Certification is a critical part of data governance, ensuring assets meet the highest standards of accuracy, reliability, and compliance. In Data Integrity Suite, users with the required permissions can customize Request Types and build workflows to enable the Make a Request functionality for certifying assets. By defining entry points and exceptions, you can control where and under what conditions the Make a Request option is available for specific asset types, tailoring the process to your organization's policies and requirements.
A common example is to certify an asset that is in Draft status, before the asset is made available for use across the organization. Typically, an administrator configures a Request Type and designs a workflow around it. Once this setup is complete, a data steward can use the configured workflow to submit a certification request.
Step 1: Create a request certification request type
- On the Workflow page, go to the Request Types tab and click Create Request Type. Type a Name for the Request Type, for example Request certification. This is the name that will be shown when a user clicks Make a Request.
- Select the Allocation Type of Asset, then select a Default Assignment ID Scheme to set the format that will be used by default when a workflow is configured with this Request Type. Optionally, add a description.
- Configure the form that users will need to complete after clicking Make a Request. In this example, a simple Text field is added to give data stewards the option to include additional information with their request:
- Click Add Fields next to Request Form Fields.
- Add a Text field, and rename the field to Add details.
- Add a description of If required, include additional information about the asset with your certification request. Then, click Save And Close.
- On the Allocations tab of the Request Type, add the Business Asset type containing the assets for which you want to enable users to request certification, for example Business Terms.
- On the Display options tab of the Request Type, specify where the Make a Request option should appear for the allocated asset type by selecting the appropriate Request entry points.
- Click Configure Exceptions to customize the Request Type to only show the Make a Request option in certain conditions. For example, on Business Term assets, you only want to show the Make a Request option if the Status field is Draft. In this case, add an exception to hide the request entry point if the Status field is not Draft.Tip: If there is more than one asset type allocated to a Request Type, you can define separate exceptions for each group, and these would be handled by different workflows.
Step 2: Build a workflow that uses your request type
- Go to and click Create Workflow. Rename the workflow to Request certification. To rename a workflow, click the information icon to the right of the workflow name in the top left of the screen, then click the pencil icon to rename the workflow in the right side panel.
- From the Trigger Type list, select Make a Request. Then, select the Request Type on which you want to base the certification workflow. In this case, select the name of the Request Type that you created in step 1. The Allocation type is Asset and Business Asset is automatically selected in the Object Class field.
- In the Object Type field, select the Business Asset type that contains the assets that you want to enable users to certify, in this case, Business Terms. By selecting an Object Class and an Object Type, you are limiting the instances in which the workflow is triggered. In this example, you are restricting the workflow to only be initiated if a user is working with Business Terms.
- Drag and drop a Form activity onto the workflow designer. Select the Form activity to configure it. This is the form that the reviewer will use to certify or reject an asset:
- On the Response tab, add a data owner or subject matter expert as the Assignee.
- On the Form tab, type a Title and Description for the form. For example, Title: Certify this asset? and Description: A user has requested certification for this asset.
- Add a Boolean field to the form and select Required Field. Change the Positive Option Label and Negative Option Label from True and False to Certify and Reject, respectively. Click Save and Close.
- On the Email Notification tab, enable email notification and add a Subject of Certification request and Body of Approve or deny the certification request.
- Drag and drop a Field Change activity onto the workflow designer. Select the Field Change activity to configure it. The purpose of the Field Change activity is to update the Status field from Draft to Certified, if the asset is approved by the reviewer:
- Select Status for the Asset Field.
- In the Change Type field, select Replace the value.
- Select Specific value for the Value Source, then type Certified in the Value field. Click Save.
- Connect the activities:
- Connect the Start activity to the Form activity.
- Connect the Form activity to the Field Change activity, and also to the End activity. On the transition between the Form activity and the Field Change activity, select the Transition type of Conditional and specify that the transition to the Field Change step should only occur if the Form field "Certify this asset?" is true. On the transition between the Form activity and the End activity, select the Transition type of Else.
- Connect the Field Change activity to the End activity.
- Save and publish the workflow.
Step 3: Submit a request for certification
- On the Business Terms asset type page, add a new Business Term asset with the Status of Draft.
- On the asset detail page, click the Make a Request button and choose the "Request certification" option that you configured in step 1.
- Add any additional details into the text field on the request form, if required, then click Submit.
- The certification workflow is initiated. A form is sent to the relevant reviewer who can certify or reject the asset.
- The reviewer certifies the asset and submits the form. The Field Change activity updates the asset field to Certified.