1000 WorkFlow Interview Questions

8/18/2019 1000 WorkFlow Interview Questions

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**********Workflow*********

1. What is an Oracle workflow?

Oracle Workflow is a complete workflow management system that facilitates business process re

engineering. Oracle Workflow automatically processes and routes information of any type, according to

business rules you can easily change, to any person inside or outside your enterprise. You can easilyinclude customers and suppliers in your workflow using the Internet and the Worldwide Web.

. What are the rules supported by Workflow?

! "ooping

! #ranching

! $arallel %low.

&. What are the components of workflow?

! Workflow builder

! Workflow 'efinitions "oader

! Workflow (otifications )ystem

! Workflow ngine

! Workflow +onitor

. What is workflow builder?

Oracle Workflow-s graphical Workflow #uilder lets you create, iew, or modify a business process

with simple drag and drop operations. /sing the builder, you can create and modify reusable workflow

ob0ects, including actiities, rules, messages, and users.

. What is the function of workflow definitions loader?

2he Workflow 'efinitions "oader is a utility program that moes workflow definitions between

database and corresponding flat file representations.

3. What is workflow monitor?

2he Workflow +onitor displays an annotated iew of the process diagram for a particular instance of a

workflow process, so that users can get a graphical depiction of their work item status. 2he Workflow

+onitor also displays a separate status summary for the work item, the process, and each actiity in the

process.

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4. What is Workflow ngine?

2he Workflow ngine embedded in the Oracle5 serer monitors workflow states and coordinates the

routing of actiities for a process. 6hanges in workflow state, such as the completion of workflow

actiities, are signaled to the engine ia a $"7)8" 9$I or a :aa 9$I. #ased on fle;ibly. What is deferred process?

2he workflow process run as background process is known as deferred process.

1. 'efine an Item?

9 specific process, document, or transaction that is manages by a workflow process. %or e;ample, the

item managed by the @e=uisition 9pproal $rocess workflow is a specific re=uisition created by Oracle

Internet 6ommerce-s Web @e=uisitions page.

11. What are the item type attributes aailable in workflow?

! 2e;t! "ookup! %orm

! (umber ! /@"! 'ocument

! 'ate! @ole! 9ttribute

1. What is the purpose of directory serices?

2o mapping of Oracle Workflow users and roles to a site-s directory repository.

1&. What is access leel in workflow?

9 numeric alue ranging from to 1. ery workflow user operates at a specific access leel. 2he

access leel defines whether the user can modify certain workflow data. You can only modify data that

is protected at a leel e=ual to or higher than your access leel.


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1. What is a process?

9 set of actiities that need to be perform to accomplish a business goal.

1. What are the two windows aailable in workflow builder?

! (aigator Window! $rocess Window

13. What is a function actiity?

9n automated unit of work that is defined by a $"7)8" stored procedure.

14. What is 2op down design?

If you prefer to approach your design from a high leel, you can first sketching out the process diagram

with actiities, then go back later to create the supporting ob0ects for each actiity.

15. What is #ottom /p design?

If you prefer to take a more programmatic approach to your design, you can first define each of the

supporting ob0ects of your process before attempting to create a higher leel process diagram.

1>. What are the types of )tandard actiities aailable?

! 9nd7Or 9ctiities! 6omparison 9ctiities! 6ompare ;ecution 2ime

9ctiity! Wait 9ctiity! #lock 9ctiity! 'efer 2hread 9ctiity! "aunch $rocess

! 9ctiity! (OO$ 9ctiity! "oop 6ounter

9ctiity! )tart 9ctiity! nd 9ctiity! @ole @esolution

9ctiity! (otify 9ctiity

! Aote Yes7(o 9ctiity! +aster7'etail 6oordination

9ctiities! Wait for %low 9ctiity! 6ontinue %low 9ctiity! 9ssign 9ctiity! Bet +onitor /@" 9ctiity

. What is (OO$ actiity?

2he (OO$ actiity acts as a place holder actiity that performs no action. You can use this actiity

anywhere you want to place a node without performing an action. 2his actiity calls the $"7)8"

procedure named

! WF_STANDARD.NOOP


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1. What is the purpose of $urging?

'elete the workflow items which no longer needed by calling W%C$/@B 9$I.

. What is "ookup 2ype?

It-s a predefined list of alues. ach alue in a lookup type has an internal and a display name.

&. What is $ersistence in workflow?

2he amount of time the workflow item won-t be purged een the actiity is completed.

. What is D)('- attribute in workflow?

It is a type of message attribute defined as a -)end- source, a message attribute gets replaced with a

runtime alue when the message is sent.

. What is D@)$O('- attribute in workflow?

It is a type of message attribute defined as a -@espond- sourceE a message attribute prompts a user for a

response when the message is sent.

3. What are the main workflow 9$Is?

! W%C)29('9@

'! W%C(BI(! W%C6O@! W%C$/@B

! W%C'I@62O@ Y

! W%C$@%! W%C+O(I2O@

! W%C8//! %('C'O6/+(2C+9(9B

+(2! W%C(O2I%I692IO()

4. Fow to launch a workflow?

! 'efine workflow Items

! 'efine Workflow $rocess

! 'raw Workflow $rocess 'iagrams

! 2hen through )ystem 9dmin @esponsibility you can launch your Workflow

O@ 2hrough 6oncurrent program

#y writing a $"7)8" procedure using following 9$Is we can "aunch a workflow.


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! W%C(BI(.6reate$rocess

! W%C(BI(.)tart$rocess

Ø W%C(BI(."aunch$rocess

5. What is 2imeout in a workflow?

2he amount of time during which a notification actiity must be performed before the Workflow

ngine transitions to an error process or an alternate actiity if one is defined.

>. What is 2ransition in a workflow?

2he relationship that defines the completion of one actiity and the actiation of another actiity within

a process. In a process diagram, the arrow drawn between two actiities represents a transition.

&. Who is a $erformer?

9 user or role assigned to perform a human actiity GnotificationH. (otification actiities that are

included in a process must be assigned to a performer.

&1. What is a @ole?

One or more users grouped by a common responsibility or position.

&. What is 6ost in workflow?

9 relatie alue that you can assign to a function or notification actiity to inform the Workflow nginehow much processing is re=uired to complete the actiity.

**********Workflow &************

What are the ma0or features7components of Oracle Workflow ?????

Oracle Workflow #uilder, a graphical tool that lets you createbusiness process definitions.???

2he Workflow ngine, which implements process definitions atruntime. mbded in Oracle )erer.???

2he (otifications )ystem, which sends notifications to andprocesses responses from users in a

workflow.???

Braphical +onitoring 2ool, which allows you to track your workflow process using a Web #rowser.

What is Work %low?

Oracle Workflow lets you automate and continuously improe business processes, routing information

of any type to decision makers according to business rules.

@outing Information

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You can define processes that loop, branch into parallel flows etc,decompose into subflows, and more.

Oracle Workflow can decide which path to take based on the result of a stored procedure.

'eliering lectronic (otifications Oracle Workflow e;tends the reach of business process automation

throughout the enterprise and beyond to include any mail or Internet user.

Oracle Workflow #uilder

Oracle Workflow #uilder lets you create, iew, or modify a business process with simple drag and drop

operations.

Workflow ngine

2he Workflow ngine embedded in the Oracle5 serer monitors workflow states and coordinates the

routing of actiities for a process.

Workflow 'efinitions "oader

2he Workflow 'efinitions "oader is a utility program that moes work flow definitions between

database and corresponding flat file representations.

6omponents of Oracle Workflow #uilder

G1H (aigator window J 2he (aigator window displays a naigator ree hierarchy for each data store

that you open or load.

G9H 9 data store Gprimary branchH is a database connection or flat file that holds your work flow process

definition.

G#H Within each data store there is at least one item type headingGsecondary branchH that represents the

grouping of a particular set of processes and its component ob0ects.

G6H 2he following si; tertiary branches appear beneath each item type branchJ

9H 9ttributeslists the attributes for the current item type. Item type attributes describe features of an

item type.

#H $rocesseslists the process actiities or workflow process definitions for the current item type.

6H (otificationslists the notification actiities associated with the current item type. 9 notification

actiity sends a message to a user or role. 2he message may prompt for a response or may

simply proide information.

'H %unctionslists the function actiities associated with the current item type. 9 function actiity

represents a $"7)8" stored procedure that the Workflow ngine e;ecutes automatically. 9 function

actiity can also hae actiity attributes associated with it.

H +essageslists the messages that a notification actiity associated with the current item type can

send to a user or role. 9 message can hae message attributes associated with it.

%H "ookup 2ypeslists the lookup types associated with the current item type. 9 look up type has one or

more alues called lookup codes associated with it. 9 look up type is a list of alues that can be

referenced by a message, or by a notification, function, or process as its possible result type.


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Work %low saing modes

Oracle Workflow #uilder can sae your work to the database using one of two modes.

In the K9bout Oracle Workflow #uilderK dialog bo; from the Felp menu, there is a check bo; called

K9llow modifications of customiLed ob0ectsK.

If you check this check bo;, Oracle Workflow #uilder saes your edits in MuploadM mode, oerwriting

any protected ob0ects that you hae access to modify, as well as any preiously customiLed ob0ects.

If you un check this check bo;, Oracle Workflow #uilder runs in MupgradeM mode and will only sae

edits to protected ob0ects that you hae access to change and will not oerwrite ob0ects that hae been

preiously customiLed.

$ersistence 2ype of an item type

G1H If you set it to $ermanent, the run time status information is maintained indefinitely until you

specifically purge the information by calling the procedure W%C$/@B.2otal$ermG H.

GH 2he status audit trail for each instance of a 2emporary item type is maintained for at least MnM days of

persistence after its completion date.

Item 2ype )elector %unction

If your item type has or will hae more than one runnable process actiity associated with it, define a

$"7)8" function that determines which process actiity to run in a particular situation. 2here is

)tandard Work %low 9$I for an item type selector function.

9ttribute 2ypes J 2here are > types

2e;t, (umber, 'ate, "ookup, /@", @ole, 'ocument, %orm, 9ttribute

%ormMs alue functionCnameJarg1Nalue1 argNalue ...arg(Nalue(

'ocument 2he attribute alue is an attached document. You can specify the following types of

documents in the default alue

fieldJ 1. $"7)8" document representing data from the database,generated from a $"7)8" procedure.

'ocumentMs alue pls=lJprocedureP7documentCidentifierP

(ote 2he $"7)8" procedure must follow )tandard 9$I for a K$"7)8"

. '+ document managed by an e;ternal document mgmt system.

'ocumentMs alue '+JnodeCI'PJdocumentCI'PJQersionR

nodeCI'P is the node I' of the document management

system, as listed in the 'ocument +anagement (odes web page.

documentCI'P is the I' assigned to the document by

the document management system.

@ole 2he attribute alue is the internal name of a role. 9lso when you iew the notification from a

web browser, the role display name is a hyperte;t link to the email address for that role. 2o set a default

alue for the attribute, you must initially load roles from the database.


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9ttribute 2he attribute alue is the internal name of another e;isting item type attribute that you want

to maintain references to in a process.

9ttentionJ 'o not include colons KJK or leading7trailing spaces in your internal name.

9ttentionJ 2o update the internal name for an attribute Wfchita.s=l and Wfchacta.s=l. item type

Wfchitt.s=l

9llowing 9ccess to an Ob0ect

In the 9ccess tab page, the M@ange of ditable 9ccess "eelsM indicator bar proides a relatie

indication of the range of access leels that can edit the ob0ect.

2he shaded area represents the access leels that can edit the ob0ect, while the ertical bar represents

your current access leel.

If the K9llow modifications of customiLed ob0ectsK check bo; in theK9bout Oracle Workflow #uilderK

dialog bo; of the Felp menu isJ

?????6hecked Oracle Workflow #uilder is operating in MuploadM mode.

which means that Oracle Workflow #uilder can sae your edits,oerwriting any protected ob0ects that

you hae access to modify as well as any preiously customiLed ob0ects.

????/ncheckedOracle Workflow #uilder is operating in MupgradeM mode,only saing edits to protected

ob0ects that you hae access to change and leaing ob0ects that hae been preiously customiLed

untouched.

2o )et the 9ccess "eel for an Ob0ect

+essage

9 message is what a notification actiity sends to a role in a workflow

process.

+essage @esult 2ab

@esult type of a (otification and its +essage @esult 2ab must be same.2his result of notification can be

used to take decision for routing.

)end and @espond +essage 9ttributes

When you define a message attribute with a source of M)endM,you can embed the message attribute in

the sub0ect and7or body of the message

9 M@espondM message attribute proides instructions that prompts a recipient for a response.

Work %low 9$I and its use

G1H W%C(BI( can be called by an application program or a workflow function in the runtime

phase to communicate with the engine and to change the status of each of the actiities.

GHW%C6O@ called by function actiities can use a set of core Oracle Workflow 9$Is to raise and

catch errors.


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G&H W%C$/@B 2he following 9$Is can be called by an application program or workflow function in

the runtime phase to purge obsolete runtime data.

GH W%C'I@62O@Y 2he following 9$Is can be called by an application program or a workflow

function in the runtime phase toretriee information about e;isting users and roles, as well as

create and manage new ad hoc users and roles in the directory serice.

???W%C/)@)

???W%C/)@C@O")

???W%C@O")

GH W%C$@% to retriee user preference information.

G3H W%C+O(I2O@ 6all the following 9$Is to generate a complete /@" to access the arious pages

of the Workflow +onitor.

Oracle Work%low iews

???W%CI2+C962IAI2YC)292/))CA

information about a workflow process and its actiitiesM statuses. /se this iew to create custom =ueries

and reports on the status of a particular item or process.

???W%C(O2I%I692IO(C922@C@)$CA

information about the @espond message attributes for a notification group. If you plan to create a

custom KotingK actiity, use this iew to create the function that tallies the responses from the users in

the notification group.

???W%C@/((9#"C$@O6)))CA

2his iew contains a list of all runnable workflow processes in the 962IAI2I) table.

???W%CI2+)CA

2his iew is a select only ersion of the W%CI2+) table.

G4H %('C'O6/+(2C+9(9B+(2 can be called by user

interface G/IH agents to return /@"s or 0aascript functions that enable

integrated access to supported document management systems. 9ll

supported document management G'+H systems accommodate a /@"

interface to access documents.

G5H W%C(O2I%I692IO( called by a notification agent to manage

notifications for a notification actiity.

What is Oracle Workflow 6artridge and how does it relate to earlier Workflow products?

Oracle Workflow 6artridge is the name gien to Oracle )tandalone and the Workflow Option to the

database. 9s such, it has all the same licensing restrictions as )tandalone did before. $lease check the

licensing page for more details.


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What platforms is it aailable on?

Oracle Workflow .3 has been released on 9"" platforms.

When will translated ersions be aailable?

2ranslation of Workflow mbedded in 9pps will appear as Oracle 9pps is translated

Gthis does not include the builder because which is considered an admin toolH.2ranslation of W%

)tandalone Gincluding the builderH is ongoing.

If I create custom workflows in .&, how do I upgrade to .?

'o you hae workflow ..& embedded in Oracle 9pps 11 or standalone ersion?

If standalone, then you would obtain the Workflow . cd and select the option to perform an upgrade

from ..& to . instead of an install of ..

If your workflow ..& is embedded in Oracle 9pps 11 then when you upgrade to Oracle 9pps 11i it

would include upgrading to workflow ..

Oracle 9pps 11i uses Workflow .. 9s part of an upgrade your custom workflow definitions stored in

the database are upgraded to the . data model.

If you are concerned about any flat file workflow definitions you may hae, the Workflow #uilder and

Workflow "oader for . can KreadK the ..& flat file format.

Foweer, once KreadK into a . Workflow #uilder and saed to flat file format again, your ..& flat

files will be saed in the . flat file format.

If I create custom workflows in ., how do I upgrade to .3?

If standalone, then you would obtain the Workflow .3 cd and select the option to perform an upgrade

from . to .3 instead of an install of .3.

If your workflow . is embedded in Oracle 9pps 11i then when you upgrade to Oracle 9pps 11i it

would include upgrading to workflow .3.

Oracle 9pps 11i uses Workflow . and in the future will use .3.

9s part of an upgrade your custom workflow definitions stored in the database are upgraded to the .

data model.

If you are concerned about any flat file workflow definitions you may hae, the Workflow #uilder and

Workflow "oader for .3 can KreadK the . flat file format.

Foweer, once KreadK into a . Workflow #uilder and saed to flat file format again, your . flat files

will be saed in the .3 flat file format.

What are the ma0or components of the workflow system?

2he main components of Oracle Workflow are the Workflow ngine, #usiness ent )ystem, the

(otification )erice, the Workflow #/ilder, and administratie and monitoring tools.

2he Workflow ngine is a set of tables and $"7)8" stored procedures that manages the

e;ecution of workflow processes and tracks workin process. It maintains the state information of all


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the workflow items and generates complete audit trails. It e;ecutes workflow rules which are $"7)8"

functions, and it deliers notifications as human actiities become eligible. +ost Workflow ngine

9$Is are also aailable from :aa.

2he #usiness ent )ystem is an application serice that uses the Oracle 9danced 8ueuing

G98H infrastructure to communicate business eents between systems. 2he #usiness ent )ystem

consists of the ent +anager, which lets you register subscriptions to eents that are significant to

your systems, and eent actiities, which let you model business eents within workflow processes.

2he (otification )erice sends notifications to appropriate users ia a %ormbased connected

iewer, as well as ia email or WWW. It also interprets responses and deliers response information to

the sender.

2he Workflow #uilder is a natie Windows program written in 6SS. It allows the user to graphically

define a workflow process and its components including actiities, users, notifications, etc.

Oracle Workflow includes a comprehensie set of tools that let the user graphically monitor and

administer workflow transactions as well as iew and analyLe transaction history.

'oes Workflow integrate with "'9$ compliant directory serices?

6urrently, the Workflow Kdirectory sericeK is a set of iews and $"7)8" 9$Is that are implemented to

reference e;isting user and role information in the database. With the correct mapping of these

directory serice iews, Workflow can integrate with any user and role information that is stored in an

Oracle database.

In the case of Workflow for Oracle 9pplications, we proide a mapping of the directory serice

iews oer the Oracle Fuman @esources tables. 2he standalone Workflow product includes a template

directory serice iew definition that should be customiLed to reference the customerMs e;isting

repository of user and role information.

)ince Oracle Workflow is resident inside the Oracle 'atabase, integration with "'9$ serices

will be achieed when the database itself offers "'9$ integration Gplanned for Oracle 5.1H. /ntil then

could still reference this information if the "'9$ serice actually stores user information in an Oracle

database.

6an workflow work on a distributed database?

Yes Oracle Workflow .3 includes a ma0or new feature called the #usiness ent )ystem which

supports the sending and receiing of messages between databases.

It is also possible using standard Oracle 'atabase links to hae your workflow engine and application

on different databases. )o far the only limitation we hae come across is the inability to perform

commit7rollback across databases, a problem inherent to distributed databases, howeer a simple

workaround e;ists


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What platform is workflow currently aailable on?

? Oracle Workflow embedded in Oracle 9pplications is aailable on all platforms that Oracle

9pplications is aailable on.

? 2he standalone Workflow cartridge is aailable on a ariety of platforms and is being ported to most.

? 2he builder of course is a client product running on Windows >7>577(2.

Fow does Oracle Workflow differ from Oracle 9lert?

Oracle 9lert is a database eent detection tool. Oracle Workflow technology enables automation and

continuous improement to business processes, routing information according to userdefined business

rules. Oracle 9lert is designed to detect database eents, Oracle workflow is designed to manage the

e;ecution comple; of business processes that result from database eents.

Oracle 9lert does contain some workflow type features such as response processing, that allow a

se=uence of actions to be taken depending on a users response to a message. Oracle WorkflowMs

response processing capabilities are more adanced than Oracle 9lert and it is recommended to use

Oracle Workflow for new deelopment.

What electronic mail systems can I use in con0unction with Oracle Workflow (otifications?

2he Oracle Workflow (otification +ailer can be used in con0unction with Oracle Office7Oracle

InterOffice GOracle Internet +essaging . can be used with Workflow .H, /(IT )endmail, or

+9$Icompliant mail applications.

Fow do I ensure that the correct mail 9$Is are linked into W%+9I"?

Oracle Workflow )tandalone can be run using W%+9I".snd for /ni; +ail or W%+9I".ofc for Oracle

InterOffice. Within Oracle 9pplications, there is only one W%+9I" e;ecutable file, so this must be

linked according to the mail system you are using.

%or e;ample, if you wish to use Oracle InterOffice as your Oracle Workflow notification mail system,

you must perform the following linkJ

adrelink forceNY ranlibNY Kfnd W%+9I"CO%6K

Gto create a W%+9I"CO%6 e;ecutableH

(oteJ the name of this e;ecutable is W%+9I"OO in Oracle Workflow ..& Gused in 9pplications

@elease 11H

m W%+9I"CO%6 W%+9I"

Gto replace the e;isting W%+9I" e;ecutableH

9fter you complete the aboe steps, when you start the Workflow (otifications +ailer, it will pick up

the new W%+9I" file and send (otifications using Oracle InterOffice.

(oteJ When you install Oracle 9pplications 1.4 $rod 137$rod 13.1 Gor @elease 11H, the W%+9I"

file is automatically linked to use the /ni; )endmail e;ecutable, so you must only relink Gusing the

aboe instructionsH if you decide to use Oracle InterOffice.


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What electronic mail systems can I use in con0unction with Oracle Workflow (otifications?

2he Oracle Workflow (otification +ailer can be used in con0unction with Oracle Office7Oracle

InterOffice GOracle Internet +essaging . can be used with Workflow .H, /(IT )endmail, or

+9$Icompliant mail applications.

What ersion of Oracle Workflow is supported with Web 9pps ..1? %or e;ample, can 9pplications

1.4 $rod 13713.1 and Oracle 9pplications for the Web ..1 run with Oracle Workflow 1.; and .; ?

Oracle 9pplications for the Web ..1 re=uires Oracle Workflow . but it is (O2 compatible with

Oracle Workflow 1..

Oracle 9pplications @elease 1.4 $rod 13 and $rod 13.1 are now shipped with

Oracle Workflow ersion ..&.

Fow do I ensure that the correct mail 9$Is are linked into W%+9I"?

Oracle Workflow )tandalone can be run using W%+9I".snd for /ni; +ail or W%+9I".ofc for Oracle

InterOffice. Within Oracle 9pplications, there is only one W%+9I" e;ecutable file, so this must be

linked according to the mail system you are using.

%or e;ample, if you wish to use Oracle InterOffice as your Oracle Workflow notification mail system,

you must perform the following linkJ

adrelink forceNY ranlibNY Kfnd W%+9I"CO%6K

Gto create a W%+9I"CO%6 e;ecutableH

(oteJ the name of this e;ecutable is W%+9I"OO in Oracle Workflow ..&

Gused in 9pplications @elease 11H

m W%+9I"CO%6 W%+9I" Gto replace the e;isting W%+9I" e;ecutableH

9fter you complete the aboe steps, when you start the Workflow (otifications +ailer, it will pick up

the new W%+9I" file and send (otifications using Oracle InterOffice.

(oteJ When you install Oracle 9pplications 1.4 $rod 137$rod 13.1 Gor @elease 11H, the W%+9I"

file is automatically linked to use the /ni; )endmail e;ecutable, so you must only relink Gusing the

aboe instructionsH if you decide to use Oracle InterOffice.

Fow do I erify the ersion of Oracle Workflow that I hae installed?

%or Workflow ersions prior to .J

GIf you are running Oracle Workflow mbedded in Oracle 9pplicationsH

GaH 6onnect to )8"*$lus as 9$$) user

GbH 2hen type, select 2T2 from W%C@)O/@6) where (9+NMW%CA@)IO(ME

(oteJ In the $rod 13 ersion of Oracle Workflow, the ersion ..

is displayed when the actual ersion is ..1

GIf you are running Oracle Workflow )tandaloneH


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GaH 6onnect to )8"*$lus using the Oracle Workflow user id

GbH 2hen type, select 2T2 from W%C@)O/@6) where (9+NMW%CA@)IO(ME

%or Workflow .J

GIf you are running Oracle Workflow mbedded in Oracle 9pplicationsH

GaH cd U%('C2O$7s=l

GbH 6onnect to )8"*$lus as 9$$) user

GcH )tart wfer.s=l

Gthis script details the Workflow )erer ersion, status and ersion information for the Workflow

packages and ersion information for the Workflow iewsH

GIf you are running Oracle Workflow )tandaloneH

GaH cd UO@96"CFO+7wf7admin7s=l

GbH 6onnect to )8"*$lus using the Oracle Workflow user id

GcH )tart wfer.s=l

Gthis script details the Workflow )erer ersion, status and ersion information for the Workflow

packages and ersion information for the Workflow iewsH

Fow do I shut down the Oracle Workflow (otification +ailer in Oracle 9pplications?

2he (otification +ailer is an e;ecutable program that continually poles for messages that must be sent

to users G(otificationsH.

2o stop this program, you must place the shutdown file in the re=uired directory.

If you hae the enironment ariable U9$$"6)% set, then your notification mailer shutdown file

should be placed in the U9$$"6)%7U9$$""OB directory.

If U9$$"6)% is (O2 set, then the notification mailer shutdown file should be placed in the

U%('C2O$7U9$$""OB directory.

Fow do I send a )ummary Only (otification from Oracle Workflow? %or e;ample, I may want to send

a message to a user listing all notifications that are currently open Gi.e. awaiting a responseH instead of a

message for each notification that they hae outstanding.

2o do so, you must set up summary only messages by doing the followingJ

GaH nsure that the (O2I%I692IO(C$@%@(6 field in W%C/)@) for that particular user is

set to M)/++9@YM

Gin Workflow ., use the M/ser $referencesM link from the Workflow Fome $ageH

GbH 'efine a notification mailer with )/++9@YCO("Y set to MYMJ

GcH 6reate a new mail configuration file Guse U%('C2O$7resource7wfmail.cfg as a starting pointH.

GdH If you already hae a notification mailer running, you should set (O' to something different

than the one already defined.


15/93

Fow do I reorder the information displayed in the (otifications screen on the Web.

+ouse click the underlined column heading for the column you want to reorder Ge.g., ascending s

descendingH and the notifications are reordered automatically.

Fow do I select the M%ile, "oad @olesM option when it is greyed out?

2o use the M%ile, "oad @olesM option you must store your workflow definition in the database so that you

hae a database connection through which you can bring back records from the database.

Fow does M;pand @olesM work?

;pand @oles N (

If you hae ;pand @oles set to M(M and you are sending a (otification to a @ole (ame, then a message

is sent to eery user in that role, and each indiidual user will see that (otification in their (otification

=ueue until a single user in the role replies to that (otification. 9fter which time, the (otification is

wiped from each userMs (otification =ueue.

;pand @oles N Y

If you hae ;pand @oles set to MYM and you are sending a (otification to a @ole (ame, then a message

is sent to eery user in that role, and each indiidual user will see that (otification in their (otification

=ueue until they reply or close that notification.

You will generally want to hae ;pand @oles set to MYM if you want to be sure that eery user in a

particular role sees the message.

Fow to force a Workflow actiity to run in background.

2he workflow background engine threshold is set to by default.

If you do not want the current 0ob to run online then call W%C(BI(.2F@)FO"'JNnE Gwhere n is

less than the cost setting for the current 0ob7actiityH, hence the workflow engine runs the 0ob in

background.

You should set the threshold limit back to in )8"*$lus or in the ne;t function actiity so that other

actiities are processed as e;pected.

Fow do I create a new Workflow ?

)ee (oteJ4411.1 for a stepbystep guide to creating

a new Workflow.

Why does Oracle Workflow #uilder drag and drop not work the same way as other editors and Ob0ect

(aigators?

%or Workflow ..&J

You need to use the Msplit windowM function to be able to drag and drop.


16/93

%or Workflow .J

You can perform drag and drop within the Ob0ect (aigator.

Fow do I improe the performance of my Oracle Workflow Aiews?

2he performance of Workflow is reliant on the Workflow 9dministrator correctly creating and tuning

the Workflow iews Gspecifically W%C/)@) and W%C@O")H.

2he Workflow analytical scripts will be aailable in Oracle Workflow ..&

GOracle 9pplications @elease 11H and can be used against any @elease ersion of Oracle Workflow.

@eference

#/BJ1&3P

Fow do I define my Workflow timeout periods in business days instead of in hours?

2his is not a standard feature of Workflow itself, howeer, a workaround has been documented in

(oteJ35.1

@eference

#/BJ41P

(oteJ35.1P

Fow do I display the Internal (ame of an ob0ect in the Ob0ect (aigator?


6hoose Aiew, )how "abel, Internal (ame Gfrom the pulldown menuH G2he display name will be

displayed in the Ob0ect (aigator with the Internal (ame in brackets afterwardsH

%or Workflow .J

6hoose Aiew, 'eeloper +ode Gthis toggles on7offH

With 'eeloper +ode O(, the Internal (ame is displayed in the (aigator and the 'isplay (ame

appears in brackets.

With 'eeloper +ode O%%, the 'isplay (ame is displayed in the (aigator.

Fow do I display the $erformer of a (otification in the $rocess 'etail screen ?


6hoose Aiew, )how "abel, $erformer in 'esigner Gfrom the pulldown menuH Gthe $erformer will be

displayed alongside the notification icon instead of the display name of the notification itselfH

%or Workflow .J


17/93

6hoose Aiew, )how "abel in 'esigner, 6hoose $erformer Gfrom the pulldown menuH.

Fow do I create a shortcut to my Workflow instance?

Open up the Oracle Workflow #uilder

6hoose %ile, Open Gfrom the pulldown menuH

6lick on the M'atabaseM radio button

nter the releant database connection information

6hoose which Item 2ypes you want to display in the Ob0ect (aigator

6hoose %ile, 6reate )hortcut Gfrom the pulldown menuH

nter a shortcut name if you do not wish to use the default Gdefault is usernamedatabase connect

stringP e.g. appsV@11'+OH

You can then use this shortcut to open up the Oracle Workflow #uilder and connect to that database

automatically Gyou will be prompted to enter the password to then connect to the databaseH.

If you need to see more item types than you initially selected when you created the shortcut, choose

%ile, )how7Fide Item 2ypes Gfrom the pulldown menuH and select the item types to show from the list.

Fow do I customiLe the 9ccount Benerator Workflow process for my company?

6ustomers are e;pected to customiLe the 9ccount Benerator process. You can do this by editing the

e;isting process or creating your own process, but this +/)2 be within the seeded MItem 2ypeM. You

should (O2 create a (W MItem 2ypeM as this would (A@ be run by 9ccount Benerator.

If you create a new process, you must ensure it is K@unnableK.

You must then assign the appropriate process to the 9ccounting %le;field structure in the 9ccount

Benerator $rocess window in Oracle 9pplications Glogin as )ystem 9dministrator, 9pplication P

%le;fields P ey P 9ccounts and =uery up the re=uired 9ccounting fle;field structureH.

What 9ccess "eel should I be using in Oracle Workflow #uilder?

You should be running the Workflow #uilder with an 9ccess "eel of 1 Giewable from Felp P

9bout Workflow #uilderH, if you lower the access leel you run the risk of oerwriting )'

workflow and applications workflow data,which cannot be supported. If this should happen it will be

necessary for you to reinstall the original )'' workflow process, using the W%"O9' concurrent

program in /$B@9' mode.

Fow do I trace errors in my Workflow processes?

If a customiLed workflow process errors you should check the error stack Gusing the Workflow +onitor

and7or wfstatus.s=l scriptH, if the procedure in error does (O2 begin with W%C.. O@

appCshortCnamePC... then you need to debug your own pl7s=l procedures.


18/93

If standards in the Workflow Buide for e;ception handling hae not been followed, you can still tell

whether the problem is with your code, because Oracle Workflow traps e;ternal e;ceptions and reports

these as

9ctiity )tatusJ @@O@

9ctiity @esultJ XT6$2IO(

2his is what would show up in the workflow monitor or any status report or form in=uiry for the failing

actiity.

9 (9+N(' F@%NXC2O$P I+B )@6N7images7webi7arrows7bw7up.gif

borderN 9"2NK2op of $ageK 9"IB(NrightPP

Whats new aboutOracle Workflow .3?

2he Oracle Workflow #usiness ent )ystem is

an application serice that leerages the Oracle 9danced 8ueuing G98H infrastructure to communicate

business eents between systems. 2he #usiness ent )ystem consists of the ent +anager and

workflow process eent actiities.

2he ent +anager

contains a registry of business eents, systems, named communication agents within those systems, and

subscriptions indicating that an eent is significant to a particular system. ents can be raised locally

or receied from an e;ternal system or the local system through 98. When a local eent occurs, the

subscribing code is e;ecuted in the same transaction as the code that raised the eent.

)ubscriptions can include

the following types of processingJ

* ;ecuting custom code on the eent information

* * )ending eent information to a workflow process

* )ending eent information

* to other =ueues or systems

#usiness eents are represented within workflow

processes by eent actiities. #y including eent actiities in a workflow process,you can model

comple; processing or routing logic for business eents beyond the options of directly running a

predefined function or sending the eent to a predefined recipient.

6an Oracle Workflow .3 #usiness ent)ystem meet my customers #usiness $rocess Integration

@e=uirements?

Yes.2he uses of the #usiness ent )ystem includeJ

* )ystem integration messaging

* hubsOracle Workflow with the #usiness ent )ystem can sere as a messaging hub

* for comple; system integration scenarios. 2he ent +anager can be used to KhardwireK


19/93

* routing between systems based on eent and originator. Workflow

* process eent actiities can be used to model more adanced routing, contentbased

* routing, transformations, error handling, and so on.

* 'istributed applications

* messaging9pplications can supply Benerate and @eceie eent message handlers for

* their business entities. %or e;ample, message handlers can be used to implement +aster76opy

* replication for distributed applications.

* +essagebased system integrationYou

* can set up subscriptions which cause messages to be sent from one system to another

* when business eents occur. In this way, you can use the ent +anager to implement

* pointtopoint messaging integration.

* #usinesseent based workflow processesYou

* can deelop sophisticated workflow processes that include adanced routing or processing

* based on the content of business eents.

'oes Oracle Workflow .3integrate in with +8*)eries or other messaging solutions?

Yes.Oracle Workflow .3 integrates with Oracle +essage #roker compliant single consumer

=ueues, and O+# can integrate with +8*)eries and 2I#6O

What communication protocolsare supported by Oracle Workflow .3?

We offer )8"*(et support

out of the bo;. F22$7F22$) support is offered through integration with Oracle +essage

#roker compliant single consumer =ueues. We plan to support additional protocols as 98 offers

support for additional protocols.

6an custom :aa codebe integrated in with Oracle Workflow .3?

#@PY). classNKK

What 'ata 2ransformationserices does Oracle Workflow .3 offer?

Oracle Workflow .3

allows you to apply a stylesheet to an T+" document. It is anticipated that in calendar

81 1, =ueue handlers will be aailable to en=ueue and de=ueue from Oracle 9pplications

Interconnect =ueues.

What will be the uptakeof >i 98 functionality in future releases of Oracle Workflow .3?

#@PO@96"

What database ersions can Oracle Workflow .3 be installed in?

5.1.3 and 5.1.4.


20/93

2he >i database will be shipped with a newer ersion of Oracle Workflow .3, this is the ersion that

should be installed on >i. Oracle Workflow .3 also re=uires the :)erer database option to be

installed.

6an Oracle Workflow..& be upgraded to Oracle Workflow .3 in one step?

(o. Oracle

Workflow ..& standalone customers must first upgrade to Oracle Workflow ..1 or

.., and then upgrade to Oracle Workflow .3.

In which products isOracle Workflow .3 bundled?

Oracle Workflow .3 should be included in the cd packs for 5.1.3 and 5.1.4 nterprise dition

databases.

%or >i database, Oracle Workflow .3 will be in the >i cd. %or >i 9), Workflow will be shipped as part

of the 6' pack until >i 9) , when workflow will be on the >i 9) . cd.

(oteJ Workflow .3 6lient and +ailer will ship on the >i 6lient 6' and >i 9) client cd when

Workflow )erer .3 is included on the >i db cd and >i 9) cd.

What Web )erers are certfied with Oracle Workflow .3?

2he Oracle F22$ )erer Gpowered

by 9pacheH with mod*pls=l component will be the only certified web serer with Oracle

Workflow .3. 2he Oracle F22$ )ererGpowered by 9pacheH with mod*pls=l is included

in 5i7>i i9), and also shipped with the database enterprise edition.

+y customer already uses 9danced8ueues with their own defined datatype. 9re they a candidate for

Oracle Workflow.3?

Yes. 9s they hae a custom datatype, what they need to

do is define these =ueues as 9gents in the the #usiness ent )ystems, and write their own =ueue

handler code to en=ueue and de=ueue from their =ueues. 2he =ueue handler code will also map from

their datatype, to the Oracle Workflow #usiness ent datatype. 9fter they hae done this, they could

either rebuild their comple; business rules in Oracle Workflow, or minimally, they could wrap their old

code in our ent )ubscription @ule %unction 9$I.

When I go into Blobal$references either as )ystem 9dministrator or Work%low 9dministrator I get the

following messageJKOnly 9dministrators can edit 'efault settingsK

What do I need to do in order to be able to modify the default settings ?

)ee (oteJ153&>.1

Fow do I ensure that workflow processes that are deferred, timed out or that become stuck after the

current background engine starts are processed by the ne;t background engine that is inoked?

2he background engine e;ecutes all actiities that satisfy the gien arguments at the time that the

background engine is inoked. 2his procedure does not remain running long term, so you must restart


21/93

this procedure periodically. 9ny actiities that are newly deferred or timed out or processes that

become stuck after the current background engine starts are processed by the ne;t background engine

that is inoked. You may run a script called wfbkgchk.s=l to get a list of the actiities waiting to be

processed by the ne;t background engine run. )eeJ Wfbkgchk.s=lJ page 13 ? 4.

If you are using the standalone ersion of Oracle Workflow, you can use one of the sample background

engine looping scripts described below or create your own script to make the background engine

procedure loop indefinitely. If you are using the ersion of Oracle Workflow embedded in Oracle

9pplications, you can use the concurrent program ersion of this procedure and take adantage of the

concurrent manager to schedule the background engine to run periodically. 2o )chedule #ackground

nginesJ page ? .

G)ourceH

Oracle Workflow Buide

@"9) .3.

AO"/+ 1

+arch

$ages 51 5

Fow do I run a Workflow #ackground $rocess as a 6oncurrent $rogram?

Oracle Workflow Buide

@"9) .3.

AO"/+ 1

+arch

$ages 51 5

In which products isOracle Workflow .3.1 bundled?Oracle Workflow .3.1 is included on the product installation 6' for Oracle>i nterprise and )tandard

dition databases ersion >..1, under the Oracle>i +anagement and Integration installation type.

Oracle Workflow .3.1 is also included on the product installation 6' for Oracle>i 9pplication )erer

@elease .

Fow do I access the Workflow +onitorin )tandalone Workflow .3?

1. )tart up your web browser and naigate to the workflow home page for )ysadmin by entering the

following /@"J httpJ77J77wfaChtml.home

where N machine on which W9) &.; or O9) .; is installed

N tcp7ip port on which your $"7)8" agent will accept re=uests

N the irtual path defined for your $"7)8" agent

. 6hoose %ind $rocesses. "eae all the defaults and click the %ind button.&. %ind all or any particular process that has a diagram.

. 9fter the %ind notifications returns click MAiew 'iagramM to iew a diagram of the process.

. 2his will inoke the Work%low +onitor and show a diagram depicting the status of the process you

chose.

"icensing IssuesJ

When does a customer receie Oracle Workflow )tandalone?

Oracle Workflow is included


22/93

as part of Oracle 5i )tandard dition, Oracle 5i nterprise dition, Oracle >i 9)G1.. and aboeH, and

the Oracle e#usiness )uite. (oteJ e#usiness )uite customers are not re=uired to purchase any

additional licenses to build custom workflows.

9ny other re=uirement for Oracle Workflow?

$lease check the re=uirements page in the documentationMs install notes. ssentially, you will need a

:aa 1.1 browser with full :aa 9W2 support for the Workflow monitor Gsuch as (etscape

6ommunicator ..H. You will need Oracle 5i 9) or higher.#ackground ngine

Fow do I defer a process to the background engine?

When launching a process, you can do this immediately by lowering the threshold leel.

)et engine to defer eerything to the bgengine for this session

2his proides faster user response time, at the e;pense of

delaying workflow progress until the background engine runs.

saeCthreshold JN wfCengine.thresholdE

wfCengine.threshold JN 1E

"aunch the process

wfCengine.6reate$rocessG...HE

wfCengine.)et9ttr...G...HE wfCengine.)tart$rocessG...HE

@eset the threshold

wfCengine.thresholdJNsaeCthresholdE

e;ception

ensure threshold is reset

wfCengine.thresholdJNsaeCthresholdE

We recommend that you always defer after a user interaction so the user is not left waiting for a

responce. %or e;ample,responding to a notification, launching a new process from a form,clearing a

block actiity from a web page etc. When you know you always want to defer at a gien point you can

increase the cost of the actiity in the #uilder at design time.

Fow is W%C)29('9@'.Wait implemented? is there any cost inoled?

When the engine e;ecutes the wait function, it returns K'%@@'JdatePK

where dateP is the date the engine should wait until Gusing canonical formatJ YYYY7++7''

FFJ+IJ))H. 2he engine updates the main runtime table and sets the actiity

status N M'%@@'M with a #BI(C'92 N dateP

2he #ackground engines 0ob is to poll for deferred actiities thatare alid Gie where

#BI(C'92 is less than )Y)'92H. 2here is no cost associated with the amount of time the

actiity waits because the background engine will not pick up the actiity until the waiting period isoer.

#ackground process is stuck. 6an I kill it?

2he background engine is designed to aoid any contention7deadlocks. Foweer, if you suspect a

lockup or other inactiity, there is no danger in killing the e;isting background process and starting

another one. 2he process will simply be rolled back and picked up again by the ne;t background

engine.

Why can I not find W%@)B( on my pc in the )ubmit @e=uests form?


23/93

%our concurrent programs are automatically created when you install the 9pplications ersion of

Workflow. 2hey areJ

* Workflow #ackground $rocess G%('W%#BH

* (otification +ailer G%('W%+9I"H

* Workflow 'efinitions "oader G%('W%"O9'H

* Workflow @esource Benerator G%('W%@)B(H

In order to run these programs through the )ubmit @e=uests form, you will need to add them to the

re=uest group of the responsibility under which you wish to run them. 2o do this, under )ystem

9dministrator responsibility, go to 7)ecurity7@esponsibility7@e=uests, =uery the group assigned to the

desired responsibility, and add the programs.

6oncurrent programs can be run from the command line as wellJ

W%@)B( apps7passwordP Y %I" res filespecP source filespecP...

W%@)B( apps7passwordP Y '929#9) source filespecP...

W%"O9' apps7passwordP Y 'OW("O9' output filespecP item typeP

W%"O9' apps7passwordP Y /$"O9' input filespecP

W%"O9' apps7passwordP Y /$B@9' input filespecP

W%+9I" apps7passwordP Y config filespecP

where a filespec is specified as

VapplicationCshortCnamePJQdirP7...7Rfile.e;t

or

natie pathP

for e;ample

W%"O9' apps7apps Y /$B@9' VfndJinstall7data7wferror.wft

W%"O9' apps7apps Y /$"O9' VpoJinstall7data7pore=.wft

W%"O9' apps7apps Y 'OW("O9' myprocess.wft $O@8

W%"O9' apps7apps Y /$B@9' cJZorantZwfZresZ/)Zwfstd.wft

What is the difference between W%"O9' and wfload?

2here is some confusion about W%"O9' ersus wfload. 2o the untrained eye these may look ery

similar... but there is an important difference. /$$@69) e;ecutable names usually

refer to the 6oncurrent +anager ariant of the program. "owercase e;ecutable names usually refer to

the standalone uni; ersion. 2hese two programs do the same thing, but take different

arguments.#uilder

1 6ant sae to the databaseJ it says Kactiity9#6 has no transition defined for itK?

8J I get error 13J cant sae to the database? but I can sae to a flat file?

8J I get error 1&J could not load? when loading from the database.

& I get an error in the builderJ

&1>J M)9AM alidation failed for attribute M922@M alue

W%TTTACA2Y$CI(6O+$92I#" I2Y$NA9@6F9@ 92Y$NI2+922@


24/93

6ant sae to the databaseJ it says Kactiity 9#6 has no transition defined for itK?

If 9ctiity 9 in the e;ample below has the "ookup KY)C(OCO2F@K attached to it then 9""

possible alues of the lookup must be modelled in the process. 2he only e;ception is if a default

transition is present.

"ookup N Y)C(OCO2F@

6odes N Yes

N (oN Other

In this e;ample the KOtherK alue has no transition defined for it and the default transition has not been

modelled.

Yes

[ 9 [P

[

[ (o

I get error 13J cant sae to the database?but I can sae to a flat file?

13J 6ould not sae.

1J 6ould not sae to database. +O'N/$B@9' %%'92N1>>57&71 13J&>J1J Oracle rrorJ O@93J line 1, column J

$")&J component M/$"O9'C+O'M must be declared

O@93J line 1, column 4J $"7)8"J )tatement ignored.)8" te;tJ #BI(

W%C6O@.)))IO(C"A" JN JleelE W%C6O@./$"O9'C+O' JN JmodeE

('E

2his means your builder7loader ersion is not compatible with the W% engine. You must upgrade

eerything to the same ersion.

;ampleJ you are running the ..& loader e;ecutable against

a .. or earlier W% serer installation. You can check the serer ersion with the following )8"J

select te;t from wfCresources where nameNMW%CA@)IO(ME

)imilarly, if your #uilder is behind in ersions to you serer, you will not be able to load from the

database. $lease update you #uilder.

I get error in the builderJ&1>J M)9AM alidation failed for attribute M922@M alue

W%TTTACA2Y$CI(6O+$92I#" I2Y$NA9@6F9@ 92Y$NI2+922@

%or defining actiity attributes, there are alues.

9ttribute name

9ttribute type

alue name

alue type


25/93

2he attribute name7type are already set. 2he user must input the alue name7type. 2he alue

type must I2F@ be a constant so that the alue will be of the same type as the attribute type Gso a

constant alue N may either be character or numeric depending on the actiity attribute typeH

O@ it can be Kitem attributeK, in which case the alue is the name of an item attribute which must be of

the same type as the attribute type.

In the case of the 9))IB( actiity, this is complicated because the actiity attribute is actually

of type KattributeK. 2his means it is already e;pecting an item attribute name so you should input a6O()29(2 type and the name of the item attribute you want to reference.

9 common mistake is to set the alue type toKitem attributeK because you want to reference an

item attribute. Foweer because attributeCtypeNattribute, it is already e;pecting an item attribute name.

2hen, because of the O@ rule noted aboe, you are limited to reference an item attribute which

is of typeKattributeK which in turn is a substitution. What this ends up meaning is

Kget the alue you are e;pecting Gin this case the item attribute nameHfrom the item attribute which

refernces another item attributeGbecause it is of type attributeHK. 2his is a double reference which is

probably not re=uired. )o remember, wheneer you use type KQitemR attributeK, substitution occurs.

6ommit Issues

6an I commit in $"7)8" packages? Why not?You 69((O2 commit inside a $"7)8" procedure which is called by the workflow engine.

If you issue a commit you are committing the workflow state as wellas your application state. If you

do commit and your pl7s=l function fails subse=uently the workflow engine will not be able to rollback

to a consistent state.

;ampleJ)$ )$ )$ )$ )$

start P actiity 9 P actiity # P actiity 6 P end

2he workflow engine issues a sae point G)$H before e;ecuting each actiity.

It marks the actiity as actie and proceeds to e;ecute the underlying pl7s=l

If you commit in the middle of an actiity and the actiity subse=uently fails, the engine cannot

rollback to itMs saepoint. 2herefore the work done in both the engine and the application before

the commit cannot be rolled back.

+ore oer, een if the actiity does not fail,another process Gsuch as a background engineH gains

isibility to the status information 0ust committed and may start processing prematurely leading to

conflicts and unusual errors.

)imilarly, you cannot @O""#96 across pl7s=l procedures. If you do, @9""Y strange things

happen when an error occurs. ither the actiity status line wont e;ist Gbecause its rolled backH so W%

cant write the error, or it may succeed in writing the error but then continues along the process rather

than stopping because other status info has been rolled back. If you must undo something then ensure

you rollback to a sae pointwithin your own package and not to one in a preious function actiity.What constitutes a single commit cycle in Workflow?

Fere are some facts about the Workflow ngine actiity e;ecution and commitsJ

1. 2he Workflow engine does not perform any internal commits.

. 2he caller of the Workflow 9$I should always perform the actual commit.

. ;ceptions that occur in actiity functions are not propagated

3. back to the original Workflow 9$I caller. If an actiity function

4. raises an e;ception, the actiity status is set to M@@O@M, and

5. e;ecution on that path is halted. If other actiities are still


26/93

>. eligible for e;ecution, the engine will continue with those actiities.

1. ;ceptions that occur in actiity functions do not inalidate the fact that earlier actiities

e;ecuted and completed successfully.

1. In the engine this is implemented by setting a saepoint 0ust before each actiity function is

e;ecuted. If the function fails, the engine performs an internal rollback to the sae point, marks the

actiity status as M@@O@M and goes about its other business.

15.2herefore, Oracle Workflow neer commits and its up to your calling program to perform thecommit which is necessary for other users to see the changes that hae occurred. %or e;ample,

notifications,deferred processes and any other data inserts will hae taken place but will not be isible

until the commit.

6reate$rocessGHE

)etItem9ttributeGHE

)tart$rocessGHE

commitE

(oteJ 2he background engine performs a commit after eery piece of work Ga piece of work is defined

as a synchronous thread which starts from the actiity that re=uires processing and ends when the

engine cant proceed any furtherH.

6an a workflow process be restarted from the point of failure?

Yes, WfCngine.Fandlerror is designed for this.

When the cause of the error has been corrected, the Fandlerror procedure can be called with the

M@2@YM option which will attempt to ree;ecute the specified actiity.

Our users hae the ability to modify the Work Item which thenneeds to be resubmitted through the

workflow. Fow do we send thesame item through the same work flow process more than once?

When you submit a work item to Oracle Workflow you must identify it by an item key. Item

keys must be uni=ue within an item type. If you need to submit a document to wor kflow twice you

must pass

uni=ue item keys each time.

If you original process has nt ended, then you can ask the user if they wish to resubmit the

document which will loop back to the start of the process. +any work flows are actually built like this.

%or e;ample,an approal process may permit modification of the work it em throughout the approal

process. 9fter each approal step, a function checks if the work item has been modified and if it has

then it checks if the approer has authoriLation to approe this new item and send it on a new path

accordingly.

9lternatiely you can set up a 1Jmany relationship between yourapplication item GappCidH and

the workflow GwfCidH using a table.9n actieCflag can identify which of the workflows is actie for the

parent item Gonly one wfid would eer be actie for that appCidH

Fow can I tell if a work item already e;ists?

2here is an 9$I for thisJ W%CI2+.I2+CTI)2)

I hae a workflow with actiities. 9re both actiities e;ecuted in the same )8" session?

Only if both actiities are part of a synchronous thread Gegfle;builderH. Foweer, een with

synchronous flows, you cannot rely onall actiities being e;ecuted in the same sessionbecause the user

may modify them and break them into asynchronous flowsJ

1. 9 customer may introduce a notification actiity which causes the

. process flow to stop as it waits for a response. When it starts up


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&. again it will be in different commit cycle.

3. 9 customer may change the cost of any actiity which causes the actiity to be deferred so e;ecuted

in a different commit cycle.

6an I rollback beyond the actiity I am in? %or e;ample, after seeral actiities, I need to rollback to

the beginning?

@ollbacks are only permitted within a function actiity to rollback a specific unit of work usingsae points. We do not permit rollbacks across actiities because this would also rollback WorkflowMs

processing data which includes all audit trails. If you foresee the possibility that you may need to

rollback to an earlier function, then incorporate this into you business rules and model as a branch

back.

2hen you can incorporate 6ancellogic to roll back any changes either in each actiity under

cancelmode or all together in a single 9$I which is only eer called when rolling back. 2his solution is

acceptable to all flows and not 0ust limited to synchronous flows as a rollback would be Gyou cannot

rollback to a sae point set in another s=l session but you can branch back to something e;ecuted in an

earlier sessionH.

9re there any restrictions withstarting a W% process from a '#trigger?

You are (O2 allowed to issue saepoints or rollbacks in database triggers and the W% enginedoes e;actly that when Git issues a saepoint before e;ecuting each function actiity in the eent that it

needs to rollback on an errorH. 2herefore, to initiate a workflow process from a database trigger you

must ensure that the initial process threads are deferred to a background engine.

2his is best achieed by setting the engine threshold absurdly low before initiating the process to

ensure it is deferred.

begin

saeCthreshold JN wfCengine.thresholdE


wfCengine.createprocessGMItem2ypePM,MItemeyPM,M$rocessPMHE

wfCengine.startprocessGMItem2ypePM,MItemeyPMHE

wfCengine.threshold JN saeCthresholdE

e;ception

when others then

remember to reset the threshold

if wfCengine.threshold then

wfCengine.threshold JN saeCthresholdE

end ifE

continue with normal error handling

wfCcore.conte;tGM+yCpackageCnameM, M+yCprocCnameM, toCcharGnidHHE

raiseE

endE9 limitation is that you cannot use the selector functionto determine your start process and instead must

always specify the start process. 2his is because the selector function is e;ecuted like any other

function actiity in which saepoints are set. If you must use a selector function, then call your selector

function 9$I directly prior to 6reate $rocess.

'elete Issues

Bet a lot of alidation errors when trying to sae because of reference to obsolete items. Fow do I

delete these?


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Workflow maintains data integrity in its datamodel, so you cannot delete any ob0ects that are

referenced. @untimestatus information from workflow process instances also contains references to

design ob0ects so een though the #uilderlets you delete something Gbecause there are no other

references to itin the builderH, that deletion will not take effect inthe database if the KdeletedK ob0ect is

referenced by runtimedata.

You can remoe all runtime data for a particular item type with the W%C$/@B 9$I Gsee doc for more

detailsH. W%C$/@B.2O29"GitemtypeH

2hen you should be able to delete obsolete ob0ect in the builder.

(ote\ In W% .., you cannot delete item attributes that hae been saed to the database. Item

attributes are always merged with e;isting attributes Gthis allows customers to add their own attributes

and keep them through upgradesH.

When maintaining our workflow, what happens if we update a processor replace a $"7)8" procedure?

When you edit a $"7)8" procedure called by a workflow actiity then allworkflow instances that hae

not reached the actiity or hae reached theactiity but errored out will use the newly replaced pl7s=l

package.

When you edit a workflow actiity by changing a function to calla differnt $"7)8" stored procedurethen J

* all workflow instances started before the change was saed will run the old procedure.

* all workflow instances started after the change was saed will run the new procedure.

%or more details on changes and modifications see our technical notes.

'oes workflow always e;ecute according to the latest definition for anitemtype?

(o. @unning processes use the actiity definitions that were in effect when the process was started.

2his is related to the concept of ersioning in which Oracle Workflow maintains different ersions

based on effectie dates.

2o better understand the conse=uences this may hae on upgrades and changes please see our technical

notes.

If you use Workflow builder to design a workflow, and sae it multiple times into database, it seems to

me that there would be multiple ersions of workflow definition in database. 9re there any tools that

could delete the older ersions and keep the newest ersion?

2he builder doesnMt delete old actiity ersions. You can manually delete obsolete ersions using

wfCpurge.actiities Gor wfCpurge.totalH. 2his will only delete actiity ersions older than the oldest item

in the system to be sure it wonMt be used againE if you think itMs not purging enough, try deleting

obsolete items first. It is not necessary to eer purge old actiities, but you may want to do so

periodically to preent tables from growing too large.

Fow do I completely wipe out workflow definitions from thedatabase?

2here are scripts that directly delete workflow definition data from the database.wfrmita.s=l 'elete all definitions for an I2em 9ttribute

wfrmitt.s=l 'elete all definitions for an I2em 2ype

wfrmall.s=l 'elete all definitions

2hese Gand other handy scriptsH are located in the admin7s=l directory of standalone workflow

release. %or workflow embedded with Oracle 9pplications, these scripts are under U%('C2O$7s=l.

What does wfCpurge.total actually do?

W%C$/@B.2O29" deletes obsolete runtime data which includesJ

* Items


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* Item actiity statuses

* (otifications

** ;pired actiity ersions

that match the itemtype and date filters passed in. 'ata without anenddate Gindicating it is not yet

completeH or that is stillreferenced by something is not deleted by any of the wfCpurgeroutines.

)ee the document guide for more details.

8uestionJ Fow do you send a particular Oracle 9pps Workflow 9ctiity7%unction within a workflow process into background mode.

9nswerJ If cost of the workflow actiity is greater than , then the workflow actiity will be processed

in background mode only, and it won-t be processed in online mode.

8uestionJ What are the arious ways to kickoff a workflow

9nswerJ You can eiter use wfCengine.startCprocess or you can attach a runnable process such ghat it

subscribes to a workflow eent.

8uestionJ When starting Gkicking offH an oracle workflow process, how do you ensure that it happens

in a background mode?aHif initiating the process using startCprocess, do the below


wfCengine.createprocessGlCitemtype ,lCitemkey ,MMHE

wfCengine.startprocessGlCitemtype, lCitemkeyH

#H When initiating the workflow process through an eent subscription, set the ;ecution 6ondition

$hase to be e=ual to or aboe 1 for it to be e;ecuted by background process.

8uestionJ On 1g, how will you use awr?

9nswerJ #y running below scripts. 2hese are both the same scripts, but with differing parameters.

UO@96"CFO+7rdbms7admin7awrrpt.s=l

UO@96"CFO+7rdbms7admin7awrrpti.s=l

8uestionJ Bie me one e;ample where apps uses partitioning?

9nswerJ W%C"O69"C@O")

8uestionJ 6an you send blob attachments ia workflow notifications?

9nswerJ Yes, you can send #"O# 9ttachments.

On aborting a process, how do I delete all the data so that I canrestart the process with the same

itemkey?You can delete all run time data for a completed item usingwfCpurge.items Gor wfCpurge.totalH. If you

want to force remoal of an item that is incomplete or has gone astray regardless of status,use the script

in admin7s=l7wfrm items.s=l. be aware that this will remoe all status information that the item ran in

the first place.

9lternatiely, instead of 9borting it in the first place you could rerun it using wfCengine.Fandlerror

with the @2@Y option.

Install problems

Is Oracle Workflow ..& 6erifiedwith Oracle 9pplication )erer .?


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Yes. ;isting customers who hae already installed Oracle Workflow

6artridge ..& can upgrade to Oracle 9pplication )erer . immediately.

(ew customer must get patch 44&&4& before installing Oracle Workflow 6artridge. 2his patch be

downloaded from +etalink patch page.

On installing the serer packagesI get an error messagewf.insG13&HJ unregistered product

Your Oracle database is not registered with the installer. $lease correctthis before loading Oracle

Workflow.On installing Workflow mbeddedin Oracle 9pps, the package wfsecicb.s=l produces compilation

errors.

2he ic implementation of the W%9C)6 package Gfile wfsecicb.s=lHintegrates Workflow Web

interfaces with the )elf )erice GInternet 6ommerceHWeb 9pps security module. 2herefore,

wfsecicb.s=l re=uires )elf )erice9pps to be installed. When )elf )erice apps are not aailable, you

mustuse the Web )erer security Gwfsecwsb.s=lH. 'uring install of the)tandalone product, wfsecwsb.s=l

is always installed.

2o install the packageJ s=lplus un7pw Vwfsecicb.s=l

9fter installing I get rror&J no alid session e;ists for this user.

You are running the wrong security package. $lease see the preious=uestion.'uring an install on (2, Iget an error @un2imerror &34 6ant load or register custom control

Mwfng.oc;M

6heck your autoe;ec.bat file. +ake sure oracleChomePZbin has beenadded to the path, then reboot

your machine and reinstall workflow. 2heproblem is probably that you didnMt reboot between installing

the installerand installing Workflow. 2his is a compulsory step, not 0ust a precaution.9lso, if you are

installing on an (2 machine, ensure you hae loggedon with local administratorMs priilege. You can

check this by going to)tart +enuP$rogramsP9dministratie 2oolsP/ser +anager.

If you still e;perience problems, manually register the oc; file as

followsJ@un an +)7'O) command shell

cd 6JZWI((2Z)Y)2+

for (2J regsr& 6JZO@9(2ZW%Zwfng.oc;

for W>J regsr& 6JZO@9WI(>ZW%Zwfng.oc;

(2 Workflow )ererinstall displays error 6annot findfile wfrundemo.s=l

2his only happens if you install from a temporary stage area which is not what is recommended in the

install guide. 2he error can be ignored since the wf run demo.s=l script is not a re=uired file for the

install to complete successfully Gits only for the optional demoH. 2he user should click on Ignore #utton

in the Installer and continue with the Workflow Install. You can run the script manually after

completion. We hae fi;ed this on new ersions of the 6'.

Is i9) certified with OracleWorkflow .7.3?

Yes. 9n Oracle Workflow Installation )upplement 'ocumentation /pdate is aailabledetailing the

setup steps re=uired to use the i9)with Workflow .7.3.

rror Fandling

What is W%C6O@.@9I)GH?

W%C6O@.@9I) raises an e;ception to the caller. If an e;ception isr aised, no return alues or out

alues are e;pected to be populated.


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2he W% engine traps e;ceptions from function actiities, and marksthe actiity status row with the

error information.

'oes W%C6O@.@9I)GM/(T$62'C@@O@MHreturn a null alue from $"7)8"?

)ort of... the result out O/2 parameter is better described as MundefinedM in this case. 2he engine will

not een look at it. /n handled e;ceptions put the actiity in an @@O@ state, and the result is not

meaningful. When in the error state, the @@O@C(9+, @@O@C+))9B, and @@O@C)296

columns are set on the W%CI2+C962IAI2YC)292/) row. (O2J wfCengine. Fandlerror is the standard way to recoer from an error. 2his will either @etry or

)kip the the actiity and update its 962 IAI2YC)292/) from @@O@ to a new alue. Foweer, the

alue of the @@O@C] fields are not reset7oerwritten so they remain as a good

audit log.

Fow do I handle W%errors in the package procedures I want to call ?

9ny code that calls Workflow apiMs must hae e;ception handlers to print error messages for raised

e;ceptions. 2here are optionsJ.

1. $rint the error directly. 2his e;ample adds your procedure to the error call stack Garg1 .. arg are

optional arguments to proide . conte;t informationH, then prints the e;ception appropriately for your

enironment.

4. procecure +yC$rocedure is5. begin

>. ...

1. WfCT;;.YyyGHE

11. ...

1. e;ception

1&. when others then

1. WfC6ore.6onte;tGM+yC$kgM, M+yC$rocedureM,

1. arg1, arg, arg&, arg, argHE

13. $rintC+yCrrorE

14. end +yC$rocedureE

@aise the e;ception to a higher leel. 2his e;ample adds your procedure to the call stack, and re

raises the e;ception. If you do this, you +/)2 trap the e;ception and print it at a higher

leel. 2his techni=ue is used by all the W%C)29('9@' package procedures. It is not only useful

for debugging, but is essential for determing who is responsible for the maintenace. 2his way you

can tell if the error occured in W%, a product groups package or a custom piece of code.

4. procecure +yC$rocedure is

5. begin

>. ...

&. WfCT;;.YyyGHE

&1. ...

&. e;ception&&. when others then

&. WfC6ore.6onte;tGM+yC$kgM, M+yC$rocedureM,

&. arg1, arg, arg&, arg, arg[[e;traCinfoHE

&3. raiseE

&4. end +yC$rocedureE

Fow do you handle W% error using Oracle forms?

9ny call to Workflow 9$Is from %orms must include an e;ception handler toprint any une;pected

e;ceptions raised. 2he e;ception handler should looksomething like the following e;ample


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procedure. 2his will print a friendly+essage 'ictionary error message, with the error stack aailable

in theKFistoryK button for more information.

procedure $rintC%ormsCrror

is

errname archarG&HE

errmsg archarGHE

errstack archarG&HE begin

6heck for a wf error and print an error message if one is found.

wfCcore.getCerrorGerrname, errmsg, errstackHE

If no wf error look for a natie Oracle error

if GGerrname is nullH and Gs=lcode \N HH then

errname JN toCcharGs=lcodeHE

errmsg JN s=lerrmE

end ifE

if Gerrname is not nullH then

fndCmessage.setCstringGM@@O@C)296M, errstackHE

fndCmessage.setCnameGM%('M, MW%C@@O@MHE fndCmessage.setCtokenGM@@O@C+))9BM, errmsgHE

fndCmessage.historyE

raise formCtriggerCfailureE

else

+ust be a %orms error, let it trickle up.

raiseE

end ifE

endE

Fow do you handle W%error when calling through a W# front end?

9gain you want to trap your error and call a routine to print it likethe followingJ

$rintCFtmlCrror

$rint an html page displaying a raised e;ception.

procedure $rintCFtmlCrror

is

begin

errorCname archarG&HE

errorCmessage archarGHE

errorCstack archarG&HE

begin htp.htmlOpenE

htp.headOpenE

htp.titleGwfCcore.translateGM@@O@MHHE

htp.head6loseE

begin

wfaCsec.FeaderG2@/HE

e;ception

when others then


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htp.bodyOpenE

endE

htp.headerGnsiLeNP1, cheaderNPwfCcore.translateGM@@O@MHHE

wfCcore.getCerrorGerrorCname, errorCmessage, errorCstackHE

if GerrorCname is not nullH then

htp.pGerrorCmessageHE

else htp.pGs=lerrmHE

end ifE

htp.hrE

htp.pGwfCcore.translateGMW%(BC@@(9+MH[[MJ M[[errorCnameHE

htp.brE

htp.pGwfCcore.translateGMW%(BC@@)296MH[[MJM[[ replaceGerrorCstack,wfaChtml.chrCnewline,MMHHE

wfaCsec.%ooterE

htp.html6loseE

end $rintCFtmlCrrorE

BetC2e;tCrror @eturn a te;t buffer with a formatted error string for printing.

function BetC2e;tCrror

return archar

is

begin

buffer archarG&HE

errorCname archarG&HE

errorCmessage archarGHE

errorCstack archarG&HE

begin

buffer JN htp.titleGwfCcore.translateGM@@O@MHHE

wfCcore.getCerrorGerrorCname, errorCmessage, errorCstackHE

if GerrorCname is not nullH then

buffer JN buffer[[M M[[errorCmessageHE

else

buffer JN buffer[[M M [[s=lerrmE

end ifE

buffer JN buffer[[M M[[

wfCcore.translateGMW%(BC@@(9+MH[[MJ M[[errorCnameE

buffer JN buffer[[M M[[ wfCcore.translateGMW%(BC@@)296MH[[MJ M[[errorCstackE

returnGbufferHE

end BetC2e;tCrrorE

Is there any 'ebugging capability in Workflow?

2here are currently no facilities in Workflow for the e;press purposeof debugging $"7)8" actiity

functions.

We do hae plans to add aneent logging facility, which is more to help trace process e;ecution

issues and act as an error log.2o debug a workflow, make sure all function actiities are


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1. Fow do you debug work flow.

9nsJ?

11. What preilages do you need to use e;ecute immediate

9nsJ ;ecute.

1. What is materialiLed iews and how does it different from normal iew.

9ns J +.t iew caontains data while normal iews does not contain data.

1&. Fow do you send a (otification in the %orm of a %orm?

1. 9ccess "eels in Oracle W%?

9nsJ > J Oracle W%

1>> J Oracle 9O"

1>>> J /ser

1 J $ublic

1. 6an e;ceptions be handled in 'eclare block?

9nsJ (o.

13. What is 'ata$ump?

9nsJ?

.8.What is Workflow and what is the benefit of using workflow

9nsJ9 graphical tool that allows you to 6@92, 2@96 and +O'I%Y business process.

mbedded in the Oracle 'atabase )erer, It can monitor the workflow actiity statuses.

#enefitsJ*6reate a clear business process definition

*9utomate the business routings

*+onitor the process

*9llow users to define their own business process to suit their organiLation needs.

*@eadily change the business process definitions in case of a change business process.

14. When others then is written first in an e;ception and then When (O 'ata %ound is written ne;t

'oes Oracle gie 6ompilation rror?

15. 'ifference between 5i and >i?

1>. 'ifference between 5 and 5i with %eatures of 5i?

. WhatMs a +aterialised Aiew? What is the difference between +aterialised Aiew (ormal Aiew?

1. What are the different 9$Is used in Work%lows?

. What is the use of W%C6O@?

&. Fow to call database %unctions in Work%low?

. Fow to pass parameters to the Work %low through %orms?

. What is the 9ccess leel in Work %low?

3. Fow to debug a Work %low?


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4. What is the InokerMs right feature in Oracle 5i?

5. What is the 8uick )tart WiLard? When is it used?

>. What will be approach while creating a (ew Work%low?

&. What is the Work %low related documentation done at your work place?

&1. What type of Work %low customiLation is done by you?

**********'efining a Workflow $rocess**********Oeriew of Oracle Workflow #uilder

Oracle Workflow #uilder is a graphical tool for creating, iewing, and modifying workflow process

definitions. It contains a (aigator window that you use to define the actiities and components of your

business process. You then assemble the actiities in a process window

to create a process diagram.

(oteJ If you ma;imiLe the (aigator window or any process window in Oracle Workflow #uilder, you

will not be able to access the menu from your keyboard using the 9lt key.

2he (aigator 2ree )tructure

2he (aigator window displays a naigator tree hierarchy for each data store that you open or load into

Oracle Workflow #uilder.

9 data store Gprimary branchH is a database connection or flat file that holds your workflow

process definition.

Within each data store there is at least one item type heading Gsecondary branchH that represents

the grouping of a particular set of processes and its component ob0ects.

2he following si; tertiary branches appear beneath each item type branchJ

9ttributeslists the attributes for the current item type. Item type attributes describe features of an item

type. %or e;ample, if an item type is a purchase order re=uisition, then an item type attribute can be the

re=uisition amount or the re=uisition I'.

$rocesseslists the process actiities or workflow process definitions for the current item type.

(otificationslists the notification actiities associated with the current item type. 9 notification actiity

sends a message to a user or role. 2he message may prompt for a response or may simply proide

information.

%unctionslists the function actiities associated with the current item type. 9 function actiity

represents a $"7)8" stored procedure that the Workflow ngine e;ecutes automatically. 9 function

actiity can also hae actiity attributes associated with it.

+essageslists the messages that a notification actiity associated with the current item type can send

to a user or role. 9 message can hae message attributes associated with it.

http://apps-faq-maddy.blogspot.com/2011/08/defining-workflow-process.htmlhttp://apps-faq-maddy.blogspot.com/2011/08/defining-workflow-process.html


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"ookup 2ypeslists the lookup types associated with the current item type. 9 lookup type has one or

more alues called lookup codes associated with it.9 lookup type is a list of alues that can be

referenced by a message, or by a notification, function, or process as its possible result type.

(oteJ ach data store also contains a 'irectory )erice branch. 2he 'irectory )erice branch lists all

the directory serice roles that you load from your Oracle Workflow database.

If the data store is a database connection and the database contains other item types that you

hae not loaded into Oracle Workflow #uilder, a branch called Fidden Item 2ypes appears. When you

doubleclick on Fidden Item 2ypes, you get a )how Item 2ypes window that lets you load other item

types into Oracle Workflow #uilder.

6reating $rocess 'efinitions in Oracle Workflow #uilder

#efore using Oracle Workflow #uilder, you should plan what your process needs to accomplish.

In particular, determine what actiities need to occur, the order of the actiities, what results dictate the

different branches of the process, who needs to be informed and what they need to know.

^2op'own 'esignIf you prefer to approach your design from a high leel, you can first sketching out

the process diagram with actiities, then go back later to create the supporting ob0ects for each actiity.

^#ottom/p 'esignIf you prefer to take a more programmatic approach to your design, you can first

define each of the supporting ob0ects of your process before attempting to create a higher leel process

diagram.

Aersioning and 'ates of ffectiity

Oracle Workflow #uilder assigns a ersion number to each new actiity that you create. It also updates

the ersion number wheneer you make changes to an e;isting actiity. It saes the new ersion of the

actiity to the database without oerwriting older ersions of the actiity.

In Oracle Workflow, actiities also hae dates of effectiity so that at any point in time, only one

ersion of the actiity is Kin effectK.

If a process is running, Oracle Workflow uses the ersion of the actiity that was in effect when the

process was initiated. It does not switch ersions of the actiity midway through the process. (ote that

a process itself is an actiity, so a process definition always remains constant until the process instance

completes.

Oracle Workflow #uilder also supports the concept of saing and loading process definitions

according to an effectie date. %or e;ample, you can load a definition into Oracle Workflow #uilder

that was effectie at an earlier point in time. You can also sae a definition to the database to be

effectie at some future time.

(ote that Oracle Workflow #uilder does not maintain ersion information for ob0ects that are

considered constant, such as item types, item type attributes, messages and lookup types. %or these

ob0ects, their latest definition always apply, so you should always consider whether a change to any of

1000 WorkFlow Interview Questions

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