STEP Transition Blocker Finder

When a product gets stuck in a Stibo STEP workflow, it is almost never random — a required attribute, a failed business condition, or a broken reference is holding the transition. This tool helps distributors surface those Stibo STEP workflow blockers from a record export so you can fix them before they pile up during a supplier onboarding push.

What it checks

Paste or upload an exported set of STEP records (CSV, TSV, or a flattened attribute table) and the finder scans each row for the conditions that typically block a state transition:

• Missing mandatory attributes — fields your object type or workflow step requires that are empty, whitespace-only, or filled with placeholder values like N/A, TBD, or 0.
• Validation-rule failures — values that violate a pattern, range, or length you supply (for example a UNSPSC code that is not 8 digits, or a net weight that is non-numeric).
• Unresolved references — links to classifications, units of measure, or linked objects that point to a key not present in your reference list, a common cause of silent transition failures.
• Inconsistent unit and list values — units of measure or controlled-list entries that do not match an allowed set (for example pcs vs EA vs each).
• Duplicate keys — repeated product or SKU identifiers in the same batch that will collide on import or merge.
• Per-record blocker summary — a plain-language list of exactly why each item cannot advance, plus a roll-up of the most frequent blockers across the whole file so you can prioritise the fix that unblocks the most records.

How it works

Stibo STEP uses a workflow model where an object moves between states only when the rules attached to a transition are satisfied — mandatory-attribute checks, business conditions, and reference integrity. When any rule fails, STEP holds the object in its current state, and in a large batch the cause is rarely obvious from the workflow inbox alone. This tool reproduces that gating logic against a flat export so you can triage offline, without waiting for a server round-trip or asking an administrator to read the event log.

You define the expectations once: which columns are mandatory, what each value should look like, and which keys are valid references. The finder then applies those checks row by row and reports pass, fail, and the specific reason. The same approach works across catalogs — an MRO distributor validating bearing dimensions, a CPG supplier checking GTIN and net-content fields, a furniture brand confirming finish and material controlled lists, or an industrial reseller verifying classification codes before publishing.

This finder is a triage aid, not a STEP connector: it tells you what is blocking transitions so you can fix the source records or correct your mapping. To resolve blockers at scale — matching incoming supplier records to your canonical items, filling gaps with traceable enrichment, and writing clean values back so workflows clear on the first pass — you need a canonical product-data layer feeding STEP rather than another round of manual cleanup.

Related resources

FAQ

Why is my product stuck in a STEP workflow step? +

Most often a transition rule is failing silently: a mandatory attribute is empty, a value breaks a validation pattern, or a reference (classification, unit of measure, linked object) points to a key that does not exist. STEP holds the object in its current state until every rule on the transition passes. Running your export through this finder shows which specific rule each record fails so you are not guessing from the workflow inbox.

What is the difference between a workflow blocker and a business condition in STEP? +

A business condition is one of the rules STEP evaluates on a transition — for example ‘all mandatory attributes are populated’ or ‘GTIN matches the expected pattern’. A blocker is the practical result: any failed business condition or unmet mandatory-attribute requirement that prevents the object from moving to the next state. This tool checks the conditions you define and reports the resulting blockers in plain language.

Can I find blockers without administrator access to STEP? +

Yes. Reading event logs or workflow reports inside STEP usually needs elevated access, but anyone who can produce a record export can triage offline here. You paste the export, define which fields are mandatory and what valid values look like, and the finder lists the blockers per record entirely in your browser.

How do I fix unresolved reference errors that block a transition? +

Provide the finder with the list of valid keys (classification codes, unit codes, or linked-object identifiers) so it can flag any record pointing at a missing reference. Then either correct the value in the source file or fix the mapping that produced it. At scale, the durable fix is resolving inbound references against a canonical record so they are correct before data ever reaches STEP.

Is my exported product data uploaded anywhere? +

No. The finder runs entirely in your browser. Your file is parsed and checked locally and is never transmitted to or stored on a server, so confidential supplier and pricing data stays on your machine.