Working with Worklets

By PenchalaRaju.Yanamala

This chapter includes the following topics:

Working with Worklets Overview

Developing a Worklet
Using Worklet Variables
Assigning Variable Values in a Worklet
Validating Worklets

Working with Worklets Overview

A worklet is an object representing a set of tasks created to reuse a set of

workflow logic in multiple workflows. You can create a worklet in the Worklet
Designer.

To run a worklet, include the worklet in a workflow. The workflow that contains
the worklet is called the parent workflow. When the Integration Service runs a
worklet, it expands the worklet to run tasks and evaluate links within the worklet.
It writes information about worklet execution in the workflow log.

Suspending Worklets

When you choose Suspend on Error for the parent workflow, the Integration
Service also suspends the worklet if a task in the worklet fails. When a task in the
worklet fails, the Integration Service stops executing the failed task and other
tasks in its path. If no other task is running in the worklet, the worklet status is
“Suspended.” If one or more tasks are still running in the worklet, the worklet
status is “Suspending.” The Integration Service suspends the parent workflow
when the status of the worklet is “Suspended” or “Suspending.”

Developing a Worklet

To develop a worklet, you must first create a worklet. After you create a worklet,
configure worklet properties and add tasks to the worklet. You can create
reusable worklets in the Worklet Designer. You can also create non-reusable
worklets in the Workflow Designer as you develop the workflow.

Creating a Reusable Worklet

Create reusable worklets in the Worklet Designer. You can view a list of reusable
worklets in the Navigator Worklets node.

To create a reusable worklet:

1.In the Worklet Designer, click Worklet > Create.

The Create Worklet dialog box appears.
2.Enter a name for the worklet.
If you are adding the worklet to a workflow that is enabled for concurrent
3.execution, enable the worklet for concurrent execution.
4.Click OK.
The Worklet Designer creates a Start task in the worklet.
Related Topics:
Starting and Stopping Concurrent Workflows

Creating a Non-Reusable Worklet

You can create a non-reusable worklet in the Workflow Designer as you develop
the workflow. Non-reusable worklets only exist in the workflow. You cannot use a
non-reusable worklet in another workflow. After you create the worklet in the
Workflow Designer, open the worklet to edit it in the Worklet Designer.

You can promote non-reusable worklets to reusable worklets by selecting the

Make Reusable option in the worklet properties. To rename a non-reusable
worklet, open the worklet properties in the Workflow Designer.

To create a non-reusable worklet:

1.In the Workflow Designer, open a workflow.

2.Click Tasks > Create.
3.For the Task type, select Worklet.
4.Enter a name for the task.
5.Click Create.
The Workflow Designer creates the worklet and adds it to the workspace.
6.Click Done.

Configuring Worklet Properties

When you use a worklet in a workflow, you can configure the same set of general
task settings on the General tab as any other task. For example, you can make a
worklet reusable, disable a worklet, configure the input link to the worklet, or fail
the parent workflow based on the worklet.

In addition to general task settings, you can configure the following worklet
properties:

Worklet variables. Use worklet variables to reference values and record

information. You use worklet variables the same way you use workflow
variables. You can assign a workflow variable to a worklet variable to override
its initial value.
Events. To use the Event-Wait and Event-Raise tasks in the worklet, you must
first declare an event in the worklet properties.
Metadata extension. Extend the metadata stored in the repository by
associating information with repository objects.
Related Topics:
Using Worklet Variables
Working with Event Tasks
Working with Metadata Extensions

Adding Tasks in Worklets

After you create a worklet, add tasks by opening the worklet in the Worklet
Designer. A worklet must contain a Start task. The Start task represents the
beginning of a worklet. When you create a worklet, the Worklet Designer creates
a Start task for you.
To add tasks to a non-reusable worklet:

1.Create a non-reusable worklet in the Workflow Designer workspace.

2.Right-click the worklet and choose Open Worklet.
The Worklet Designer opens so you can add tasks in the worklet.
Add tasks in the worklet by using the Tasks toolbar or click Tasks > Create in
3.the Worklet Designer.
4.Connect tasks with links.

Declaring Events in Worklets

Use Event-Wait and Event-Raise tasks in a worklet like you would use workflows.
To use the Event-Raise task, you first declare a user-defined event in the
worklet. Events in one instance of a worklet do not affect events in other
instances of the worklet. You cannot specify worklet events in the Event tasks in
the parent workflow.

Related Topics:
Working with Event Tasks

Viewing Links in a Worklet

When you edit a workflow or worklet, you can view the forward or backward link
paths to other tasks. You can highlight paths to see links in the workflow branch
from the Start task to the last task in the branch.

Related Topics:
Creating a Workflow

Nesting Worklets

You can nest a worklet within another worklet. When you run a workflow
containing nested worklets, the Integration Service runs the nested worklet from
within the parent worklet. You can group several worklets together by function or
simplify the design of a complex workflow when you nest worklets.

You might choose to nest worklets to load data to fact and dimension tables.
Create a nested worklet to load fact and dimension data into a staging area.
Then, create a nested worklet to load the fact and dimension data from the
staging area to the data warehouse.

You might choose to nest worklets to simplify the design of a complex workflow.
Nest worklets that can be grouped together within one worklet. To nest an
existing reusable worklet, click Tasks > Insert Worklet. To create a non-reusable
nested worklet, click Tasks > Create, and select worklet.

Using Worklet Variables

Worklet variables are similar to workflow variables. A worklet has the same set of
predefined variables as any task. You can also create user-defined worklet
variables. Like user-defined workflow variables, user-defined worklet variables
can be persistent or non-persistent.

Related Topics:
 Working with Workflow Variables

Persistent Worklet Variables

User-defined worklet variables can be persistent or non-persistent. To create a

persistent worklet variable, select Persistent when you create the variable. When
you create a persistent worklet variable, the worklet variable retains its value the
next time the Integration Service runs the worklet in the parent workflow.

For example, you have a worklet with a persistent variable. Use two instances of
the worklet in a workflow to run the worklet twice. You name the first instance of
the worklet Worklet1 and the second instance Worklet2.

When you run the workflow, the persistent worklet variable retains its value from
Worklet1 and becomes the initial value in Worklet2. After the Integration Service
runs Worklet2, it retains the value of the persistent variable in the repository and
uses the value the next time you run the workflow.

Worklet variables only persist when you run the same workflow. A worklet
variable does not retain its value when you use instances of the worklet in
different workflows.

Overriding the Initial Value

For each worklet instance, you can override the initial value of the worklet
variable by assigning a workflow variable to it.

To override the initial value of a worklet variable:

1.Double-click the worklet instance in the Workflow Designer workspace.

On the Variables tab, click the Add button in the pre-worklet variable
2.assignment.
Click the open button in the User-Defined Worklet Variables field to select a
3.worklet variable.
4.Click Apply.
The worklet variable in this worklet instance now has the selected workflow
variable as its initial value.

Rules and Guidelines

Use the following rules and guidelines when you work with worklet variables:

You cannot use variables from the parent workflow in the worklet.
You cannot use user-defined worklet variables in the parent workflow.
You can use predefined worklet variables in the parent workflow, just as you use
predefined variables for other tasks in the workflow.

Assigning Variable Values in a Worklet

You can update the values of variables before or after a worklet runs. This allows
you to pass information from one worklet to another within the same workflow or
parent worklet. For example, you have a workflow that contains two worklets that
need to increment the same counter. You can increment the counter in the first
worklet, pass the updated counter value to the second worklet, and increment the
counter again in the second worklet.

You can also pass information from a worklet to a non-reusable session or from a
non-reusable session to a worklet as long as the worklet and session are in the
same workflow or parent worklet. For more information about passing information
between sessions, see Assigning Parameter and Variable Values in a Session.
You can assign variables in reusable and non-reusable worklets.

You can update the values of different variables depending on whether you
assign them before or after a worklet runs. You can update the following types of
variables before or after a worklet runs:

Pre-worklet variable assignment. You can update user-defined worklet

variables before a worklet runs. You can assign these variables the values of
parent workflow or worklet variables or the values of mapping variables from
other tasks in the workflow or parent worklet.
You can update worklet variables with values from the parent of the worklet.
Therefore, if a worklet is in another worklet within a workflow, you can assign
values from the parent worklet variables, but not the workflow variables.
Post-worklet variable assignment. You can update parent workflow or worklet
variables after the worklet completes. You can assign these variables the values
of user-defined worklet variables.

You assign variables on the Variables tab when you edit a worklet.

Passing Variable Values between Worklets

You can assign variable values in a worklet to pass values from one worklet to
any subsequent worklet in the same workflow or parent worklet. For example, a
workflow contains two worklets wklt_CreateCustList and wklt_UpdateCustOrders.
Worklet wklt_UpdateCustOrders needs to use the value of a worklet variable
updated in wklt_CreateCustList.
 Configure worklet wklt_UpdateCustOrders to use a worklet variable, for
2.example, $$URLString2.
Configure the workflow to use a workflow variable, for example, $
3.$PassURLString.
Configure worklet wklt_CreateCustList to assign the value of worklet variable $
$URLString1 to workflow variable $$PassURLString after the worklet
4.completes.
Configure worklet wklt_UpdateCustOrders to assign the value of workflow
variable $$PassURLString to worklet variable $$URLString2 before the worklet
5.starts.
Related Topics:
Using Worklet Variables
User-Defined Workflow Variables

Configuring Variable Assignments

Assign variables on the Variables tab when you edit a worklet. Assign values to
the following types of variables before or after a worklet runs:

Pre-worklet variable assignment. Update user-defined worklet variables with

the values of parent workflow or worklet variables or the values of mapping
variables from other tasks in the workflow or parent worklet that run before this
worklet.
Post-worklet variable assignment. Update parent workflow and worklet
variables with the values of user-defined worklet variables.

To assign variables in a worklet:

1.Edit the worklet for which you want to assign variables.

2.Click the Variables tab.
3. Select the variable assignment
 type:
Pre-worklet variable assignment. Assign values to user-defined
worklet variables before a worklet runs.
Post-worklet variable assignment. Assign values to parent workflow and
worklet variables after a worklet completes.
4.Click the edit button in the variable assignment field.
In the pre- or post-worklet variable assignment area, click the add button to add
5.a variable assignment statement.
Click the open button in the User-Defined Worklet Variables and Parent
Workflow/Worklet Variables fields to select the variables whose values you
wish to read or assign. For pre-worklet variable assignment, you may enter
parameter and variable names into these fields. The Workflow Manager does
6.not validate parameter and variable names.
The Workflow Manager assigns values from the right side of the assignment
statement to variables on the left side of the statement. So, if the variable
assignment statement is “$$SiteURL_WFVar=$$SiteURL_WkltVar,” the
Workflow Manager assigns the value of $$SiteURL_WkltVar to $
$SiteURL_WFVar.
7.Repeat steps 5 to 6 to add more variable assignment statements.
To delete a variable assignment statement, click one of the fields in the
assignment statement, and click the cut button.
8.Click OK.

Validating Worklets

The Workflow Manager validates worklets when you save the worklet in the
Worklet Designer. In addition, when you use worklets in a workflow, the
Integration Service validates the workflow according to the following validation
rules at run time:

You cannot run two instances of the same worklet concurrently in the same
workflow.
You cannot run two instances of the same worklet concurrently across two
different workflows.
Each worklet instance in the workflow can run once.

When a worklet instance is invalid, the workflow using the worklet instance
remains valid.

The Workflow Manager displays a red invalid icon if the worklet object is invalid.
The Workflow Manager validates the worklet object using the same validation
rules for workflows. The Workflow Manager displays a blue invalid icon if the
worklet instance in the workflow is invalid. The worklet instance may be invalid
when any of the following conditions occurs:

The parent workflow or worklet variable you assign to the user-defined worklet
variable does not have a matching datatype.
The user-defined worklet variable you used in the worklet properties does not
exist.
You do not specify the parent workflow or worklet variable you want to assign.

For non-reusable worklets, you may see both red and blue invalid icons
displayed over the worklet icon in the Navigator.