, page-number, etc.. You can choose from: Disabled, Parallel, Serial and Optimized.
When the Reference Resolver is set to Parallel, it is enabled as a separate thread. Setting it to Serial means that the Reference Resolver is enabled, but works on the same thread as the actual rendering process. A separate thread for the Reference Resolver is used for rendering time optimization. It runs parallel with the main rendering thread
Run condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Render step to run and produce the necessary documents. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the dynamic value button to the right of the field, to create a dynamic expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters. For example, let's assume you want to restrict the render process to the condition statement where the "City" parameter finds "Annapolis" value in the data source. Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/ns:Accounts/ns:Account/@City = 'Annapolis'} as a parameter.
Associate with Account(s)

In NorthStar CCM you are able to associate emails with different company accounts. This will allow you to select an account and view all rendered documents that were generated to them.
Associate with Contacts(s)

In NorthStar CCM you are able to associate emails with different contacts. This will allow you to select a contact and view all rendered documents that were generated to them.
Filter analytics data by Contact

In NorthStar CCM you can select certain pieces of data from the documents that are produced, according to Contact Criteria.
IMDB Name

Choose the XPath for database's name that stores in the computer’s main memory the produced documents.
Image Errors

Introduce images to fix issues that cause errors when rendering or exporting.
Additional Copy Count

This parameter setup will store the number of times that each document produced in Render step will be copied. For example, if Copy Count is set to 3, the workflow will duplicate the output document three times. In the end, you will be able to see 4 documents.
Additional Copies Output Name

You can use this parameter, in order to customize the name of the document copies. If no specified, the files generated will have the name of the original file duplicated, for example OutputName(number). For example, you can set this parameter to Guid to uniquely identify the outputs generated.
Encoding

Help you select the Encoding Type for Plain Text outputs. The encoding types you can select are ASCII, UTF 8 or UTF 16.
Line Height

Set up a value for the line height to increase or decrease the space above and below lines for Plain Text outputs.
Trim Pages

When the Trim Page parameter is set to true, from the plain text output will be removed the extra whitespace and tab spaces.
When the Trim Page parameter is set to false, the extra whitespaces will be kept in the output.
Ignore CSS Box Attributes

When this parameter is set to true, all the box model elements(margins, borders, paddings) will be ignored in the output.
Encode Compression

NorthStar CCM provides various options for compression, when generating TIFF outputs. You can choose from CA CCITT3, CA CCITT4, CA LZW, CA None or CA RLE.
Include Images

Use this parameter to include or not images into Email Body content. You can either embed the image or use a Content ID (CID).
Fixed body width

Use this parameter to specify whether to use a fixed width to approximate a paginated document layout or a fluid layout based on the window size.
Fixed body align

Use this parameter to align the email body to left, right or center.
Code Page

Use this parameter to select the Code Page type you want to use for IBM:MODCA outputs. You can choose between ACP Custom, ACP NotSet, ACP T1000808, ACP T1000892, ACP T1001250, ACP T1001252 or ACP T1V10500.
Convert Fonts

Use this parameter to convert fonts to Outline or Raster.
Resolution

Use this parameter to specify the default resolution(DPI). The value 0 means automatic. Available for JPEG, PNG and TIFF Outputs.
Hide Static Content

When this parameter is set to true, the parser will skip rendering the static content elements(headers, footers, etc.) in HTML output.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Render DITA

The Render DITA step is available for you to render your DITA input to a variety of different supported outputs for DITA. One of the powerful assets of DITA processing is the capability to generate various documentation outputs from a single source driving what content is to be used.

Source DITA Files

Provide the source for the DITA files to render.
Transform type

From the drop down list provided select the output type to transform the DITA files to.
DITA Parameters

Use this section to add any DITA specific parameters that might be needed.

Review Document

The Review Document step will take the document received as an input, and will create a new Review Document task within the NorthStar CCM Platform.

Assign To

Select from the drop down list to assign the step to a user or a group of users within the current environment.
Title

Provide a relevant title for the current step.
Step description

Provide a description of the step purpose in the current workflow.
Comment

Enter additional information about the Review Document step.
Comment Attachments

Select the Dynamic Value button - fx to add attachments for your comments that you want to insert.
Notification Recipients

Within Notification Recipients box, you can add the email addresses of other users that you want to collaborate to the current step.
Run Condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Review Document step to run. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to Review Document only if the "Street" parameter from the data source is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use
{XPATH:/ns:Accounts/ns:Account/@Street = 'Street1'} as a testing condition.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Review Journey

The Review Journey step will use the journey context as input and will create a new Review Journey task within the NorthStar CCM Platform.

Assign To

Select from the drop down list to assign the step to a user or a group of users within the current environment.
Title

Provide a relevant title for the current step.
Step description

Provide a description of the step purpose in the current workflow.
Comment

Enter additional information about the Review Journey step.
Comment Attachments

Select the Dynamic Value button - fx to add attachments for your comments that you want to insert.
Notification Recipients

Within Notification Recipients box, you can add the email addresses of other users that you want to collaborate to the current step.
Run condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Review Journey step to run. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to Review Journey only if the "Street" parameter from the data source is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use
{XPATH:/ns:Accounts/ns:Account/@Street = 'Street1'} as a testing condition.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Review Snapshot

The Review Snapshot step will take the version received as an input, and will create a new Review Snapshot task within the NorthStar CCM Platform.

Assign To

Select from the drop down list to assign the step to a user or a group of users within the current environment.
Title

Provide a relevant title for the current step.
Step description

Provide a description of the step purpose in the current workflow.
Comment

Enter additional information about the Review Snapshot step.
Comment Attachments

Select the Dynamic Value button - fx to add attachments for your comments that you want to insert.
Notification Recipients

Within Notification Recipients box, you can add the email addresses of other users that you want to collaborate to the current step.
Run Condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Review Snapshot step to run. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to Review Snapshot only if the "Street" parameter from the data source is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use
{XPATH:/ns:Accounts/ns:Account/@Street = 'Street1'} as a testing condition.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Run Project

The Run Project step will allow you to select a separate communication project to run. The step allows starting individual communications on multithreads. Additionally, Run Project supports groups as input. For example, if a Group step is followed by a Run Project, the last step will run a communication for each group. Also if Use Input is checked, all files form individual groups that will be sent as input for communications.

Communication

This parameter allows you to choose from a drop down list the Communication project that needs to be run.
For example, let's assume that you want to run a communication based on a Contract between a customer and your company. Therefore, you can choose the Contract template as a communication.
Use Input

If this parameter is checked the input of the current step will be sent to the new created communication as input. By default, the parameter is checked (true).
Propagate Job Output

If this parameter is checked the output of individual jobs will be collected and sent as output to the Run Project outcomes. By default, the parameter is checked (true). This parameter is valid only if the Run Asynchronous parameter is not specified or is not checked.
Test Mode

By selecting this option you will be running the selected communication as a test. This means that the number of outputs will be limited.
Run Asynchronous

Selecting this option will allow the selected communication to run while still allowing the rest of the tasks in the current workflow to run.
Run condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Run Project step to execute a certain type of communication. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to run the Contract communication for a specific customer. Therefore, you can use a condition to restrict the starting of the step in the workflow, by using
{XPATH:/ns1:Accounts/ns1:Account/ns1:Contacts/ns1:Contact/ns1:PortalCredentials/@LoginName ='username1'}
in order to validate the "username" attribute of your desired client.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Run Workflow

The Run Workflow step will allow you to select a separate workflow to run. This task is very helpful when creating a review and approval workflow. It will allow you to generate the output from a workflow and send it to a user or group for them to review without needing technical knowledge of how the system works. The step starts individual communications on multithreads. Additionally, Run Workflow supports groups as input. For example, if a Group step is followed by a Run Workflow, the last step will run a job for each group. Also if Use Input is checked, all files form individual groups that will be sent as input for jobs.

Workflow File

NorthStar CCM allows you to upload a new workflow file, under the current one.

For example, let's assume that you want to create a "contact" after you have a contract with one of your clients. Therefore, you can use another workflow that gets Customer's data from a different data source and stores the information in the database.
Workflow workspace

Provide the name of the Workspace project that houses the workflow needed to be executed. By default, after selecting the Workflow file, the workspace will be automatically identified.
Use Input

If this parameter is checked the input of the current step will be sent to the new created job as input. By default, the parameter is checked (true).
Propagate Job Output

If this parameter is checked the output of individual jobs will be collected and sent as output to the Run Workflow outcomes. By default, the parameter is checked (true). This parameter is valid only if the Run Asynchronous parameter is not specified or is not checked.
Test Mode

By selecting this option you will be running the selected workflow as a test. This means that the number of outputs will be limited.
Run Asynchronous

Selecting this option will allow the selected workflow to run while still allowing the rest of the tasks in the current workflow to run.
Run condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Run Workflow step to execute another specified .wk4 file under the same workflow. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you have a workflow inside a workflow and for the inner one you want to set a condition based on the existence of a contact. Therefore, before you actually create the contact, you should use {XPATH:/ns1:Accounts/ns1:Account/ns1:Contacts/ns1:Contact != 'MyContact'} and verify if the contact is not already in the data source.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

SMS

The SMS step will send automatic SMS messages from the workflow by configuring some settings such as SMS recipients, channel and senders.

Queue

Select an SMS Queue to be used for delivery from the drop down menu. If there is no SMS connection created, please visit the Connections chapter to find out how to create an SMS connection.
To

Provide the number for the recipient of the SMS message. This parameter can be a static value or you can set it dynamically from the data source that is being used in the workflow by selecting the fx button.
SenderID

Provide the value ID that appears on customer's phones to show from whom the SMS is.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Split step

If your input data is in XML that contains nodes for multiple documents, you can use the Split step to produce several sub-XMLs, one for each document.

Example: Let’s assume your input data file contains the monthly invoice content for thousands of customers:

Invoices.XML

<invoices>
    <invoice account="Joe Doe">
    …
    </invoice>
    <invoice account="Mary Jane">
    …
    </invoice>  
    …
</invoices>

After running Split, a separate XML file will be created for each node that is a direct child of the root element:

Invoice01.XML

<invoice account="Joe Doe">
    …
</invoice>

Invoice02.XML

<invoice account="Mary Jane">
    …
</invoice>

… and so on.

XML Node

This parameter will allow you to select the exact node that NorthStar CCM will use to create the sub-XMLs. By default, NorthStar CCM will use the first repeating node as the split point.
For our example, to generate the Invoice01.XML and Invoice02.XML, the value you need to add is
{XPATH:/invoices/invoice}.
Keep Context

The Keep context option will ensure that when the sub-XMLs are created they follow the same structure as the original.
Output file name

By default, NorthStar CCM will automatically assign the output file name as a combination of the input data source and its position, as shown above. However, you can use the Output file name parameter to create a file name that works best for you. Please note that these names will need to be unique for each file, select the fx button to the right of the field and add Date and or Standard_ parameters to make the file name unique.
In memory

When performing the Split step, the output documents will be stored in memory, not on the disk, resulting in faster rendering.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Tag

NorthStar CCM allows you to add tags (metadata) to documents at the time they are rendered. Some of the tags you can can add have a predefined meaning in NorthStar CCM, for example, when a document is tagged with a Contact ID, it will show up in the list of documents for that customer, in the Customer Module.

Tag

Select the tag you would like to be applied to the rendered document. Below is a list of the predefined tags in NorthStar CCM:

Name	Value	Description
Public	{Guid}	This will create a unique ID to be used to create the public URL. The document will be accessible online without authentication, through an URL similar to the following: https://enterprise-us01-cx.mhcnorthstar.com:8097/NorthStarCCM/PublicLink?publicId={GUID}&embed=true
Contact ID	Contact ID	Associated this document with the specified contact. The contact ID can be statically added or pulled in for your data source.
Account ID	Account ID	Associated this document with the specified account. The account ID can be statically added or pulled in for your data source.
Portal Available	True/False	This will allow the document to be visible in the customer portal. Users have to be authenticated before accessing the document.
Portal Category	Documents/Forms/Analytics	Choose where this document will be stored in the customer portal.
Portal Title	Anything	Give the document a title that will be shown in the customer portal.
Status	Anything	Stores the current status of its associated workflow.

Run Condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Tag step to run and tag the necessary documents. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to apply tags only if the "Street" parameter from the data source is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/ns:Accounts/ns:Account/@Street = 'Street1'} as a testing condition.
Update tags

You can perform later editing of tags content, that have already been associated with some rendered documents.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Task

The Task step will take the assets received as an input, and will create a new Task within the NorthStar CCM Platform.

Assign To

Select from the drop down list to assign the step to a user or a group of users within the current environment.
Title

Provide a relevant title for your task.
Step description

Provide a description of the step purpose in the current workflow.
Comment

Enter additional information about the Task step.
Comment Attachments

Select the Dynamic Value button - fx to add attachments for your comments that you want to insert.
Notification Recipients

Within Notification Recipients box, you can add email address of other users that you want to collaborate to the current task.
Run Condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Task step to run. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.
For example, let's assume you want to run the Task step only if the "Street" parameter from the data source is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use
{XPATH:/ns:Accounts/ns:Account/@Street = 'Street1'} as a testing condition.

For other workflow components please access the Components Table.

Validation

The Validation step will check the XML file introduced as a data source if corresponds to the format of a .xsd file. In this way, you can obtain a faster information if an error might be occurring, without having to perform all the steps in the Workflow.

Data Source

NorthStar CCM allows you to compare the .xml file, where you, in a previous step (ex. Get Data) retrieve data from, with the format of an XML schema diagram that must be uploaded from your local machine.

Wait

The Wait step is used to suspend the entire execution of the workflow until a specified period of time passes.

Duration in Seconds

You may choose to add a certain period of time (in seconds) between steps, that run one after another. This will ensure that the previous step has finished its running period by the time the next step starts.

For example, you can use this step to suspend the workflow until a defined event has occurred.

Web Request

Calling HTTP Web Services (GET, SET, POST, etc.) in a workflow is possible using the Web Request step.

Url

Stores the URL Parameter from a Web Request.
Method

Choose from the predefined HTTP methods or create a complex expression as one.
Content

Specifies the format (ex. JSON) of the data gathered from a GET request, the way in which it might be structured.
Header Parameter

HTTP headers allow the clients and the server to pass additional information with the request or the response.
Body Parameter

There can be an unlimited number of key-value pair body parameters, that are parsed when the web request has been sent. These parameters are specific for each HTTP request.
Custom Body

The purpose of this parameter is to let the user, the freedom to choose the view of the HTTP request body. This cannot be used with Body Parameter.
Run condition

You are able to set a specific condition that when met will trigger the Web Request step to call the specified HTTP Request. You are able to type the expression directly into the field, or you can select the fx button to the right of the field, to create a complex expression, using the assigned data source or the available dynamic parameters.

For example, let's assume that you want to make an HTTP request only if the "number" parameter from the data source of an invoice is having a certain value. Therefore, you can use {XPATH:/root/Invoices/Invoice/InvoiceProperties/number = '02116'} as a testing condition.

NorthStar CCM Workflow Editor

Getting Started

Overview

Accessing Workflow Editor

Understanding the Workflow Editor Layout

Online Editor

Components

Components Table

Adding a new Component

Editing a Component

Connecting Workflow Steps

Workflow Stages

Style

Workflow Parameters

Workflow Settings

Configuring Workflows

Job Name Pattern

Complex Expressions

Transient Run

Adding Business Rules to Workflows

Configuring Tags

Workflow Components

Steps and Properties

Append

Archive

Assembly

Copy to Amazon S3

Copy to Azure

Copy to NorthStar CCM Folder

Copy to FTP

Copy to Folder

Copy to SharePoint

Create Correspondence

Create Project

Create Version

Data Ingestion

Provide Quote

Create-Update People

Custom

Decompress

Delete Version

Electronic Signature

Email

Email Advanced

Extract Sub-Form

Get Data

Get Data Advanced

Get Files

Group

If

Index

Issue

Maintenance

Overlay

Post to Social Media

Print

Publish Version

Render

Render Advanced

Render DITA

Review Document

Review Journey

Review Snapshot

Run Project

Run Workflow

SMS

Split step

Tag

Task

Validation

Wait

Web Request