10.13 Workflow History & Logs: Troubleshooting Automations

When workflows don't behave as expected, the history and logs are your essential troubleshooting tools. Access these via tabs within a specific workflow editor.

  • Enrollment History / History Tab:
    • Purpose: Shows which contacts have entered this workflow, when they entered, and their current status within the workflow (Active - currently running, Finished - completed all steps, Removed - manually or via action).
    • Information: Typically lists Contact Name, Enrollment Date, Status, and sometimes the Next Step they are waiting on and the scheduled time for that step (if applicable).
    • Highlight Contact Path (If available): Select a contact in the list, and the builder canvas might highlight the specific path that contact took or is currently on, making it easier to visualize their journey.
  • Execution Logs Tab (ESSENTIAL for Debugging):
    • Purpose: Provides a detailed, step-by-step log of every single action the workflow attempted to execute for each enrolled contact. This is where you find specific error messages.
    • Information: For each contact run, it lists: Action Name, Timestamp of execution attempt, Status (Success, Skipped, Failed), and crucially, detailed Error Messages if an action failed (e.g., "Error: SMS delivery failed - DND active", "Error: Email hard bounced", "Error: Custom field not found").
    • Filtering/Searching: You can usually filter the logs by Status (Failed, Success), Action Type, or Date Range, and search for specific contacts.
    • Go To Action Button: Often available next to a log entry, clicking this jumps you directly to that specific action step on the builder canvas, making it easy to find and fix the problematic step.
  • Needs Review Tab / Status (On Main Workflow List): The main list of all your workflows might have a tab or status indicator highlighting workflows that have encountered recent errors, prompting you to investigate the Execution Logs.

Troubleshooting Process:

  1. Identify the contact who experienced the issue.
  2. Go to the specific workflow they should have run through.
  3. Check the Enrollment History to confirm they entered and see their current status.
  4. Go to the Execution Logs. Filter by the specific contact and/or Status: Failed.
  5. Read the detailed Error Message for the failed action step(s). This usually tells you exactly what went wrong.
  6. Use Go To Action to find the problematic step in the builder.
  7. Correct the issue based on the error message (e.g., fix merge tag typo, ensure contact has valid email/phone, check DND status, verify template selection, adjust logic).
  8. Save the workflow changes.
  9. (Optional) Manually move the affected contact back to the step before the failure (if possible/appropriate via Enrollment History actions) or re-trigger the workflow for them if necessary.