Workflow Process

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Components of a Workflow Process

Components of a Workflow Process

A workflow process consists of several components. Expand the apps@vd11

line by clicking on the plus sign (+) inside the Navigator. You will see threeitem types: PO Approval, PO Standard, and Standard. You will also see aHidden Item Types icon. Double-click on the Hidden Item

Types icon to display the same Show Item Types window seen when youopen a Workflow file. Expand the menu attached to PO Approval and you will

see the six components of the PO Approval. They are:

Attributes Processes Notifications Functions Messages Lookup types

Item Types

Item types categorize the items. Each activity in a workflow process must beassociated with an item type. To create a new item type, right-click on

apps@vd11 and choose New Item Type. In this chapter, the right mousebutton is assumed to be the secondary button on your mouse. The Item Type

Property window will appear. Enter an internal name for the item type. Typethe internal name using uppercase letters. The name can include numeric

characters, but cannot contain spaces. You cannot update the internal nameonce the item type is defined.

The internal name must be unique across the entire workflow process. The

internal name is used in Workflow Engine APIs. Enter a display name next.The display name is what you use to refer to this item type in any activity.You have the option of entering a description and a selector.

A selector is mandatory if your item type is associated with more than oneprocess. The selector returns the process that must be executed in this

multiple-process situation. Selector is a PL/SQL stored procedure. Create anew item type called NEW_PO with a display name ofNEW PO Item Type

(see Figure 3).
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Figure 3: Item Type Properties form

The Role tab is designed to let you specify the role that will read, write,

and/or execute the item type. (Unfortunately, these security features are not

currently active, so you will need to test them in future versions.) Select theAccess tab. The red bar, shaded or crossed, represents the access level that

can edit objects in the Oracle Workflow Builder.

A black vertical bar identifies your access level. You can select combinationsof the two options to preserve customizations and lock in at this access level,

or to generate different access levels. If both options are checked, you can

see that the three levelsCustomization, Access, and Protectionare all at100. This means that only your current access level (100) can update objects.

If only the Preserve Customizations option is checked, customization and

access are both at level 100 while protection is at level 1000. This meansaccess levels 100 to 1000, equal to or higher than your current access level,can update objects.

If the Lock at this Access Leveloption is checked, the customization level is at0 and both access and protection levels are at 100. This means that access

levels 0 to 100, equal to or lower than your current access level, can updateobjects. If neither option is checked, any access level can update objects.

Customization is at level 0 and protection is at level 1000.The red bar will have a crossed pattern ifAllow modifications of customized

objects is checked. To find this option, execute the Help | About OracleWorkflow Builder menu command. If you checkedAllow modifications of

customized objects, you can modify and save objects even if your access levelis outside of the customization and protection range. CheckAllow

modifications of customized objects. You must exit the New Item Typeproperties window to do this. Click OK to save your definition.

Once you have checked the box under the Help menu, open the Item Typeproperties window again. Notice that you cannot change the internal name

field anymore. Click on the Access tab and check both the Preserve
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Customizations option and the Lock at this Access Leveloption (see Figure 4).Click on OK to save your changes.

Figure 4: Item Type Properties (Access Tab) form

Attributes

All items that have the same item type share the same set of attributes.Attributes are information and properties regarding the item type. Each item

will have its own set of attribute values. Attributes are similar to global

variables in that they can be used by any activity in the workflow process.Workflow Engine APIs allow you to get or set attribute values for an item.

Double-click on the attribute to see the properties of the activity. If you want

to add a new attribute, right-click when your cursor is on the Attributes icon

and choose New Attribute. Either way, the Attribute Property window willappear and the item type will be displayed.

If you are creating a new item attribute, enter an internal name for the item

attribute. The internal name must be uppercase and unique across the sameitem type; the name cannot contain spaces. Next, enter a display name. The

display name will be used in a message or activity. You can then enter anoptional description.

Next, select an attribute type. Valid types are: Text The attribute value is the text datatype. You can enter an optional

length for this attribute type. Number The attribute value is the number datatype. You can enter an

optional format mask for this attribute type. Date The attribute value is the date datatype. You can enter an optional

format mask for this attribute type. Lookup The attribute value is one of the values specified in a lookup type.

You must enter a lookup type for this attribute type.

Form The attribute value is the internal function name used on an OracleApplication form. You can enter optional function parameters for this attribute

type. This attribute type is only useful when using Oracle Applications and theNotifications Viewer form. The Oracle Application form will appear in the
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Notifications Viewer form. You can bring up the Oracle Applications form fromthe Notifications Viewer form.

URL The attribute value is a Universal Resources Locator (URL) to a Weblocation. This attribute type is only useful if you have the Notifications Web

page. The URL will appear in the Notifications Web page. Select it to bring upthe Web site.

Document The attribute value is an attached document. The attribute valueis in the format of a document management system and the document name.In the current release, only the PL/SQL document is supported. The PL/SQL

document contains data inserted from a database. Role The attribute value is a role. Attribute The attribute value is the value of another attributes value at

runtime. This is called a reference attribute.

If you enter an optional default value for your attribute, Oracle WorkflowBuilder provides all of the necessary validation. For example, if you select

Attribute as the attribute type, you can only select a defined attribute within

the workflow process. If you select Lookup as the attribute type, you can onlyselect a lookup code that is valid for the selected lookup type

Selecting the access level for attributes is the same as selecting the accesslevel for item types. Create a new attribute with an internal name of

NEW_FLAG and a display name ofNEW Flag. Choose attribute type Lookupand lookup type Boolean. Choose True as the default value. You are not going

to use this attribute in your workflow process, but you are going to build on itlater. Click OK to save your work.

Figure 5: Attribute Properties form

ProcessesProcess is a workflow progression. Before you can diagram a workflow

process, you must define a process activity. To do this, right-click on theProcess icon and choose New Process. The Process Properties window

appears. Enter, in uppercase and with no spaces, a unique internal name foryour process. Also, enter a display name. The display name is the one that

will appear in your process diagram. You have the option of entering a
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description. Select the result type for this process. Select None if no specifiedresult codes are necessary for the completion of the process.

The result type must be a lookup type. Transitions in the workflow processdiagram will differ depending on the result codes of the lookup type. If you

have the authority, you can click on Edit to view or edit the result type.

Check Runnable if this process can be called from other workflow processes orfrom Workflow Engine APIs. Create a process activity calledNEW_PO_PROCESS.

A display name of NEW PO Approval Process appears as an Approval resulttype. You have the option of checking the Runnable box. Last, select an icon

to represent this process activity. Click on Browse to locate available icons(see Figure-6).

Figure 6: Process Activity Properties form
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Select the Details tab, where you can select the error-handling process.You can also specify the maximum time to wait for notification before a time-

out occurs. Since this is a process activity and not a notification activity, thetime-out parameters are not applicable. The effective date and version are for

display only. If you save your workflow process using the Save As option, theeffective date and the version number will be changed. Check Loop Resetto

identify process activity behavior if a loop condition occurs.

A loop condition occurs when the process activity is revisited by the Oracle

Workflow Engine. IfLoop Resetis checked, the process activity will bereexecuted and all of the subsequent processes will be reversed (see Figure

-7). Click on OK to save your work.

Figure 7: Process Activity Properties (Details) form

The Roles and the Access tabs are the same as the item types and attributes.

The next section will demonstrate how to diagram a workflow process.

NotificationsNotifications are messages sent to users. To set up a notification activity, you

can either (1) drag and drop a defined message into the notifications arm ofthe same item type or (2) you can right-click on the Notification icon and

select New Notification. As in a process activity, you must specify an internalname and a display name for a notification activity. Enter a unique namein

uppercase and without spacesfor your process. The display name is the onethat will appear in your process diagram. Entering a description is optional.

Select the result type for this process. You can select None if no specified

result codes are necessary for the completion of the process. The result typemust be a lookup type. Transitions in the workflow process diagram will differ

depending on the result codes of the lookup type. Click on Edit to view or

update the result type.
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Since this is a notification activity, you must select a message. If you use thedrag-and-drop message method, the message name will already be filled in.

You can click on Edit to view or update the message. If the message youselected expects a response, a Function field will appear. This is the response

function. Next, you can check Expand Roles if you want to expand the role toeach individual users email instead of the roles email. As a last step, you

must select an icon to represent this notification activity. Click on Browse tolocate available icons (see Figure-8).

Create a notification activity with the internal name ofNEW_PO_APPROVEand a display name ofNEW PO Approval by dragging and dropping the

Approve PO message. You do not have the Approve PO message yet. You can

drag and drop the Approve PO message from the PO Approval item type toyour item type. Once you have entered all of the data, click on OK to save

your work.

Figure 8: Notification Activity Properties form

Select the Details tab. In the Detail form, you may select the error-handling

process. If you wish, you can also specify the allowable wait time fornotifications before declaring a time-out. Since this is a notification activity,

the time-out parameters are applicable. The effective date and version are

display only.

If you save your workflow process using the Save As option, the effective

date and the version number will be changed. Check Loop Resetto identifythe behavior you want the process activity to perform if a loop conditionoccurs. Loop conditions occur when the process activity is being revisited by

the Oracle Workflow Engine. IfLoop Resetis checked, the process activity will

be reexecuted and all of the subsequent processes will be reversed. The Rolesand the Access tabs correspond to the attributes and process activities item

types.
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FunctionsFunctions are PL/SQL stored procedures that can have Workflow Engine APIs.

To create a new function, right-click on the Functions icon and select NewFunction. The Function Properties window will appear. Enter a unique internal

name in uppercase letters. The name should not contain spaces. Then enter adisplay name for the function. The display name will appear in the process

diagram. You may enter a description. Next, enter the name of the PL/SQLstored procedure in the format of package_name.procedure_name. Select theresult type for this process.

You can select None if no specified result codes are necessary for the

completion of the process. The result type must be a lookup type. Various

transitions in the workflow process diagram are possible and will depend ondifferent lookup type result codes. Click on Edit to view or update the result

type. You can then specify the cost of the activity. Depending on this cost andthe threshold of the Workflow Engine, this function activity may be deferred

and ultimately processed by the background process. As a last step, you must

select an icon to represent this function activity. You can also click onBrowse to locate icons from your desktop (see Figure-9). You do not need to

create a function activity for this exercise.

Figure 9: Function Activity Properties form

The Details tab, the Roles tab, and the Access tab are identical to the ones

described in the previous sections.

Messages
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Messages are templates used by a notification activity. If you want to createnew messages, right-click on New Message. At this time, you need not

create a new message. You have already created a message called ApprovePO. Double-click on the Approve PO message to see its properties.

There is an internal name, a display name, and a description. The internal

name must be unique and typed in all uppercase with no spaces. You mayselect a default priority for the message. Valid values are from 1 to 99, with 1designated as highest priority. Priority selection is for informational purposes

only; there is no functionality attached to the assigned priority (see Figure-10).

Figure 10: Message Properties form
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Select the Body tab to enter the subject of the message and the body. Youcan assign message attributes to the subject and body by adding an

ampersand sign before the attributes internal names (see Figure-11). TheRoles tab and the Access tab are the same as described in the previous

sections.

Figure 11: Message Properties (Body) form

Notice the plus sign (+) next to the Approve PO message in the Navigator.This indicates that the Approve PO message has message attributes. Click on

the plus sign next to Approve PO to see all of the message attributes

associated with the Approve PO message. A message attribute may haveSendor Respondoptions. Send attributes are regular attributes.

Respond attributes are message attributes that solicit responses in thenotification message. Display names of the respond attributes become

prompts in the response section of the notification message. Descriptions ofthe respond attributes are used to describe the expected response. If the

respond attribute is a lookup type, the user can respond by selecting from alist of lookup codes. You can specify message attributes to get their values

from the item attributes. This is indicated by selecting Item Attribute as thedefault value for the message attribute and selecting the associated item

attribute. To create a new message attribute, right-click on

Attribute

You must enter a unique internal name typed in all uppercase and withoutspaces. Next, enter a display name. A description name is optional. Then,

select the attribute type. The attribute type of the message attribute is thesame as that of the item attribute. Next, specify whether the source is Send

or Respond. As a last step, enter a default value, if applicable. You can getthe default value from an item attribute. (See Figure-12 for the properties of

the Approval Action message attribute of the Approve PO message.)
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Figure 12: Message Attribute Properties form

Lookup Types

The last components are the lookup types. Lookup types are lists of lookupcodes defined for use by activities. For example, you can find the Approval

lookup type in the Standard item type. If you want to create a new lookuptype, right-click on the Lookup Types icon and choose New Lookup Type.

Double-click to see the properties of the Approval lookup type. You will see

the internal name, the display name, and a description for the lookup type.The Access tab is the same as described previously (see Figure-13). To add a

new lookup code, right-click on the Lookup Types icon and choose New

Lookup Code. A Lookup Code Properties window appears. Type the internal

name and the display name for the lookup code. You can also add an optionaldescription (see Figure-14). Once you have defined a lookup code, it will showup as a separate icon under the Lookup Types icon.
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Figure 13: Lookup Types Properties form

Figure 14: Lookup Code Properties form

Review Questions

1. How many types of activities are available?2. What is a prerequisite for creating a notification activity?

3. When will the time-out parameters apply?4. How can you find the lookup codes for a specific lookup type?
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