Using Tables in Workflows

Tables can be dynamically updated and managed through workflow actions. These actions allow you to add, update, or manipulate table data as part of an automated workflow.

All Table-related actions can be found under the “Tables” collection in the action panel of the workflow editor

Managing Table Records with Workflow Actions

Blink provides powerful workflow actions that allow you to automate the management of table records. These actions enable you to add, update, retrieve, and delete records dynamically within your workflows.

Add a Record

Add new records to a table by entering field names and values or by providing data in JSON format.JSON input supports bulk creation, allowing multiple records to be added simultaneously in a single action.

You can also use the Variable Picker to easily insert dynamic variables into the ‘Add Record’ action’s input fields.

Typed-in Values
JSON Format

Add a record to a table by entering the table field name and the table field value.

Parameter	Description
Table	The name of the table.
Record	Data of record, enter the field name and field value.

Create or Update Record

Ensure data consistency by either updating an existing record or creating a new one if no match is found. You can define specific conditions to determine whether a record should be updated or newly inserted. Supports both direct value input and JSON formatting for structured updates.

Entire Record
JSON Format
By Field

Create or Update an entire Record in a table by selecting the entire record option.

Note: Please note that if you leave any fields empty in the Create or Update Record action, the existing values in the table will remain unchanged.

Parameter	Description
Table	The name of the table.
Create or Update Condition	Set the condition for deciding weather to create or update the selected record.
Record Data Format	Entire Record
Record	The value of the record you want to create or update

Use Case Example: Ensuring Accurate Privileged User Access Tracking

Scenario: You need to track users with privileged access in a security system. If a user is added to the list of privileged users, you want to update their access record; if the user is already on the list, their record should be updated instead of adding a duplicate.Solution: Use the Create or Update Records action to ensure that any changes to a privileged user’s access rights are properly reflected in the table without creating duplicate record.In the ‘Create or Update Records’ action, a condition to check for users who already have access listed in the table.

If the user is not found (i.e., their record does not exist), create a new record with their user ID, access level, and timestamp.
If the user’s record already exists, update the record with the new access level or other relevant information.

Use Case Example: Tracking Failed Login Attempts for Users

Scenario: You are building a system to monitor user login attempts. If a user fails to log in multiple times within a short period, you want to flag their account as potentially compromised, but you don’t want to duplicate records for each failed attempt.Solution: Use the Create or Update Records action to update the record for failed login attempts instead of creating a new record for every failure.Set a condition in the Create or Update Records action to check if the user already has a record of failed login attempts.

If a failed login attempt is detected and the user has a record, update the record by incrementing the failed attempt counter and updating the timestamp.
If no record exists for the user’s failed attempt, create a new record with the user’s details and an initial failed attempt count.

”Add Records” Action vs. “Create or Update Records” Action

When adding data to a table, choosing the right action ensures accuracy and prevents duplication. Use “Add Records” when you need to insert new data without verifying existing entries. If you want to update existing records or avoid duplicates, “Create or Update Records” is the better choice, as it checks for a match before adding new data. The table below outlines the key differences between these actions.

Action	Behavior	Key Difference
Add Record	When you need to insert new data without checking for existing records	Adds records without checking for duplicates
Create or Update Record	When you want to prevent duplicates or update existing records based on specific conditions	Checks for a matching record before adding; updates if found, adds if not

You can manually set certain field types (Text, Numbers, Users, Time) as unique in the table. This ensures that each entry in a specific column is distinct, preventing duplicate values. For more details, visit this guide.

Get a Record

Fetch table data based on specified criteria using conditions, RQL queries, or SQL queries. Choose how the data is structured in the output (Table, JSON, or CSV) and refine results by applying filters, sorting, limits, and pagination options.

Tip: When to Use Each Query Method

Each query method is designed for different use cases, depending on the complexity of your query and the level of filtering or customization required. Here are our recommendations on when to use each query method.

By Condition

Best For: Simple Queries with Basic Filtering

Use this method when you need to retrieve records based on straightforward conditions, such as checking if a user has a specific access level or finding all records created after a certain date.
Conditions are easy to configure without needing complex query syntax.

Use Case Example:

Retrieve all users with AccessLevel = "Administrator" to audit privileged accounts.

RQL Format

Best For: Flexible Queries with Advanced Filtering

Use RQL when you need more precise filtering with operators like $gte, $lte, $contains_any, or $like.
Ideal for dynamic queries where conditions may change based on user input or external events.

Use Case Example:

Fetch all users who have accessed the system in the past 24 hours:

{
  "filter": {
    "Timestamp": { "$gt": "{{ to_epoch(now() - '24h') * 1000 }}" }
  }
}

Retrieve all users with an AccessLevel of “Administrator” or “Manager”:

{
  "filter": {
    "AccessLevel": { "$contains_any": ["Administrator", "Manager"] }
  }
}

SQL Query

Best For: Complex Queries, Joins, and Aggregations

Use SQL when you need to perform multi-table joins, grouping, aggregation, or subqueries.
Ideal for reporting and analytics, such as tracking security incidents over time.

Use Case Example:

Detect Privilege Escalation Attempts by finding users who had an access level change in the last 7 days:

SELECT UserID, AccessLevel, Timestamp
FROM PrivilegedUserAccess
WHERE Timestamp >= NOW() - INTERVAL '7 days'
ORDER BY Timestamp DESC;

Cross-reference users with recent failed login attempts:

SELECT u.UserID, u.AccessLevel, f.FailedAttempts
FROM PrivilegedUserAccess u
JOIN FailedLogins f ON u.UserID = f.UserID
WHERE f.Timestamp >= NOW() - INTERVAL '1 day'

By Condition
RQL Format
SQL Query

Get a Record from a table by using a condition. All records that match the condition will be returned.

By Condition- Exception Rule

When querying a table using a condition, and you are using both the in operator, it is essential to use the arr() function when working with arrays. Failing to do so will cause the workflow action to fail.For Example:

Parameter	Description
Query Method	By Condition- The query method to get records
Table	The table you want to get records from.
Fields	Table Fields.
Condition	Condition that compares two table field values.
Output Format	The format of the output the records are returned- Table, JSON or CSV .
Limit (optional)	Limit the amount of records returned by the query.
Offset (optional)	Choose the offset from the data to start querying the table from.
Order By (optional)	Choose what field to order the results by.
Sort (optional)	Sort the records by ascending or descending order.
Include Query Metadata In Output (optional)	Check the box to include Query Metadata in the Output.
All Pages (optional)	Check the box to return all data in the table(this setting invalidates the `Limit` and `Offset` fields.)

Use Case Example: Get Table Records According to a Specified Condition.

The action retrieves specific records from the “User Data” table using the “By Condition” method, selecting fields like Created At, Updated At, and more, while filtering for users with an Access Level of “Contributor.”

Delete a Record

Remove specific records from a table by referencing their unique ID or by setting a condition to delete multiple records that meet certain criteria. This ensures precise control over data removal while preventing accidental deletions.

Record ID
Conditional Statements

Deletes a record from a table by the Record ID.

Parameter	Description
Table Name	The name of the table.
Record ID	The record unique identifier. Can be obtained via the Select action.

Managing Tables with Workflow Actions

Blink provides powerful workflow actions that allow you to automate the management of tables. These actions enable you to create, clear, retrieve, copy and delete tables dynamically within your workflows.

Create a Table

Create a table based on a schema.

Parameter	Description
Table Name	The name of the table.
Table Schema	The schema of the table in `JSON` format. For more information, see the Copy table schema.
Skip if Exists	Skips table creation if a table with the same name already exists.

Copy Table Schema

For each table that is created, there is a table schema.

Learn how to Copy a Table's Schema

Click the 3 dots menu of the table > Copy table scheme.

Click Here to View the Whole Table Schema

Example of a Table Schema:

{
  "fields": [
    {
      "display_name": "Date",
      "description": "",
      "type": "date",
      "attributes": {
        "hidden": false,
        "include_time": false,
        "options": [],
        "required": false,
        "width": 165
      }
    },
    {
      "display_name": "Action",
      "description": "",
      "type": "text",
      "attributes": {
        "hidden": false,
        "options": [],
        "required": false,
        "width": 165
      }
    },
    {
      "display_name": "User",
      "description": "",
      "type": "user",
      "attributes": {
        "hidden": false,
        "options": [],
        "required": false,
        "width": 165
      }
    }
  ]
}

Does Table Exist

Check if a table with a given display name exists.

When using the Create Table action, and the chosen name of a table already exists, the Create Table action will fail. In order to prevent this scenario, you are recommended to use the Does Table Exist Action before the Create Table step.

Parameter	Description
Table Name	The name of the table.
Search By	Search by `name`, `display name` or both. Default is `display name`.

Use Case Example: Creating a Table Only If Table Name Doesn’t Already Exist

Before creating a new table, it is important to check whether a table with the same name already exists to avoid failures.

If the table name already exists, the workflow will fail.

If the table name does not exist, a new table will be created successfully.

Clear a Table

Clear all table records.

Parameter	Description
Table Name	The name of the table.

Delete a Table

Deletes the entire table.

Parameter	Description
Table Name	The name of the table.

Event-Based Triggers for Table Events

New Table Record

The New Table Record option is an Event-Based Trigger event that executes the workflow every time a new record is added to the selected table.

Table Record Updated

The Table Record Updated option is an Event-Based Trigger event that executes the workflow every time a record in the selected table is updated.

Make sure the “Table Name” in the trigger setup exactly matches the name of your table. Even small differences, like extra spaces or capitalization, can cause the trigger to fail.

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Managing Table Records with Workflow Actions

Add a Record

Create or Update Record

”Add Records” Action vs. “Create or Update Records” Action

Get a Record

By Condition

RQL Format

SQL Query

Delete a Record

Managing Tables with Workflow Actions

Create a Table

Copy Table Schema

Does Table Exist

Clear a Table

Delete a Table

Event-Based Triggers for Table Events

New Table Record

Table Record Updated

Tables