Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://parabola.io/docs/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Build a Flow with Prowork
Prowork is the fastest way to build a workflow in Parabola. Describe what you want to automate, connect your data, and Prowork constructs a working flow with visible steps on the canvas.The building flow
1. Describe what you need
Open a new flow and describe the process you want to automate. Be specific about:- What data is involved (“Shopify orders, 3PL shipment confirmations, and our returns spreadsheet”)
- What you need to do with it (“Match orders to shipments, flag anything unshipped after 3 days”)
- Where the result should go (“Update a Google Sheet that my team reviews every morning”)
2. Answer follow-up questions
Prowork asks clarifying questions before it starts building. These aren’t generic prompts. They’re specific to your data and your process:- “Do you want to match on order ID or tracking number?”
- “Should the 3-day window start from order date or payment date?”
- “What should happen when a shipment matches multiple orders?”
3. Watch the steps appear
As Prowork builds, steps appear on the canvas. Each step shows:- What it does (the operation: filter, combine, extract, send)
- The logic applied (the specific rules, conditions, or transformation)
- The data at that stage (a live preview of rows and columns)
4. Inspect and adjust
Click any step to see its configuration. If the logic isn’t right, you can:- Edit the step directly in its settings panel
- Tell Prowork to change it in the chat (“Actually, filter by payment date, not order date”)
- Delete a step and let Prowork rebuild that portion
- Add steps manually from the toolbar if you prefer
5. Connect live data and run
Once the logic looks right:- Connect your data sources. Authenticate your Shopify, Google Sheets, ERP, or other accounts through the integration panel.
- Run the flow to see real results with your actual data.
- Schedule it to run automatically (daily, hourly, or on a trigger like a new email arrival).
Working with Prowork during building
Iterate, don’t start over
If the first version isn’t quite right, refine it in the chat. Prowork remembers what it already built and adjusts from there. Good follow-ups:- “Add a step that calculates the variance between expected and actual quantities”
- “The date format in the 3PL file is DD/MM/YYYY, not MM/DD/YYYY”
- “Split this into two outputs: one for the finance team, one for the warehouse”
Mix Prowork and manual building
You can switch between Prowork and manual step building at any point. Common patterns:- Let Prowork build the core flow, then manually fine-tune individual steps
- Build the data ingestion part manually (you know exactly which integrations and settings you need), then ask Prowork to handle the transformation logic
- Ask Prowork to add a section to an existing manually-built flow
Ask Prowork to explain
If you’re not sure what a step does or why Prowork built it that way, ask:- “Why did you add this filter step?”
- “What does the custom transform in step 4 do?”
- “Walk me through how the reconciliation works”
After the flow is built
Once your flow runs correctly:- It shows its work. Anyone on your team can click through the steps and understand the logic without asking the person who built it. See How Prowork Documents Your Flow.
- It runs the same way every time. No re-prompting, no drift, no “the AI gave me something different this time.”
- It stays editable. Six months from now, when the process changes, you (or anyone on the team) can open the flow, find the relevant step, and update it.
Next steps
Prowork Best Practices
Write better descriptions and get more accurate results.
Step reference
When to use Prowork steps and when to use native steps.