Oracle E-Business Suite

Release 11i
Workflow Functional Overview

Susan Behn
Karen Brownfield
Agenda

Workflow Overview
Workflow Components
How It Works
Workflow Types
Workflow User Menus
Notifications / Worklists
Workflow Monitor
Routing / Notification / Vacation Rules
Common Configuration Issues

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 Workflow Components
AQ AQ AQ Directory Services

AQ AQ AQ Users Roles
Web OAM
Notification Oracle
Worklist Diagnostics
Business Events Notification Workflow
System Services Engine Workflow
Builder
Web Send Send Execution
Monitor
Receive Respond Definition
Workflow
iAS Raise Forward Administration Loader

Web Admin Cancel Monitoring

Analysis
Tools
Query Query Query
Workflow
Definition
Files
Mail
Notification
Applications Mailer
Oracle Workflow Enabled Application

Workflow
Browser Application Oracle server 10g Development
Client Server © 2007 Solution Beacon, LLC.
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Workflow Components

User and Administrator Components

Notifications – notify/prompt users
Notification Summary
Email Notifications – *email is just a delivery method
Status Monitor
Worklist
Setup and Monitoring Tools
Oracle Applications Manager (OAM)
Setup and health checks
Workflow  Administrator Home Page
Setup and monitor specific events and activities

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Workflow Components

Database Components
Advanced Queuing (AQ) – Sends messages
between systems
Business Event System – Utilizes AQ to execute
activities at the appropriate time based on events
Workflow Engine – controls processes
Directory Services – users, responsibilities,
groups and other roles to receive notification

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Workflow Components

Developer Components
Builder – Graphical tool to define/modify
workflows
Loader – import/export workflows from builder to
database
Version Tracking – workflows complete in existing
version

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How it Works

Event Agent Listener Queues

Subscription
•Personnel Files (workflow)
•Uniform order (PO)
•Employee survey (deferred email)

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Workflow Integration with E-
Business
Business events contain subscriptions which
create messages to determine what happens
next
Multiple subscriptions may occur at different times
Subscriptions launch workflows, execute code, send
or receive messages to/from partners, send
notifications
Business events examples
Update a profile option to assign a printer to a user
Oracle.apps.fnd.profile.value.update
Initiate Invoice Approval
oracle.apps.ap.event.invoice.approval
Hire an employee
Enter a new supplier
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How it Works

Each message (subscription) is sent to an agent

Agents (point of communication) are assigned
to a queue and translate the message into the
format required by the queue (XML, Text, SQL,
Java)
Agent Listeners wake up and listen for
messages from agents; the listener passes the
message from the agent to the queue
Queues are database tables; the Advanced
Queuing (AQ) system processes these queues
based on dates

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Workflow Types

Synchronous
Process immediately
Contain only activities that can be executed
immediately
Execute start to finish without interruption
Return control to calling application when finished
Write to run-time tables (can view results in
monitor)
Examples
Calculate price on an order
Create a user name in user management

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Workflow Types

Forced synchronous
Processes immediately
Contain only activities that can be executed
immediately
Workflow Persistence is set to Synchronous in
workflow builder
Execute start to finish without interruption
Return control to calling application when finished
Do not write to run-time tables, no audit trail
ItemKey = #SYNCH
Example
Account Generators

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Workflow Types

Asynchronous
Contain activities that interrupt the flow
Return control to calling application when first
interrupt activity is encountered
Write to run-time tables (can view results in
monitor)
Deferred processes processed by Workflow
Background Engine
Examples
Receipt Confirmation
AP Invoice Approval

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New Menus

Workflow User Web (New)

Seeded
Self Service Workflow
 Home
 Status Monitor
 Notifications – same as Advanced Worklist

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New Menus

Workflow User Web Applications

Seeded
Advanced Worklist
Self Service Workflow
 Home
 Status Monitor
 Notifications – same as Advanced Worklist

Optionally add the Personal Worklist function to

menus

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Self Service Workflow – Home

Top 5
notifications due
now
Vacation Rules
Worklist Access
Status of
workflows you
own

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Self Service Workflow – Home

Switch User
Only available if
another user has
granted you
Worklist Access
Tabs
Status Monitor
Notifications
Same as worklist

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Notifications

Automatically Notify Users

Alert users of exception conditions
Respond to events that require human judgment
Send Notifications to individuals or roles
Change the participants in a role without
changing the process
Automatic Notification Forwarding
When user is unavailable (vacation, sick leave)
When user wants to transfer or delegate a task

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Notifications

Recipient can:
Respond (or close if no action required)
Forward
Owner or original recipient not updated
If forwarded via email, workflow can’t track, but records
eventually record responder’s e-mail and respond
message attributes
Transfer Ownership
Cannot be done via email viewing of notification
Cannot Transfer AP Approval Management notifications
 MetaLink note 336226.1
 Oracle has enhancement request for AME - 3298110

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Profile Options

WF: Notification Reassign Mode

Delegate – cannot choose Re-assign (To transfer)
Transfer – cannot choose Delegate – whether
hierarchy changes depends on workflow involved
Reassign – can choose Delegate or Transfer
Vacation Rules: Allow All
Disabled – cannot specify ‘All’ for Vacation Rules
Enabled – can specify ‘All’ for Vacation Rules

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Self-Service Notifications

Extended HTML
message formats

Open next
Notification
without
Returning to
worklist

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Electronic Signatures

Can’t respond through e-mail

Informs user electronic signature is required
Includes Link to go to Notification Page
Must log in as intended recipient (not
delegated/switched user)
‘Purge Obsolete Workflow Runtime Data’ has
new profile option, ‘Signed Notifications’ that
allows signed notifications to be retained
(set value to Y)

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Electronic Signatures

Password-based
When replying to notification
Confirmation page appears
Enter username/password
Certificate-based (11.5.10 only)
Requires valid X.509 certificate issued by a
certificate authority
See:
See Loading Certificates for Digital Signatures, Oracle
Workflow Administrator's Guide.
When replying to notification
Confirmation page appears
Choose Sign button
Use Web browser to enter your X.509 certificate

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Worklist

Worklist on Home Page

Click the Full List button to get to the Advanced
Worklist

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Advanced Worklist

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Personal Worklist

Not included on seeded menus

Add function ‘Personal Worklist’ to menu
Personal Worklist includes Personalize
button

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Worklist Access

Shows existing grantees

Behaves as delegated notifications –
consider auditing impact before granting
access
Click Grant Worklist Access to add

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Worklist Access

Choose Name
Leave ‘All Employees and Users’ to avoid getting
customer contacts, etc
End date optional

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Personal Worklist

View pulldown – choose view (Open, FYI, etc)

Simple Search (has Link to Advanced Search)
Personalize views – add fields, filter, resort, etc

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Personalize Personal Worklist

To Duplicate View and customize, click

‘Duplicate’
To Customize seeded view, click ‘Create View’

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Customize Personal Worklist

Select Columns

Advanced Settings
Rename Columns
Total amounts

Change Sort
Sequence

Filter Messages

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OA Framework New Features

 Personal Worklist
 Export Button – export worklist to Excel
 Close Button – select and close several FYI at once
 Self Service Home Page
 Close Button – select and close several FYI at once
 Advanced Worklist
 Close Button – select and close several FYI at once

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OA Framework New Features

Notifications Details Page

Printable Page Button – display w/o application
header, footer, and navigation options
Notification ID – can be hidden

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OA Framework Additions

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Enhanced Worklist Functions

Link attachments (images, spreadsheets,

video) to notifications
Cannot be included in email
Adds View link to Notification header
Only viewable in new OAF worklist pages

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Enhanced Notification Detail Page
(non-email, OA)
Response buttons top/bottom page
Display ‘Next Notification’ After ‘My
Response’ check box
‘Return to Worklist’ link

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Labs

Grant access to your notifications to the

person to your left and to your right
Switch user to one of the other users you
have access to and switch back
Create a personalized view only for invoice
approval notifications

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Self Service Workflow
Status Monitor
Monitor for workflows you own
However, many workflows including invoices and
receipts require a customization to set the owner

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Workflow Monitor

 Click Participant Responses to view notification

history

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Workflow Monitor

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Workflow Monitor

Click Node to see

info about node
Status tab shows
error message
Notification tab says
who it went to
Usage tab gives
timeout info
Can’t see attributes

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Going on Vacation?
Set up Routing / Vacation Rules

Routing / Vacation Rules

Available from all worklist screens
Can only create rules for <All> or itemtypes
currently in progress
OWF rollup 2 or 11i10
Lookup Type – WF: Vacation Rule Item Types
Profile option – Vacation Rules: Allow All

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Set up a Vacation Rule

First query existing rules using Vacation

Rules button from any worklist
Click Create Rule to add rule

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Set up a Vacation Rule

To create a rule that applies to all

notifications, leave <All> highlighted, click
Next

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Set up a Vacation Rule

(Optional) Set End Date

(Optional) Use Message to explain transfer

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Set up a Vacation Rule

Pick Person to reassign to

Choose Delegate or Transfer
Click Apply

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Set up a Vacation Rule

To Create Rule for Specific Workflow Item

Type or Specific Notification, Pick the Item
Type, press Next.

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Set up a Vacation Rule

For all notifications for the Item Type, select

<All>
For a specific notification, highlight name,
press Next

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Set up a Vacation Rule

Add comments, auto-answer or choose person to

send to, click Apply
Note: can override general rules for specific notification

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Vacation Rules

When rule uses responsibility as the role,

notification is sent to all users of that
responsibility
Once one person responds, notification is
removed from all others’ in-basket
If multiple rules at same level exist, Oracle
arbitrarily picks one

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Vacation Rules

Multiple rules are processed from most

specific to least specific
 MESSAGE_TYPE = <type> and MESSAGE_NAME = <name>
 MESSAGE_TYPE = <type> and MESSAGE_NAME is null
 MESSAGE_TYPE is null and MESSAGE_NAME is null
If reassigned, rules are checked for new
recipient’s list of rules

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Preferences

Users can change the notification type

preference via the preferences button
Remove preferences button by setting
profile option General Preferences Show Flag
to No
Changing global preferences do NOT
override preferences set individually

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Preferences

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Things to watch for

With ATG_PF.H RUP4, OAM forms do not

perform new queries (unless refresh button
pressed)
Ensure following programs are scheduled
Workflow Agent Activity Statistics concurrent Program
Workflow Mailer Statistics Concurrent Program
Workflow Work items Statistics Concurrent Program

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Things to watch for

Cloning
All components are updated
No references to source database
Notification Mailer
Turned off
 Individual preferences need to be updated
Test Address – ATG RUP3 changes configuration steps
Notorious Business Events
Oracle.apps.ar.hz.DQM.realtimesync
MetaLink note 317454.1
Oracle.apps.ar.transaction.%
MetaLink notes 364585.1 and 301907.1

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Things to watch for

11i.10 – MUST be on ATG_PF.H RUP3 or RUP4

Corruption in Directory sync tables
Should periodically run
Workflow Directory Services User/Role Validation
Update Person Names
 Followed immediately by Workflow Directory Sync

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Things to watch for

Workflows MUST
be configured
Timeouts
Example –
REQAPPRV
 Timeout not
defined

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Things to watch for

Workflows MUST be configured

Performers
Example – APEXP
 Who is informed if rejected

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Things to watch for

Workflows MUST
be configured
Account
Generators
If Using Projects,
MUST customize
POWFPOAG,
POWFRQAG,
PAAPINVW
No Notifications,
no deferred
activities

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Things to watch for

Workflows MUST
be configured
Attributes
Example –
CREATEPO,
POERROR
 Auto Create
Allowed
 Auto Approval
Allowed
 Is contact required

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Common Requests

Hide ‘Request More Information

#HIDE_MOREINFO – set value to Y (not Yes)
Hide ‘Reassign’
#HIDE_REASSIGN – set value to Y (not Yes)
Remove Notification History (useful for FYI)
#HISTORY – leave value blank

Note: These attributes are for changes to

specific workflows. Global changes can often
be made using OA Framework
personalizations
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Things to watch for

WFERRORs that are open

bde_wf_clean_worklist – MetaLink Note 255048.1
POERROR – duplicate script and replace name
Patching resetting Workflow Administrator to
SYSADMIN
Nobody reading notifications to SYSADMIN
Worklist Access

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Things to watch for

Errored
workflows that
are ignored
Use OAM to
check counts

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Things to watch for

Background Engine recommendation

Run Stuck by itself
Frequency – once/day sufficient

Worklist on Home Page

Can be a performance issue
Can be hidden through Personalization
Make sure all admin menus are present

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Labs

Set up a vacation rule for your next vacation

For all notification types, delegate notifications to
your supervisor
Set up another vacation rule only for invoice
approval to do nothing
Set up another vacation rule for the invoice
approval final reminder to delegate to your
supervisor

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