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Pipelines and Workflows

Pipelines and workflows both describe how data moves through Rhombus, but they refer to different levels of complexity.

Pipeline​

A pipeline moves data through a linear sequence of stages. Each node leads to the next, so you can follow every transformation from start to finish.

Workflow​

A workflow can coordinate a more complex process. It may contain multiple pipelines, branches, merges, and parallel operations, giving you more control over how data moves.

Pipeline vs. workflow

A pipeline is a subset of a workflow. One workflow can contain several interconnected pipelines for more sophisticated data processing.

How They Fit Together​

The diagram shows both structures:

pipeline and workflow sample

  1. Workflow with Multiple Pipelines: The upper section contains two pipelines that branch after the data cleanup stage.

  2. Simple Pipeline (also a Workflow): The lower section follows a single linear sequence. This pipeline is also a basic workflow.

caution

For a workflow with multiple pipelines, check the data flow between stages and configure every branch correctly to prevent errors.