Inclusive Gateway Split Node

The Data Workflow Builder’s Inclusive Gateway Split node splits a single flow of a business process into multiple flows that can run concurrently depending on the Inclusive Gateway Split node’s link logic. This node is different from the Exclusive Gateway node, which uses a single, defined default path similar to an if/then statement.

When you use an Inclusive Gateway Split node in your workflow, you must also use an Inclusive Gateway Join node. The Inclusive Gateway Join node has two jobs:

Pausing the workflow until all parallel tasks that split from the Inclusive Gateway Split node are complete.
Merging together each state of the submission before the it progresses through the rest of the workflow.

Situations when you might use the Inclusive Gateway set of nodes include:

Executing two or more automated tasks at the same time, before the end-user progresses to the next task in the workflow.
Allowing multiple team members to work on different tasks in a workflow at the same time.
Executing automated tasks at the same time as end-user tasks.

To learn more about the Inclusive Gateway Join node, view our Inclusive Gateway Join Node article.

It's important that all paths that split from a given Inclusive Gateway Split node reconnect at the same Inclusive Gateway Join node. For example, you cannot connect a Handoff or End node to a task or path that splits from an Inclusive Gateway Split node. You also cannot connect paths that split from the same Inclusive Gateway Split node to several Inclusive Gateway Join nodes. These rules ensure your workflow does not reach an endpoint while multiple states of the same submission exist.

Inclusive Gateway Split Node Settings

After adding an Inclusive Gateway Split node to your workflow, select it to open a Settings Menu. This menu displays as a blue menu bar, either above or below the node itself. The menu has the following options:

Diagram showing an inclusive gateway split with an edit option available.

Setting	Description
Edit Button	Opens the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split drawer. From there, you can configure settings relating to the Inclusive Gateway Split node.
Delete Button (Down Arrow)	Removes the node from the workflow.

Edit Inclusive Gateway Split Drawer Description

The following settings are available in the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split drawer:

Editing an inclusive gateway split with linked tasks and error message options.

Setting		Description
Label		The name applied to the node. By default, the Label displays as inclusive-gateway-split-1. This label is optional and displays below the node once set. Labels should be user-friendly and well-associated with the role of the node.
Error Message		Enter a custom error message to display when one or more paths that split from the Inclusive Gateway Split node can't proceed.
Output Links		Lists all Inclusive Gateway Split Links that split from the Inclusive Gateway Split node. Each listed output link shows the link's name, logic, the name of the linked node, and the link's order. Clicking Edit in a listed output link opens the link's Edit Inclusive Gateway Link drawer.
↳	Link Order	Upon linking other nodes to your Inclusive Gateway Split node, the Output Links section populates. By default, links display in the order they were added. You can also manually reorder links using the Order selector. Click the up and down arrow icons to change a link's order. Link ordering helps determine which task your end-user encounters when the workflow progresses through the Inclusive Gateway Split node. This is useful when an end-user could potentially access multiple parallel processes. By default, the end-user progresses along the Order 1 link. Link ordering can't override the end-user's permissions. For example, if the end-user does not have permission to access the task connected to the Order 1 link, they'll proceed along the Order 2 link, assuming their role permissions grant access to the task connected to the Order 2 link.

Inclusive Gateway Split Links

An Inclusive Gateway Split node splits the workflow submission's path, depending on simple logic. When you connect an Inclusive Gateway Split node's output port to another node, the connector becomes an Inclusive Gateway Split link. Inclusive Gateway Split links look like a directional arrow with a link indicator.

In the Workflow Builder, the link indicator is red when logic is not defined. After defining a logic expression, the link indicator is purple.

Diagram illustrating an inclusive gateway split leading to a task in a process flow.

You'll notice that the Inclusive Gateway Split link has an X icon along the link. This icon represents the navigation restrictions related to a parallel process. When your end-user proceeds through an Inclusive Gateway Split link, they're entering a parallel process. End-users cannot exit that parallel process or enter a new parallel process using the Previous button or by direct navigation. Doing so helps maintain the integrity of the workflow submission while multiple states exist.

Output links from an Inclusive Gateway Join node also have an X icon. Inclusive Gateway Join links have similar navigation restrictions. After all parallel processes are complete, end-users cannot navigate back to a task that was part of a parallel process.

An Inclusive Gateway Split node should connect to at least two nodes before merging at an Inclusive Gateway Join node. Doing so creates at least two possible workflow paths. But your workflow won't necessarily progress along each of those paths. You can control which link path the workflow progresses along using simple logic statements. You'll set up logic statements in the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split Link drawer.

In some cases, your end-user will have permissions that grant access to several paths. To control which link path your end-user follows in Express View, you can use link ordering. See the Link Order setting description under Edit Inclusive Gateway Split Drawer Description to learn more.

Logic and Error Handling

When a workflow reaches an Inclusive Gateway Split node, the workflow reviews the logic for all connected Inclusive Gateway Split links. All links that evaluate as true (logic match) proceed concurrently, assuming the associated tasks are in different swimlanes.

When one or more link paths encounter an error between the Inclusive Gateway Split and Join nodes, the following error handling scenarios might occur:

Error Handling With Only Automated Tasks: When the Inclusive Gateway node runs multiple automated tasks in parallel, with no user tasks involved. Failing one or more automated tasks returns the workflow to the state before the split occurred. The end-user stays on the task before the Inclusive Gateway Split node.
Error Handling With Automated Tasks Before User Tasks: When the Inclusive Gateway Split node runs automated tasks followed by user tasks. Failing one or more automated tasks returns the workflow to the state before the split occurred. Doing so prevents user tasks in one swimlane from being completed while another swimlane is experiencing an error.

Inclusive Gateway Split Link Settings Menu

Diagram showing an inclusive gateway split leading to task-1 with an edit option.

Selecting an Inclusive Gateway Split link opens a Settings Menu. This menu displays as a blue menu bar, above the link indicator. The menu has the following options:

Setting	Description
Edit Button	Opens the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split Link drawer. From there, you can configure settings relating to the Inclusive Gateway Split link.
Delete Button (Down Arrow)	Removes the link from the workflow.

Edit Inclusive Gateway Split Link Drawer Description

Clicking the Edit button displays the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split Link drawer:

Editing settings for an inclusive gateway split link with logic and options.

Setting		Description
Label		The name applied to the link. This label is optional and displays below the link once set. Labels should be user-friendly and well-associated with the role of the node.
Logic		Sets the logic for the Inclusive Gateway Split link. All links with logic that evaluate as true proceed concurrently. The expression typically consists of a Property ID, operator, and criteria (value) for matching. For example: `propertyId='string'` `propertyId>100` `propertyId=TRUE` The Logic field also supports Excel formulas. For example: `EXACT(propertyId,'value')` `ISNUMBER(propertyId)` `SUM(propertyId, propertyId)` If you want your workflow to always follow a given path, you can enter `TRUE` in the link's Logic field. Because you've hardcoded the value, the logic always evaluates as true. Expressions that begin with an equal sign (`=`) are also valid. For example, `=EXACT(propertyId,'value')` and `EXACT(propertyId,'value')` evaluate the same way. The Property ID should reference a field accessible to your workflow. For example, a field present in the workflow submission. The Logic field autopopulates Property ID values as you enter text. You can use dot notation to reference keys for a given Property ID. For example, referencing a key/value pair in an object. When entering a Property ID in your logic expression, you do not need to include `data`. as a prefix. Logic expressions support the following operators: `=`, `<`, `>`, `>=`, `<=`. When entering the criteria (value) the formula matches against, you can use a string, integer, or Boolean value. You must wrap strings in single (`'`) or double (`"`) quotes. Numerical values do not need quotes. To reference Boolean values, use `TRUE` or `FALSE`.
Unidirectional		Sets the link one-way. End-users cannot navigate back through a unidirectional link. The link has a double arrowhead when the Unidirectional setting is (ON). The link has a single arrowhead when the Unidirectional setting is (OFF). By default, the Unidirectional setting is (OFF).
Use Flash Message		When set to (ON), you can create a flash message for this link. Flash messages are alerts that display at the top of the workflow in Express View. They display when an end-user navigates past a link that has a flash message enabled. By default, the Use Flash Message setting is (OFF).
↳	Flash Message	This setting displays when the Use Flash Message setting is set to (ON). Enter a custom flash message for the alert.
	Make Flash Message Dismissible	This setting displays when the Use Flash Message setting is (ON). When set to (ON), your end-user can manually dismiss the flash message. To dismiss the flash message, end-users can click the X button on the flash message. When set to (OFF), the Flash Message disappears on its own. This setting is not currently working as intended. Flash messages remain on-screen until manually dismissed.
	Message Status	This setting displays when the Use Flash Message setting is (ON). Select a message status for your flash message. The message status affects the styling of your flash message. The drop-down options include: Success: The flash message is light green. Info: The flash message is light blue. Danger: The flash message is red.

Demonstration of an Inclusive Gateway Split Node

The workflow below includes an Inclusive Gateway Split node and an accompanying Inclusive Gateway Join node.

This demonstration is for illustrative purposes only and cannot be replicated due to Training environment security.

The scenario for this workflow is as follows:

The end-users are all involved in helping review and approve a life insurance policy application. The workflow has four swimlanes with four different roles:

Underwriter
Broker
Doctor
Automated

The Broker begins the workflow. The first task is to begin a life insurance policy application on behalf of a client. When filling out the application, the Broker notes if the application needs one of two optional tasks:

If the client has previous life insurance records on file, an Underwriter must review the records.
If the client needs a health assessment, a Doctor must approve the application.

In addition to these optional tasks, two required tasks always occur:

The Underwriter notes the client's income range.
A Script-type task in the Automated swimlane runs a credit score check.

After all roles complete the required and optional tasks, the Broker reviews the policy application results.

Here's what the workflow looks like in the Workflow Builder:

Flowchart illustrating the process for submitting a life insurance policy and assessments.

As you can see, the tasks assigned to the Underwriter, Doctor, and Automated roles take place after the Inclusive Gateway Split node. That way, the Doctor, Underwriter, and Automated swimlane tasks can happen in parallel. Once complete, the workflow merges at the Inclusive Gateway Join node.

What This Workflow Uses

This demonstration uses the following nodes:

1 Start node
Workflows include a Start node by default. The Start node doesn't need any additional configuration.
6 Task nodes
1 Inclusive Gateway Split node
1 Signal node
1 Inclusive Gateway Join node
1 End node
This use case highlights how to use the Inclusive Gateway Split and Join nodes. You can add additional nodes for more complex functionality.

This demonstration uses the following swimlanes:

Swimlane Row	Assigned Role
1	Underwriter
2	Broker
3	Doctor
4	Automated

Configure the First Task Node

This first Task node is where the Broker inputs information on behalf of the client.

In the Workflow Builder, drag and drop a Task node in the Broker swimlane.
Click Edit to open the Edit User Task drawer.
In the Label field, enter Submit life insurance policy.
In the Path field, enter submitlifeinsurancepolicy.
From the Add a Module drop-down select the Inclusive Gateway Use Case: Submit Life Insurance Policy module.
1. This module collects Policy Holder data, including name, social security number, documents, previous insurance records, and whether the holder needs a health review. It contains the following Property IDs used by the workflow: needsDoctorReport, hasPreviousRecords.
Close the Edit User Task drawer.

Configure the Inclusive Gateway Split Node

Next, add the Inclusive Gateway Split node.

Drag and drop an Inclusive Gateway Split node in the Broker swimlane.

Configure the Signal Node

This Signal node lets the Broker know they've completed their tasks for now. Before the Broker can proceed, the tasks in the Underwriter, Doctor, and Automated swimlanes must be complete. A custom message tells the Broker exactly what to expect at this stage of the process.

Drag and drop a Signal node in the Broker swimlane.
Click Edit to open the Edit Signal Event drawer.
In the Label field, enter signal-broker.
Set the Use Template toggle to (ON).
In the Template field, enter Please wait for all other parties to complete their review of the application..
Close the Edit Signal Event drawer.

Configure the First Inclusive Gateway Split Link

Next, connect the Inclusive Gateway Split node to the Signal node. Because we want the Signal node's message to always display, the logic expression is set to TRUE. That way, the link's logic always evaluates as true, so the workflow always proceeds along this path.

Connect the input port (left) of the signal-broker Signal node to the output port (right) of the inclusive-gateway-split-1 Inclusive Gateway Split node.
Click Edit to open the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split Link drawer.
In the Logic field, enter TRUE.
Close the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split Link drawer.

Configure the Second Task Node

The second Task node connects to an Income Assessment module:

Drag and drop a Task node in the Underwriter swimlane.
Click Edit to open the Edit User Task drawer.
In the Label field, enter Income Assessment.
In the Path field, enter incomeassessment.
The Add a Module drop-down connects to an Inclusive Gateway Use Case: Income Assessment module.
Close the Edit User Task drawer.

Configure the Second Inclusive Gateway Split Link

This link uses TRUE logic because the application process should always include an income assessment.

Connect the input port (left) of the Income Assessment Task node to the output port (right) of the inclusive-gateway-split-1 Inclusive Gateway Split node.
Click Edit to open the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split Link drawer.
In the Label field, enter Always assess income.
In the Logic field, enter TRUE.
Close the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split Link drawer.

Configure the Third Task Node

The third Task node connects to a Previous Life Insurance Records Assessment module:

Drag and drop a Task node in the Underwriter swimlane.
Click Edit to open the Edit User Task drawer.
In the Label field, enter Previous Life Insurance Records Assessment.
In the Path field, enter previouslifeinsurancerecordsassessment.
From the Add a Module drop-down select the Inclusive Gateway Use Case: Income Assessment module.
Close the Edit User Task drawer.

Configure the Third Inclusive Gateway Split Link

This link uses the logic value hasPreviousRecords='TRUE'. The value hasPreviousRecords is the Property ID of a Dropdown component in the Submit Life Insurance Policy module. The Dropdown component asks the question, "Does the policyholder have previous life insurance records?" If the Broker answers Yes to the question, the value TRUE is stored in the database. So, if the client has previous life insurance records, the workflow proceeds along this path.

Connect the input port (left) of the Previous Life Insurance Records Assessment Task node to the output port (right) of the inclusive-gateway-split-1 Inclusive Gateway Split node.
Click Edit to open the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split Link drawer.
In the Label field, enter Has previous life insurance records.
In the Logic field, enter hasPreviousRecords='TRUE'.
Close the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split Link drawer.

Configure the Fourth Task Node

The fourth Task node connects to a Provide Health Certificate module:

Drag and drop a Task node in the Doctor swimlane.
Click Edit to open the Edit User Task drawer.
In the Label field, enter Provide Health Certificate.
In the Path field, enter providehealthcertificate.
From the Add a Module drop-down, select the Inclusive Gateway Use Case: Previous Life Insurance Records Assessment module.
Close the Edit User Task drawer.

Configure the Fourth Inclusive Gateway Split Link

This link uses the logic value needsDoctorReport='TRUE'. The value needsDoctorReport is the Property ID of a Dropdown component in the Submit Life Insurance Policy module. The Dropdown component asks the question "Does the policy holder need a health review?" If the Broker answers Yes to the question, then the value TRUE is stored in the database. So, if the client needs a health review, the workflow proceeds along this path.

Connect the input port (left) of the Provide Health Certificate Task node to the output port (right) of the Inclusive Gateway Split node.
Click Edit to open the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split Link drawer.
In the Label field, enter Needs doctor report.
In the Logic field, enter needsDoctorReport='TRUE'.
Close the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split Link drawer.

Configure the Fifth Task Node

The fifth Task node connects to an Inclusive Gateway Use Case: Run Credit Score module:

Drag and drop a Task node in the Automated swimlane.
Click Edit to open the Edit Script Task drawer.
In the Label field, enter Get credit score.
In the Path field, enter getcreditscore.
From the Add a Module drop-down, select the Enablement Lab - Inclusive Gateway Use Case: Run Credit Score module.
Close the Edit Script Task drawer.

Configure the Fifth Inclusive Gateway Split Link

This link uses the logic value TRUE because the application process should always include running a credit score check.

Connect the input port (left) of the Get credit score Task node to the output port (right) of the inclusive-gateway-split-1 Inclusive Gateway Split node.
Click Edit to open the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split Link drawer.
In the Label field, enter Always get credit score.
In the Logic field, enter TRUE.
Close the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split Link drawer.

Update the Inclusive Gateway Split Node

Before moving on to the Inclusive Gateway Join node, let's revisit the Inclusive Gateway Split node. If the client has existing records, the Underwriter role must review those records before continuing with the new application. So, let's use the link ordering feature to adjust what task the Underwriter sees first. By changing the link order, the Underwriter proceeds to the Previous Life Insurance Records Assessment task before the Income Assessment task.

All tasks that branch from an Inclusive Gateway Split node exist in parallel. So, an Underwriter can still access the Income Assessment task before the Previous Life Insurance Records Assessment task is complete. Link ordering only affects the default workflow path.

The order in which you add Inclusive Gateway Split Links determines the link ordering. But, you can manually adjust the link ordering in the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split drawer.

Select the Inclusive Gateway Split node.
Click Edit to open the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split drawer.
Locate the Has previous life insurance records Inclusive Gateway Split Link. Its Order should display as 3.
Using the Order selector, set the link's order to 2.
Close the Edit Inclusive Gateway Split drawer.

Configure the Inclusive Gateway Join Node

Drag and drop an Inclusive Gateway Join node in the Broker swimlane.
Connect the output port (right) of the signal-broker Signal node to the input port (left) of the inclusive-gateway-join-1 Inclusive Gateway Join node.
Connect the output port (right) of the Previous Life Insurance Records Assessment Task node to the input port (left) of the inclusive-gateway-join-1 Inclusive Gateway Join node.
Connect the output port (right) of the Income Assessment Task node to the input port (left) of the inclusive-gateway-join-1 Inclusive Gateway Join node.
Connect the output port (right) of the Provide Health Certificate Task node to the input port (left) of the inclusive-gateway-join-1 Inclusive Gateway Join node.
Connect the output port (right) of the Run Credit Score Task node to the input port (left) of the inclusive-gateway-join-1 Inclusive Gateway Join node.

Configure the Sixth Task Node

The sixth Task node connects to the Inclusive Gateway Use Case: Policy Results module, which collections the resulting data from each swimlane.

Drag and drop a Task node in the Broker swimlane.
Click Edit to open the Edit User Task drawer.
In the Label field, enter Policy Results.
In the Path field, enter policyresults.
From the Add a Module drop-down, select the Inclusive Gateway Use Case: Policy Results module.
Close the Edit User Task drawer.
Connect the input port (left) of the Policy Results Task node to the output port (right) of the inclusive-gateway-join-1 Inclusive Gateway Join node.

Configure the End Node

Drag and drop an End node in the Broker swimlane.
Connect the output port (right) of the Policy Results Task node to the input port (left) of the end-1 End node.
Save your workflow.

Click Preview Workflow to open your workflow in Express View and test the workflow.

Because this workflow contains several roles with concurrent tasks, you'll need to use the Preview As drop-down to change your preview role as you move through the workflow.