What's new in WebSphere Process Server Version 7

What's new in WebSphere Process Server Version7Skill Level: Introductory

Marc Fasbinder ([email protected].)IT SpecialistIBM

17 Feb 2010

Learn about new features in Version 7, including new standards support, animproved SOA core, better performance, enhanced support for workflow scenarios,and Business Space support for administrative functions and business users.

Introduction

IBM® WebSphere® Process Server is a powerful software platform that enablesbusiness process management applications for your enterprise. This article coversthe new features and functions available in Version 7.0, released December 11th,2009.

In this article, you will learn about enhancements in many areas, including:

• Administration of human-centric workflow processes.

• User experience improvements.

• Installation and migration improvements.

• Support for open standards.

• Shortened development cycles.

• Productivity improvements.

• Support for updated versions of prerequisite software.

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Enhanced workflow capabilities

WebSphere Process Server automates business processes, whether they areintegration-centric, human-centric, or a mix of the two styles. There are severalenhancements in Version 7.0 to support additional workflow scenarios.

Parallel approval

A common workflow requirement is to have two or more approvers look at the samerequest to "vote". In previous versions of WebSphere Process Server, you canexplicitly model the parallel approvals in your process, or use a loop for multipleiterations. In Version 7.0, it is now possible to have a parallel approval with votingand result aggregation.

In this scenario, a parallel routing task is assigned to a group of users. For eachassigned user, a subtask is automatically created. The output of the parallel routingtask is created by aggregating the results from the subtasks.

When defining a human task, a new attribute enables you to set the ownershippattern to single or parallel, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Ownership pattern

An optional completion function is available to preemptively complete the task, evenif all of the subtasks are not yet completed. For example, if a simple majority of twoout of three people is needed for approval after two "yes" votes, there is no need forthe additional person to perform the approval. In the task properties, the conditionsfor preemptive completion are defined, as shown in Figure 2. You can specify a timeor a condition. Simple predefined conditions as well as the ability to define a custom

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condition are provided.

Figure 2. Completion properties

Once the subtasks have completed or the completion condition has been met, theresults need to be aggregated into the output of the human task. In the human taskproperties, the aggregation is defined, as shown in Figure 3. Predefined functionsare provided for different data types. For example, when using an int data type, theaggregation functions include average, minimum, maximum, and total.

Figure 3. Aggregation properties

In-flight changes

WebSphere Process Server V6.2 added API support to migrate in-flight processesfrom one version to another. Instances can be migrated, as long as all changes tothe business logic are still in the future instance. For example, if a human tasknamed ApprovalTask exists in both the old and new versions, you can migrate a

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process instance that is currently on that task. If the task does not exist in the newversion, you cannot migrate to that process version. Version 7.0 enhances thiscapability by adding migration support to the Business Process Choreographer.

To migrate a process instance to a new version:

1. Log in to the Business Process Choreographer Explorer.

2. Click Process Instances - Administered By Me.

3. Locate the process instance you are interested in, and click the link forthe process instance's name.

4. Along the top with the other actions, you will see the "Migrate" button if aprocess template at a newer version level is available, as shown in Figure4. Click Migrate. The instance is migrated.Figure 4. Migrating a process instance

Version 7.0 also provides a rich set of functionality for changes that you can apply toa running process.

In addition to migrating versions, you can modify in-flight processes to:

• Add or remove activities

• Modify properties of an activity

• Add or remove branches and links

• Modify conditions associated with branches and links

• Modify fault handling

• Add variables

• Change Quality-of-Service properties




• Change transactional behavior or a process or its activities

• Change the deletion behavior or a process

• Reset timers

• Repair correlation sets

• Modify process instance ownership

These new capabilities enable greater flexibility for workflow processes. Authorizedadministrators can change a process instance "on the fly" to meet the needs of thebusiness.

Page flow support

Previous versions of WebSphere Process Server introduced the concept of a pageflow, where you complete your work item and claim the next one in the sameprocess, all in one single action, through the use of a new API. In Version 7.0, youcan leverage this capability out-of-the box, with the default Business Space userinterface.

To enable page flow support for a human task:

1. In the Process Editor, select a human task.

2. In the Properties tab, click the Environment tab.

3. Add a custom property by clicking the Add button. Specify htm.hasNextfor name, and true for value, as shown in Figure 5.Figure 5. Custom property for human task

When the process is deployed, this property tells the runtime engine that this task is




to be used in a page flow. At runtime, when you are working on the human task, theTask Information widget has a Next button rather than the normal Submit button, asshown in Figure 6. Clicking the Next button calls the completeAndClaimSuccessorAPI, going directly to the next human task in the flow.

Figure 6. Page flow

Accept next available task

In a traditional workflow, a person decides what to do next by selecting a task from alist. In some cases selecting the task is looked at as a wasted step, since the personmight need to always select the newest task, highest priority, or by some othersorting method. In other cases, you may not want to let the user decide what to donext, so they do not just "cherry pick" the easiest tasks. To support these scenarios,the Task Information widget has a new setting to accept the next available task, asshown in Figure 7. When you enable this option, you can select which task list toretrieve the next task from, and select the order in which to get the next task. Nowthe user saves a step by having the system automatically get the next task for themin their preferred order.




Figure 7. Task information settings

Variables

In some cases, it is required to initialize variables before they are used in a process.




In previous versions of WebSphere Process Server, you use a BPEL Assign activityor a Java™ snippet to initialize variables. In Version 7.0, you can specify a defaultvalue in the properties for each variable, as shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8. Assigning a default value

When using an Assign BPEL activity, you can use new option called "ValueComposer" to select from the list, as shown in Figure 9.

Figure 9. Selecting the Value Composer




The Value Composer enables you to enter values for a complex or simple type. Youcan either use the Value Composer shown in Figure 10, or you can select the radiobutton to use the XML editor. The Value Composer is available for Assign activitiesas well.

Figure 10. Value composer




Query table

WebSphere Process Server has a feature called Query Table that improvesperformance for large deployments. If there were hundreds of thousands of humantasks, it takes some time for the database to refresh a work list or find a particularhuman task instance. You can use query tables to speed things up.

A developer can create a query table definition using the Query Table Builder tool.The administrator then deploys the query table definition onto the server. The querytables are then used by the Human Task Manager APIs, specifying the query tableto use, as shown in Listing 1.

Listing 1. Query table API example

// retrieve HTM EJBInitialContext context= new InitialContext();Object object = context.lookup("com/ibm/task/api/HumanTaskManagerHome");HumanTaskManagerHome htmHome = (HumanTaskManagerHome)

javax.rmi.PortableRemoteObject.narrow(object,HumanTaskManagerHome.class);

HumanTaskManager htmEJB = htmHome.create();

// claim taskFilterOptions filterOptions = new FilterOptions();filterOptions.setThreshold(20); // claim within the first 20 entries

ClaimResult result = htmEJB.claim("CUSTOMER.HIGHTHROUGHPUT", // use this




qtdfilterOptions, // pass filternull, // current usernull, // no parameters to provide10); // 10 retries

Enhanced substitution

Substitution support has been enhanced to support a new pattern: a temporaryabsence defined by a time interval. Rather than having to mark someone as absent,then having to mark them as being back, you can use this new pattern. TheBusiness Process Choreographer (BPC) Explorer has been updated to support thisnew function.

Business Space enhancements

Business Space powered by WebSphere is the Web 2.0 user interface, which all ofthe WebSphere Business Process Management (BPM) products use. Each productprovides a set of widgets, which plug in to Business Space. In WebSphere ProcessServer V7.0, there are a number of enhancements to Business Space.

Human workflow

In addition to the existing workflow widgets (Human Workflow Diagram, TaskDefinitions List, Task Information, and Task List), there are three new widgets inVersion 7.0:

• Escalations List

• Task Information

• Human Workflow Diagram

In the Escalations List widget, you can view or start any escalations you areauthorized to access, as well as check any escalations assigned to you. Escalationscan be filtered using the menu and column headers. Figure 11 shows theEscalations List. The highlighted pulldown menu has options to browse allescalations, manage escalated tasks, or to escalate a task, even if the timer has notyet been reached. As a default, the Escalations List widget is wired to the TaskInformation widget. Clicking the Open the task icon brings up the escalationinformation in the Task Information widget, if you sent the notification as a work item.

Figure 11. Escalations List




The process definitions list displays a list of process templates, as shown in Figure12. Click Open the process definition to display the process definition in anotherwidget, such as the Human Workflow Diagram widget.

Figure 12. Process Definitions List

The processes list displays a list of process instances that have been started, asshown in Figure 13. You can open the process by clicking the icon at the right, or byselecting the process, then clicking Open.

Figure 13. Processes List

As with previous versions of Business Space, you can click to the right of a columnheader, then select the up or down arrow to sort. In a production environment wherethe number of processes in the list is quite extensive, it is helpful to not just sort, butalso to filter the list. A new feature in Version 7.0 filters the lists in the BusinessSpace widgets. To set a filter, fly over the left-hand side of a column header. Thefilter icon appears, as shown in Figure 14. You can select it, then enter your filter.You do not need a wildcard. If you want all process names starting with "Pr", yousimply enter "Pr" as your filter. The list will now show only the items that match thefilter criteria.

Figure 14. Set a filter

Solution administration widgets




In previous versions, Business Space was targeted primarily for business users.Version 7.0 adds new capabilities for solution administrators, with several newwidgets that enable them to create solution management spaces usingout-of-the-box templates.

The Module Administration widget displays a view of a deployed module, similar tothe layout in WebSphere Integration Developer, as shown in Figure 15. You canview and update module properties, as well as module policies created throughWebSphere Service Registry and Repository. The status of the service controlpoints can be viewed through this widget as well.

Figure 15. Module administration widget

The Business Calendars widget is used to administer and manage time tables. Youcan create or delete events in the timetables. The Security Roles widget as shown inFigure 16, enables the solution administrator to manage system and module roles,assigning users to the roles of BPMAdmin and BPMRoleManager.

Figure 16. Security Roles widget




Service administration widgets

A new set of widgets enables service administration. The Service Monitor widgetmonitors service response times and throughput in a graphic chart, as shown inFigure 17. You can configure statistics to be provided using operations, such asmean, min, and max, time periods of one second or one minute, or since themonitoring started. You can also compare monitoring data sets.

Figure 17. Service Monitor widget




Store and Forward is a new quality of service available in WebSphere ProcessServer V7.0. Two new widgets are used to manage the store and forward ofmessages sent to a target service. The Store and Forward widget lists all servicepoints with this quality of service enabled, while the Store and Forward Detailswidget is used to view and manage the endpoints themselves. In the case of servicefailures, the service requests are stored. Administrators can resubmit the storedrequests. This feature enables easier migration for WebSphere Interchange Serverusers.

Module Health widget

A new Module Health widget is provided to monitor the health of your modules andto diagnose any problems. You can view and act on information about yourenvironment and topology. A multi-tabbed interface enables you to view informationabout your system. The Topology tab shows the status of deployment environments,clusters, and stand-alone servers, as shown in Figure 18.

Figure 18. Topology

The System Components tab shows the status of server, Business Space, and BPCand SCA components, as shown in Figure 19.




Figure 19. System Components tab

The System Messaging Engines tab shows the status of your messaging engines.The Queues tab shows the status, depth, and utilization of queue points defined toyour messaging engines, as shown in Figure 20.

Figure 20. Queues tab

The Data Sources tab shows the health of database data sources. The FailedEvents tab shows any failed events in the system. You can sort any column in any ofthese new widgets by clicking on the column header.

These new widgets enable administrators to access information about the health ofthe system, which was previously only available from the administration console.Instead of navigating through dozens of screens, it is now consolidated into a singleview.

System Health widget

The new System Health widget monitors the health and status of your deployedintegration modules, enabling you to quickly diagnose problems. Whereas the




Module Health widget previously discussed drills into the health of a particularmodule, this widget looks at the health of the overall system. A multi-tabbedinterface is used to drill down to see information. Server and cluster status isdisplayed in the Topology tab. Application status is shown in the SystemApplications tab. The Applications tab shows information about deployedapplications, as shown in Figure 21. Information about queue points is displayed inthe Queues tab.

Figure 21. System Health widget

Other Business Space updates

Existing widgets have been improved for ease of use, with less configurationrequired out-of-the-box. Business Space is now based on Lotus Mashups 2.0,enabling greater interoperability with existing widgets. Widgets created for BusinessSpace Version 7.0 can now run in WebSphere Portal Server Version 6.1.5.

SOA core

WebSphere Process Server is built on an SOA foundation. Version 7 bringsnumerous changes to leverage newer standards and improved performance. Eventsequencing is now supported in both WebSphere Process Server and WebSphereEnterprise Service Bus (ESB).

New SCA container

WebSphere Process Server V7.0 is based on WebSphere Application Server V7. Anew Service Component Architecture (SCA) container delivers significant improvedperformance. In previous versions, a deployed module required an EJB project to begenerated and deployed. The new SCA container eliminates this requirement inmost cases, improving the speed of code generation, packaging, deployment, andvalidation. There are no programming model changes required to leverage this newfunctionality.

The Version 7 runtime includes both the new and the V6.2 versions of the SCAcontainer, enabling support of projects built for either version. Modules in V6.2 andV7 modes can interoperate.




These enhancements enable faster deployment of BPM solutions from WebSphereIntegration Developer, WebSphere Business Modeler, or from the command line.

Business object runtime

In previous versions, business objects were based on the Service Data Object(SDO) programming model, with an Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF)implementation. In Version 7.0, the programming model is still SDO, but theimplementation is now XML-based. This improves performance in some cases, andenables improved XML handling. The new implementation enables you to use weakdata typing, casting, and other complex data handling functions. Both the V6.2 andV7.0 implementations are included with the runtime for compatibility, and both caninteroperate with each other. If you wrote EMF code in previous versions rather thanusing SDO as recommended, you need to remain at the V6.2 level. If you did useSDO code, your modules can run in V7 mode without any coding changes.

EJB bindings

WebSphere Process Server V6.2 supported SCA imports with EJB 2.1 bindings.Version 7 now supports the EJB 3.0 specification, while still supporting EJB 2.1. Youcan now use SCA exports to expose modules with a local EJB interface, whileimports can call a local EJB. Both WSDL and Java™ interfaces are supported.

Message bindings

WebSphere MQ V7 support has been added for both MQ and MQ JMS bindings.These bindings now use the MQ V7 JCA resource adapter, which provides supportto both MQ V7 and earlier interfaces. Rather than using listener ports, you now useactivation specifications. You can specify a pre-configured one, or you can create itautomatically when the application is installed. In previous versions, MQ Client andCCDT connections were supported. In Version 7, support has been added forBINDINGS and BINDINGSTHENCLIENT connections.

All MQ and JMS bindings now support Pub/Sub, where a message is published to atopic, rather than to a queue.

Store and Forward

WebSphere MQ and JMS offer persistent messaging as a quality of service. If themessage target is offline, the message is stored on disk so it can be processed oncethe target system is back online.

WebSphere Process Server and WebSphere ESB V7 enable you to use Store andForward so that messages are persisted to disk, then sent on to the target once theservice is again available. Store and Forward is available for both synchronous andasynchronous services. An SCA qualifier for Store and Forward is available onasynchronous services. See the section on Business Space for information about




the Store And Forward widgets.

Store and Forward is not supported for synchronous calls from long runningprocesses.

Improved time to value

The installation and configuration of WebSphere Process Server have beenimproved, including easier cluster configuration. Topology and databaseconfiguration and management have been improved. You can import and exportstatic relationship data, simplifying the process of loading the relationship tables.

Moving to Version 7.0 from an earlier version

WebSphere Process Server V7 has common commands and a user interface forversion-to-version migration utilities across WebSphere Dynamic Process Edition,WebSphere Business Services Fabric, WebSphere Process Server, WebSphereESB, WebSphere Business Monitor, and WebSphere Business Compass.WebSphere Process Server for Multiplatforms or WebSphere ESB for Multiplatformsenvironments running V6.0.2, V6.1.0, V6.1.2, or V6.2 can migrate to V7.0 in a singlestep.

Platform currency

WebSphere Process Server V7 has been updated to support newer versions ofsoftware and standards:

• On z/OS®, delivers improved integration of the WebSphereCustomization Tool with the WebSphere Process Server for z/OSinstallation experience, enhanced tool support assists the DB2® databasecreation process, and a Common Installer Framework that provides anintegrated experience for all z/OS BPM products.

• Microsoft® SQL Server 2008 can be used as the underlying database forstoring WebSphere Process Server program data (excluding BusinessProcess Choreographer Explorer reporting capabilities).

• Java EE 5, EJB 3.0, JPA, Java SDK 6 support, and enhanced Javaintegration are now supported.

• Web services support enhancements include WS-Addressing,attachments, Kerberos token profile, and WS-Policy support. Referencedattachments are also now supported, with a MIME binding generated in




the WSDL.

• Interoperability has been added for Open SCA, enabling securedtransactional connections over a standard protocol.

• OSGi support has been enhanced, with enhanced XML fidelity.

Product information updates

The Information Center for WebSphere Process Server V7 has been enhanced withmore welcome pages that provide tabbed areas for learning, accomplishing tasks,and finding additional support, as shown in Figure 22. Linked search terms in the"tag clouds" at the beginning of the topics improve indexing for search and provide auseful, alternative means of navigating the documentation. The Information Centerhas also been improved to enable better search engine indexing.

Figure 22. Information Center

Information to facilitate version-to-version migration has been improved, as well asintegrated, cross-product procedures, commands, and user interfaces for migratingbusiness process management runtime products.

Scenarios are used to describe products and key tasks in terms of high-level usergoals and the business process management lifecycle. More information has beenincluded on common configuration scenarios, network deployment, databaseconfiguration, and Business Space.



http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/dmndhelp/v7r0mx/topic/com.ibm.websphere.wps.doc/welcome_wps.html


Other enhancements

Other Version 7 enhancements include:

• Custom properties for processes and activities can now be binary.

• The REST API has been extended for greater support of businessprocesses and human tasks.

• The BPC Explorer has new support for repairing error situations:

• Join condition evaluation errors

• Loop condition evaluation failures

• For Each activity counter value evaluation errors

• Transition Condition evaluation failures

Conclusion

In this article, you learned about the new features and functions available inWebSphere Process Server Version 7.0. You learned how support for workflowscenarios has been enhanced, how Business Space now supports administrativefunctions and business users. You also learned about new standards support, animproved SOA core, and better performance.




Resources

• WebSphere Process Server Version Version 7.0 samples and tutorials

• WebSphere Process Server Version Version 7.0 Information Center

• WebSphere Process Server discussion forum

About the author

Marc FasbinderMarc Fasbinder is an I/T Specialist at IBM with the WebSphere Technical Salesteam in Southfield, Michigan.



http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/bpcsamp/index.html

http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/dmndhelp/v7r0mx/topic/com.ibm.websphere.wps.doc/welcome_wps.html

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/forums/forum.jspa?forumID=820


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What's new in WebSphere Process Server Version 7