As you need to upgrade from Nintex for Office 365 to the Nintex Automation Cloud, we’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions to guide you through this required journey.
In light of Microsoft’s decision to phase out the SharePoint 2013 workflow engine in Microsoft Office 365, Nintex has unveiled a strategic transition plan for its Nintex Workflow for Office 365 clients.
The success of Nintex and its clients has been the result of the early strategic forays into workflow technology and the enduring alliance with Microsoft.
Microsoft has announced that starting 1st April 2024, SharePoint 2013 workflows will no longer be available for new tenants. Furthermore, these workflows will be entirely phased out for existing tenants by 1st April 2026.
Given that Nintex Workflow for Office 365 is built upon the Microsoft SharePoint 2013 workflow engine, Nintex had already been in close collaboration with Microsoft, foreseeing such an inevitability. To ensure that businesses can continue their workflow processes without disruptions, Nintex introduced the Nintex Upgrade Program in September 2022. This initiative offers a streamlined pathway to Nintex Automation Cloud, which stands as Nintex’s advanced cloud-based workflow solution.
Let’s look at the the frequently asked questions when upgrading from Nintex for Office 365 to Nintex Workflow Cloud, or Nintex Automation Cloud.
General Upgrade FQAs
1. Is my SharePoint Online tenant eligible for the upgrade?
To kickstart your upgrade process, please submit a request using the Self Service feature in Nintex Customer Central. Ensure you’ve integrated your SharePoint Online tenant with Nintex Automation Cloud before proceeding with any workflow upgrades. You can set up this connection via the ‘SharePoint integration’ option located in the Settings.
2. What features are included in the upgrade?
The upgrade tool is designed to facilitate the migration of all workflows and task forms from Nintex for Office 365 to Nintex Automation Cloud. With enhanced workflow features in Nintex Automation Cloud, Nintex’s aim has always been a smooth transition. However, there may be instances where manual adjustments or action replacements are necessary post-upgrade. Velocity, a premier Nintex partner, can assist you with these adjustments to your workflows.
3. Is it possible to upgrade forms?
You can upgrade task forms developed in these form designers to Nintex Automation Cloud:
- Old responsive forms designer
- Classic forms designer
- New responsive forms designer
Please be aware that list forms cannot be upgraded.
4. How can I determine if a workflow is set for an upgrade?
Upon accessing the workflow, you’ll notice the ‘upgrade availability’ status prominently shown within the workflow designer. This status provides clarity on whether the workflow is ready for the upgrade. All the actions, controls, and functions within the workflow undergo an evaluation to determine this readiness. A new column emerges in the workflow gallery to aid this:
Nintex Automation Cloud (NWC) Upgrade Status: This highlights the present phase of your workflow’s upgrade process. Initiating an upgrade will lead to an updated status for that specific workflow in the gallery. Here are the potential status updates:
- Getting status: An update regarding the workflow’s upgrade status is on its way.
- Ready to upgrade: The workflow is all set for its transition to the Nintex Automation Cloud.
- In progress: The upgrade process is actively taking place.
- Draft created in NWC: The upgrade was successful, translating into a draft version in the Nintex Automation Cloud. For direct access, simply click on the status link.
- Completed: The transition is finalised – the workflow now resides, published, within the Nintex Automation Cloud and stands deactivated in Nintex for Office 365.
- Duplicated published workflows: While the workflow has been moved and published in Nintex Automation Cloud, its active status in Nintex for Office 365 remains, posing a risk of redundant instances.
5. What information does the ‘Upgrade status’ column in the workflow gallery provide about my workflow’s current state?
Initiating an upgrade for a workflow prompts an update to the “Upgrade Status” visible in the workflow gallery. This column reflects the current phase of the workflow’s upgrade journey. Here are the various status designations:
- Not started: No upgrade activities have begun for the workflow yet.
- In progress: The migration to Nintex Automation Cloud is underway.
- Duplicated process: The workflow, having been successfully transitioned and published in the Nintex Automation Cloud, remains active in Nintex for Office 365, potentially leading to redundant versions.
- Error: An issue arose, halting the upgrade process.
- Completed: Your workflow has successfully transitioned, is now published in the Nintex Automation Cloud, and is no longer active in Nintex for Office 365.
6. Will the workflow history from Nintex for Office 365 be transferred to the Nintex Automation Cloud?
The workflow history will not be transferred to Nintex Automation Cloud.
7. Will tasks from SharePoint Online be transferred to the Nintex Automation Cloud?
Tasks won’t be upgraded as Nintex Automation Cloud utilises its own distinct task system, separate from SharePoint. Existing SharePoint tasks will be retained in Nintex for Office 365, including the related workflow history for audit considerations.
Note: Nintex Automation Cloud offers an enhanced task experience through My Nintex.
8. Will the connections established in Nintex for Office 365 be migrated to Nintex Automation Cloud?
For security purposes and to safeguard stored credentials and connections, those established in Nintex for Office 365 won’t be automatically transferred to Nintex Automation Cloud during the upgrade process. Before initiating upgrades of workflows involving connector actions, ensure you’ve set up the necessary connections in Nintex Automation Cloud. Post-upgrade, you’ll need to specify these connections in the action configuration panel.
If your upgraded workflow includes SharePoint Online actions and there’s a corresponding connection in Nintex Automation Cloud, the system will automatically choose that connection for the SharePoint Online action configuration. The system prioritises the first connection that aligns with the tenant URL and the SharePoint Online connection authentication method. If no matching connections are detected, none will be pre-selected in the action setup, requiring you to create and specify a new connection.
9. If I have several workflow versions, which one will undergo the upgrade?
The upgrade tool retrieves the most recent version of the workflow from Nintex for Office 365, be it the latest saved or published iteration. For instance, if a workflow is published and later edited without republishing, the tool will upgrade using the most recent saved changes.
10. What occurs with my Nintex for Office 365 workflow once the upgrade process begins?
The workflow within Nintex for Office 365 remains active until it’s turned off there. To prevent running duplicate instances, it’s advisable to deactivate the workflow in Nintex for Office 365 once it’s published in Nintex Automation Cloud.
11. Is it possible to revert a workflow after its upgrade has been finalised?
You can revert the process by suspending the workflow in Nintex Automation Cloud and then re-enabling the workflow in Nintex for Office 365.
To revert the upgrade:
- Suspend the workflow in Nintex Automation Cloud.
- Turn on the workflow within Nintex for Office 365.
- Modify the workflow in Nintex Automation Cloud as needed.
- Once you’re prepared to continue the workflow, restart it in Nintex Automation Cloud.
- Deactivate the corresponding workflow in Nintex for Office 365.
Note: Despite this rollback, the upgrade status will still show as ‘Completed’ and will not change thereafter.
12. Is it possible to upgrade a workflow that I’ve already updated once before?
If you’ve made multiple changes to the workflow in Nintex for Office 365 after its initial upgrade to Nintex Automation Cloud, you have the option to re-upgrade to ensure the most recent version is reflected in the Automation Cloud.
This will create an additional version of the workflow in Nintex Automation Cloud. The previously upgraded version remains unchanged and won’t be overwritten.
Should a workflow with an identical name already exist in Nintex Automation Cloud, the workflow’s name will be appended with the and a sequential to differentiate it.
13. How will the name of my workflow change when it’s migrated to Nintex Automation Cloud?
Workflow names containing the subsequent special characters will be substituted with a space, as Nintex Automation Cloud doesn’t support these characters in workflow names:
/ ^ $ . | ? * + ( ) < > ! \ @ # % & , [ ] : ; =
14. How will my site workflows be affected, and to which start event will they be mapped?
Site workflows will transition to component workflows within Nintex Automation Cloud. You can initiate these component workflows directly from the dashboard.
Workflow FAQs
1. What occurs if a workflow I’m transitioning utilises an action not present in Nintex Automation Cloud?
If a workflow contains actions that are unavailable in Nintex Automation Cloud, they will be substituted with placeholder actions during the upgrade. This ensures the preservation of the workflow design. To address this, you can choose to craft a custom connector using Nintex’s Xtensions framework, provided the API is accessible. Moreover, you might find a suitable custom Connector template available in Nintex’s Solution Accelerator Gallery.
2. Is it possible to transfer component workflows to Nintex Automation Cloud?
Upgrading a component workflow follows the same procedure as any other workflow. It’s advisable to prioritise upgrading component workflows initially due to their dependencies within parent workflows, which often invoke these component workflows using actions.
During the upgrade of a component workflow, all variables—including start variables—are transitioned as workflow variables within Nintex Automation Cloud. Once the upgrade is complete, you’ll need to recreate the start variables within Nintex Automation Cloud and subsequently remove them from the workflow variables section.
For comprehensive guidance on generating start event variables for component workflows, please consult the ‘Create start variables for your component workflow’ documentation.
3. Is it possible to upgrade workflows that contain a ‘Start workflow’ action?
As with component workflows, it is recommended to upgrade all workflows with dependencies before upgrading any workflow that employs a Start Workflow action.
4. Does Nintex Automation Cloud support the ‘Set workflow status’ feature?
No, the Set Workflow Status feature is not available in Nintex Automation Cloud. The Workflow Status column is tailored to the SharePoint Workflow Engine and cannot be altered outside of SharePoint’s workflow system. We propose incorporating a SharePoint column to monitor the workflow status and utilising the Update Items action to make updates to that column.
5. Can variables with special characters be transitioned to Nintex Automation Cloud?
Variables containing the subsequent special characters will be substituted with a space as Nintex Automation Cloud does not permit special characters within variable names:
` ! @ ~ / [ ] ^ $ . | * + ( ) \ # % & = { } ‘ ” < > : ; ,
Following the upgrade, you have the flexibility to adjust variable names in Nintex Automation Cloud. The supported special characters for variable names in Nintex Automation Cloud are: ‘?’ and ‘-‘.
Please note, variables names commencing with ‘?’ are not supported.
6. Will my configurations in Nintex Workflow Admin be transitioned?
Settings in Workflow Admin such as Administrators, Workflow Publishers & timeout will not be upgraded and is not available in Nintex Automation Cloud.
We recommend adding appropriate users as administrators and designers as necessary to manage access control to the workflows. Nintex Automation Cloud has a default time out setting where the user will be logged out after 2 hours of inactivity.
Task Forms, Mobile and Analytics FAQs
1. Which forms are eligible for an upgrade?
Upgrade support is limited to Task forms only.
2. Is it possible to upgrade all types of forms?
The upgrade exclusively supports Old Responsive and New Responsive task forms.
3. What occurs when I upgrade a workflow that includes a task form crafted using the Classic form designer?
When you upgrade a workflow containing a task form designed in the Classic form designer, the upgraded version will feature a default (blank) task form, which requires reconfiguration.
4. Which features of the forms platform will be accessible?
For an in-depth understanding of supported form features, refer to the Nintex ‘Task forms’ help.
5. Will the data from my task form be recorded in the SharePoint Task list?
Following the upgrade of a process, all tasks will be overseen through Nintex Automation Cloud’s autonomous task infrastructure, severing ties with the underlying SharePoint Task List. Any data gathered in the task form will be routed back to the Nintex Automation Cloud workflow for subsequent processing. If you intend to modify the original SharePoint list, utilise a SharePoint item action within the workflow to update the list item.
6. Is JavaScript and CSS supported in Task Forms within Nintex Automation Cloud?
No, JavaScript and CSS are not supported within Task Forms in Nintex Automation Cloud.
7. Is it possible to continue using Classic Task Forms after migrating my process to Nintex Automation Cloud?
No, Classic Task Forms are not compatible with Nintex Automation Cloud.
8. I have a Nintex List form integrated into my process for data collection. Is it necessary to upgrade this List form to align with a form in Nintex Automation Cloud?
The upgrade solution is structured to enable the ongoing utilisation of Nintex Forms for Office 365 for list form customisation. You can conveniently transmit data back to the foundational SharePoint list, prompting the initiation of the Nintex Automation Cloud workflow process upon creation or modification of that data in the list. Moreover, Nintex Automation Cloud extends some added forms capabilities beyond Nintex for Office 365. These features might align better with your needs and include embedding forms within web pages and genuine anonymous data collection, akin to the functionality of Live Forms in on-premises environments.
9. Will my Task Forms appear automatically on Nintex Mobile following the upgrade?
No, since the process has transitioned to a new platform, you must first configure the Nintex Automation Cloud tenant into which the process was migrated in order to access tasks.
10. Will my processes be automatically visible in Nintex Analytics after migrating to Nintex Automation Cloud?
If your Nintex Automation Cloud tenant isn’t linked to Nintex Analytics, you’ll need to establish a fresh connection using the Nintex Analytics portal. For guidance, refer to the Nintex Analytics help documentation.