Long actions

Long actions (or long running actions) are a special class of Workato actions that excels at processing bulk data. Long actions may require several minutes to hours to complete.

Under normal circumstances, actions throw a timeout error after a certain amount of time has elapsed. However, long actions allow the action to complete without raising a timeout error.

Long actions not supported in test mode

Long actions aren't supported in test mode. This means that you can't use test mode to test recipes with batch actions, wait actions, long queries, and multi-step SDK actions. You can still test a recipe with these actions by clicking the Start button to trigger the recipe and confirm that your actions perform as expected.

CAN'T RUN LONG ACTIONS IN TEST MODE

Long actions require dedicated users to periodically check if the action is complete. This is not available in test mode.

If your recipe contains a long action, start the recipe instead.

Long actions development workflow

The following diagram illustrates how to correctly test your recipe functionality when you use long actions.

graph TD X["Recipe development <br/> workflow"] --> Y["Recipe without Long actions"] X --> Z["Recipe with Long actions"] subgraph a[" "] B["Development"] C["Test"] D["Production"] end subgraph aa[" "] Q["Development"] R["Click the <strong>Start </strong> button <br/> to confirm recipe <br/> functionality"] S["Production"] end B -..-> C B -..-> D Q -..-> R Q -..-> S Y -.Test mode <br/> is supported..->B Z -.Test mode is <br/><strong> NOT </strong> supported..->Q classDef default fill:#67eadd,stroke:#b3e0e1,stroke-width:2px,color:#000; classDef LightTeal fill:#e1fffc,stroke:#b3e0e1,stroke-width:2px,color:#000; classDef WorkatoPink fill:#f3c1c2,stroke:#f3c1c2,stroke-width:1px; classDef NotSupported fill:#e1fffc,stroke:#f66,stroke-width:2px,color:#000,stroke-dasharray: 5 5 class a LightTeal class Q,R,S,Z WorkatoPink class aa NotSupported

How does this work?

When the job execution reaches a long action, Workato temporarily puts the job on hold and checks periodically if the long action has completed processing. Workato proceeds to the next step in the recipe after the action completes.

LONG ACTIONS JOB SEQUENCE

If your recipe has a long action step and job, note that when the action is put on hold, Workato automatically disregards the job sequence. The next job begins to process even if the previous job is not finished and the recipe concurrency is set to 1.

List of long actions

Long actions are supported by applications including Salesforce, NetSuite, and database applications, and more.

Connector	Action	Description
Anaplan	Run data import	Run a data import process in Anaplan.
	Run data export	Run a data export process in Anaplan.
	Run deletion	Run a delete action in Anaplan.
	Run process	Run a process in Anaplan.
Databases	Export query result	Exports a query result as a CSV.
	Run long query using custom SQL action	This action enables you to run a custom SQL query asynchronously and determine a custom timeout for the action.
Google BigQuery	Insert rows	Inserts rows in the selected table.
	Select rows	Select rows in a table in BigQuery.
	Select rows using custom SQL	Select rows using custom SQL in BigQuery.
	Run custom SQL	Run custom SQL in BigQuery.
	Select rows using custom SQL and insert into table	Select rows using custom SQL and insert the result into a table in BigQuery.
	Load data from Google Cloud Storage	Load data from Google Cloud Storage into BigQuery.
Google Drive	Download file	Downloads the content of a file in Google Drive.
HubSpot	Export object data	Export content from HubSpot to a file. You can use the file contents in subsequent recipe steps to upload the file into other applications.
Marketo	Bulk export leads to file	Retrieve a list of Marketo leads, separated by a comma, tab, or semi-colon.
	Bulk import leads from file	Bulk import leads to Marketo from a file.
	Bulk export activities to file	Retrieve a list of Marketo activities, separated by a comma, tab, or semi-colon.
NetSuite	Add/Create in bulk	Adds or creates records in bulk in NetSuite.
People Task	Request task approval	Request approval using People Task.
QuickBooks	Wait for paid invoice	Wait for paid invoice in QuickBooks.
Recipe functions by Workato	Wait for async calls	This action waits for specified async calls to complete before proceeding to the next step in the recipe.
Salesforce	Create, update, or upsert records in bulk from CSV file	Create, update, or upsert records in bulk using the Salesforce bulk API.
	Create, update, or upsert records in bulk from a CSV file (API 1.0).	Create, update, or upsert records in bulk from a CSV file using the Salesforce bulk API 1.0.
	Retry bulk job for failed records from CSV file	Retry bulk job in Salesforce for failed records.
	Search records in bulk using SOQL.	Search for records in bulk in Salesforce with a SOQL query.
SAP	Send IDoc	Send IDoc to SAP.
Scheduler	Wait	Wait for a length of time you specify.
Snowflake	Upload file to internal stage	Upload a file to an internal stage in Snowflake using the PUT command.
SQL Transformation	Query CSV data	Query CSV data from different sources using SQL and output results.
SurveyMonkey	Send survey invite via email and wait for response	Send a survey invitation through email and wait for response in SurveyMonkey.
Workbot for Slack	Wait for user input/action	The Workbot recipe job is suspended until the user provides input. The job continues to the next action when it receives the input; it does not run a separate command as a distinct recipe trigger.
Workbot for Microsoft Teams	Wait for user input/action	The Workbot recipe job is suspended until the user clicks a button. The job continues to the next action after the user clicks the button; it does not run a separate command as a distinct recipe trigger.
Wrike	Copy project action	Copies an existing project within a specified folder or project in Wrike. You can also share the project with users you specify.
Zendesk	Create/update object/record. Bulk upsert	Creates object or record if it doesn't exist, otherwise this action updates an existing record.