workflow4apps.blogspot.pdf

8/14/2019 Workflow4apps.blogspot.pdf

1/56

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

Work Flow in Oracle APPS

Send feedback

Page 1 of 56Work Flow in Oracle APPS

4/19/2013http://workflow4apps.blogspot.in/


2/56

[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,


Send feedback




3/56

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.


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


Send feedback




4/56

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


Send feedback




5/56

[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


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.


Send feedback




6/56


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


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


Send feedback




7/56

The business process flow in Oracle Workflow can have

decision points (branches), parallel flows, and loops.


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.


Send feedback




8/56

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.


Send feedback




9/56

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


Send feedback




10/56

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


Send feedback




11/56

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


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


Send feedback




12/56

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.


Send feedback




13/56

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.


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


Send feedback




14/56


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.


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.


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


Send feedback




15/56

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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


NoOp

The NoOp function activity has no functionality. Use it as a placeholder

in the workflow process.


Or


Send feedback




16/56

When multiple transitions flow into the Or function activity, the Or

function activity is considered complete when any one of the transitions

is completed.


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.


Start

The Start function activity marks the beginning of a process. The Start

function activity is not required; it is only for visual purposes.


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,


Send feedback




17/56

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.


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?


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


Send feedback




18/56

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).


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.


Send feedback




19/56

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).


5eSpBLn0F_4/UGblyjdjX2I/AAAAAAAAChU/9Hhq0vdxA2U/s1600/2.png]

Figure 17: Exercise Message Body form


EvrUy2oWrms/UGblyrmtcDI/AAAAAAAAChM/Zcdu0bXyL_o/s1600/3.png]


Send feedback




20/56

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


Send feedback




21/56

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.


Send feedback




22/56

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.


IEk8Nn9N5Lg/UGblzBAz1RI/AAAAAAAAChg/FVjO6cXNR8U/s1600/5.png]

Figure 20: Result codes for transition


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.


Send feedback




23/56

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?


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.)



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


Send feedback




24/56

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


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.


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.


Review Questions

1. What is the difference between the ADMIN mode and the USERmode?

2. What do the colors in the process diagram represent?


Send feedback




25/56

3. What two forms monitor workflow processes?

4. For what purposes are the administration buttons used?


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


Send feedback




26/56

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


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?


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


Send feedback




27/56

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


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).


Send feedback




28/56


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


Send feedback




29/56

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.


Send feedback




30/56


31/56

[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).


Send feedback




32/56

[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


Send feedback




33/56

will be reexecuted and all of the subsequent processes will be reversed

(see Figure -7). Click on OKto save your work.


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.


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


Send feedback




34/56

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.


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.


Functions


Send feedback




35/56

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.


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.


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


Send feedback




36/56

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).


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).


Send feedback




37/56

The Roles tab and the Access tab are the same as described in the

previous sections.


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


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


Send feedback




38/56

attribute. (See Figure-12 for the properties of the Approval Action

message attribute of the Approve PO message.)


epwTvC7CE6E/UGbcdruhvuI/AAAAAAAACfg/fAr4hL1aS48/s1600/10.png]

Figure 12: Message Attribute Properties form


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.


Send feedback




39/56


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?



Send feedback




40/56

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.


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?


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


Send feedback




41/56

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


Send feedback




42/56

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.


Send feedback




43/56

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?


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.


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


Send feedback




44/56


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)


Send feedback




45/56


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


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)


Send feedback




46/56


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


Send feedback




47/56


Variable

(I=Input,

O=Output)

CreateProcess

Create a new

runtime process for

an item.

Item type(I)

Item key(I)

Root process(I)

StartProcess


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)


Send feedback




48/56


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.


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?


3rd October 2012

Applying Workflow Engine APIs

to Function Activities


Send feedback




49/56

Function activities are stored in PL/SQ

workflow4apps.blogspot.pdf

Documents