Try/Catch shape
Introduction
Using the try/catch shape, you can build your own path to handle process flow sync exceptions elegantly.
Place a try/catch shape before key steps in your flow, then configure its settings to determine behaviour when exceptions are found. Once this is done, the shape is added to the canvas with two routes - one for try and one for catch:
For the try route, build your flow in the usual way to achieve the required result. For the catch route, define a flow that should be followed for exceptions. For example, you might add exceptions to a cache (so they can be processed subsequently) and then notify specified contacts that exceptions have occurred.
The notify shape can be very powerful when used with the try/catch shape. Keep in mind that you can include meta, flow, and payload variables to define notification messages. For example:
When the process flow runs, data flows down the try route and ideally completes without exceptions. However, if an exception is found, the associated payload is removed and sent along the catch route.
You can add one try/catch shape per process flow
Need to know
You can add one try/catch shape per process flow
If a connector needs to retry authentication, the retry is NOT caught (i.e. it's not sent into the
catchroute). If re-authentication is successful the flow continues as normal (i.e. along thetryroute), otherwise the process flow fails.
Caught exceptions
As noted above, if an exception is found it gets removed (as a failed payload) and sent along the defined catch route. For example, if a try/catch shape receives 20 payloads and finds 4 exceptions, then 4 failed payloads are sent along the catch route.
Failed payloads can be found on the failed payloads tab in run logs - for example:
Adding & configuring a try/catch shape
To add and configure a new try/catch shape, follow the steps below.
Step 1 In your process flow, add the try/catch shape in the usual way:
Step 2 Access settings for the newly placed shape:
Step 3 Choose the action to take if an exception is encountered:
Available options are summarised below:
Succeed as partial success
The flow completes and, where possible, data is synced.
Failed payloads for exceptions are removed and are available from run logs.
The flow is logged with a status of
partial success.
Fail flow
The flow completes and, where possible, data is synced.
Failed payloads for exceptions are removed and are available from run logs.
The flow is logged with a status of
failure.
In this case, the flow is marked as a failure (and will show as such in run logs) but it's important to note that this does not cause the process flow to stop - any valid payloads continue through the flow.
It's likely that you would only use this option instead of succeed as partial success if logging any failed payloads as a general flow failure is important from a reporting/metrics perspective.
Fail flow & retry
Use this option with care. When the process flow is retried, all data is processed again. If you have any doubt as to whether duplicate records will be handled correctly, we advise using a different action and manage exceptions separately (for example, add exceptions to a cache and process from there).
A retry will only happen if the process flow is enabled and deployed, and is NOT triggered manually.
The flow completes and, where possible, data is synced.
Failed payloads for exceptions are removed and are available from run logs.
The flow is logged with a status of
retried.The flow is retried with ALL data.
The flow is retried ONCE only.
Step 4
Save settings to return to the canvas and build your try and catch routes as required.
Related pages
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