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SAP Busine ss One

How -To Guide

PUBLIC

Work ing w i t h t he Rem ot e Suppor t

Plat form St udio for SAP Business

One

Appl icable Release:

Remote Support Pla t f orm Studio 2.4 for SAP Bus iness One

Al l Countr ies

Engl ish

August 2011


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Table of Contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4Glossary ................................................................................................................................. 4

Developing a New Task .................................................................................................................. 6Creating a New Task ............................................................................................................. 6Maintaining Task General Information................................................................................... 6Defining Validity for the Task ................................................................................................. 8Scheduling Automatic Run for the Task ................................................................................ 8Defining Parameters for a Task ............................................................................................. 9

Predefined Parameters ............................................................................................... 12Configuring Task Steps ....................................................................................................... 12Designing Task Workflow .................................................................................................... 17

Defining Style Sheets .......................................................................................................... 22Testing a Task ..................................................................................................................... 23

Publishing Tasks and Customized Solutions............................................................................ 25Configuring the Studio ......................................................................................................... 25Publishing a Task ................................................................................................................ 25Publishing a Customized Solution ....................................................................................... 26Delivering the Solution File .................................................................................................. 26Restoring Tasks from Database .......................................................................................... 27

Managing Customers and Tasks ................................................................................................ 28Adding and Maintaining Customers ..................................................................................... 28Managing Task Assignments .............................................................................................. 28

Task Workflow Language ............................................................................................................ 30Workflow Statements ........................................................................................................... 31

CALL Statement ......................................................................................................... 31LOOP Statement ........................................................................................................ 33BREAK/CONTINUE Statements ................................................................................ 33CHOOSE Statement ................................................................................................... 34ASSIGN Statement ..................................................................................................... 34HALT Statement ......................................................................................................... 35RETURN Statement ................................................................................................... 35

Sub Workflow ....................................................................................................................... 36Main..... ....................................................................................................................... 37Sub....... ...................................................................................................................... 37

On Error Structure ............................................................................................................... 38Error on CALL Statement ........................................................................................... 38

Error on Main or Sub Workflow .................................................................................. 39


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Core Function Library .......................................................................................................... 39Boolean Functions ...................................................................................................... 40

Conformance ....................................................................................................................... 40 References .......................................................................................................................... 40

EBNF.... ...................................................................................................................... 40XML Schema for Task Workflow Language ............................................................... 41

Copyrights, Trademarks, and Disclaimers ................................................................................ 44


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Working with the Remote Support Platform Studio for SAP Business One

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In t roduc t ionThis document shows SAP partners how to use the remote support platform studio for SAP Business

One to develop, deliver, and manage tasks.

The remote support platform studio for SAP Business One allows partners to publish and assign tasks

to customers. After configuration of the partner channel in the remote support platform, customers can

retrieve these tasks and send the task results back to the partners concerned.

The work flow is as follows:

1. Developing a New Task (SAP partner develops a task using the studio)

2. Publishing a Task (SAP partner publishes the task to the WebDAV server)

3. Managing Customers and Tasks (SAP partner assigns the task to one or more customers to

ensure only target customers can download the task)

Glossary

Term Description

Agent Service Server side of remote support platform for SAP Business One. After configuration,

the agent service communicates with the SAP backend and partner environment to

exchange data, task, and status information.

Agent Console Client side of the remote support platform for SAP Business One where users can

configure and work with the remote support platform. The agent console is either

installed on the same computer with the agent service, or remotely connected to

the agent service if installed on different computers within the same network.

Task Automated support or maintenance solution that you can execute either

automatically according to a configured schedule, or manually upon user request.

You can configure the support platform to receive tasks from SAP and SAP

partners.

Customized

Solution

A tailored solution developed for the incident you raised. When you encounter

problems with SAP Business One, you can ask an SAP partner to create a

message for the incident. After SAP delivers the solution, your SAP partner helps

to test and import the customized solution to your installation so you can detect and

solve the issue.

SAP Backend Management software installed at SAP that is used to manage the remote support

platform for SAP Business One support tasks, evaluate task output, and provide

early notification to SAP consultants. The backend server receives information from

remote support platform for SAP Business One and provides new and updated

support tasks for download.


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See Also:

For more information about how to work with the remote support platform for SAP Business One, see

the online help documentation for the remote support platform for SAP Business One. You can access

the online help documentation by pressingF1 in the application window after you finished installing

remote support platform for SAP Business One.

For more documents and sessions on the remote support platform for SAP Business One, see the

channel partner portal athttp://service.sap.com/smb/sbo/rsp(Choose the Documentation and Training

tab to view available documentation and sessions)

For the most up-to-date information about the remote support platform, see the landing page for the

remote support platform in Customer Portal athttp://service.sap.com/smb/sbocustomer/rspand the

following SAP Notes:

SAP Note1130948: Central note for the remote support platform for SAP Business One

SAP Note1130947: Release updates note for the remote support platform for SAP Business

One SAP Note1611221: Central note for the remote support platform 2.4 for SAP Business One
http://service.sap.com/smb/sbo/rsphttp://service.sap.com/smb/sbo/rsphttp://service.sap.com/smb/sbo/rsphttp://service.sap.com/smb/sbocustomer/rsphttp://service.sap.com/smb/sbocustomer/rsphttp://service.sap.com/smb/sbocustomer/rsphttp://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1130948http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1130948http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1130948http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1130947http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1130947http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1130947http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1611221http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1611221http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1611221http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1611221http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1130947http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1130948http://service.sap.com/smb/sbocustomer/rsphttp://service.sap.com/smb/sbo/rsp


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Develop ing a New Task

Creat ing a New TaskProcedureToc...

1. To create a new task, do one of the following:

From the Studio menu bar, choose Task New Task.

From the Studio tool bar, choose the (New) icon.

Press Ctrl+N.

The New Taskwindow appears.

2. In the New Taskwindow, select a template for the new task.

3. In the New Taskwindow, specify the Nameof the task.

4. Choose OK to save the data and create the new task.

The task configuration panel appears. You can now proceed to perform the following tasks:

General Information

Validity

Schedule

Parameters

Steps

Workflow

Stylesheets

Mainta in ing Task Genera l In format ion

To maintain the general information belonging to a task, proceed as follows:

Procedure

1. Create a new task, or open an existing task from FileOpen Task.

2. From the left menu tree, choose the name of the task.

The General Informationtab appears in the central area.

3. Specify data for the following fields:

Task Template Task Function

Content Upload Generate content upload requests, including upload requests for

database, files, logs, and so on.

Health Check

[Generic]

Creates a generic health check task to collect necessary information from

the users SAP Business One installation.

The template contains a predefined parameter hc_resultused to indicate

whether the system is healthy or not.

Specific Health

Check [Specific]

Create a specific health check task to collect necessary information from

the users SAP Business One installation.


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Field Values and User Actions

Task Name Displays the task name you defined when creating this task. You can

change the name if required.

Enter a task name that does not include any of the following specialcharacters: / \ : " ? * < > |

Maximum length: 200 characters

Category Displays the template category of the task. Note that you cannot change

the category after you have created the task.

Execution Mode Select an execution mode for the task:

MannualOnly

Only allows customers to run the task manually.

AutoManual

Enable customers to run the task either automatically, or manually.

To define the automatic run schedule, seeScheduling the AutomaticRun for the Task.

Task GUID Displays the GUID of the task.

The studio assigns a GUID for a task when you create this task. You

cannot edit the task GUID.

Task Version Specify the version of the task.

After a task has been published, in order to update it, you must open thetask, make necessary updates, and specify a subsequent version number

for the task. If you do not update the task version information, you cannot

publish the updated task.

Priority Select the task priority. By default, the priority is Medium.

Priority is used to define the schedule mechanism in task execution. When

you request execution of several tasks, those with higher priorities are

executed first.

Exclusive Decides whether the task is an exclusive task.

An exclusive task runs only when there is no other task running.

Description Optional.

Enter a short description for the task, for example, the task purpose and

tips.

Maximum length: 255 characters

Notes Optional.

Enter the number of the relevant SAP note. If more than one note, use a

semicolon to separate note numbers.

Document Optional.

Enter the detailed documentation to depict the task process andinstructions for users.


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Def in ing Val id i ty for t he Task

Determine the valid working environments for your task by specifying the validity information. In this

way, only qualified customers installations can retrieve and run the task.

You can restrict your target group by specifying the database types, SAP Business One versions, SAPBusiness One company versions, and the remote support platform versions to be supported.

Procedure...

1. From the left menu tree, choose Validity.

2. Specify the following fields:

Field User Actions and Values

Database Types Select one or more checkboxes to define the database types to be

supported.

SAP BusinessOne Version

Specify the range of SAP Business One versions to be supported.The symbol *stands for all versions. If you want the task to support all SAP

Business One versions, select *for both the Fromand Tofields.

SAP Business

One Company

Version

Specify the range of company versions to be supported.

The symbol *stands for all versions. If you want the task to support all SAP

Business One company versions, select *for both the Fromand Tofields.

Version of the

remote support

platform for SAP

Business One

Specify the range of versions of the remote support platform to be

supported.

The symbol *stands for all versions. If you want the task to support all the

remote support platform versions, select *for both the Fromand Tofields.

Schedu l ing Automat i c Run fo r t he Task

Note

The Scheduletab is disabled when you define the task Execution Modeas MannualOnly.To enable the task run in schedule mode, define the Execution Modeas AutoMannual.For more information, seeMaintaining Task General Information.

To define an automatic run for a task proceed as follows:

Procedure

1. From the left menu tree, choose Schedule.

The Scheduletab appears in the central area of the window.

2. To enable the schedule function, select the Enable Schedulecheckbox.

3. Specify the Start Timeand Recurrence Pattern.


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Def in ing Paramet ers for a Task

Use the Parameterstab to define task parameters used in the configuration of task steps.

CAUTION

The studio predefines one or more parameters for some task types.

Do not delete any of the parameters or you may not be able to run the task correctly inthe remote support platform for SAP Business One.

Procedure

1. From the left menu tree, choose Parameters.

The Parameterstab appears in the central area of the window.

2. To add a new parameter, on the Parameterstab, right-click and choose the parameter type you

are going to define.

3. Specify values for the following fields:


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Field User Actions

Name Enter a name for the parameter.

In the case of the file path and folder path parameter, enter the file

location path.

Description Enter any appropriate remarks for the parameter.

Visibility Do one of the following:

To set the parameter so that it is visible to users, in the

agent console of the remote support platform, select Visible.

To set the parameter invisible to users, select Invisible.

Mandatory After you set the parameter as visible to task users, you can decide

whether to set it as a mandatory field. In the agent console of the

remote support platform for SAP Business One, a mandatory field

requires configuration before customers approve or run a task.

To set a parameter as a mandatory field in the task user

interface, select Yes.

To set the parameter as an optional field, select No.

Constraints Type You can define whether to apply constraints to this parameter, and

what kind of constraints are to be used. Do one of the following:

To set no constraint rules for the parameter value, from the

dropdown list, choose No.

To restrict the parameter value to one collection of values,

from the dropdown list, choose Set.

To define the value set, in the Constraintsfield, specify the

value set.

To restrict the parameter value to a value range, from the

dropdown list, choose Range.

To define the value range, in the Constraintsfield, specify

the value range.

Constraints Note that you can only edit this field when you select Setor Range

for Constraint Types.

When you select Setfor Constraint Types, in theConstraintsfield, specify a collection of values allowed for

this parameter.

When you select Rangefor Constraint Types, specify the

range for values allowed for this parameter.


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4. Specify the value for the parameter.

Parameter Type Parameter Value

Boolean Parameter True or false

Integer Parameter An integer

String Parameter A string combination ofnumbers and characters

Double Parameter A float number with double

precision

Date Time Parameter Date and time

5. Choose OKto save data.

Field User Actions

State Choose one of the following types for the parameter state.

None

When customers make changes to the parameter valuebefore executing a task, the changed value will bepermanently stored until customers make another change tothe parameter value.

When customers make changes to the parameter valueduring the task execution process, the steps and workflowmay change the value of the parameter in memory, but thechange will not be stored. This means that a change duringthe execution process will not affect the parameter valueafter the execution is finished.

When developers use the step and workflow definition to

change the value, the changed value will be used duringexecution but will not be stored.

Session

When customers make changes to the parameter valueduring the task execution process, the change will be storedfor this particular execution. This means that for the nextexecution the original value is used if customers make nofurther changes.

When developers use the step and workflow definition tochange the value, the changed value will be used and storedfor the first execution.

Task

When customers make changes to the parameter valueduring the task execution process, the change will be storedfor this task, which means for the next execution thechanged value is used if customers make no furtherchanges.

When developers use the step and workflow definition tochange the value, the changed value will be used and storedfor the task.


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The application displays the parameter along with its attributes on the Parameterstab.

6. To edit an existing parameter, double click the parameter row.

Predefined Parameters

If required, you can set parameter values in tasks otherwise default values will be assigned by the

remote support platform for SAP Business One. At runtime, the remote support platform for SAP

Business One uses these parameters to control certain logical operations.

Conf igur ing Task Steps

Procedure

1. From the left menu tree, choose Steps.

The Stepstab appears in the central area of the window.

On the Stepstab, right-click and choose New Step. Then choose the step type that you are

going to define.The Step Detailswindow appears.

2. In the Step Detailswindow, configure the detailed settings.

Content Upload Request Tasks

CAUTION

The studio predefines steps for this task type.

Do not delete any of the steps otherwise you may not be able to run the task correctly inthe remote support platform for SAP Business One.

Parameter Name Type Applicable Task Usage

EmailOnlyIfResultChang

ed

Boolean Health Check

Task (Generic)

Health Check

Task (Special)

Default value: True (Editable).

Behavior: The remote support platform for

SAP Business One sends the result and

notification via E-mail only when the

health check result is different from the

previous execution.

BackendOnlyIfResultCh

anged

Boolean Health Check

Task (Generic)

Health Check

Task (Special)


Behavior: The remote support platform for

SAP Business One uploads the task

result to the SAP backend only when the

health check result is different from the

previous execution.

Hc_result Boolean Health Check

Task (Generic)


Behavior: Internal parameter. The taskdiagnoses whether the company

database is healthy or not.


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Default Step Sub Type Step Function Step Definition

CurInformation Step Define the target

customers installation

information.

In the Contentarea, specify the

customers installation and

system information. You can

add the responsible consultants

information as required.

After the customer uploads the

files, your consultants receive a

notification via E-Mail.

CurDB Upload Step Upload one or more

databases to the SAP

backend.

To add the databases to be

uploaded, specify the database

names.

CurFile Upload Step Upload one or more

files to the SAPbackend.

To add files to be uploaded,

specify the file extensions.

CurB1 Log Upload Step Upload SAP Business

One log to the SAP

backend.

Note

This step typeapplies only forSAP BusinessOne 8.8 andhigher versions.

To add SAP Business One logs

to be uploaded, specify the

relevant PC names.

Health Check Tasks (Specific and Generic)

Note

There are no default steps for the health check tasks; you can add relevant steps asrequired. The most commonly used steps for a health check task are SQL steps, batchsteps, and quick store procedure steps. For more information about these steps, seeOther Steps.


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Other Steps

Step Sub Type Step Function Step Definition

Batch Step Run a Microsoft Windowsbatch script.

In the Contentarea,specify the batch script

as required.

Quick Store Procedure

Step

Run a stored procedure

according to the SQL script

you defined, and remove this

script from database

automatically.

This is a more efficient way to

run SQL scripts in tasks.

You can use Print errormessage to print some error

messages to task results.

For result sets, you do not

need to use print statements;

the Select query result will be

included in the task results

automatically.

In the Contentarea,

specify the SQL script

as required.

SQL Step Execute an SQL script. In the Contentarea,

specify the SQL script

as required.User Confirmation Step A built-in step which checks

the customers confirmation

before fixing spotted issues.

Xsl Transformation Step Transform the style of a step

result file (XML file) for further

processing.

Add two parameters to

this step:

Parameter 1: the

name of the step

for which you

want to transform

the result file. Parameter 2: the

name of the style

sheet that you

are going to use

to perform the

transformation.

3. Specify the following fields if required.


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4. To set parameters for the step, In the Step Detailswindow, choose the Parametersbutton.

The Set Parameters window appears and displays all the parameters you have defined for thetask in the left area of the list. Proceed as follows:

a. Select the parameters for this step and choose the (Add) button to add them to the

right area of the list.

b. Define the direction type for the parameters:

Input: The parameter is used for input only.

Output: The parameter is used for output only.

InputOutput: The parameter is used for both input and output.

ReturnValue: The parameter is used to return a value.

c. Use the (Up) and (Down) buttons to adjust the parameters position in the list.

5. To enable the rating function for the task, choose the Ratingsbutton.

The Step Ratingswindow appears. You can add, edit, and remove rating rules.

To add a rating rule, choose Add Rating Rules, in the Scriptarea, enter the script for rating thetask result. You can define the following thresholds for status indicators: Excellent, Acceptable,and Poor.

You can use the parameters below to define the rating rules:

Parameterthis_column:For example: if ${this_column}>0

Parameter this_row[index](index from 1): For example, this_row[1], or this_row[column_name]

Note

The code sample below shows how to write a script for rating rules:

12

12

12

Field User Actions

Description Enter a short description for the task.

Group

NoteThis field affects only data displayed in the taskresults, for example, a health check report.

Enter a group name.

In a task report, data belonging to the same group would be

displayed in a section entitled with the group name you specify

here.


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12

12

12

12

12

12

part]]>

< GeneralRating >


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Example

When designing a health check task, you can add rating rules to evaluate the customersdatabases status data.

After customers run the task for their particular databases they will be able to viewdetailed status data in the resulting report. For example, if the database performance isexcellent, acceptable, or poor.

Design ing Task Work f low

The studio predefines a workflow for each type of task. You can edit the workflow as required.

Procedure

1. From the left menu tree, choose Workflow.

The Workflowtab appears in the central area of the window, displaying the Mainworkflow.

2. To add a Subworkflow, right-click Workflowin the left menu tree and choose New Sub.

3. To add a statement, in the left menu structure, choose the Mainor Subworkflow you are going to

edit. In the central panel, right-click the Mainor Substructure, then specify a statement type to be

added.

4. To edit a node in design view, click on the appropriate node and in the Miscarea change the

attribute values as required.

For more information about how to design a workflow, seeTask Workflow Language.

The following table introduces the statements you can use.


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Menu Options Description User Action

Call Step Runs a step.

Note

You can only add a CallStepstatement, when youhave defined one or moreSubs for this task.

Specify the following attributes:

ErrorHalt

o To stop the step execution when

encountering errors and

exceptions, select True.

o To ignore errors and exceptions

during the execution process,

select False.

ErrorHandlerType

o To invoke a step to handle the

possible errors, select Call Step.

o To invoke a Sub to handle thepossible errors, select Call Sub.

HandlerName

Specify the step or sub workflows name

that you use to handle possible errors and

exceptions.

Name

Displays the name of the step concerned.

Persistence

To keep the result value of this step,select True. Otherwise, choose False.

Call Sub Runs a sub workflow you

defined.

Note

You can only add a Call

Substatement, when you

have defined one or more

steps for this task.


ErrorHandlerType

o To invoke a step to handle the

possible errors, select Call Step.

o To invoke a Sub to handle the

possible errors, select Call Sub.

HandlerName

Specify the step or sub workflows name

that you use to handle possible errors and

exceptions.

ReturnParameter

Specify a parameter. The return value of

this Sub will be assigned to this

parameter.


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Choose Executes a sequence of

statements depending on

the value of a condition.

Add Whenand Otherwisestatements to design

the condition of statements execution.

When Defines a condition. And

when the condition is

satisfied, run the defined

step or sub workflow.

You can define one or more

Whenstatements under

one Choosestatement.

Note

You can only add the When

statement under a Choose

statement.


Function

Specify one of the following functions to

compare parameters:

o less-than

o great-than

o equals

o unequals

LeftPara

Specify the parameter in the left side of

the expression.

RightPara

Specify the parameter on the right side of

the expression.

Otherwise When all the When

conditions cannot besatisfied under the Choose

statement, triggers the

defined step or sub

workflow.

Note

You can only add the

Otherwisestatement under

a Choosestatement.


Function

Specify one of the following functions to

compare parameters:

o less-than

o great-than

o equals

o unequals

LeftPara

Specify the parameter in the left side ofthe expression.

RightPara

Specify the parameter on the right side of

the expression.

Loop Execute a sequence of

statements multiple times

as long as it satisfies the

condition you defined.

For the Conditionattribute, enter a supported

condition expression, for example, less-than,

equals, and so on.


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Break Exits a loop.

Note

You can only add the Break

statement under a Loop

statement.

N/A

Continue Breaks the current loop

round and proceeds to the

next round.

Note

You can only add theContinuestatement under a

Loopstatement.

N/A

Assign Assigns a value or an

expression to a parameter.


Expression

Enter an expression or a value for the

parameter.

Parameter

Specify the target parameter.

Halt Terminates the task

execution.


Error Message

Enter the error message you want to

display when the program stops.

WithError

o To define the halt as caused by

errors, select True. Otherwise,

select False.

Return Terminates the Sub

workflow and returns the

value.

Define the value you want to return in the Return

Value attribute. Supported value types include:

Literal string

Boolean

Decimal

Date/Time


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Delete Node Deletes the node you

select.

Note

You cannot delete a node if

it is referenced in other

existing nodes.

N/A

5. In the bottom of the window, use the Sourceand Designbuttons to switch between the source

code view and the design view.


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Def in ing St y le Sheet s

Use the Stylesheetstab to transfer the task results in XML format into a report in HTML format. Import

XSLT files (files with the .xslextension) before you define the applicants for the HTML report.To enhance the usability and visual effects of the HTML report , you may refine the HTML formats and

layout using the CSS style sheets language in the XSLT files to be imported.

Procedure

1. From the left menu tree, choose Stylesheets.

The Stylesheetstab appears in the central area of the window.

2. In the Style Sheetsarea, right click and choose New.

The NewStyleSheetsFormwindow is displayed.

3. In the window, specify the Name, Local Path, and URIof the XSLT file.

4. Choose OKto save data and import the XSLT file into the current task.

The application displays the style sheet information in a row on the tab.

5. To apply the imported stylesheets to the task result, in the Applicantsarea, right-click and choose

New.

The ApplicantFormwindow appears.

6. In the Stylesheetarea, right-click.

To select style sheets to apply to this applicant, choose Select.

You can select a set of style sheets to jointly configure the HTML.

To remove a style sheet from the chosen ones, choose Remove.

Note

When you have defined multiple applicants, the applicants are applied to the taskexecution results sequentially.

7. Choose OKto save data.


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Test ing a Task

Before you release a task to your partner, we recommend that you test the task in your installation of

the remote support platform for SAP Business One.Prerequisites

You have successfully configured the WebDAV connection and RSPSrv Database connection.

For more information, seeConfiguring the Studio.

You have configured at least one installation of the remote support platform as the testing

environment for your tasks.

In the testing environment, make sure you have successfully enabled the Partner Channeland

connected to the WebDAV server you use in the studio.

Procedure

To do so, proceed as follows:

1. To open the task that you plan to test, from the menu bar, choose TaskOpen Task.

2. To publish the task to your WebDAV server, choose ToolPublish Task.

The studio uploads this task both to your RSPSrv database and WebDAV database.

3. To assign the task to your testing environment, from the menu bar, choose ToolManage Tasks

Task View.

The Tasks Managementwindow appears, displaying all the published tasks.

4. Select the task you are going to test, and then choose Assign Task.

The Task Assignmentwindow appears, displaying all your customers.

5. Select the customer system you use as a testing environment, and then choose the Assignbutton.

Note

Make sure not to assign tasks that are still in the testing phase to customer systems(other than your testing environments), or set them as generic tasks. For moreinformation about tasks and customer management, seeManaging Customers andTasks.

6. Launch and log on to your remote support platform for SAP Business One.

For more information about how to work with the remote support platform, see the online helpdocumentation. You can access the online help documentation by pressing F1 in the application

window after you finished installing the remote support platform for SAP Business One.

7. To retrieve tasks, do one of the following:

From the menu bar, choose File Retrieve Task

In your keyboard, press F5.

From the tool bar, choose the (Retrieve Tasks) icon.

The wizard starts to retrieve tasks. Note that after configuration, the remote support platformcan download tasks both from the SAP backend and from your WebDAV server.

If retrieving tasks from your WebDAV server fails, you should check your connection andconfiguration for the WebDAV server, and make sure your customers can successfully configure

and use the partner channel.


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8. After you download the task for testing, you can execute the task to see whether the task works in

the remote support platform.

For more information about how to work with tasks, see the online help for the remote supportplatform for SAP Business One.


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Publ ish ing Task s and Cust om ized Solut ionsAfter you develop a task, you canpublish the taskto let your customers download and use this task.

The process also applies tosending a customized solution to a specific customer.

When you publish the task, the studio uploads the task to both the RSPSrv database and your

WebDAV server. Should your WebDAV server data become corrupt, you can alwaysrecover the data

by restoring tasks from your RSPSrv database.

To publish tasks and customized solutions, you firstconfigure the connections to your RSPSrv

database and your WebDAV server.

Conf igur ing t he Stud io

To configure the studio, proceed as follows:

1. From the menu bar, choose Tool

Configuration.The Configuration window appears.

2. To configure the connection to your WebDAV server, select the WebDAV Servertab.

Specify the WebDAV server address, user name, and password.

If necessary, choose the Use Proxycheckbox, and specify your proxy settings.

To test your connection to the WebDAV server, choose the Test Connectionbutton. If theconnection fails, check your WebDAV settings and your Internet connection.

3. To configure the connection to your RSPSrv database, select the RSPSrv Databasetab.

The RSPSrv database is created during the installation process of the studio. Enter the

database address, user name, and password that you specified during the installation process.If you create the database in the current machine, enter localhost for the Serverfield.

To enable the connection to the database server with Microsoft Windows authentication, selectthe Use Trusted Connectioncheckbox. When using the trusted connection, you do not need tospecify a database server user name and password.

To test your connection to the RSPSrv database, choose the Test Connectionbutton. If theconnection fails, check your RSPSrv database settings and your Internet connection.

4. Choose OKto confirm your change and save data. Choose Cancelto discard your changes and

close the window.

Publ ishin g a TaskAfter you finish developing a task, you can deliver it to your customer by uploading the task to your

WebDAV server. Customers using the remote support platform for SAP Business One are able to

retrieve partner-delivered tasks that are assigned to their systems by connecting to the partners

WebDAV servers.

Prerequisites

You have configured a WebDAV server for the remote support platform and the studio.

You have configured the settings inConfiguring the Studioand successfully connected to

WebDAV server and the RSPSrv database.


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Procedure

To publish a task, proceed as follows:

1. To open the task that you plan to test, from the menu bar, choose TaskOpen Task.

2. To publish the task to your WebDAV server, choose ToolPublish Task.

The studio uploads this task both to your RSPSrv database and WebDAV database. TheRSPSrv database works as a backup database for your delivered tasks and other data. If yourWebDAV server is corrupt, you canrestore tasks from RSPSrv database.

Publ ishin g a Cust om ized Solut ion

A customized solution is a tailored solution package developed for the incident you raised. SAP

partners can help you create a message for the incident, and after SAP delivers the solution, SAP

partners can help you test and import the customized solution package to detect and solve the issue.

The process flow for customized solutions is:1. The customer reports an issue to an SAP partner.

2. The partner creates a message in SAP Service Marketplace to report the issue.

3. The SAP consultant receives the message and develops a customized solution package (a zipped

file with .rsp extension).

4. The SAP consultant attaches the file as an attachment in the CRM system and sends a message

to the partner.

5. The partner opens the message and downloads the file.

6. The partner tests the solution and if everything is OK, sends the solution file to the customer.

7. The customer imports the solution file and runs it to solve the issue.

Del iver ing the Solut i on Fi le

To use the studio to deliver the solution file to your customer, proceed as follows:

Note

You can also send the solution package (zipped file with the .rsp extension) to customers.Customers can use the Import Customized Solutionfunction in the remote supportplatform to import and use the customized solution.

Prerequisites

You have configured a WebDAV server for the remote support platform and the studio.

You have configured the settings inConfiguring the Studioand successfully connected to

WebDAV server and the RSPSrv database.

Procedure

1. To release a customized solution, from the menu bar, choose ToolRelease Customized

Solution.

2. Specify the customized solution file (with .rsp extension) you are going to release and choose OK.

The studio uploads this solution file both to your RSPSrv database and WebDAV database.

3. To assign this customized solution to the customer who reported the issue, from the menu bar,

choose ToolManage TasksTask View.


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The Task Managementwindow appears.

4. In the window, choose Assign Taskand then select the customer who reported the issue.

5. Choose OKto confirm.

The customer can now retrieve the solution using the same method as used to retrieve othertasks in the remote support platform for SAP Business One.

Restor ing Task s f rom Database

To deliver tasks and customized solutions to your customer, you need to configure the WebDAV

server connection and your database connection for the studio.

To do so, from the menu bar, choose ToolRestore Task from Database.

A message is displayed informing you that the data in the RSPSrv database is going to overwrite that

of the WebDAV server.

To confirm the change, choose OK; to cancel the change, and then choose Cancel.


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Managing Cust om ers and TasksAfter you publish a task, you need to assign the task to your customers. Only customers with the

assignment are able to retrieve the task that you deliver.

Adding and Mainta in ing Custom ers

To assign a task to a customer, you must first add the customer. To add a customer and maintain

customer data, proceed as follows:

1. From the menu bar, choose ToolManage Customers.

The Customerswindow appears.

2. To add a customer, choose Add.

3. Specify the customer name, system number, and installation number for the remote support

platform.

4. To save your changes and go back to the Customerswindow, choose Save. To discard your

changes, choose Cancel.

5. To update the customer information for a particular customer, select the customer, then choose

the Updatebutton.

Update the customer information as appropriate.

6. To delete a customer, select the customer, and then choose the Deletebutton.

Managing Task Ass ignments

Partners assign published tasks to customers, so that the customers with the assignment can retrieve

the corresponding tasks via the partner channel in the remote support platform.

To assign a task, proceed as follows:

1. From the menu bar, choose ToolManage TasksTask View.

The Tasks Managementwindow appears, displaying all the published tasks.

2. To assign a task to one or more customers, select one task, and then choose Assign Task.

The Task Assignmentwindow appears, displaying all your customers.

3. To set this task as a generic task, select the Generic Task for All Customerscheckbox.

A generic task is a task that automatically becomes available to all of your existing and futurecustomers.

Example

You have three customers: A, B, C. You set task 01 as a generic task. Therefore thestudio automatically assigns the task to all of your existing customers (A, B, and C).

You add a new customer D. Since task 01 is a generic task, the studio automaticallyassigns this task to the newly added customer D.

4. To set this task only to selected customers, select one or more customers, and then choose the

Assignbutton.


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Example

You have three customers: A, B, C. You assign task 02 to all of your existing customers.Therefore task 02 becomes available for customers A, B, and C.

You add a new customer D. Since task 01 is not a generic task, to assign this task to thenewly added customer, you have to manually apply the assignment in the TaskAssignmentwindow.

5. To cancel the assignment for a customer, from the menu bar, choose ToolManage Tasks

Customer View.

Note

For generic tasks, you cannot cancel the assignment for specific customers.

Select the customer whose assignment you want to cancel. The list in the right part of thewindow displays all the tasks that available for this customer.

Select the task you want to remove for this customer, and then choose the Unassignbutton.

Note

If your customer has retrieved this task before you cancel the assignment, the remotesupport platform removes the downloaded task the next time the customer retrievestasks.


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Task Work f low LanguageTask workflow language is used to design the process flow of steps in remote support platform tasks.

It provides a common syntax and semantics for ordering the precedence of steps in a task.

Task workflow language enables you to design the workflow of steps in tasks and define error

handling for task workflow.

Task workflow statements are expressed in XML. The XML namespace derives from task schema

definition.

The definition for workflow in task development is optional. When there is no workflow element in a

task, the steps in the steps element perform in appearing order. Otherwise, the steps execution order

shall follow the workflow rule.

The example below shows the source code of the workflow defined for a task:

Example

CheckAndNotify


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In the above code sample, task CheckAndNotifydefines four steps:

Step CheckCount: collect count through SQL statement

Step SendSMS: send short messages

Step MakeCall: make phone calls

Step SendEMail: send emails

The WorkflowMainconstructs the process order for steps.

The following list explains the step process order in the example above:

1. Process step CheckCountbecause it appears in the firstworkflow statement.

2. The second workflow statement isCHOOSE statementwhich has three execution

branches:

Step MakeCall in a WHEN clause

Step SendSMS in a WHEN clause

Step SendEMail in an Otherwise Clause

The first two WHEN clauses execute corresponding steps when theBoolean functionsare

matched. The OTHERWISE clause that shall be executed by default when no WHEN

clause is matched. If the second WHEN clause matches the condition that the parameter

countless than 10, Step SendSMSwill perform twice because it is wrapped by theLOOP

statementwith occurrence equals 2.

Work f low Sta tem ents

Task workflow language introduces the following three types of workflow statements. Workflow

statements are the primary elements to construct workflows for tasks.

CALL statement: represents invocation to Step or Sub workflow.

LOOP statement: repeats or loops work statements within it over a given occurrence.

BREAK/CONTINUE statement: exits a loop, or breaks the current loop round and proceeds to

the next round.

CHOOSE statement: represents a multi-way conditional branching of workflow.

ASSIGN statement: assigns a value or an expression to a parameter.

HALT statement: terminates the task execution.

RETURN statement: terminates the workflow and returns the value.

Definition (EBNF):

Workflow_Statement ::= Call_Statement|Loop_Statement|Choose_Statement

CALL StatementUse call-step to call a step. Use call-sub to call a sub workflow.


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The required attribute name specifies which step in Steps shall be executed when process meets call-

step; likewise, name specifies sub workflow for call-sub statement.

For more information about sub workflow, seeSub Workflow.

For more information about error handling, seeOn Error Structure.

Definition (EBNF):

Call_Statement ::= Call_Step|Call_Sub

Call_Step ::= '' | '>'S'' )

Call_Sub ::= '' | '>'S'' )

Example

The following statements demonstrate the use of call-step and call-sub:

Statement Behavior

Call step CheckCount.

1. Call step CheckCount.

2. When encountering system error, callanother step set in on error attribute onerror-step.

3. End the task.

1. Call step CheckCount.

2. When encountering system error, call a subflow set in on error attribute onerror-sub.

3. End the task.

Call sub workflow CheckHealth.

1. Call sub workflow CheckHealth.

2. When encountering system error, callanother step set in on error attributeonerror-step.

3. End the task.

1. Call sub workflow CheckHealth.

2. When encountering system error, call asub flow set in on error attribute onerror-sub.

3. End the task.


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LOOP Statement

LOOP statements execute a sequence of statements multiple times as long as it satisfies the condition

you defined.

For the Conditionattribute, enter a supported condition expression, for example, less-than, great-than,

equals, and so on.

Definition (EBNF):

[5] Loop_Statement ::= '


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CHOOSE Statement

A CHOOSE statement execute a sequence of statements depending on the value of a condition,

which is a fundamental statement used to navigate the process in different directions.

CHOOSE statements consist of one or more WHEN clauses and an optional OTHERWISE clause.

Starting from the first WHEN clause, once the condition is satisfied, the system execute this WHEN

clause, and ignores the following WHEN and OTHERWISE clauses. Refer toCore function libraryto

get details about Boolean condition.

Definition (EBNF):

Choose_Statement ::= ''S(When_Clause)+S(Otherwise_Clause)?S''

When_Clause ::= '' (Workflow_Statement)+

''

Otherwise_Clause ::= '' (Workflow_Statement)+ ''

Example

If the variable counthas an integral value of 10, the system executes the first

WHEN clause and ignores the following WHEN clause and OTHEWISE clause.

If the variable countvalue is less than 10, the system ignores the first WHEN

clause, executes the second WHEN clause, and ignores the OTHERWISE

clause.

If the variable countdoes not match either of the above two conditions, thesystem ignores the two WHEN clauses, and executes the OTHERWISE clause.

ASSIGN Statement

Use the ASSIGN statement to assign a value or an expression to a parameter.

You can define the following attributes:

Parameter: Specify the target parameter name. Supported parameter states include: None

and Taskparameters.

For more information about the parameter states, seeDefining Parameters for a Task.

Expression: A single parameter reference or function.


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If the expression returns a list of values, the parameter of the ASSIGN statement must have

the type of List.

Definition (EBNF):Assign_Statement::=

Expression

Example

$GetFirstDaysSessions(3,

0001234567)

The code sample above represents an operation to retrieve the first 3 days sessions,

and assign the value to parameter SessionListForBackup.

HALT StatementHALT statement provides the immediate exit point within Task workflow.The HALT statements must:

Appear as the last statement within Mainor Subworkflows

Appear as the last statement within WHEN or OTHERWISE clauses in a CHOOSE statement.

To stop the task execution when an error occurs, specify True for the WithErrorattribute. If not, specifyFalse for the attribute.

Definition (EBNF):

Halt_Statement ::= 'Error_Message'Error_Message ::= tokens | S

Example

intended error here

RETURN Statement

Return statement is an atomic statement which can be presented at anywhere under Mainor Sub

workflows to stop the execution process.

When the program comes across a return statement, it terminates the workflow immediately with the

returned value. The returned value could be anything, recommended types include:

Literal string


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Boolean

Decimal

Date/Time

Definition (EBNF):

Return_Statement ::= 'Return_Value'

Return_Value ::= Stoken

Example

true

false

Sub Workf lo w

Use the sub workflow to group a set of statements.


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Some workflow statements in the same order as a group may appear in the whole task workflow for

more than once. To avoid write same code snippets many times in different place in the same task

workflow, grouping them and give a name as an identity.

Another important reason that introducing sub workflow will mention in section4 On Error Structure.

Main

A Mainworkflow is a mandatory workflow in a task. It appears only once in one task and is the only

entry point of step processing when the task execution is triggered.

It supports all the workflow statement types:CALL statements,LOOP statements, andCHOOSE

statements.

Definition (EBNF):

Main_Workflow ::= '' (Workflow_Statement)+ ''

Workflow ::= Main_Workflow (Sub_Workflow)*

Sub

A Subworkflow is an optional workflow in a task. You can define one or more Sub workflows in a task

and use different names to identify them.

Subworkflows support all the workflow statement types:CALL statements,LOOP statements, and

CHOOSE statements.

Definition (EBNF):

Sub_Workflow ::= '' (Workflow_Statement)+''

Note

To avoid deadlock and endless call stack, CALL statement or On_Error attribute set shallnot refer to the Subworkflow itself. The following example demonstrates a simple Subworkflow, and a Subworkflow referred by a CALL statement which causes endless callstack.

Example

Simple Sub workflow:

Endless call stack:

/*

endless call */

/* endless call */


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On Error St r uct ure

On Error structure is a mechanism to let you handle errors for or make supplements to your task when

a step within workflow encourters environment changes or system exception.

To support error handling on step granularity, define onerror-stepattribute for a CALL statement. Bydoing this you are able to:

Invoke the onerror-stepattribute to cover possible exception or error encountered during

execution.

Use the onerror-subattribute to define a sub workflow to cover the exception that occurred.

Note

Do not use the same name for the On_Errorattribute as the CALL statement.

Task workflow language also provides a similar try-catch mechanism to cover exceptions or errors

derived from statements with no definition for On_Error attribute. To do so, set On_Error in Mainor

Subworkflow.

For example, when a Subor Mainworkflow with onerror-stepsetting detects an error on a CALL

statement at runtime (when there is no onerror-stepattribute defined for this statement), the step sets

onerror-stepto cover the error. Same as the onerror-subattribute on Subor Mainworkflow, but call

another sub workflow to handle the error. This is another reason why the sub workflow concept was

introduced.

Definition (EBNF):

On_Error ::= 'onerror-step='StepName| 'onerror-sub='SubFlowName

Error on CALL Statement

The On_Errorsetting in a CALL statement always has precedence against that in Subor Main.

Example

The following code samples demonstrate how to define onerror-stepattributes andonerror-subattributes to handle possible errors in a CALL statement:

When an error or exception occurs on step Collect, the step Clear in onerror-step

runs to cover the problem.

When error or exception occurs on step Collect, the Subworkflow ProcessError

runs.


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When error or exception occurs on Sub Hello, the step Byeruns.

When an error or exception occurs on Sub Hello, the sub Againruns.

Since the On_Errorsetting in a CALL statement always has precedence against

that in Sub or Main, in this example, the step onerror-stepByedefined in Sub

Hellois ignored.

Error on Main or Sub Workflow

Example

When error or exception occurs on Mainworkflow, the step ProcessErrorruns.

The above code sample shows an error handling chain as follows:

1.When error or exception occurs on Sub Hello, the Subworkflow Bye runs.

2. If Byehas an error, the Subworkflow Againruns.

3. If error again, the step Nothingruns.

Core Funct ion L ibrary

To support definition for conditions and variables, the task workflow language provides the following

functions:

Boolean

Number

String


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Boolean Functions

Task workflow defines three Boolean functions, and only integer values are supported.

equals(operand-one, operand-two): presents two operands are equal, in terms of have thesame integer values. If equal, return true, otherwise false.

less-than(operand-one, operand-two): denotes whether operand-one less than operand-two,if true return true, if false return false.

great-than(operand-one, operand-two): reverse the less-thanfunction. If operand-one isgreater than operand-two, return true, otherwise return false.

Definition (EBNF):

Boolean_Condition ::= ' " 'Equals_Expression|Less_than_Expression|Great_than_Expression' " '

Equals_Expression ::= 'equals('Argument', 'Argument') '

Less_than_Expression ::= 'less-than('Argument', 'Argument') '

Great_than_Expression ::= 'great-than('Argument', 'Argument') '

Argument ::= ' " 'Constant_Integer|Referred_Parameter' " '

Referred_Parameter ::= '${'Parameter_Name'}'

Conformance

Task workflow is intended primarily as a component that can be used by task specification. Therefore,

it relies on task specification.

References

EBNF

The EBNF used in this document derives from a simple EBNF notation. Refer to the XML language

definition. http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/REC-xml-20040204/#sec-notation

List of EBNF referred in document.

StepName ::= NameAttribute

SubFlowName ::= NameAttribute

NameAttribute ::= ' " 'BasicName' " '

Parameter_Name ::= BasicName

Constant_Interger::= ( '0' | [1-9]([0-9])* )

Digit ::= [0-9]

BasicName ::= [A-Za-z] ([A-Za-z0-9._] | '-')* /* Encoding name contains only Latin characters

*/

S ::= (#x20|#x9|#xD|#xA)+ /* White Space, consists of one or more spacecharacters, carriage returns, line feeds, or tabs */
http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/REC-xml-20040204/#sec-notationhttp://www.w3.org/TR/2004/REC-xml-20040204/#sec-notationhttp://www.w3.org/TR/2004/REC-xml-20040204/#sec-notation


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XML Schema for Task Workflow Language


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call a real step

loop one or more steps


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The current version of the copyrights, trademarks, and disclaimers at

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