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3rd October 2012
The Workflow background engine processes deferred activities,
notifications, wait activities and time out activities. We need to setup
the Workflow background engine when setting up Workflow in our
environment. Also we need to schedule the Workflow Background
Process concurrent program to re-submit periodically.
When scheduling the concurrent program, specify the Order
Management work item types as the parameter so that it will only pick
up the activities or notifications for Order Management work items.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8067470330200539912]
Schedule the Workflow Background Process concurrent program to
resubmit periodically:
Define the Process Deferred parameter as Yes. Set all other
parameters to No. Schedule this request to run most
frequently.
Define Process Time-out as Yes, and all other parameters as
No. This can run less frequently.
Define Process Stuck set to Yes and all other parameters as
No. This can run less often.
Run the Workflow Background process from the system administrator
responsibility
Oracle Order Managementworkflow background process
setup
Oracle Order Management workflow background process
setup
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[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_27fmUUKO18/UGXc46DzfZI/AAAAAAAACe4/w89MBPvTbuo/s1600/1.png]
Use the Tools Menu and select the Workflow Status to view the current
status of the workflow.
[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_WMAbiNJUGU/UGXc4-
a1pLI/AAAAAAAACe8/1WaPrv3ugyw/s1600/2.png]
[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Uj5EfjBQhB0/UGXc47iaTzI/AAAAAAAACe0/xt5p-
Ml7kdg/s1600/3.png]
Submit the OEOH & OEOL (Header & line workflow) from
database:
BEGIN
wf_engine.Background (itemtype=>'OEOH', -- OEOL
minthreshold => NULL,
maxthreshold => NULL,
process_deferred => TRUE,
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process_timeout=> FALSE,
process_stuck => NULL);
END;
When an order header workflow is error out, how to retry the
workflow for the order?
Go to workflow administrator, provide the item key (header_id) and
submit to retry the WF for the corresponding order.
Check the workflow documents in downloads page
[http://oracleapps4u.blogspot.in/2010/12/introducing-oracle-applications.html]
Posted 3rd October 2012by Krishnareddy
3rd October 2012
Oracle Order Management uses Oracle Workflow to control
the sequence of events that occur in the processing of orders,
quotes, sales agreements, returns, order lines, and return
lines.
Oracle Workflow manages activities, executes functions,
sends notifications, maintains completed activity history,
detect errors, and initiates error processes. Oracle Order Management seeded workflows and their
associated activities are contained in oexwford.wft file.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8067470330200539912]
The most commonly used Order header flows for outbound lines
are:
Order Flow Generic
Order Flow Generic with Header Level Invoice Interface
[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8IE5CtYU2vk/UGXEykglz5I/AAAAAAAACd8/Y6k-
rOzneTY/s1600/1.png]
The Order header flows for inbound lines are:
Oracle Workflows in Order
Management
Oracle Workflows in Order Management
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Order Flow return with Approval
Order Flow Return with Submission and Approval
Order Flow Return with Approval and Header Invoicing
[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gMUiQilQ-
JA/UGXEymIeJ1I/AAAAAAAACd4/SrQdYatfF0M/s1600/2.png]
The most commonly used Order Line flows are:
Line Flow Generic
Line Flow Generic with Header Level Invoice Interface
[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c7KWtfsA-
Qg/UGXEypptwjI/AAAAAAAACeA/02_kDLt8Bl8/s1600/3.png]
The Order Line flows for inbound lines are:
Line Flow Return for Credit Only
Line Flow Return for Credit Only with Approval
Line Flow Return for Credit with Receipt
Line Flow Return for Credit with Receipt and Approval
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[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-
SLdkZ6XPLgI/UGXEzq0zTCI/AAAAAAAACeE/HFvdE65RkFw/s1600/4.png]
The Transaction Type determines the header level
process used at the header level on an order.
The Transaction Type window is used to assign the order
flow to the order header Transaction type. Use the Assign Line Flows button to assign line flows to
the order header
[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-
nJO1kAlwWhE/UGXE0FtIKDI/AAAAAAAACeM/BXkFsm4cf2w/s1600/5.png]
The combination of order type/line type/item type
determines the line workflow.
If you leave Item Type blank, the workflow applies to all
item types for the line type (unless they have a specific
assignment in this form).
In Process Name, select the workflow that Oracle Order
Management should use for the order type/line type/item
type combination. If you do not assign a workflow to a configured item
type, the configured item does not use a workflow.
You can perform all standard processing including orders,
returns, drop-ship orders, Orders for configured items,
and orders for assemble-to-order items using seeded
workflows.
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[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-
VXC4gTGuaOs/UGXE0IFTguI/AAAAAAAACeQ/dU0TN2YvuNM/s1600/6.png]
Refer the blog post for Complete OM setups
[http://oracleapps4u.blogspot.in/2012/09/order-management-setup-
steps.html]
Check Order line Workflow Activity Status
SELECT COUNT (1)
INTO ln_completed_lines
FROM wf_item_activity_statuses a,
wf_process_activities b,
oe_order_lines_all c
WHERE a.process_activity = b.instance_id
AND b.process_item_type = 'OEOL'
AND b.activity_name =
AND activity_status = 'COMPLETE'
AND item_key = TO_CHAR (c.line_id)
AND c.header_id = pin_order_header_id
Posted 3rd October 2012by Krishnareddy
3rd October 2012
Workflow processes represent business process flows and
information routing.
Each workflow process consists of a set of activities and
transitions.
Activities can be process activities, notification activities,
and function activities.
Oracle Workflows interview
QuestionsOracle Workflows interview Questions
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The business process flow in Oracle Workflow can have
decision points (branches), parallel flows, and loops.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8067470330200539912]
The Workflow Builder is a graphical interface for
diagramming the workflow process.
The Workflow Engine enforces and executes the workflow
process and drives items through the workflow processes.
The Workflow Monitor displays any instances/items and
their status within a workflow process.
The Workflow Definitions Loader loads the workflow
definition from a flat file or from another database.
Workflow Directory Services obtains the email addressesfor roles from the directory repository.
The Notification System sends out messages and solicits
responses.
The Workflow Engine is a PL/SQL program that resides on
the server and drives items through workflow processes
defined in Oracle Workflow.
Each item has a set of attributed values that contains
information about the specific item. Each one of these
items, with its own set of attribute values in the middle of
the workflow process, is referred to as one instance of the
workflow process.
Valid states of an activity are Active, Complete, Deferred,
Error, Notified, Suspended, and Waiting.
If the state is Error, the changes will roll back to the last
savepoint and the error-handling process will be initiated.
Active activities are deferred to the background Workflow
Engine if the operating cost is higher than the threshold
specified in the Workflow Engine.
If an activity is completed, the Workflow Engine will issue
a savepoint and the activities that depend on the
completed activity will be set to Active, if appropriate.
If Loop Resetis on and the Workflow Engine comes to anactivity that has been executed, then all of the activities
will be reversed; otherwise, the transition will be ignored.
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Workflow Engine APIs are found in the WF_ENGINE
package.
The CreateProcess API creates a new runtime process for
an item of an instance.
The StartProcess API begins execution of the workflow
process.
The CompleteActivity API notifies the Workflow Engine
that an activity has been completed for an item.
GetItemAttrInfo obtains type information about an item
attribute.
Oracle Workflow obtains information about a role fromthree views: WF_USERS, WF_ROLES, and
WF_USER_ROLES.
Groups of users, as well as individual users, are assigned
to roles.
The Email field in WF_ROLES is used if Expand Roleis not
checked; otherwise, the Email field of the users in the role
will be used.
To add more roles and users, you can use the three local
tables: WF_LOCAL_USERS, WF_LOCAL_ROLES, and
WF_LOCAL_USER_ROLES.
An item type consists of six components/objects:
attributes, processes, notifications, functions, messages,
and lookup types.
The internal name of Workflow Builder components must
be unique, typed in uppercase, and should not containspaces.
If there is more than one process attached to an item
type, a selector is needed to select the correct process.
Each notification activity must have an attached message.
A message can have its own attributes, and a respond
attribute will solicit users to select a valid respond value.
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You can attach a time-out to the notification activity. If
time passes and a response is not received within the
specified time, a transition will be executed.
Lookup types are used to define lists of lookup codes.
Result types must be lookup types.
To monitor workflow and to view its progress, you can
use either the Workflow Status form in Oracle Applications
or the Java-based Workflow Monitor tool.
There are two modes for both forms: ADMIN and USER.
To diagram a workflow process, drag and drop activities
into the Process window and draw lines between them by
holding down the right mouse button.
Fill in the performer for a notification activity.
The Continue Flow function and Wait for Flow function
work together to coordinate the master/detail process
flow.
The Oracle Applications Implementation Wizardwizard
for shortis a module in Oracle Applications that guides
you through the setup steps of Oracle Applications.
The Oracle Applications Implementation Method (AIM) is
a methodology that guides you through every phase of the
implementation process and is complemented by the
Implementation Wizard.
The process hierarchy ensures that the common setups
are finished before the specific setups.
Primary processes are common processes that span the
entire application, requiring setup steps that cross multiplemodules across the financial, distribution, and
manufacturing product families.
Secondary processes are common processes that cross
modules within the product family.
Final processes are processes that are specific to an
individual module and have no cross-module
dependencies. Enter the context for setup steps that are
dependent on organization context. Organization contextsare Business Group, Set of Books, Operating Unit, and
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Inventory Organization. Start the implementation process
by launching it through the Implementation Wizard form.
If you are assigned a setup step through the wizard, you
will receive notification through Workflow, and you can see
the notification in the Notifications Summary form.
You can complete the setup and respond with a Done
result.
You can respond with a Skipped result and ask the wizard
to skip the setup steps.
You can reassign the setup steps to another role.
You can run the wizard installation process to ensure that
the wizard is installed correctly.Sample Interview Questions[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?
blogID=1899174461624440431]
1. When will an activity be deferred?
A. Activity cost = 0
B. Activity cost < Workflow Engine threshold
C. Activity cost > Workflow Engine threshold
2. What is the primary purpose of a workflow?
A. Routes information
B. Sends notifications
C. Creates audit trailsD Defines process rules
3. What job does the SetItemUserKey API perform?
A. Sets the unique identifier for an item
B. Sets the role to be notified
C. Sets the user-friendly identifier for an item
D. Sets the activity ID for an item
4. How will you define the possible results of an activity in
order to drive different transitions?
A. As item attributes for an item
B. As lookup codes for a lookup typeC. Separate the activity into two
D. Use a process activity
5. Time-out parameters apply to which activity?
A. Function
B. Process
C. Notification
D. All of the above
6. What will solicit responses from a notification activity?
A. Having a time-out parameter
B. Having a performerC. Having a Send message attribute
D. Having a Respond message attribute
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7. Which Work Engine API should you use to begin execution
of an activity?
A. CreateProcess
B. StartProcess
C. ResumeProcess
D. BeginActivity
8. Which implementation process group comes before theproduct family processes?
A. Common application processes
B. Product family processes
C. Product-specific processes
D Common financial
9. What is the proper format for an internal name in the
Workflow Builder component?
A. Uppercase
B. No spaces
C. Unique within item typeD. All of the above
10. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Role can be created in Workflow Builder.
B. A user is a role if it has at least one active responsibility.
C. A role can only have one user.
D. A user must be a role.
11. Which component in Oracle Workflow is the graphical
interface for workflow processes?
A. Workflow Builder
B. Workflow EngineC. Workflow Monitor
D. Workflow Definitions Loader
12. When do you need a selector for an item type?
A. When you must perform role resolution
B. When performing a voting activity
C. When more than one process is associated with an item
type
D. When multiple result codes are possible
13. What does the Workflow Engine do when a function activity
has finished?A. Issue a savepoint
B. Issue a commit
C. Generate a log file
D. Notify the user
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
Answer to the above Questions
1. C. Activity cost > Workflow Engine thresholdExplanation
An activity is deferred when the activity cost is greater
than the Workflow Engine threshold. If the activity cost = 0 or if the
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activity cost is less than the Workflow Engine threshold, the activity will
become Active.
2. A., B., D. Routes information, Sends notifications, Definesprocess rules
Explanation The primary purposes of a workflow are to routeinformation, send notification, and define process rule. Although somehistory is maintained automatically by Oracle Workflow, it will not be
considered as creating audit trails.
3. C. Set the user-friendly identifier for an itemExplanation The SetItemUserKey API is used for setting a user-friendly identifier for an item.
4. B. As lookup codes for a lookup typeExplanation You define the possible results of an activity to drivedifferent transitions using lookup codes for a lookup type. You cannotuse item attributes. Separating the activity into two does not make
sense since you want to drive two transactions with the same activity,
but with two result codes. A process activity will not help in this
scenario.
5. C. NotificationExplanation A time-out parameter only applies to a notificationactivity since the time-out parameters are used to measure when a
notification expires. It does not apply to a function activity or a process
activity.
6. D. Having a Respond message attributeExplanation Having a Respond message attribute will solicitresponses from a notification activity. The display name will become the
prompt and the description will be the instruction. Nothing else, such as
a time-out parameter, a performer, or a Send message attribute, will
have
an affect in soliciting responses.
7. B.
StartProcessExplanation The StartProcess API begins the execution of an activity.The CreateProcess API creates a new runtime process for an item. The
ResumeProcess API resumes a suspended item. The BeginActivity
determines if the specified activity may currently be performed on the
item.
8. A. Common application processesExplanation Common application processes come before the productfamily processes, which come before product-specific processes.
Common financial is one of the product family processes. It does notcome before product family processes.
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9. D. All of the aboveExplanation An internal name for a Workflow Builder component mustbe in uppercase, have no spaces, and be unique within item type.
10. D. A user must be a role.Explanation A user must be a role. A role cannot be created in theWorkflow Builder. Having one active responsibility is not a requirementfor a user to be a role. A role can have more than one user.
11. A. Workflow BuilderExplanation The Workflow Builder in Oracle Workflow is the graphicalinterface for workflow processes. The Workflow Engine drives items
through workflow processes. The Workflow Monitor allows you to view
and monitor workflow process instances and the Workflow Definitions
Loader loads workflow definitions from a text file or database.
12. C. More than one process associated with an item typeExplanation When you have more than one process associated withan item type, you need a selector to select a process. You use the Role
Resolution standard activity to perform role resolution. Voting is another
standard activity. Multiple result codes drive different transitions, but
this is not related to the selector.
13. A. Issue a savepointExplanation The Workflow Engine issues a savepoint when a functionactivity is completed. The Workflow Engine never issues a commit; the
calling application issues a commit. The Workflow Engine does notgenerate a log file or notify users.
Posted 3rd October 2012by Krishnareddy
3rd October 2012
Oracle Workflow comes seeded with commonly used standard activities
that you can use in any workflow process. The standard activities are:
And
Assign
Block
Compare Date
Compare Number
Compare Text
Continue Flow End
Get Monitor URL
How to Incorporate StandardActivities in a Workflow Process
How to Incorporate Standard Activities in a Workflow Process
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[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8067470330200539912]
Loop Counter
NoOp
Or
Role Resolution
Start
Default Voting Message Yes/No Wait
Wait For Flow
And
When multiple transitions flow into the And function activity, the And
function activity is considered complete when all of the transitions are
completed.
Assign
The Assign function activity has four attributes: Item Attribute, DateValue, Numeric Value, and Text Value. Use the Assign function activity
to assign an item attribute specified in the Item Attribute value with the
Date Value, Numeric Value, or Text Value. Determine whether to use
the Date Value, Numeric Value, or Text Value based on the date type of
the item attribute.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
Block
The Block function activity blocks the activity until a complete activity
API call is made.
Compare Date
The Compare Date function activity has two attributes: Test Value and
Reference Value. Reference Value contains an item attribute. The Test
Value is a constant. The Compare Date function activity compares the
value of the item attribute in Reference Value to the constant in Test
Value and produces results labeled Equal, Greater Than, Less Than, or
Null (if the reference value is null). The Compare Date attributes are
both of datatype Date.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
Compare Number
The Compare Number function activity has two attributes: Test Value
and Reference Value. The Reference Value contains an item attribute.
The Test Value is a constant. The Compare Number function activity
compares the value of the item attribute in Reference Value to the
constant in Test Value and produces results labeled Equal, Greater
Than, Less Than, or Null (if the reference value is null). The Compare
Number attributes are both of datatype Number.
Compare Text
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The Compare Text function activity has two attributes: Test Value and
Reference Value. The Reference Value contains an item attribute. The
Test value is a constant. The Compare Text function activity compares
the value of the item attribute in Reference Value to the constant in
Test Value and produces results labeled Equal, Greater Than, Less Than,
or Null (if the reference value is null). The Compare Text attributes are
both of datatype Text.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
Continue Flow
Continue Flow is used for master and detail coordination. The master
process can start detail processes, and you can use the Continue Flow
and Wait for Flow function activities to coordinate a process flow
between master and details. The Continue Flow function activity signals
the flow of a waited process to continue. The Continue Flow function
activity has two attributes: Waiting Activity Label and Waiting Flow. The
Waiting Activity Label identifies the label of the activity that was waitingfor the completion of this Continue Flow function activity. Waiting Flow
identifies whether the waiting activity is a master process or a detail
process.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
End
The End function activity marks the end of a process. You can use it to
return result codes. The End function activity is not required; it is only
for visual purposes.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
Get Monitor URL
The Get Monitor URL function activity retrieves the Workflow Monitor
and stores the URL in the item attribute specified. You can use the other
attribute, administration Mode, to specify whether the Workflow Monitor
should be run in admin mode.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
Loop Counter
You can use the Loop Counter function activity to limit the number oftimes the Workflow Engine can transition through any particular activity.
Use the Loop Limit attribute to specify the limit. If the loop limit is not
reached, the activity completes with a result code of Loop; otherwise,
the activity will complete with a result code of Exit.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
NoOp
The NoOp function activity has no functionality. Use it as a placeholder
in the workflow process.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
Or
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When multiple transitions flow into the Or function activity, the Or
function activity is considered complete when any one of the transitions
is completed.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
Role Resolution
The Role Resolution function activity selects one user from a role withmultiple users. You can use its Method attribute to specify whether you
want the user to be selected based on the number of open notifications
or just sequentially assigned. The first method is Load Balance and the
second method is Sequential.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
Start
The Start function activity marks the beginning of a process. The Start
function activity is not required; it is only for visual purposes.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
Default Voting Message
The Voting Message is a message you can use to create a notification
activity that tallies responses from users or roles, depending on whether
Expand Rolesis checked. The message subject and the body make up
the message that will be sent to the users or roles. It has a Respond
message attribute with the internal name of RESULT.
You can specify the list of possible responses for this Respond message
attribute using a specific lookup type. In the notification activity thatuses the voting message, you must create a Number Type attribute with
each possible response value as the name. These attributes will capture
the percentages necessary for the response values to become the
result. If the value of the attribute is set to Null, then the value will be
treated as the default value. In other words, if you have two response
values, Yes and No, and you have the attribute Yes set with a value 50
and the attribute No set as Null, anything less than 50 percent Yes will
be a No.
You can specify the voting option using the Voting Option attribute. Youcan select Require All Votesto have the Workflow Engine tally all
responses only after all votes have been cast. If not all votes are
received before the notification times out, then the timed-out transition
is used. Tally on Every Voteinstructs the Workflow Engine to keep a
running tally after each vote is cast. If the notification times out, the
response percentage to date is used. Wait for All Votesinstructs the
Workflow Engine to wait until all votes come in before tallying response
percentages.
The only difference between this option and the Require All Votesoptionis that, if the notification times out before all of the votes came back,
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the Wait for All Votesoption will still tally the response percentages
before the time-out occurred.
Wait
The Wait function activity defines the specified waiting period for a
response. It has six attributes. The wait mode specifies whether the
wait is calculated by absolute date, day of month, day of week, relativetime, or time of day. If the Wait mode is set to absolute date, enter the
final date into the Absolute Date attribute. If the Wait mode is set to
day of month, enter the day into the Day of Month attribute. If the Wait
mode is set to day of week, enter the day of the week into the Day of
Week attribute. If the Wait mode is set to relative time, enter the
number of days you want to wait in the Relative Time attribute. If the
Wait mode is set to time of day, enter the time of day into the Time of
Day attribute.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]Wait for Flow
Wait for Flow is used for master and detail coordination. The master
process can start detail processes, and you can use the Continue Flow
and Wait for Flow function activities to coordinate the process flow
between the master and details. The Wait for Flow function activity
signals the process flow to wait. The Wait for Flow function activity has
two attributes: Continuation Activity Label and Continuation Flow. The
Continuation Activity Label identifies the activity label that must be
completed before the Wait for Flow function activity continues. The
Continuation Flow activity identifies whether the waiting activity is amaster process or a detail process.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
Review Questions
1. How do they Continue Flow and Wait for Flow function activities
work together?
2. How does the Voting activity work?
3. How can you use the Role Resolution function activity?
4. Do you need the Start and End function activities?
Posted 3rd October 2012by Krishnareddy
3rd October 2012
To prepare a workflow diagram, double-click on the process activity. Inour example, double-click on the NEW PO Approval Process. The Process
window will appear. The Process window shows the graphical
How to Create a WorkflowDiagram
How to Create a Workflow Diagram
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representation of your workflow process. Initially, the Process window is
blank. Drag and drop activities from the Navigator into the Process
window. Between activities, define transitions by drawing arrows using
the right mouse button. If the result code of the source activity is None,
the transitions will not have a label. If the result code of the source
activity is not None, label the transition arrow with the result code that
will initiate the transition.[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8067470330200539912]
To diagram the NEW PO Approval process, create the item attributes for
a NEW PO. To do this, copy the item attributes from the PO Approval
item type and paste them to your NEW PO item type. Press CTRL-C on
the PO Number from the PO Approval item type. Then press CTRL-V to
paste the PO Number to your PO item type. Repeat the same copy-and-
paste step for the PO Amount, the Requestor Name Line1, and the
Approver User Name (see Figure 16).
[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-
bhC88AUyYB4/UGblysSu9DI/AAAAAAAAChQ/bGL8MORjwmY/s1600/1.png]
Figure 16: Item Attributes for NEW PO item type form
You must then create the function that selects the approver, which isthe next manager in H.R. Create a PL/SQL stored procedure that will
search out the next manager based on the requestor and tie the stored
procedure to a function activity. In this review question, you can
assume that the stored procedure will always retrieve a valid manager.
In this case, the result type of the function activity can be None and the
function activity is NEW Get Next Manager in H.R.
Create notifications that allow the manager to approve or reject the PO
and that send a reminder if the notification timed out. You do this by
creating a message that asks the manager to approve or reject the PO.
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Use NEW_APPROVEas the internal name and New Approvalas the
display name. You can type a message body like the one in Figure 17.
Your message must have a Respond message attribute. Use
NEW_RESULTas the internal name. Since the display name becomes
the prompt, use Approveas the display name. Enter Please either
approve or reject the POas the description. Select Lookup as thetype and, since you are soliciting a response, select Respond as the
source. Select Approval as the lookup type. This will allow the user to
respond with either Approve or Reject (see Figure 18).
[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-
5eSpBLn0F_4/UGblyjdjX2I/AAAAAAAAChU/9Hhq0vdxA2U/s1600/2.png]
Figure 17: Exercise Message Body form
[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-
EvrUy2oWrms/UGblyrmtcDI/AAAAAAAAChM/Zcdu0bXyL_o/s1600/3.png]
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Figure 18: Exercise Message Attribute form
Once you have created the New Approval message, attach the message
to a notification activity called NEW_APPROVE_PO. Use a display
name of NEW Approve PO. Select the same result type as your
message, which is Approval, and select New Approval as the message.Click on the Details tab to change the Timeout field to 3 days. Create a
reminder notification in the same way. Now you are ready to create the
workflow process diagram.
You should start the workflow process with the Start function activity.
You can find the Start function activity from the Standard item type.
Drag and drop the Start function into the Process window. You are
assuming that this NEW PO Process is initiated by a CreateProcess API
and StartProcess API with the correct attributes: PO Number, PO
Amount, Requestor Name Line1, and Approver User Name.
The Start function activity will be your source activity. The destination
activity, NEW Get Next Manager in H.R., will retrieve the appropriate
manager. Create a transition by right-clicking the mouse and dragging a
line between the Start function activity and the NEW Get Next Manager
in H.R. function activity. Since the result code is None, there will be no
need to select a result code. Your next activity will be NEW Approve PO
notification activity. Drag and drop the NEW Approve PO notification
activity into the Process window. Since the result code from NEW Get
Next Manager in H.R. function activity is None, you can just connect theNEW Get Next Manager in H.R. function activity to the NEW Approve PO
notification activity.
You must identify the performer for the NEW Approve PO notification
activity. The performer is the role receiving the notification. In your
case, select the item attribute Approver User Name as the performer.
To select a performer, double-click on the notification activity in the
Process window and select the performer. You can only do this if you
invoked the Notification Activity Property window inside the Process
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window; you cannot do this if you invoked the Notification Activity
Property window in the Navigator (see Figure 11-19).
You can use the Attribute Values tab to specify a value for any selected
attribute in this tab. You do not need this feature for this review
question.
[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3yb29D-
8UAs/UGblzFjoYoI/AAAAAAAAChc/lRCakHSrYsQ/s1600/4.png]
Figure 19: Notification Activity Property Window (Process Window) form
The manager can ignore the notification, approve the PO, or reject the
PO. Treat all three conditions with three different transitions. If the
manager approves or rejects the PO, the workflow process is considered
completed. In this case, it must flow to the End function activity. To
show the Or condition, you can use the Or function activity. Both the
End and Or function activities can be found under the Standard item
type. If the manager chooses to ignore the notification, you must send a
reminder to the manager and branch back to resend the NEW Approve
PO notification activity.
To make sure that the NEW Approve PO notification can be resent,
make sure that Loop Resetis not checked. When you create a transition
between the NEW Approve PO activity and the Or activity, a window
appears and asks which result code should be tied to this transition.
Your choices are Approved, Rejected, , or (see
Figure 11-20). The transition is used if result codes other
than any selected result codes are returned.
Choose Approved for the transition. Repeat the same step and create a
transition for Rejected between the NEW Approve PO activity and the Oractivity. Create a transition between the NEW Approve PO activity to the
NEW PO Reminder activity and select for the transition.
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Since you want to route back from the NEW PO Reminder activity to the
NEW Approve PO activity, you must create a transition from the NEW
Approve PO activity to the NEW PO Reminder activity.
To see labels, which are display names in the Process window, you can
either execute Designers View | Show Label | Display Name menu
command, or right-click on the Process window and execute the ShowLabel | Display Name menu command. See Figure 11-21 for the
complete process you have created.
[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-
IEk8Nn9N5Lg/UGblzBAz1RI/AAAAAAAAChg/FVjO6cXNR8U/s1600/5.png]
Figure 20: Result codes for transition
[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-
CPfanuf8EzU/UGblzU1M3MI/AAAAAAAACho/5H9yRW1g61U/s1600/6.png]
Figure 21: Complete PO Workflow Process form
Other options in the Process window include copying diagrams, printing
diagrams, and displaying an Overview window. All of these options are
found when you click the right mouse button in the Process window. You
can verify your workflow process by executing the File | Verify menu
command.
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Review Questions
1. When will you need to select a label for a transition?
2. What is the purpose of the label?
3. How will your NEW PO Process be invoked?
4. What is a performer and how do you specify a performer for a
notification activity?
Posted 3rd October 2012by Krishnareddy
3rd October 2012
You can use the Workflow Monitor to view the progress of any workflow
process. There are two forms of Workflow Monitor. One is the Workflow
Status form in Oracle Applications. The other is the Java-based
Workflow Monitor tool. There are two modes for both forms of the
Workflow Monitor: user mode and admin mode. admin mode will
provide more information and allow more functionality. (You must log in
to Oracle Applications as a system administrator to see the Workflow
Status form.)
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8067470330200539912]
[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-
cy0GsTLmaIE/UGbjUmSqW8I/AAAAAAAAChA/R9K3yUeFjhY/s1600/1.png]
Figure 15: Workflow Status form
The Workflow Status form has the item type and the item key as the
title. It lists the activity name, type, status, result, start date, end date,
assigned user, error name, error message, error stack, activity internal
How to Monitor Workflow toView its Progress
How to Monitor Workflow to View its Progress
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name, activity description, and user name. You can use the folder tools
to change the form to fit your needs (see Figure 15).
The Java-based Workflow Monitor tool has four regions:
Workflow process title
Process diagram
Detail tabs Administration buttons
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
Workflow Process Title
The process title shows the workflow process name, the item type
internal name, and the user item key that identifies the item. These are
the context values of the workflow instance.
Process Diagram
This shows the process diagram associated with the workflow process.This is for display only. Color is used to represent the state of an activity
or transition. Green means active or in progress, yellow means
suspended, and red means erred. A thin black transition means that the
transition has not been visited. A thick green transition means that the
transition has been visited. You may look at the subprocess diagram by
double-clicking on any subprocess.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
Detail Tabs
Select the Detail tab to reveal the definition, usage, status, notification,and item of a node. The Definition tab shows the item type, display
name, description, activity type, message, function, result type, any
time-out parameters, cost, loop check, and error process. The Usage
tab reveals performers and comments. The Status tab shows the status,
result, begin date, end date, and any error information. The Notification
tab provides recipient, status, begin date, and end date information.
The Item tab discloses the item type, item key, item owner, begin date,
end date, and item attributes.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]Administration Buttons
Administration buttons are only available if you are running in the
ADMIN mode. These buttons allow you to abort process, suspend
process, resume process, reassign process, or expedite process. Each
button corresponds to an API call. You may select Attribute to change
the value of an item attribute.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
Review Questions
1. What is the difference between the ADMIN mode and the USERmode?
2. What do the colors in the process diagram represent?
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3. What two forms monitor workflow processes?
4. For what purposes are the administration buttons used?
Posted 3rd October 2012by Krishnareddy
3rd October 2012
To plan a workflow process, you must identify all of the activities and
transitions for your entire workflow process. You must determine, from
the start of the workflow process, how the next activity will be selected
and transitioned. You will determine how transitions should branch to
other activities based on the result codes of a completed activity, and
then establish the order of execution. You will decide who needs to be
notified and who needs to respond. You also must identify attributes
needed for all of the activities and determine where the values of the
attributes will come from.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8067470330200539912]There are three
type of activities: process, notification, and function. Transitions can be
based on the specified result code of an activity. For example, once your
user has created a PO, you will want Oracle Workflow to send a
notification to your users manager. The notification will include PO
information and ask the manager to either approve or reject the PO.
The approval or rejection will be sent back to the user as a notification.
If the manager does not respond within the time-out period, a time-out
notification will be sent to the user.
Every workflow process should have a start and an end function. The
start and end functions for the Standard item type is necessary only for
visual purposes. In this particular PO approval process, you will need a
function activity to find the appropriate manager, and you need four
notification activities. One notification activity informs the manager that
there is a PO waiting for the managers approval.
This notification must solicit a response and will therefore have a
respond attribute of Lookup Type and a lookup type of Approval.
Another notification informs the user that the manager approved the PO
(the manager selected Approve as the response). A third notification
informs the user that the manager rejected the PO (the manager
selected Reject as the response). The final notification reminds the
manager that he or she has not responded in a timely manner and must
respond ASAP. Once the manager approves or rejects the PO, the PO
status must be updated. You will need a function to update the PO.
During planning, it is best to list all of the activities, prerequisites, and
steps.
Define a new Workflow process
Define a new Workflow process
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Table-5 shows the PO approval process described above.
Activity Prerequisite Steps
Start
Processes initiated with the
CreateProcess API with
input variables such as PO
number, requestor, PO
dollar amount, and other
attributes.
Set the item attributes
with the input
variables. Set the itemowner and call the
StartProcess API.
Find manager
Function activity to
find the manager
based on the
requestor.
Notify
manager
Create message to attach
to the notification with a
respond attribute of lookuptype Approval.
Send notification to
manager and ask for
response. Response
can either be Approve
or Reject.
Manager
responds
Select Approve or
Reject.
Manager does
not respond
Send reminder to
manager and ask for
response again.
Update POManager approves or
rejects PO.Update PO.
End
PO update successfully
completed.
Table 5: PO Approve Process Plan
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
Review Questions
1. What factors should you identify when you plan your workflow
process?
2. Which two functions must you have in any workflow process?
Posted 3rd October 2012by Krishnareddy
3rd October 2012
A workflow process consists of several components. Expand the
apps@vd11line by clicking on the plus sign (+) inside the Navigator.
You will see three item types: PO Approval, PO Standard, and Standard.
You will also see a Hidden Item Types icon. Double-click on the Hidden
Item
Components of a WorkflowProcess
Components of a Workflow Process
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Typesicon to display the same Show Item Types window seen when
you open 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
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8067470330200539912]
Item Types
Item types categorize the items. Each activity in a workflow process
must be associated with an item type. To create a new item type, right-
click on apps@vd11[http://oracleapps4u.blogspot.in/2012/09/components-of-
workflow-process.html] and choose New Item Type. In this chapter, the
right mouse button is assumed to be the secondary button on yourmouse. The Item Type Property window will appear. Enter an internal
name for the item type. Type the internal name using uppercase letters.
The name can include numeric characters, but cannot contain spaces.
You cannot update the internal name once 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 [http://oracleapps4u.blogspot.in/2012/09/components-of-
workflow-process.html] if your item type is associated with more than one
process. The selector returns the process that must be executed in this
multiple-process situation. Selector is a PL/SQL stored procedure.
Create a new item type called NEW_POwith a display name of NEW
PO Item Type(see Figure 3).
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[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-
lZFIoZMyxwM/UGbcdsVdLMI/AAAAAAAACfY/qcg9DYT97HU/s1600/1.png]
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 the Access 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
combinations of 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 at 100. This means that only your
current access level (100) can update objects. If only the Preserve
Customizationsoption is checked, customization and access are both at
level 100 while protection is at level 1000. This means access 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 at 0 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 update objects. 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 objectsis checked. To find this option, execute the Help |
About Oracle Workflow Builder menu command. If you checkedAllow
modifications of customized objects, you can modify and save objectseven if your access level is outside of the customization and protection
range. CheckAllow modifications of customized objects. You must exit
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the New Item Type properties window to do this. Click OKto save your
definition.
Once you have checked the box under the Help menu, open the Item
Type properties window again. Notice that you cannot change the
internal name field anymore. Click on the Access tab and check both the
Preserve Customizationsoption and the Lock at this Access Leveloption(see Figure 4). Click on OKto save your changes.
[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c7ixhH4P0gc/UGbcer4qAfI/AAAAAAAACfs/AMw-
c9Kqhuo/s1600/2.png]
Figure 4: Item Type Properties (Access Tab) form
[http://oracleapps4u.blogspot.in/2012/09/components-of-workflow-process.html]
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
Attributesicon and choose New Attribute. Either way, the Attribute
Property window will appear 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 same item 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 an optional 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.
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[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FGARWH_0xMM/UGbcewVDP2I/AAAAAAAACf4/E-
ti5asUFWM/s1600/3.png]
Figure 5: Attribute Properties form
Processes
Process is a workflow progression. Before you can diagram a workflow
process, you must define a process activity. To do this, right-click on
the Processicon and choose New Process. The Process Properties
window appears. Enter, in uppercase and with no spaces, a unique
internal name for your 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 description. Select the result type for this process.
Select None if no specified result codes are necessary for the completion
of the process.
The result type must[http://oracleapps4u.blogspot.in/2012/09/components-of-
workflow-process.html] be a lookup type. Transitions in the workflow
process diagram will differ depending on the result codes of the lookup
type. If you have the authority, you can click on Editto view or edit the
result type. Check Runnableif this process can be called from other
workflow processes or from Workflow Engine APIs. Create a process
activity called NEW_PO_PROCESS.
A display name of NEW PO Approval Process appears as an Approval
result type. You have the option of checking the Runnablebox. Last,
select an icon to represent this process activity. Click on Browseto
locate available icons (see Figure-6).
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[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ce-
lfCAjjFU/UGbcewL6tFI/AAAAAAAACf0/65C2elyNqxI/s1600/4.png]
Figure 6: Process Activity Properties form
Select the Details tab, where you can select the error-handling process.
You can also specify the maximum
[http://oracleapps4u.blogspot.in/2012/09/components-of-workflow-process.html] time
to wait for notification before a time-out occurs. Since this is a process
activity and not a notification activity, the time-out parameters are not
applicable. The effective date and version are for display only. If you
save your workflow process using the Save Asoption, the effective 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. If Loop Resetis checked, the process activity
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will be reexecuted and all of the subsequent processes will be reversed
(see Figure -7). Click on OKto save your work.
[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-
S3fouy7G3Ys/UGbcfbvPFTI/AAAAAAAACf8/mL9GOpxZAfg/s1600/5.png]
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.
[http://oracleapps4u.blogspot.in/2012/09/components-of-workflow-process.html]
Notifications
Notifications 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 of the same item type or (2) you can right-click on the
Notificationicon and select New Notification. As in a process activity,
you must specify an internal name and a display name for a notification
activity. Enter a unique namein uppercase and without spacesfor
your process. The display name is the one that 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 type must
be a lookup type. Transitions in the workflow process diagram will differ
depending on the result codes of the lookup type. Click on Editto view
or update the result type.
Since this is a notification activity, you must select a message. If you
use the drag-and-drop message method, the message name will already
be filled in. You can click on Editto view or update the message. If the
message you selected expects a response, a Function field will appear.This is the response function. Next, you can check Expand Rolesif you
want to expand the role to each individual users email instead of the
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roles email. As a last step, you must select an icon to represent this
notification activity. Click on Browseto locate available icons (see
Figure-8).
Create a notification activity with the internal name of
NEW_PO_APPROVEand a display name of NEW PO Approvalby
dragging and dropping the Approve PO message. You do not have theApprove PO message yet. You can drag and drop the Approve PO
message from the PO Approval item type to your item type. Once you
have entered all of the data, click on OKto save your work.
[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-
E558Ss3Pc3Q/UGbcfpCkmJI/AAAAAAAACgE/EI_KmabJnxI/s1600/6.png]
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 for notifications 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 Asoption, the
effective date and the version number will be changed. Check Loop
Resetto identify the behavior you want the process activity to perform
if a loop condition occurs. Loop conditions occur when the process
activity is being revisited by the Oracle Workflow Engine. If Loop Reset
is checked, the process activity will be reexecuted and all of the
subsequent processes will be reversed. The Roles and the Access tabs
correspond to the attributes and process activities item types.
[http://oracleapps4u.blogspot.in/2012/09/components-of-workflow-process.html]
Functions
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Functions are PL/SQL stored procedures that can have Workflow Engine
APIs. To create a new function, right-click on the Functionsicon and
select New Function. The Function Properties window will appear. Enter
a unique internal name in uppercase letters. The name should not
contain spaces. Then enter a display 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/SQL stored procedure in the format ofpackage_name.procedure_name. 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 type must be a lookup type.
Various transitions in the workflow process diagram are possible and will
depend on different lookup type result codes. Click on Editto view or
update the result type. You can then specify the cost of the activity.
Depending on this cost and the 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 torepresent this function activity. You can also click on Browseto locate
icons from your desktop (see Figure-9). You do not need to create a
function activity for this exercise.
[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-
J8pxN72E4NA/UGbcfgu3fYI/AAAAAAAACgI/P_YO1_nHnb8/s1600/7.png]
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.
[http://oracleapps4u.blogspot.in/2012/09/components-of-workflow-process.html]
Messages
Messages are templates used by a notification activity. If you want tocreate new messages, right-click on New Message. At this time, you
need not create a new message. You have already created a message
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called Approve PO. Double-click on the Approve POmessage 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 may select a default priority for the message. Valid values
are from 1 to 99, with 1 designated as highest priority. Priority selectionis for informational purposes only; there is no functionality attached to
the assigned priority (see Figure-10).
[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-
6bsGojfdWUE/UGbcglOFHCI/AAAAAAAACgY/pNyBq3dKi00/s1600/8.png]
Figure 10: Message Properties form
Select the Body tab to enter the subject of the message and the body.
You can assign message attributes to the subject and body by adding an
ampersand sign before the attributes internal names (see Figure-11).
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The Roles tab and the Access tab are the same as described in the
previous sections.
[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-
aU1veBGdYsI/UGbcgXbDRpI/AAAAAAAACgc/bjePiPFCWU8/s1600/9.png]
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 have Sendor Respondoptions. Send attributes
are regular attributes.
Respond attributes are message
[http://oracleapps4u.blogspot.in/2012/09/components-of-workflow-process.html]
attributes that solicit responses in the notification message. Display
names of the respond attributes become prompts in the response
section of the notification message. Descriptions of the respond
attributes are used to describe the expected response. If the respond
attribute is a lookup type, the user can respond by selecting from a list
of lookup codes. You can specify message attributes to get their values
from the item attributes. This is indicated by selecting Item Attribute as
the default 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
without spaces. Next, enter a display name. A description name is
optional. Then, select the attribute type. The attribute type of the
message attribute is the same as that of the item attribute. Next,
specify whether the source is Send or Respond. As a last step, enter adefault value, if applicable. You can get the default value from an item
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attribute. (See Figure-12 for the properties of the Approval Action
message attribute of the Approve PO message.)
[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-
epwTvC7CE6E/UGbcdruhvuI/AAAAAAAACfg/fAr4hL1aS48/s1600/10.png]
Figure 12: Message Attribute Properties form
[http://oracleapps4u.blogspot.in/2012/09/components-of-workflow-process.html]
Lookup Types
The last components are the lookup types. Lookup types are lists of
lookup codes 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 lookup type, right-click on the Lookup Typesicon 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 Typesicon 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 optional description (see Figure-14). Once you have
defined a lookup code, it will show up as a separate icon under the
Lookup Typesicon.
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[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-
Od1epiZidMo/UGbcdhAFgpI/AAAAAAAACfc/92h6dsRkCoo/s1600/11.png]
Figure 13: Lookup Types Properties form
[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-76mYiIVx6Do/UGbceR-JbTI/AAAAAAAACfk/BS_102cnLvk/s1600/12.png]
Figure 14: Lookup Code Properties form
Review Questions[http://oracleapps4u.blogspot.in/2012/09/components-of-
workflow-process.html]
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?
Posted 3rd October 2012by Krishnareddy
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3rd October 2012
To map Oracle Workflow to a directory repository, map the threeviewsWF_USERS, WF_ROLES, and WF_USER_ROLES to the database
tables in the directory repository selected. If Oracle Workflow is not
stand-alone, but is integrated with Oracle Applications, you can map the
roles to users and positions defined in the Oracle Human Resources
modules. Oracle Workflow provides a seeded script that you can run to
map the three views within Oracle Applications.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8067470330200539912]
The three views are mapped in the following way. WF_USERS is mapped
to all employees with active primary assignments. WF_ROLES is
mapped to all users listed in WF_USERS and to all positions defined asworkflow roles. WF_USER_ROLES is mapped to the combination of
WF_ROLES and WF_USERS.
In addition, Oracle Workflow provides three local tables that join the
three views: WF_LOCAL_USERS, WF_LOCAL_ROLES, and
WF_LOCAL_USER_ROLES. You can use these three local views to
supplement the database tables in the directory repository.
Review Questions[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?
blogID=1899174461624440431]
1. What does the WF_USERS view map to in Oracle Human
Resources?2. What does the WF_ROLES view map to in Oracle Human
Resources?
3. What are the names of and uses for the three local tables?
Posted 3rd October 2012by Krishnareddy
Mapping Oracle Workflow to aDirectory Repository
Mapping Oracle Workflow to a Directory Repository
3rd October 2012
In Oracle Workflow a role is a user or a group of users. Oracle Workflow
gets information about a role from the following three views:
WF_USERS
WF_ROLES
WF_USER_ROLES
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8067470330200539912]WF_USERS
The WF_USERS view contains information about every user who can
receive notifications and responses in Oracle Workflow. The below table
shows all of the columns in the WF_USERS view.
How Oracle Workflow Acquires
Information About a Role
How Oracle Workflow Acquires Information About a Role
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Column Description
Name
The internal name of the user
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?
blogID=1899174461624440431] . This column
must be all uppercase and contain no
spaces. This is the column that the
Workflow Engine will refer to for the user
name.
Display_name The display name of the user.
Description The description of the user.
Notification_preference
This is the column that identifies the
notification preference of the user. Valid
values are MAILTEXT, MAILHTML, QUERY,
or SUMMARY. When the value is set to
MAILTEXT, the user receives notifications
and responses by email. When the value is
set to MAILHTML, the user receives
notifications and responses through HTML
email attachments. When the value is set
to QUERY, the user receives notifications
and responses from the Notifications Web
page or Notification Viewer form. The
Notification Viewer form is only available
to Oracle Applications users. When the
value is set to SUMMARY, the user
receives emails that contain summaries of
all notifications.
LanguageThe language to use for notification
features that are language dependent.
TerritoryThe territory to determine the date
formatting and numeric formatting.
E-mail_address The email address of the user.
Fax The fax number of the user.
Orig_systemThis column identifies the original system
where the user resides.
Orig_system_ID
This column identifies the unique identifier
for the user in the original system where
the user resides.
Status
The status of the user. Valid statuses are
ACTIVE for active users, EXTLEAVE for
extended leave, INACTIVE for inactive
users, and TMPLEAVE for temporary leave.
WF_ROLES
The WF_ROLES view contains information about every role in Oracle
Workflow that can receive notifications and responses.
Each user in WF_USERS[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?
blogID=1899174461624440431] must be a role in WF_ROLES. If the
attributes of the role are different than the attributes of the users within
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the role, the attributes of the role will override the attributes of the
user. The below table shows all of the columns in WF_ROLES.
Column Description
Name
The internal name of the role. This
column must be all uppercase and contain
no spaces. This is the column that the
Workflow Engine will refer to for the role
name.
Display_name The display name of the role.
Description The description of the role.
Notification_preference
This is the column that identifies the
notification preference of this role. Valid
values are MAILTEXT, MAILHTML, QUERY,
or SUMMARY. When the value is set to
MAILTEXT, the user receives notifications
and responses by email. When the value
is set to MAILHTML, the user receives
notifications and responses through HTML
email attachments. When the value is set
to QUERY, the user receives notifications
and responses from the Notifications Web
page or Notification Viewer form. The
Notification Viewer form is only available
to Oracle Applications users. When the
value is set to SUMMARY, the user
receives emails that contain summaries of
all notifications.
LanguageThe language to use for notification
features that are language dependent.
TerritoryThe territory determines the formatting of
dates and numbers.
E-mail_address
The email address of the role, most likely
a mail distribution list. You use the email
address of the role if you choose not to
expand the role into its users.
Fax The fax number of the role.
Orig_systemThis column identifies the original system
where the role resides.
Orig_system_ID
This column identifies the unique
identifier for the role in the original
system where the role resides.
WF_USER_ROLES
In Oracle Workflow, WF_USER_ROLES is the view that resolves the
many-to-many relationship between users and roles. One role can
contain many users, and one user can belong to many roles. The below
table shows all of the columns in the WF_USER_ROLES view.
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Column Description
User_name The internal name of the user.
User_orig_system
The original system where the user
resides. Use this and
User_orig_sytem_ID to join to
WF_USERS.
User_orig_system_ID
The unique identifier for the user in the
original system where the user resides.
Use this and the User_orig_system to
join to WF_USERS.
Role_name The internal name of the role.
Role_orig_system
The original system where the role
resides. Use this and the
ROLE_ORIG_SYSTEM_ID to join to
WF_ROLES.
Role_orig_system_ID
The unique identifier for the role in the
original system where the role resides.
Use this and the
ROLE_ORIG_SYSTEM_ID to join to
WF_ROLES.
Review Questions
1. When is the WF_USERS view used?
2. When is the WF_ROLES view used?
3. When is the WF_USER_ROLES view used?
4. How many notification preferences do you have and what is the
purpose of each one?
Posted 3rd October 2012by Krishnareddy
3rd October 2012
Inside a stored procedure, you must use Workflow Engine APIs tocommunicate with the Workflow Engine. All Workflow Engine APIs are
stored in a PL/SQL package called WF_ENGINE. The following is the list
of Workflow Engine APIs present inside the WF_ENGINE package.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8067470330200539912]
Procedure Name Description
Variable
(I=Input,
O=Output)
AddItemAttr
Add a new
unvalidated runtime
item attribute.
Item type(I)
SetItemAttrTextSet the value of a
text item attribute.
Item type(I)
Oracle Workflow Engine APIs
Oracle Workflow Engine APIs
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Procedure Name Description
Variable
(I=Input,
O=Output)
Item key(I)
Attribute name
(I)
New value(I)
SetItemAttrNumber
Set the value of a
number item
attribute.
Item type(I)
Item key(I)
Attribute name
(I)
New value(I)
SetItemAttrDateSet the value of a
date item attribute.
Item type(I)
Item key(I)
Attribute name
(I)
New value(I)
GetItemAttrInfo
Get type
information about
an item attribute.
Item type(I)
Attribute name
(I)
Attribute type
(O)
Subtype(O)
Format(O)
GetActivityAttrInfo
Get type
information about
an activity attribute.
Item type(I)
Item key(I)
Activity ID(I)
Attribute name
(I)
Attribute type(O)
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Procedure Name Description
Variable
(I=Input,
O=Output)
Sub-type(O)
Format(O)
SetItemParent
Set the
parent/master
process for a detail
process.
Item type(I)
Item key(I)
Parent item
type(I)
Parent item
key(I)
Parent context(I)
SetItemOwnerSet the owner of an
item.
Item type(I)
Item key(I)
Owner(I)
SetItemUserKey
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?
blogID=1899174461624440431]
Set the user-
friendly identifier
for an item.
Item type(I)
Item key(I)
User key(I)
CB
Callback function
used by the
Notification Systemto get and set
process attributes,
and mark a process
complete.
Action(I)
Context(I)
Attribute name
(I)
Attribute type
(I)
Text attribute
value(I,O)
Number
attribute value
(I,O)
Date attribute
value(I,O)
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Procedure Name Description
Variable
(I=Input,
O=Output)
ProcessDeferred
Process all deferred
activities within the
threshold limits.
Item type(I)
Minimum
threshold(I)
Maximum
threshold(I)
ProcessTimeOut
Pick up one timed-
out activity and
execute time-out
transition.
Item type(I)
ProcessStuckProcess
Pick up one stuck
activity, mark error
status, and execute
error process.
Item type(I)
Background
Process all current
deferred and/or
time-out activities
within the threshold
limits.
Item type(I)
Minimum
threshold(I)
Maximum
threshold(I)
Process
deferred flag(I)
Process
timeout flag(I)
BackgroundConcurrent
Send background
process for deferred
and/or time-out
activities to the
concurrent
manager.
Error buffer(O)
Return code(O)
Item type(I)
Minimum
threshold(I)
Maximum
threshold(I)
Process
deferred flag
Processtimeout flag
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Procedure Name Description
Variable
(I=Input,
O=Output)
CreateProcess
Create a new
runtime process for
an item.
Item type(I)
Item key(I)
Root process(I)
StartProcess
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?
blogID=1899174461624440431]
Begins execution of
the process.
Item type(I)
Item key(I)
SuspendProcess
Suspends process
execution.
Outstanding
notifications will be
allowed to finish,
but activity
transitions will not
occur.
Item type(I)
Item key(I)
Process to
suspend(I)
AbortProcess
Abort process
execution.
Outstanding
notifications are
cancelled. The
process is then
considered
complete, with a
status specified by
the result variable.
Item type(I)
Item key(I)
Process to
abort(I)
Result(O)
ResumeProcess
Returns a process
to normal execution
status. Used after a
process is
suspended.
Item type(I)
Item key(I)
Process to
resume(I)
BeginActivity
Determines if the
specified activity
may currently be
performed on the
item.
Item type(I)
Item key(I)
Activity(I)
CompleteActivity
Notifies the
Workflow Engine
that an activity for
an item has been
completed.
Item type(I)
Item key(I)
Activity(I)
Result(I)
AssignActivityAssigns the user or
role (performer)
Item type(I)
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Procedure Name Description
Variable
(I=Input,
O=Output)
who will perform an
activity.
Item key(I)
Activity(I)
Performer(I)
HandleError
Resets the process
thread to the
entered activity and
begins execution
again from that
point.
Item type(I)
Item key(I)
Activity(I)
Command(I)
Result(I)
The last section of the stored procedure body is the EXCEPTION block
for exception handling. Any kind of exception handling is allowed in
PL/SQL. The only thing you must do is set the context information.
This is done by the API calls
WF_CORE.CONTEXT(your_package_name,
your_procedure_name, itemtype, itemkey, to_char(actid),
funcmode)
Your stored procedure can be in a PL/SQL package. The package groups
store procedures within the same category.
[http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1899174461624440431]
Review Questions
1. Which Work Engine API should you use to begin execution of an
activity?
2. Which Work Engine API should you use to get information about
an items attributes?3. For which functions can you use the Work Engine API
Background?
4. How do you notify the Work Engine about a completed activity?
Posted 3rd October 2012by Krishnareddy
3rd October 2012
Applying Workflow Engine APIs
to Function Activities
Work Flow in Oracle APPS
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Function activities are stored in PL/SQ