approval workflow engine (awe) with custom example

8/21/2019 Approval Workflow Engine (AWE) With Custom Example

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Approval Workflow Engine (AWE) With a Custom Example

Table of Contents

1. ABSTACT...............................................................................................................................................................!

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1. Abstract

The Approval Workfow Engine (AWE) is the engine that provides the ramework and

capabilities or creating, running, and managing approval processes. The engine uses aseries o database obects combined with application component con!guration settings todetermine how to process approvals using workfow.

Approval workfows are triggered when re"uesters submit a transaction, such as apromotion. The application hands the transaction over to the Approval Workfow Engine,which !nds the appropriate approval process de!nition and launches the approval workfow.A set o approvers then carries out tasks related to the transaction.

The Approval Workfow Engine enables three levels o users to develop, con!gure, and usetransaction approvals that meet their organi#ational re"uirements. $or e%ample, the processo submitting a promotion and getting it approved re"uires de!ning who will approve thepromotion, the order in which the& will approve it, and how it will be routed to approvers.

'n contrast to the standard eopleot workfow, which re"uires advanced technical skills ineopleot eopleTools to create and maintain, approval workfow provides an alternativeworkfow that is much easier to create, con!gure, and maintain. $or e%ample, all o the stepsin approval workfow are de!ned using eopleot pages rather than underl&ing eopleoteople*ode, so unctional users can design and maintain workfow using these onlineeopleot pages instead o re"uiring technical developers to create workfow rules.

This document describes how to create and implement Approval Workfow Engine process in acustom eopleot application with an e%ample and this e%ample is a basic level. 'n thise%ample we are doing onl& header record level approvals.

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2. Working with Application Workflow Engine

The main things in the approval workflow Engine are,

• The approval workflow process.

• Header- and line-level approvals.

• Approval flows.

Approval workflow process

Approval workflows are triggered when requesters originate a transaction, such as a requisition, and a setof approvers carry out tasks related to the transaction. The eople!oft approval workflow process is aframework that enables three levels of users to develop, configure, and use transaction approvals that

meet their organi"ational requirements. To implement the approval workflow process, the framework forbuilding and interpreting workflow approvals brings together these users#

• Application developers

Application developers adapt applications for approval with minimal coding, using a defined setupprocess. $aking this possible is the approval workflow engine, which provides a commonimplementation that other applications can use. Application developers integrate their applicationswith the approval workflow engine framework using the %egister Transactions page, where theyregister an application with the engine and describe its components, event handler, and records.The register stores the approval process &'s those developers create for applications. After anend user creates an application transaction and submits it for approval, the application hands thetransaction over to the approval workflow engine, which finds the appropriate approval processdefinition and launches the approval workflow.

• (unctional business analysts

(unctional business analysts design approval workflow for use with an application. This includessetting up stages, paths, steps, recipients, and notifications for each approval process &'.

Analysts identify the application-supplied transaction definition on which to base approval processdefinitions. They use the Approval rocess 'efinition page to define processes for approvingtransactions. These processes can be used repeatedly to guide transactions through theirapproval process.

• End users

End users create transactions and then use an approval process with approvers and reviewerswithin an approval flow. )sing this process, the different end users can approve or deny requests,monitor transaction statuses, and audit approvals.

Header- and Line-Level Approvals

$any eople!oft transactions have a top-level record *known as a header+ with keys that uniquelyidentify a single transaction in an application. Then, these transactions typically have children records*line-level records+ of this header record. This AE enables both the header and line level approvals.

Approval lows

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Approvals use two levels of processing# header and line. usiness analysts set up the approval processdefinition that determines the flow of the approval at both levels. The approval process consists of#

• !tages

A stage is one part of an approval process that can contain multiple parallel paths but must be atthe same header or line record level. The system eecutes stages in sequence where one must

complete before the net one begins. A stage can be at either a header level or at a line level.!tages at a line level make it possible for approvers to sign off separately on individual line itemsfor a single transaction. The workflow engine sees each header and each line as individualpieces. A line is a child of the header. A header stage acts on the unique header while a line stageacts on each line. A stage consists of one or more paths.

• aths

A path contains a sequence of steps. ithin a stage, paths eecute in parallel. ath entry criteriadetermines whether or not a path eecutes for a given transaction or transaction line.

• !teps

A step represents one or more approvers or reviewers. !teps within a path eecute in sequence.!eparate criteria for each step determine whether or not that step eecutes. Each step can alsohave a set of reviewers. %eviewers are notified about transactions that are pending approval byemail, through the orklist, or both. However, the workflow proceeds without waiting forreviewers to act.

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!. How to "se Approval Workflow Engine

1# Create the c"sto$ %eople&oft Application where do we want to i$ple$ent AWE

&tep 1' /reate the page to trigger the approval workflow by the user

&tep 2' /reate the page to approve0deny the approval workflow by the approvers

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&tep !' /reate the /ross %eference table

&tep (' /reate the custom event handler class

*ustomAppln(ackage

&tep (' /reate the header record as view to use in the setup

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2# Config"re the C"sto$ AWE process

&tep 1' %egister the custom AE process

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&tep 2' /onfigure the transactions

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&tep !' !etup the rocess 'efinitions

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!# Application Codes to call and "se the AWE process

&tep 1' /ode to initiali"e the custom AE process

&tep 2' /ode to call the he custom AE process

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&tep !' /ode to initiali"e the custom AE process in the approval page

&tep (' /ode to Approve0'eny the request

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&tep )' /ode in the approval page to enable the approval action field

(# &et the "ser profile for approvals

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&tep 1' !et the requester1s !upervisor id

%equestor id is *%1231s !upervisor id is *%2

&tep 2' !et the !upervisor1s !upervisor id

!upervisor id is *%2241s !upervisor id is &*%1

)# Working on the AWE e+a$ple

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&tep 1' 5ogin as %equestor *23+

&tep 2' /reate a request

&tep !' $onitor the Approvals

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&tep (' 5ogin as !upervisor *24+

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&tep )' Approve the request

&tep ,' /heck $onitor the Approvals

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&tep ' 5ogin as !upervisor1s !upervisor *!23+

&tep ' Approve the request

&tep /' /heck the request status and it will be as approved

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(. &"$$ar0Concl"sion

/reating custom Approval orkflow engine is possible and it is easier to create, con!gure, andmaintain. $or e%ample, all o the steps in approval workfow are de!ned using eopleotpages rather than underl&ing eopleot eople*ode, so unctional users can design andmaintain workfow using these online eopleot pages instead o re"uiring technicaldevelopers to create workfow rules.

). eference

• eople!oft Enterprise !upply /hain $anagement 6.7 /ommon &nformation eopleook

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approval workflow engine (awe) with custom example

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