Understanding the Migration from Workflow to WorkflowRun Logs
Deprecation of legacy Workflow logs in Glean starting June 13, 2025; replaced by the streamlined WorkflowRun log type. The doc outlines key changes, improved analytics, and recommended adaptation steps.
Summary
Starting June 13, Glean will deprecate the legacy Workflow log type and roll out a new log type called WorkflowRun in all customer-facing event logs. This change addresses feedback about the complexity and redundancy in the previous logs, making workflow analytics simpler, more efficient, and easier to understand for both admins and end users. This article explains what’s changing, how to adapt your metrics and queries, and best practices for bridging the transition period.
Table of Contents
- What’s Changing and Why
- Who Should Read This
- Timeline and Rollout Details
- Comparing Workflow and WorkflowRun Logs
- Building Metrics Across Chat, Workflow, and WorkflowRun Logs
- Sample Queries and Use Cases
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Further Resources & Support
- Change History
What’s Changing and Why
Background:
The Workflow logs represent log information at a less processed level, with each workflow triggering multiple partial log entries. This approach creates redundant, partial, and sometimes incomplete logs, requiring multiple steps of aggregation and causing challenges with log volume and query complexity.
What’s new:
- Deprecation: Legacy Workflow logs will be discontinued in favor of the new WorkflowRun log type.
- Release date: WorkflowRun will appear in production for all customers beginning Friday, June 13. Old Workflow logs will be removed from the logs you receive or export from that date forward.
Transition: Before June 13, Assistant events are reported in two log types: Chat and Workflow. After June 13, only Chat and WorkflowRun will be active.
Key Benefits of WorkflowRun:
- Each top-level Workflow request now creates a single, comprehensive log entry.
- All essential fields (run ID, workflow and step IDs, user, status, etc.) are always present.
- Greatly reduced log volume, simplifying both analytics and storage.
- Structure is optimized for reporting, metric computation, segmentation, and joins.
Who Should Read This
- Admins managing analytics pipelines, log integrations, and product dashboards
- Data/Business Analysts building queries or KPI dashboards from Glean event logs
- Developers/IT who join Glean logs with other systems or manage feature adoption
- End users who rely on metrics or dashboards powered by workflow data
Key Fields in WorkflowRun
For a detailed list, please refer to the data dictionary.
- runId: Globally unique per workflow execution request
- WorkflowExecutions.workflowId: The workflow executed (definition/type). Can be repeated in a single top-level request.
- StepExecution.stepId: Logical step within each workflow, can be repeated under a run
- initiator: Who started the workflow (e.g., “USER”, “SYSTEM”)
- platform: Source/surface for the event (e.g., “WEB”, “SLACK”)
- WorkflowExecutions.status, WorkflowExecutions.error_type: Execution status and any failure reason
- chat_session_id, feature, citations: Linkages and details necessary for rich analytics
Further Resources
Data Dictionary and Sample Queries
As part of this rollout, we are also publishing an updated [Glean Data Dictionary], which now includes detailed schema definitions and sample queries for the new WorkflowRun log type. This resource is designed to help you:
- Understand the structure and purpose of each field
- Identify the differences between Chat, Workflow, and WorkflowRun logs
- Find stitching queries for the April–June transition period
- Reference deprecated log types such as AI_ANSWER, now clearly marked
You can access the full data dictionary here (link to be updated). If you’re building or updating dashboards or pipelines, we recommend starting with the Data Dictionary.
Change History
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| June 2025 | WorkflowRun logs deployed; Workflow logs deprecated |
| April–June | Transition—data across Chat, Workflow, WorkflowRun (only one of Workflow or WorkflowRun will be populated at a time) |
Still have questions or want implementation advice? Reach out to your Glean admin or analytics support channel.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Will previous Workflow events appear in WorkflowRun?
A: No. Only data generated after June 13 appears in WorkflowRun. For April–June, join across Workflow type.
Q: How do I identify user-triggered workflows vs. system/automated?
A: Filter on initiator = ‘USER’. The feature, namespace, or workflow_id fields can further segment by workflow type.
Q: Some workflow_ids look like names, others are random strings—why?
A: Named IDs are Glean provided/default workflows; random-appearing IDs are custom or user-defined.
Q: Do I need to update my analytics pipelines/dashboards?
A: Yes, update your queries to use WorkflowRun after June 13 and cover historic data as described above. See the [Glean Data Dictionary] for transition queries and recommended field mappings.
Q: Will there be a backfill/conversion of old logs?
A: No. Converting old Workflow into WorkflowRun structure is non-trivial and not supported. Please join across both log types as needed.
Q: Where is the latest schema or field documentation?
A: Refer to the [Glean Data Dictionary] for updated schemas and sample queries.