Workiva Chains Overview

tl;dr

Workiva Chains serve two primary purposes.  Chains are a low/no code application whose purpose is to provide connectivity (integration) between 3rd party systems and the Workiva platform.  A secondary purpose and benefit of Chains is to enable automation of common actions within the Workiva platform.  Chains is part of the Data Management Suite and is available to Workiva customers with a Connected reporting solution.  

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Background

In our post Workiva's Data Management Suite (DMS) we explored integrating, transforming, and using data across the Workiva platform.  If you remember, DMS comprises three applications - Wdata, Chains, and Data Prep.  In this post we are focused on Chains.  

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What are Chains

Chains is an application in the Workiva Data Management Suite that provides connectivity between 3rd party applications such as an ERP, CRM, or Data Warehouse and the Workiva platform.  Chains streamline the integration of data into the platform while also enabling data to flow from the Workiva platform to other applications that need to use it to support different processes.  

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The technology is named Chains because you are chaining together a series of actions to achieve an outcome.  Let’s consider a real life example

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1. You connect to your CRM application (Salesforce) and run an extract to retrieve all deals that have been created in the last 30 days.  
2. Next you may need to change the header in the extract file to make the columns names more intuitive.  
3. Finally the modified extract is loaded to Wdata and connections are refreshed.  

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This chain of actions allowed data from the CRM system to flow into the Workiva platform and reports were automatically refreshed.  Chains empower business users to create and execute data integration and automation processes in a self service manner.

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Accessing Chains

Chains is a licensed component of the Workiva platform.  Connected solutions entitle an organization to use Chains.  It’s also important to understand that a key component of Chains is the Connectors which are licensed individually.  Organizations can license any of the available Connectors that are needed for their reporting purposes.  There are nearly 50 licensable purpose-built Connectors available providing integration with some of the most common enterprise applications used by organizations across the globe.

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Like so many of the capabilities on the Workiva platform including Wdata, Chains is a securable component that enables granular access control including the ability to create, edit, or simply run a Chain.  Once security access is granted, a user simply selects Chains in the left hand panel within the Workiva Workspace to begin using the application.       

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Using Chains

Chains users can be classified into two categories - builders and end users.  A Chain builder is an individual that can determine the steps needed in the Chain and how to construct the Chain to support the outcome.  Because Chains is a low/no code solution, the builder does not need to be an information technology professional.  Chains is designed to allow the business user to create new integration and automation processes with a simple, easy to use drag & drop interface.  A simple Chain can often be built in under an hour.  

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That said, Chains has myriad advanced capabilities that enable a seasoned builder to create sophisticated and elegant processes.  It would be a disservice to say that these more advanced Chains take just minutes to build.  It is fair to say that the creation of even the most advanced and complex Chains is measured in terms of day and not weeks or months.  

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An end user is a person that executes a Chain, often as part of a broader process in Workiva.  Consider a common scenario for a connected solution.  A Workiva spreadsheet is linked to a table in a Document.  The document is rolled forward for a new reporting period and data needs to be refreshed.  Because this solution is connected, the spreadsheet is linked to a Wdata query so we know that data needs to be loaded from the source system to Wdata and that the spreadsheet connection needs to be refreshed once the data is reloaded.  Again, we’re in luck because this is a connected solution, a Chain was built that loads the data to Wdata and refreshes the Connections in the Spreadsheet and Document.  The end user simply clicks Run Chain and the end to end process is executed.  

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Wrapping Up

Chains is a critical component of the Workiva Data Management Suite (DMS) but it is just one component. In our Workiva’s Data Management Suite article, we also highlighted Wdata and Data Prep. These are equally important components and should be explored further to understand how DMS can improve the return on investment for Workiva solutions, reduce risk, and improve efficiency.