Orchestrations

Note: Orchestrations is currently in beta. For more information, see the Nintex Beta terms document.

Orchestration in Nintex Workflow enables you to build long-running processes that are structured, flexible, and centered around a case, for example, a customer request, claim, investigation, or employee onboarding process. Instead of building extensive workflows to handle every possible path, you can divide work into clearly defined phases. Each phase contains related activities that contribute to progressing the case.

With orchestration, processes can:

• Be divided into phases, each containing a group of activities.

• Move forward, backward, or repeat based on logic or user input.

• Run using live context data, giving all phases access to the same up-to-date case information.

Orchestration is designed to support a case management approach. Many business processes do not follow a strictly linear sequence. Instead, they evolve over time and require flexibility. Case management focuses on guiding a single case through its lifecycle, adapting to decisions, events, and user input until the case is resolved. Phases help structure these complex processes into manageable stages, making them easier to design, understand, and maintain.

Phases: A stage in an orchestration that groups one or more activities. Each phase represents one stage and has defined progression points to determine how the phase moves forward.

Context data: Each orchestration is associated with a table that stores this context data. Orchestrations run against a shared set of context data. All related workflows access the same live data, ensuring consistency across the process.

Note: Live data is not currently available in task forms.

To learn more and effectively use Orchestrations, enroll in these Nintex University courses. Introduction to Orchestration Work with Orchestrations

Execution limits

• Maximum of 100 phase executions per orchestration.

• Maximum of 10 phase restarts at a time.

• Phases run sequentially. Parallel execution isn’t supported.

• Orchestrations can run for up to 2 years.

  Note: Existing workflow limits still apply. For example, individual workflows retain their 1-year execution limit, even when used within an orchestration.

Best practices

When to Use Orchestration vs. Workflow

Use orchestration when:

• Your process involves multiple teams, systems, or interaction patterns.

• You need visibility into progression and auditability of case state.

• The process isn’t strictly linear and may move forward or backward based on decisions or events.

Use workflows when:

• You are automating specific tasks or sequences inside a phase.

• The logic is well-contained and does not affect overall process state.

• You only need simple, repeatable automation without cross-phase coordination.

Design recommendations

• Use orchestration to manage phase progression. Keep detailed actions and task logic inside individual workflows.

• Use clear and meaningful phase names. Choose descriptive titles (for example, Intake, Review, Approval, Closed). This improves visibility of the state and makes it easier for users and administrators to understand where a case is and what happens next.

• Limit deep branching in orchestrations. If you find many conditional branches within the orchestration itself, consider using that inside a workflow. Orchestration should focus on high-level progression.

Getting started: Creating an orchestration

1. Create the table you want to use for the orchestration. See, Tables.

   Note: Avoid using special characters in the table name.

2. Create a workflow.

   1. Start event: Orchestration, Component workflow, or Agents. See, Nintex start events.

   2. Tables: Select the table created in Step 1.

   3. Publish the workflow.

3. Create the orchestration. See, Create an orchestration.

   1. Configure the Orchestration start.

   2. Table: Select the table from Step 1.

4. Add a phase. See, Phases in an orchestration.

   • Repeat for any additional phases.

5. Publish the orchestration. See, Publish an orchestration.