Unable to get Flow Designer Flow Variables to work (or delete or change data type)

Ben124 · ‎06-17-2021

So, I came to find out that the Flow Designer has Flow Variables in it (thanks, @Mike Reading, for the help in a previous post on this !)...and that's awesome! However, I can't get them to work like I'm expecting them to. Admittedly, I'm new to the process, so I'm probably doing something wrong. Hopefully someone here can help please! Here are my 3 issues starting with simplest to hardest (related to Flow Variables, anyway!)...

1. I can't delete a Flow Variable. I enter one, click the trash can, get the button to delete, but then when I hit it, nothing happens! Is there another step I'm missing?

2. I can't pick any other Type for the Flow Variable than String. I try to, like Reference, for instance, but it always pushes back to String. I've got to be missing something here, right?

3. When doing an import of data, I'm trying to compare the new data in the temporary import table to the existing permanent data to see if the names of the records match (i.e., hardware device name in one table is X and in the import set table is also X (or not, but for now, let's just plan for the same). However, I can't get it to find records when doing the compare step. Somewhere I'm messing up, but I'm not sure where exactly...step number 8 never returns data. I'm new to coding and such, so I've never used a scratchpad, but I believe that's basically what the Flow Variables are...a place to store data that can be overwritten or appended to as needed. If that's correct, I'm trying to store the name of the device from one table in variable x, the name from the other table in variable y, and then compare the two. If they are the same, do something...but I can't get them to find when they are the same in Step 7 & 8 (but, they are...I imported the same data set.

Community Alums · ‎06-18-2021

Hi Ben

I think your #1 is linked to this known error. It happens on my Quebec PDI too. If this is happening on your corporate instance it's probably worth raising a support (Hi) ticket so that at least your case will be linked to the PRB record and you'll be notified when it's fixed!

Again, your #2 I think is that KE - if you pick reference first time round, it should work - does it?

For #3 - what you're doing is looping around all the records individually and then just comparing the last one. You'll want to do something like this:

Look Up Verizon Import Set Table Records
For each item in 1:
Look Up Hardware Records where device model = hardware model (Set a limit on here as 1 record to return for performance, the reason I use records rather then record is because you get a count integer at the other end you can do stuff with)
if count of 3 > 0 then
Do stuff here where the models are the same
else
Do stuff here where model wasn't found.

Mike

Ben124 · ‎07-14-2021

Hello Mike,

Thank you for the kind help! I know it's been a while since the answer, but I got pulled away into other work. Now I'm back on this one. For number 1, I did put in a ticket with SNOW so it can be linked to the PRB. Thanks for that. For number 2, only string works no matter what...but I'll work with that for now.

For number 3...

I couldn't quite follow your steps and got lost at bullet point 3, but I think I got close. Here's my flow...I know it was working because I had it create an INC if there were matches found, and it did. However, that's not my end goal. I need to take the data in the flow variables and then compare a subset of that data with other data. It's getting a bit convoluted. I've been working on that flow for a bit with no luck, so I'm back here. I've included a copy of the current flow (and a screenshot of a concept flow done in Paint - yup, I know...Paint. I have Visio, but this was quicker 🙂 ). I'm getting hung up at the point where after I've compared models and got the variations...I then need to take the variations from the import set matches and compare a different field value (Product Owner) with the existing records' field values. Any help is appreciated!

renna808 · ‎07-01-2021

Hi Ben,

I ran into the #1 and #2 scenarios you described recently. A teammate mentioned that she notices this occurs when there's a For Each action within the flow. She said she has to modify the flow to remove the For Each, and then FD will allow the removal of the flow variable. Hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Renna