Workflow Training

Prepared by: -

Chinmay Sarkar

Workflow Training

Workflow Training
INDEX
1. Overview of workflow
2. Workflow Process Components
Item Types
Lookup Types
Messages/Notifications
Attributes
3. Workflow process Diagram
Process Window
Transitions
Start and end activities
Initiating a process
4. Procedures and Functions
5. Application Navigation
6. Access/protection/customisation
7. WFLOAD command

Workflow Training

Overview of workflow
Why we need workflow?
Business process today involves getting many types of information to
multiple people as per business rules that are constantly changing.
Workflow is just a mean to automate business process as per business rules.

Workflow Process Components

Depending on a workflow you create, you need to define some or all of the
following types of components to make a process:
Item Types
Lookup Types
Messages
Attributes

Item Types
Suppose we have some processes related to Purchase Order like PO
approval, notify approver etc.
We will include these processes under the item type PO as they are helping
in managing Purchase Order.
Following figures depicts how to create new item type:

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Open workflow builder, click on file menu then new to create new data
store.
Data store is nothing but a file that stores your WF definition. Save it with a
name you desire.

Right Click on data store created and select new item type

Item Type window pops-up, provide information for following:

Internal Name: XXXWF
Display Name: Training Workflow
Description: Training Workflow
Persistence: Temporary
Number of days: 0

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Now item type is created. Click on expand beneath item type in navigation
tree to see components attached with item type.

Attributes
Attributes are like a global variable which are required to store information
necessary to complete wf process.
For example, PO Number, PO description, sends to role etc. which will be
required by an activity in a process like PO Validation.
Following figures depict how to create attributes:

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Right click on attributes node beneath item type Training Workflow.

Attribute definition window pops up; provide information for the following
fields:
Internal Name: PO_ID
Display Name: PO ID
Description: Unique identifier
Type : text

Like this you can create as many attributes as needed.

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Look Types
It is just a static list of values which can be referenced by
activities, notifications etc.

Messages
The messages branch lists all the available WF messages for
the current item type. A message is what a notification activity sends to role
or a user. A message can prompt a user for an action to take that determines
what the next activity in a process should be.
First you need to define message by right clicking on the messages branch in
the navigation tree. Provide the following information:
Internal Name: PO_INFO
Display Name: PO Information
Description: Information related to PO
Priority: normal/high/low

Click on Body tab to define body of a message.

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Suppose we want to give the description of the PO also along with the
message, then copy the attribute with & as a prefix. To have PO description
in a message simply drag an item attributes PO_DESCRIPTION number and
drop under current message.

Workflow process Diagram

To create a process diagram, open a process window by double click or right
click and select new process. It prompts for the following information:
Internal Name: PO_APPROVAL_PROCESS
Display Name: PO Approval Process
Result type : None
Runnable : checked

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After providing values for the above mentioned fields, double click on the
process you have just created. A process window opens.

This is a workspace where you will define business process.

To add standard activities provided by Oracle workflow copy an item type
standard to your current item type.
After doing so, you navigator tree will look as depict below :
Directory Service and Standard types will be added automatically.

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Start and end activities

Every WF process starts with the start activity and ends with the end
activity. To add start and end activities you need to simply drag start and end
function from a standard item type like depict below:

Select Start function under function branch in the standard item type and
drag it to your process window.
After doing so, process window look like as shown below:

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Same needs to be done for adding end activity.

Transitions
It just represents a flow between activities.
For example, we have an activity in a process which selects an approver and
depending on the result it decides whether to end the process or send a
notification to approver for his approval.

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We have already added the start activity, now right on the process diagram
and select new function and provide the following in the pop up window:
Item Type:
Requisitiontest
Internal Name: SELECTAPPROVER
Display Name: SELECT APPROVER
Description: Select the appropriate approver from the employee approval
hierarchy
Icon: FNDUSER.ICO
Function Name: WF_REQDEMO.SELECTAPPROVER
Function Type: PL/SQL
Result Type: Boolean

After providing values in the abovementioned fields, process window look

like this :

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To represent a flow fro, the start activity to select approver, right click on
start activity and drag till select approver activity. Your process window will
look like as shown below:

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Now depending on the result of this activity, we will decide what will be the
next activity should be.
If the PO is being validated then we can decide what will be the next step,
we can set the role whosoever is validating the PO.
If the PO is being validated then the status of the flag will be changed to
VALIDATED and notification will be send to the user.
This is been depict in the following figures:

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Right click on process window and select new function. It pops up a window
requiring following information:
Item Type: Training Workflow
Internal Name: SET_ROLE
Display Name: Set Role
Icon: LOCK_KEY.ICO
Function Name: xxx_po_wf_training_pkg.set_wf_approve_role
Function Type: PL/SQL
Result Type: None

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In same way, add all the functions needed to complete the workflow.

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Add notification activity and provide following information in the fields of

the pop up window:
Item Type: Training Workflow
Internal Name: PO NOTIF INFO
Display Name: PO NOTIF INFO
Icon: NOTIFY.ICO
Message: PO Information

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Now right click on validate PO and drag till end activity, it will prompt for a
result Yes/. Same needs to be done for other functions as well. After
completing all the validations, it will look like as shown below:

Initiating a process
To initiate a process, first we need to call the
set of APIs for initiating a WF. For reference, code is given below:
PROCEDURE start_training_wf(p_po_id IN INTEGER) IS
l_itemtype VARCHAR2(30) := 'XXXWF';
l_itemkey VARCHAR2(300) := 'TRAINING-' || p_po_id;
CURSOR c_get IS
SELECT *
FROM xxxx_po_headers

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WHERE po_id = p_po_id;

p_get c_get%ROWTYPE;
BEGIN
OPEN c_get;
FETCH c_get
INTO p_get;
CLOSE c_get;
wf_engine.createprocess(l_itemtype, l_itemkey,
'TRAINING_WORKFLOW);
wf_engine.setitemuserkey(itemtype => l_itemtype
,itemkey => l_itemkey
,userkey => 'USERKEY: ' || l_itemkey);
wf_engine.setitemowner(itemtype => l_itemtype
,itemkey => l_itemkey
,owner => 'SYSADMIN');
wf_engine.setitemattrnumber(itemtype => l_itemtype
,itemkey => l_itemkey
,aname => 'PO_ID'
,avalue => p_po_id);
wf_engine.setitemattrtext(itemtype => l_itemtype
,itemkey => l_itemkey
,aname => 'SEND_TO_EMAIL'
,avalue => p_get.send_email_to);
wf_engine.setitemattrtext(itemtype => l_itemtype
,itemkey => l_itemkey
,aname => 'PO_DESCRIPTION'
,avalue => p_get.po_description);
wf_engine.startprocess(l_itemtype, l_itemkey);
END start_training_wf;

Procedures and Functions

Oracle workflow lets you integrate
your own custom PL/SQL procedures and functions in your workflow
procedures.

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All PL/SQL stored procedures that are called by function or notification

activities in an oracle workflow should follow standard API format.
procedure <procedure name> (itemtype in varchar2,
itemkey in varchar2,
actid in number,
funcmode in varchar2,
resultout out varchar2) is
Itemtype -> It is an internal name of your workflow process.
Itemkey -> It is a unique key generated for each instance of your WF
process.
Actid -> It is an id number of the activity fro, which this procedure is called.
Funcmode -> It is an execution mode of an activity. If the activity is
function then funcmode will be run or cancel.
Resultout -> If a result type is specified in the Activities properties page for
the activity in the Oracle Workflow Builder, this parameter represents the
expected result that is returned when the procedure completes.
resultout := COMPLETE:<result>;
resultout := COMPLETE;
resultout := wf_engine.eng_timedout;
resultout := WAITING

Application Navigation:Go to Workflow Administrator Responsibility - Status Monitor

Open the form.
Enter the workflow type Training Workflow in our case. Then press
GO button.

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All the processes which we run will be displayed with the unique item
key as shown in the below mentioned picture.

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Select one of the process and click on Active History. The details will be
seen which we have filled in the API at the time of insertion in the table.
As you can see the performer in the below attached screenshot, the mail
will go the mentioned ID.

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Now go back and click on the status diagram, the latest workflow
process will be displayed as.
Click on each function to know the definition, Usage, Status and
Notification.

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Go Back and click on Workflow Details:You will able to see the Workflow Attributes and Workflow Definition as
shown below.

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Pls Note:Mailer Notifications should be ON, incase you want to receive mails , in
above case the mailer notification is DOWN, hence not able to receive
mails.
Please follow the below navigation to know whether mailer is ON/OFF.
Go to Workflow Administrator Web Applications -Workflow
Manager.
Check the Notification mailer as shown below.

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Access/protection/customisation
Oracle protects some key business critical activities from being modified
using this concept.
We can preserve customizations using this concept.
The access levels are defined as follows:
0-9
10 - 19
20 - 99
100-999
1000

Reserved for Oracle Workflow.

Reserved for Oracle Application Object Library
Reserved for Oracle E-Business Suite.
Reserved for customer organizations
Public

So Oracle Corp. developer will always work at access level of 20.

He created an activity and doesnt want customer to change as it is critical
activity of the flow.

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First he set access level at 20.

Properties of validate po activity

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To prevent from modification he will lock at this level.

Now at customer site, developer will work at access 100.

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Properties of po validity activity.

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Access 100 is not between 0 to 20.so he will not be able to modify this
activity.
Now Oracle Corp. developer works at an access level 20 and change the
lock property so a developer at customer site can customize the activity.

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Now protection is 1000 means it is public.

At customer site, developer can modify this activity if he works at an aceess
level between 0-1000.

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Now developer at customer site customize the activity and want to preserve
customization been done.

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Now lock at this level.

Now, Oracle corp. developer cant modify this activity since it is been
locked at 100. and 20 is not between 100-100 or 100-1000.
Hence oracle patch cant modify this activity.

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However by checking allow modifications of customized objects .They can

customize these activities as well.

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Workflow Training

WFLOAD COMMAND
Oracle delivers workflows via patches which use WFLOAD command to
load their definitions to the database.
Syntax:
WFLOAD apps/apps_pwd 0 Y < UPLOAD_MODE> WFDEMO.wft
Different upload modes are:
UPGRADE - Honours both protection and customization levels of data
UPLOAD - Honours only protection levels of data

FORCE - Force upload regardless of protection and customization levels.

To download, issue a command
WFLOAD apps/apps_pwd 0 Y DOWNLOAD WFDEMO.wft XXXXPTR

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THANK YOU!!!!

Workflow Training