WithWorkflows

Interface for workflow-enabled entities

Audience: Programmer

The WithWorkflows interface is implemented by entities that can trigger and participate in Temporal workflows for complex business processes.

Fields

Field	Type	Description
workflows	[Workflow!]	Active workflows for this entity
workflowHistory	WorkflowConnection	Historical workflow executions
canStartWorkflow	Boolean!	Whether new workflows can be started

Workflow Integration

Entities with workflows can:

• Trigger automated processes

• Require approvals

• Orchestrate multi-step operations

• Handle long-running tasks

• Implement saga patterns

Implementing Types

• PickingOrder

• ReceivingInbound

• InventoryItem

• Customer

• Supplier

Usage

query {
  pickingOrder(id: "123") {
    ... on WithWorkflows {
      workflows {
        id
        workflowID
        runID
        status
        startedAt
        completedAt
      }
      canStartWorkflow
    }
  }
}

mutation {
  createWorkflow(input: {
    entityID: "123"
    entityType: "PickingOrder"
    workflowType: "order_fulfillment"
  }) {
    workflow {
      id
      status
    }
  }
}

Common Workflows

• Order Fulfillment - Pick, pack, ship

• Receiving - Inspect, count, putaway

• Inventory Counts - Cycle counting

• Returns - RMA processing

• Transfers - Multi-step movements

Workflow States

• PENDING - Waiting to start

• RUNNING - Currently executing

• COMPLETED - Successfully finished

• FAILED - Execution failed

• CANCELLED - Manually cancelled

• TERMINATED - Force stopped

Best Practices

1. Design idempotent workflow activities

2. Handle partial failures gracefully

3. Implement compensation logic

4. Monitor workflow metrics

5. Set appropriate timeouts

See Also

• Workflow Type - Workflow details

• WorkflowSignal Type - Workflow signaling

• Temporal Metadata - Temporal.io integration