Processes are the mechanism through which the platform manipulates data. Whenever data needs to be calculated, transformed, imported, or automatically generated, a Process is what makes it happen.

The logic driving a Process is defined in an Excel workbook called the Process Logic workbook. This workbook contains standard Excel formulas and functions — no programming language is required. It holds no persistent data of its own; instead, it receives data from the database at runtime, applies the defined logic, and returns results. When a configurator uploads a Process Logic workbook to the platform, it becomes executable configuration. Each time the Process runs, the platform's calculation engine executes the workbook on the server.

This approach keeps logic in a tool that most configurators already know, while keeping execution controlled, audited, and server-side.

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When a Process executes, the platform follows a defined sequence. It retrieves the relevant data from the database and loads it into the workbook. It applies any runtime values the user has supplied. The workbook recalculates using the loaded data and those values. The platform then reads the results from the workbook and writes them back to the database.

Every part of this — which data gets loaded, what values the user supplies, and where results are written — is defined in the Process configuration.

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Three components define how a Process interacts with the database and the user.

Process Parameters are optional values supplied at runtime by the user or by another Process. When used, they control the scope of an execution, for example the date range to calculate for, or the record to process. Parameters are not database data; they are instructions passed to the workbook at the moment of execution.

Process Inputs are records retrieved from database objects and loaded into the workbook. Inputs are usually filtered so that only relevant data is retrieved. The filter criteria often reference the Process Parameters — for example, loading records that match the date the user supplied.

Process Outputs are the calculated results that the workbook produces, which the platform reads and writes back to the database. Each output maps a named range in the workbook to a target object. Results are written in a defined order, which matters when one object depends on another.

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Not all Processes perform calculations. The Process Type setting determines what a Process does.

A Spreadsheet Process retrieves data from the database, executes logic in the Process Logic workbook, and writes results back. This is the most common type, used for calculations, transformations, and data generation.

An Import Process reads data from an external file — a spreadsheet, CSV, text file, or XML — and loads it into the database. There are two variants: a simple import, where the file must already match the structure of the target object, and an import-merge, where the Process Logic workbook is used to transform the incoming data before it is stored.

A Schedule Process generates a queue of other Processes to run automatically at defined times. It does not perform calculations itself; it builds the execution schedule.

An XML Process produces a transformed XML file as output rather than writing records to the database.

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The workbook should contain only logic, never stored data. All operational data is supplied to it at runtime from the database or from Process Parameters. A standard Process Logic template is available as a starting point — it includes predefined named ranges, standard worksheet conventions, and a summary sheet for documentation. Please see Process Logic Workbook

Process Logic workbooks are designed to be maintained over time. A workbook that will be used for years should be structured so that someone unfamiliar with it can understand the data flow, follow the logic, and extend it without breaking existing behaviour. See Process Logic Workbook for detailed guidance on design, structure, and performance.

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The articles in this section cover each aspect of Process configuration in detail: Process Parameters, Process Inputs, Process Outputs, Filters, Process Notifications, Save-Triggered Processes, Run a Process on a Schedule, Chain Processes in a Workflow, and Control Processes.