What's new in IBM BPM 8.5.7

What's New in IBM BPM 8.5.7
Dennis Parrott – Offering Manager
Paul Pacholski – Technical Sales Lead
Matthias Kloppmann – Chief Architect

Responsive Federated Process Portal – Supported!
•  Responsive, Federated
Process Portal is now
fully supported
•  Functional parity (with
some exceptions) with
the 8.5.6 Process
Portal for desktop
•  Responsive: supports
specific features for
smart phone and tablet
devices
•  Federated: supports
Process Federation
Server

Process Portal Supports Process Federation Server
•  Single Portal UI to work on tasks
from multiple Process Servers
•  Provides process isolation
–  Isolate important process
applications into their own cells
–  Avoid resource contention
•  Simplify migration via drain
down approach
–  Finish existing work on old
servers
–  Start new work on new servers
•  Massively scale BPM
infrastructure across cells
–  Third scaling dimension (in
addition to horizontal and vertical)
–  Scale beyond a single cell-scoped
database
4
BPM 8.5.7 – Server 1
BPM 8.5.7 – Server 2
BPM 8.5.6 – Server
BPM 8.0.1.3 – Server
BPM 8.5.0.2 – Server

New Table View
5
Use “Edit Columns” to select
columns from System
Variables and Business Data
Sort and move
columns
Business data
Column

New Saved Searches
Create Saved Search
Saved Search
Actions
Saved
Search Title

New Saved Searches
Saved Searches can be
either private or exposed
to a specific Team
Select columns from
System Variables and
exposed Business Data
Multiple Filter Criteria based
on both business data and
system data
Filter Criteria instantly
reflected in the search

Rapidly Create a Responsive UI
Transform DOJO based UI to responsive UI
Design a modern UI experience
Define the Corporate Look and Feel
Customize the Process Portal

Improved Client Side Human Service (CSHS) Editor
•  Now at par with Server Side Human Service Editor in Eclipse Process Designer
•  Provides additional features required for CSHS development such as: Data Change
Handler, improved Postpone support, etc…
10

Improved CSHS Editor: Some Examples
11
Exposed Process
Variables and
Environment
Variables
Variable
initialization
Pre and
Post
New Data Change
Handler can be used for
Clint Side validation
Nested Human
Service

New CSHS Editor Capabilities – Event Handlers
12
Data Change Event Handler
Triggered by a Boundary
Event
Error Event Handler
Triggered when Error Fault
is thrown

Responsive Coach Views
•  DOJO based Stock Coach Views are deprecated
•  Replaced with New Responsive Coach Views based on
AngularJS (v1.3.1) / Angular UI Bootstrap (v0.12.0)
•  Responsive Coach View Toolkit (Tech. Demo in 8.5.6) is
now fully supported
– Functionality at par with deprecated Stock Coach Views and
in many cases improved
– Becomes the “default” coaches toolkit for new projects
– Automated conversion from DOJO Coach Views

Support for Responsive UI Design
•  Build interfaces that are responsive to the runtime environment by specifying
the responsive Coach View settings
•  Configure responsive settings separately for different screen sizes
•  Design one interface that changes in appearance and behavior based on the
screen size
•  Cost effective way to enable BPM on Mobile devices
–  No need to author separate UI for different device sizes (write once run everywhere)
–  No need to author native mobile apps
14

Responsive Coach View Support in Coach Editor
Selection of Large (desktop), Medium
(tablet) and Small (phone) form factors
Form Factor icon shows the
currently selected form factor
Responsive setting value
for selected form factor
Design Setting Runtime

Responsive vs Traditional Coach Views
Deprecated Coach Views New Responsive Coach Views
Collapsible
sections
Native iPhone
inline Date Picker
Map is not initially
displayed. Must
click View Map
button to navigate
to the Map Page.

WYSIWYG Coach View and Coach Editor
•  Coach Views look the same in editor and at runtime
•  Author Coach Views with less frequent need to test
17
Runtime view identical
to Editor view
Editor view identical to
runtime view

Converting Detracted to Responsive Coach Views
19
UI Conversion tab in Process App
Settings
Artifacts that contain deprecated
Coach Views:
•  Composite Coach Views
•  Heritage Human Services
•  Client Side Human Servccies
Dependent Toolkits that contain
deprecated Coach Views – Must
be converted first!
Select and
Convert

Coach View UI Conversion: Heritage to Responsive

New Grid Layout – Grid Layout View
•  New Grid Layout
View in Coach
View Designer
and Coach
Designer
•  Grid Layout View
provides the grid
mode where you
define areas for
content
22
Switch Coach View to
Grid Layout View
Click on edge to either add
more grid cells either
vertically or horizontally
Click here to change
orientation vertical
or horizontal
Pick from a predefined
grid layouts or create
your own
Header Footer
Layout with one
cell added

Cells and Cell Containers
•  Cells can be either horizontal or vertical
•  Each cell container has 12 units
•  A cell can span between 1 to 12 units
23
This cell is 2
units wide
Grid layout settings
are responsive
Cell container with
two horizontal cells This cell is
10 units
wide

Content View – Add Coach Views to Grid Cells
24
Grid Layout View. Used for
grid container and cell layout
Content View. Can now drag and
drop Coach Views to Grid Cells
After a Coach View is added
the “empty” cell indicator goes
away
Completed Coach based on
the Header Footer Layout

•  Enables to change the look and feel of all Coach Views in a Process
App in a centralized and flexible manner
–  Font Type, Font Size, Color, Font Weight, Section Edges Rounding
•  Authoring time Theme propagation
– The same Coach View in a toolkit can be re-skinned by numerous Process
Apps without touching the toolkit
•  Run time Theme change
– A deployed Process App may have its look and feel updated without
changing and redeploying the Process App via Admin command
New Theme Support for Coach Views

Applying Themes to Process Apps and Toolkits
•  New artifact - Theme
•  Set in Process App
Settings tab of a
Process App or Toolkit
•  Apply to all Coach
Views including those
that come from
included toolkits
•  The Toolkit Theme
setting are always
overwritten by Process
App
–  It is there mainly for
testing purposes
27

Themes Change the Look and Fell of Coach Views

WYSIWYG Theme Editor – Create and Edit Themes
Instant feedback shows
the effect of style
changes on all out of
the box Responsive
Coach Views
Use color picker to
select the desired
color
Use font picker to
select the desired
font
Click WYSIWYG view of
control to see what
setting it uses
Edit LESS format source

•  Theme support is based on open source CSS pre-compiler called:
Theme Change Support – Technical Background
@bpm-btn-default-bg: #9fe;
 
.myButton { 
background-color: @bpm-btn-default-bg; 
}
.myButton { 
background-color: #9fe; 
}
less variable declaration
CSS class using less variable
After compilation

Configure the Process Portal in WAS Admin Console
•  Who can modify tasks (reassign, due date,
priority)
•  Disable refresh behavior: cometD (from
portal), autorefresh (from server)
•  Disable social features
•  Set default start page
•  Task List format (list or table)
•  Order of Dashboards
•  Open tasks in new browser window
•  Enable portal from inside HTML frames
32

Disabling Social Capabilities in BPM Process Portal
33
Experts and Stream
tab removed
Admin Console setting to
disable “Social”
Following and
Mentions links
removed
ENABLED
DISABLED

Process Portal Links to Heritage Process Portals
•  Use single BPM
Federated Process Portal
for Servers that can be
federated
•  Use the links for older
Process Servers 34
Links to BPM Process Portal
of the BPM servers that
cannot be federated (pre-
8.0.1.3)

Adding Links to Heritage Process Portal
35
Customizing the Coach View
to add Links to BPM Process
Portal of the BPM servers
that cannot be federated
(pre- 8.0.1.3)

Apply New Theme at Runtime!
•  Administrators can use new Admin
command to change the Theme at
runtime
– Applies to any deployed Process App
Snapshot (including BPM Process Portal)
– No need to deploy new Snapshots just to
change the look and feel
36
AdminTask.BPMUpdateTheme(‘
[-sourceContainerAcronym ThemeApp
-sourceContainerSnapshotAcronym
1.0
-themeName Spring
-targetContainerAcronym SYSRP
-targetContainerSnapshotAcronym
8.5.7.0]')

Create Custom Responsive Process Portal App
•  Easy to create custom
Process Portals
•  Using Responsive Coach
Views as building blocks
•  Leveraging extensive
Coach View configuration
settings 37
BPM Portal
Coach Views
(Responsive)
Stock Coach
Views
(Responsive)
Client Side Human Services
contain the main Coach
Views

Process Portal: Human Services and Coach Views
38

Change Portal Coach Views’ Configuration Options
39
BPM Portal Options
configurable in
Coach View
Many settings are
Responsive

Process/Case Developer
Experience

Spectrum of Work Patterns (Process – Case)
Develop a Case (Process)
Convert a BPD or Case into a Process
Launch External UI for Headless BPM

Spectrum of Work Patterns
4242
Ordered Sequence
of Activities
Some Unordered
(Ad-hoc) Activities
Some Activities
with Ordered Steps
Unordered Set
of Activities
Next Step Determined ByProcess Model
Determines the Flow
Knowledge Worker
Determines the Flow
Data
Structured
Business Objects
Unstructured
Documents

BPDs and Cases are One
•  Process combines the function of a BPD with the
activities and content of a Case Types
–  Ad-hoc activities with appropriate behavior
–  Folders/sub-folders/documents (local or external)
•  Process supports case patterns, as well as
structured and unstructured process flows in a
single BPMN process model
•  “Case Type” solutions are no longer restricted to
BPM Advanced
–  No need to pay for and install “Basic Case Manager
Feature”
•  No need to decide weather to start with a Case
or a BPD
•  Enables more granular authorization and task
ownership control than Case Types
•  Structured activities have the same document
access and control as former Case Types
•  Common Process Instance UI for interacting
with Process instances
•  Content in internal or any external ECM (CMIS
compliant), always accessed via CMIS
43
Conversion
Case Type and BPD converge
as new artifact called Process

Updated Web Based PD Supports Process Authoring
44
Artefact you can
author in Web Based
Process Designer
Each editor includes usability
enhancements over eclipse editor:
i.e. “expand folders”
INSPECTOR tab now
available for debug

Authoring “Case Types” in BPMN Notation
46
Start using custom Launch UI
Start by adding a document
Automatically launch “hidden” activity
(Linked Process) when a document is
added or case variables updated
Manual activities can be
assigned to different
teams (not possible for
Case Types prior to
v8.5.7)
Report on Case Metrics
using tracking points.

New ECM Servers for Use with Processes
•  Processes can
use any ECM
Server that
support CMIS
v1.0 Web
Services
interfaces
•  Use the same
CMIS based
interfaces for
external ECM
servers as for
the internal BPM
ECM server
47
Use Servers tab to
declare all the external
ECM Servers used in a
Process App

New - Document Folders Available to Processes
•  Define locally
(IBM BPM)
managed folders
•  Define
references to a
folder that is
managed by an
external ECM
48
External ECM server
"/Dispute Management/Runtime Documents/"
+ tw.system.currentProcessInstance.id
Path can be a JavaScript
expression to ensure folders are
unique for a given process
instance
Document Types
available on
external server
BPM internal ECM server

New Launch UI for Processes
49
UI Started automatically when a
Process Instance is launched
from Process Portal – none is
provided by default
Used to initialize
process variables
UI that is customized for members of
the instance owners team to interact
with a Process instance

Process Portal – Customizable Details UI
50
Document and Folder
management UI is now
powered by new Responsive
Coach Views
Process can now
include documents

New Responsive Document Coach Views
•  The Content Management toolkit has
been updated with the Responsive
Document Coach Views
•  The 8.5.6 version Coach Views remain in
the toolkit but are deprecated.
51

All Content Events Avilable to Processes
•  Any Event from any ECM product
may be consumed in a Process
–  Start Event of type ECM Content
–  Event Subprocess with Start Event of
type ECM Content
•  New Event Type (Document)
formerly avilable only for Case Types
is now avilable in Processes (without
explicit event subscription)
–  Adding document starts instance
–  Adding documnets starts Ad-hoc
Activity (document preconditins)
52
New Start Event Type: Document.
Does not need UCA.
Easier to author than ECM Content Events!

Ad-hoc Activities Now Include Document Events
•  Activities that can have Ad-hoc behaviour when not connected
–  User Task (Single user interaction)
–  Sub-Process (Embedded within the Process)
–  Linked Process (Separately authored Process)
53
Can author ad-hoc
behavior on General
tab
Can author start
activity preconditions
on Preconditions tab
Now include
Document
Events

Report on Case Metrics Using Tracking Points
•  Prior to v8.5.7 Tracking Points cold only be set on wires
54
•  New way to define Tracing Points for unwired activities was introduced

Unified Playback, Debugger & Process Inspector
Prior to v8.5.7 debug and inspector support was inconsistent

•  Use the same Process Inspector to run and debug your processes,
services, and tasks in the Web Process
New Process Inspector for Processes
Start a new Process
instance and switch
to INSTPECTOR
view

Inspector View in Web Designer
57
List of all active Tokens
List of active and competed Tasks
Change process instance variables
• Start task
• Launch debugger
Toggle to see a list of active process
instances
• Refresh
• Open Instance Details UI
• Modify due date
• Suspend
• Terminate
• Set user authentication (in debug user
different from task user)

Inspector Instances View
58
Search for all process
instances of the
Process you are
working on in Web
Process Designer
Inspector View with ability to
filter instances
This is the same View as found
in Process Admin Console
Filter by text in the
instance title

Enhanced CS Human Service Debugger in Web PD
• Step over
• Step Into
• Show playback window
• Refresh
• Terminate
Change process instance variables
Launch Debugger from
INSPECTOR view to
debug a CSHS
“Step Into”
launches a
Coach
Execution
path
Current
breakpoint

Spectrum of Work Patterns (Process – Case)
Develop a Case (Process)
Convert a BPD or Case into a Process
Launch External UI for Headless BPM
`

Convert Case Types or BPDs to Processes
61
Eclipse-based Process Designer Web-based Process Designer
Automated
Conversion
BPD
Case Type
Process

Convert Case Type to Process
62
Document Types not used in Process but
are kept as they may be required to
reproduce equivalent Folders in an
External ECM
Case Type opened in
Read-only mode
Convert Case Type to
Process

Convert Case Type to Process
63
v8.5.6 Case Type Editor V8.5.7 Process Editor

Convert BPD to Process
64
Initially all BPD appear in
BPD Conversion tab
After conversion former
BPD shows up as Process

Convert BPD to Process
65
BPD Editor - Eclipse Process Designer Process Editor - Web Process Designer

Responsive Process Portal: Launch External Task UI
•  Automatically Launch External UI directly from the Process Portal task
list
– Allows to use external UI for completing a Task (BPEL, Process or BPD)
•  Authoring for BPDs and Processes
– In External Implementation specify a URL and pass the task id ad URL data
•  When federated, the system will automatically add a parameter to identify from
which process server the task originated.
– In your custom web-app use BPM REST API to retrieve and save task data
and to complete task
•  Authoring for BPEL
– Same except HTM API are used to interact with Human Activities

Launch External Activities – BPD and Process
This User Task is
implemented as an
external JSP
JSP pointing to external EAR.
Passing to the JSP via URL parameters
•  taskId to invoke from JSP RESt API for this task instance
•  Task data passed from the process instance

External Activity Implementation
69

Launch External Activities – BPEL with Human Task
70
Select “External
Implementation”
Specify URL pointing to the jsp with
external UI
Pass htm:task.instanceID to substitute
the runtime value of the HTM instance ID

Under the Hood
What’s New from an Architecture and Programming Perspective

Architecture Topics
•  Merge of case and “BPDs”
•  External ECM support
•  Federated access to multiple BPM Systems
•  API Alignment and Simplification
•  Administration & Migration Enhancements
•  Process App Validation via Cloud Service
72

“Process” now covers BPD and Case
73
BPD
Case
Process
Document
Preconditions
Folders
Sequence Flows
-  Activities
-  Gateways
-  Events
Tracking
Starting
Documents
Attachments
General
Properties
Exposing
Instance
Owners
Variables
Ad-hoc
Activities
Views
Lanes

Folders & Documents – Internal & External
74
IBM BPM
BPM Database
BPM Internal
Document Store
Ref: BPM Database Ref: BPM Database
Folder: any ECM Document: any ECM
Contained objects tied to process lifetime Referenced objects with independent lifetime
Locally managed
folder
Locally managed
document
External folder
reference
External document
reference
External
ECM
Product
External
ECM
Product
Internal
Document
Store
All CMIS-compliant
Content stores
Single view of
Process documentsLocal documents
tied to
Process lifetime

Federating Access to Multiple BPM Systems
75
Client application
Federated search
Direct API calls otherwise
BPD1
API
BPEL
API
BPD2
API
Process Federation Server
Search API
Elastic Search
Liberty-
based
BPM 8.x
version BPM
servers
Responsive
Portal or any
custom UI
•  Task list queries (saved
searches) served from
PFS index
•  Launchable entities
require special config
•  Other APIs served from
respective backend
–  Requires CORS setup

Federating Access to Multiple BPM Systems
•  Federation allows to
–  Concurrently run any number of existing BPM systems (any V8.* version, back to 8.0.0.0)
–  Deploy new BPM systems
–  Through a single user experience, completely transparent for end users
•  Federation works below the API level
–  So it also works for custom UIs coded against the API
•  Benefits
–  Transparently integrate independently evolving IBM BPM systems
–  Pull up new BPM 8.5.7 system avoiding migration: “The best migration is no migration”
–  Scale beyond a single installation – additional dimension beyond horizontal and vertical
76

Federated Portal Setup and Configuration
•  Set up federated
environment
•  Add federated backend
systems
•  Configure client
applications
•  Secure communication
on all channels
•  developerWorks article:
ibm.co/1TPT8ls
77

Defining Federation Policies
•  “Entities” available via multiple federated systems require appropriate
handling
– Non-federated, good for dashboards – typically want to see one per
federated system
– Federated, good for launchable entities, such as startable processes –
shows a single (but versioned) entity that can be launched
– Global, similar to Federated, but consolidates even across versions – shows
a single entity that can be launched
– For both Federated and Global, the actual target system is determined as
part of the policy (either static or round-robin)
•  “Entities” can be identified using a variety of filter conditions
– Based on system, name, type, container
– E.g., “all dashboards” or “this specific process version”
78

Docker image for PFS
•  PFS will be made available as a docker image via Docker hub
•  No separate license
79

API News for Programmers
•  BPM 8.5.7 starts to combine the various programming interfaces into a
single, simplified, common REST API – delivered as a sample
– Common, standard terminology for resources
– Simplified way to identify resources – names, not IDs
– Same API for all kinds of processes
– Same API for direct interaction or interaction via federation server
•  API is documented using Swagger 2.0
– Industry standard for REST API metadata
– Active documentation, allows for easy and direct experimentation
80

API Structure – REST Resources and Examples
•  Process App & Toolkit
•  Process Model & Process
•  Task Model & Task
•  Service Model & Service
•  User & Group
•  Search & System
81
•  Find an early version in the BPM Dev
Center at https://developer.ibm.com/bpm
o  Assets à DevOps Services assets
o  Scroll down to bpm-api
•  Direct path: https://bit.ly/24l0XEm

API Programming Example
Current
•  Get process apps
–  GET /rest/bpm/wle/v1/processApps
•  Iterate over these looking for name="Hiring Sample"
–  Grab its poId (a big hexadecimal UUID)
•  Get “assets” (BPDs, etc.), passing UUID of appropriate
process app
–  GET /rest/bpm/wle/v1/assets?processAppId=<uuid>
•  Iterate over these looking for type="BPD", name="HR Open
New Position"
–  Grab its poId (another big hexadecimal UUID)
•  Start the process (passing UUID of process app and asset)
POST /rest/bpm/wle/v1/process?action=start&bpdId=
8c629222-
b52b-43a1-8543-88bf6d2849d0&processAppId=e8c1f9e
f-25f3-4dc0-aa67-c22bd36223de(1128)
New
POST /bpm/processes?model=HR+Open+New+Position
•  Single line of code, and no UUIDs
–  Note: use GET /bpm/process-models to get available
values
–  Optional “app” and “version” parameters
82

Administration & Config Enhancements
•  Improved scripting/automation of configuration
– Full CRUD capability for all config properties (100config.xml) via
updateBPMConfig command
– Updates all config files in a DE
•  Full configuration of endpoint service, to define URLs per scenario
– Significant simplification of endpoint service setup procedures
•  Improved scripting/automation of external system configuration
– Such as ECM, ODM, Web Services
•  Extended information in config export
– Also export common system and DB information
– Simplifies PMR interaction
83

Migration Enhancements
•  Simplified migration of environments
– BPM config export / import only take care of BPM artifacts
– Related WAS artifacts can now also be exported and re-imported via
exportWASConfig / importWASConfig
•  JDBC providers; JMS providers, queues, topics, SIBs; connection factories;
namespace bindings
•  Cleaned up generated DB scripts for migration
•  DB upgrade accessing live profile
– Completely avoids need for manual profile upgrade before DB upgrade
– (Profiles will be upgraded automatically upon server start, as before)
•  Add Business Process Archive Manager to existing DE
84

Other Enhancements
•  Saved searches
– Now editable in (the new) Process Portal
– As end user, can use shared saved search as basis to define own (non-
shared) saved search
– Authorization change: By default, now only owner or admin can modify or
delete shared saved searches
•  Enhanced BPD process cleanup
– Can cleanup even active process instances (unconditional termination)
– Simplified command line parameter structure
•  Additional Operating Environments
– Support for RHEL, Ubuntu, SUSE all on Power 8 LE
85

Process App Validation – Wombat Service
•  What it does:
– As-is Cloud service to analyze the artifacts of a BPM project
for potential issues, anti-patterns, or errors
– Goes beyond error validation that’s built into IBM BPM
– Takes TWX and Project Interchange Files of
•  All IBM BPM editions since V7.5
•  All IBM Monitor versions
•  All versions of WebSphere Process Server, WebSphere Lombardi Edition and even
Teamworks V7.0
•  How to use:
– Service: https://wombat.mybluemix.net – requires IBM ID for authentication
– Support community at IBM developerWorks: http://ibm.co/1Kf2Gid
86

IBM Smarter Process Project Analyzer (WOMBAT)
…and more!
https://wombat.mybluemix.net
Find potential app design problems
before you reach production

Summary
•  Compelling Business UI Development
–  Responsive Stock Controls
–  Transform DOJO Controls into Responsive UI
–  Client Side Human Service (CSHS) enhancements
–  WYSIWYG coach editor with Grid Layout
–  Graphical Theme Editor for coach and portal styling
•  Responsive Federated Process Portal
–  New Responsive Portal UI
–  Saved Search for Individuals and Teams
–  Federation of Tasks across multiple back-ends
•  Converged Process & Case Capability
–  Converged Editor, Playback, Debugger & Process Inspector
–  Consistent use of CMIS compatible content repositories
–  Case capability standard in all editions
•  Other enhancements
–  Simplified, consistent API (sample)
–  Admin, config, and migration enhancements
89

Palette
Blue 70
Cool Gray 10
Blue 50
Blue 30
Cool Gray 50
Teal 50
Teal 40
Blue 40
91

Sample Pie Chart
92
Sales
1st Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr
Q2 1st Qtr.

Sample Bar Chart
93
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4 Category 5
Series 1
Series 2
Series 3
Series 4

What's new in IBM BPM 8.5.7

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