A policy action is a programmed task, written in Java or Groovy (a scripting language). A policy action can perform any type of work you require (for example, sending an email, validating an attribute setting, submitting an approval request, updating a database). It can have one or more input parameters. An action that sends an email message, for example, will include input parameters that specify the text of the message and to whom it is to be sent. A policy action returns a completion code that indicates whether it completed its task successfully.

The action list in a policy can contain one or more actions. CentraSite executes the actions in the order that they appear in the list. If an action does not complete successfully, CentraSite immediately exits the policy and bypasses any remaining actions in the list. Policy failures are recorded in CentraSite's policy log.

CentraSite is installed with a library of “built-in” policy actions that you can use to construct policies. You can also develop your own custom actions using Java or Groovy.