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webMethods Workf lo
Concepts Gu
VERSION 6
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webMethodsAdministrator,webMethods Broker,webMethodsDashboard,webMethodsDeveloper,webMethodsFabric,webMethodsGlue,webMethods Installer,webMethodsIntegrationServer,webMethods Mainframe,webMethodsManager,webMethods Modeler,webMethodsMonitor,webMethodsOptimize,webMethodsPortal,webMethodsServicenet,webMethods TradingNetworks,andwebMethodsWorkflowaretrademarks ofwebMethods,Inc.webMethodsandthewebMethods logoareregisteredtrademarksofwebMethods,Inc.
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Copyright2005bywebMethods,Inc.Allrightsreserved,includingtherightofreproductioninwholeorinpartinanyform.
Document ID: WF-CG-651-20051130
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Con
webMethods Workfl ow Concepts Guide Version 6.5.1
C o n t e n t s
About This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Document Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 1. What is webMethods Workflow? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How webMethods Workflow Helps Manage Business Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Types of Scenarios webMethods Workflow Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
webMethods Workflow: Key Benefits ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
... and Key Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Graphically Designed Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Time-Based Management of Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Designing User Interfaces to Complete Human Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Project Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Integration with Existing Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 2. webMethods Workfl ow Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
webMethods Workflow Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
webMethods Workflow Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
webMethods Broker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
webMethods Workflow Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Process Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Distribution Control Service (DCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
My webMethods Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Authentication Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Portfolio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Log Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Server Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Resource Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
webMethods Workflow Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Business Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Workflow Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Workflow Inbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
My webMethods Business Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
webMethods Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Administrative Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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4 webMethods Workf low Concepts Guide Version 6.5.1
Workflow Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Workflow Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Workflow Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Components of a Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Implementation Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
webMethods Workflow Logic Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Routers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Timers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Calendars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Joins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Comparators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Assigners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Plug-ins and External Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Launchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Notifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Workflow Project Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Chapter 3. webMethods Workfl ow Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Planning Workflows: A Top-Down Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Top-Down Methodology and webMethods Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Reusing Workflow Components to Accommodate Growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Creating Workflows: Basic Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Documenting Projects and Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
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About This G
webMethods Workfl ow Concepts Guide Version 6.5.1
A b o u t T h i s G u i d e
ThisguidedescribesthebenefitsofusingwebMethodsWorkflow,thearchitecturea
components
of
webMethods
Workflow,
and
the
methodology
to
use
to
effectively
creaandmanageworkflowprocesses.
D o c u m e n t C o n v e n t i o n s
Convention Description
Bold Identifieselementsonascreen.
Italic Identifiesvariableinformationthatyoumustsupplyorchangebasedonyourspecificsituationorenvironment.Identifiestermsthefirsttimetheyaredefinedintext.Alsoidentifiesserviceinputandoutputvariables.
Narrow font IdentifiesstoragelocationsforservicesonthewebMethodsIntegrationServerusingtheconventionfolder.subfolder:service.
Typewriter
font
Identifiescharactersandvaluesthatyoumusttypeexactlyormessagesthatthesystemdisplaysontheconsole.
UPPERCASE Identifieskeyboardkeys.Keysthatyoumustpresssimultaneouslyarejoinedwiththe+symbol.
\ Directorypathsusethe\directorydelimiterunlessthesubjectisUNIXspecific.
[] Optional
keywords
or
values
are
enclosed
in
[].
Do
not
type
the[]symbolsinyourowncode.
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A b o u t T h i s G u i d e
6 webMethods Workf low Concepts Guide Version 6.5.1
A d d i t i o n a l I n f o r m a t i o n
ThewebMethodsAdvantageWebsiteathttp://advantage.webmethods.comprovidesyouwithimportantsourcesofinformationaboutthewebMethodsIntegrationPlatform:
Troubleshooting Information.webMethodsprovidestroubleshootinginformationformanywebMethodscomponentsinthewebMethodsKnowledgeBase.
Documentation Feedback.ToprovidedocumentationfeedbacktowebMethods,gototheDocumentationFeedbackFormonthewebMethodsBookshelf.
Additional Documentation. AllwebMethodsdocumentationisavailableonthewebMethodsBookshelf.
http://advantage.webmethods.com/http://advantage.webmethods.com/troubleshootinghttp://advantage.webmethods.com/troubleshootinghttp://advantage.webmethods.com/troubleshootinghttp://advantage.webmethods.com/troubleshootinghttp://advantage.webmethods.com/troubleshootinghttp://advantage.webmethods.com/docfeedbackhttp://advantage.webmethods.com/docfeedbackhttp://advantage.webmethods.com/docfeedbackhttp://advantage.webmethods.com/docfeedbackhttp://advantage.webmethods.com/docfeedbackhttp://advantage.webmethods.com/Bookshelfhttp://advantage.webmethods.com/Bookshelfhttp://advantage.webmethods.com/Bookshelfhttp://advantage.webmethods.com/Bookshelfhttp://advantage.webmethods.com/Bookshelfhttp://advantage.webmethods.com/Bookshelfhttp://advantage.webmethods.com/Bookshelfhttp://advantage.webmethods.com/Bookshelfhttp://advantage.webmethods.com/docfeedbackhttp://advantage.webmethods.com/troubleshootinghttp://advantage.webmethods.com/8/3/2019 Web Methods Workflow Concepts Guide 6.5.1
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webMethods Workfl ow Concepts Guide Version 6.5.1
C H A P T E R
1W h a t i s w e b M et h o d s Wo r k f l o w ?
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How webMethods Workflow Helps Manage Business Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Types of Scenarios webMethods Workflow Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
webMethods Workflow: Key Benefits ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
... and Key Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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C H A P TE R 1 W h a t i s w eb M e t h o d s Wo r k f l o w ?
8 webMethods Workf low Concepts Guide Version 6.5.1
O v e r v i e w
ThewebMethodsintegrationplatformenablesyoutoautomateanentireenterprisebyintegratingyourcompanyscoreinformationsystemsandpeoplewiththoseofyour
businesspartners.Withalmostanyautomatedprocess,yourbusinessinevitablyhastransactionsthatrequirehumanintervention(forexample,anorderneedingapprovalorcreditissuesneedingresolution).webMethodsWorkflowhelpsyoustreamlineyour
businessprocessesbyintegratingthesehumaninteractionswithautomatedbusinessstepswithinthewebMethodsintegrationplatformandensuringthattherightpeoplegettherightdataattherighttime.
webMethodsWorkflowallowsbusinessusersanddesignerstocreateavisualrepresentationofacompanysbusinessrulesandthenusethoserulestodefineaseriesoftasksandtheinformationthatflowsamongthem.Designerscanthencreateuserinterfacesthatworkflowparticipantsusetoviewandcompletetheirtasks.YoucanuseworkflowsindividuallyorconnectthemtootherprocesseswithinthewebMethodsplatformtoconstructlargersolutions.
H o w w e b M et h o d s W o r k f l o w H e l p s M an a g e B u s i n e s s P r o c e s s e s
Businessprocessmanagementrepresentstheabilitytomodel,integrate,manage,andoptimizeinteractionsbetweenthefollowingintegrationcomponents:
Mainframes
Databases/Datawarehouses
Internalsystemsandapplications
Tradingpartners
Webservices
Workflow
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10 webMethods Workf low Concepts Guide Version 6.5.1
Ty p e s o f S c e n a r i o s w e b M e t h o d s W o r k f l o w A d d r e s s e s
webMethodsWorkflowaddressesamyriadofbusinessscenarios.AnyprocessthatinvolvespeopleanddataisacandidateforwebMethodsWorkflowsolutions.Someexamplesinclude:
Human validation. Inmanybusinessscenarios,itisimportantforapersontoverifyinformationbeforeabusinessprocesscontinues.
Example:Verificationofpaymentinformationincludedwithanorder
Data exception handling. Evenwithinautomatedprocesses,errorscanoccur.Theseerrorsmustberaisedtothosepeoplewhocancorrectthem,sothatprocessingcancontinuewithminimumdisruption.
Example:Updatingbatchinformationthatwasformattedincorrectly
Process exception handling ("i ntelligent business"). Withinanybusinessprocess,
conditionsarise
that
alter
the
normal
course
of
business.
When
these
emergencies
happen,itiscriticaltoprovidetherightinformationtothepeoplewhoneedtomakedecisionstodeliveroncommittedbusinessoperations.
Example:Choosinganalternativesupplysourceforoutofstockmaterial
Multiple step processes. Completingcomplextransactionswithinabusinessnormallyinvolvestaskssharedbymanypeopleanddepartments.
Example:Completinganemployeechangerequestbyreceivingtherequiredapprovalsfromtheemployee,theemployeesmanager,andHumanResources
Escalations and approvals. Withinorganizations,manydecisionsrequirechecksandbalances.
Example:Identificationofakeycustomerandreceiptofapprovalfrommanagementtoprovideasalesdiscounttothatcustomer
Collaborative processes. Manyprocessesrequireiterativecollaborationbetweenpartnersorbetweendepartmentswithinanorganizationtocompletetheoverallobjective.
Example:Multiplepartyadjustmentandacceptanceofapartdesign
Progression and time-based management. Efficientorganizationsrequiretheabilitytomanagetimeacrossallaspectsofabusiness.
Example:Certainordersrequireprocessingwithinfourbusinesshours(MondaythroughSaturday,8:00a.m.to4:30p.m.)
Composite applications. Manycompanieshavebeenforcedtointegratemultipledatasourceswithintheirorganizationsandseekwaystocomposeintegrated,extendedapplicationswithoutadditionaldevelopmentoftheapplicationinfrastructure.
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webMethods Workflow: Key Benef
webMethods Workfl ow Concepts Guide Version 6.5.1
Example:AllowinguserstocreateandviewanintegratedsingleviewofthecustomacrossmultipleERPsanddepartments
w e b M et h o d s W o r k f l o w : K e y B e n e f i t s . . .
webMethodsWorkflowprovidesseveralbenefits:
Access to key systems. Forworkflowstoscalebeyonddepartmentalusage,theymubeabletoplugintothesystemsoftheoverallenvironment.webMethodsWorkfloallowsforsolutionsinvolvingpeopleandsystemsthatextendtoallaspectsoftheenterprise.
Customized user interfaces. webMethodsWorkflowDesignerenablesdesignerstocreuserinterfacesand,usingdraganddroptechniques,connectelementsontheinterfacestothedataonwhichtheyoperate.Businessuserscancustomizetheseinterfacestomatchtheirprocessanddatarequirements,withoutcoding.
Sophisticated change management capabilities. Workflowalsoprovidesflexibilityinthwaybusinessusersmanagechangestotheproject,includingallowinguserstodepenhancedversionsofprojectsandmigrateorupgradeontonewworkflowinstanc
. .. and K ey Capab i l i t i es
UsingwebMethodsWorkflow,businessuserscancreatesophisticatedmultistepworkflowsthatincludebothpeopleandapplications.Withintheseworkflows,designcancreatetaskstorepresentuserinteractionwiththesystem,definebusinessrules,ancontroltheflowofstepsthroughouttheoverallintegrationsystem.
webMethodsWorkflow
provides
the
following
key
capabilities:
Graphicallydesignedworkflows
Timebasedmanagementofinformation
Capacitytocreateuserinterfaces
Projectmanagementfeatures
Integrationwithexistingapplications
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G raph i ca l l y Des ig ned Work f l ows
ThewebMethodsWorkflowDesigner enablesuserstocreateworkflowmodelsgraphicallybydragginganddroppingneededcomponents,withoutcoding.ThefollowingillustrationshowstheDesignerinterfacewithanexampleworkflow.
Creating wor kflows with webMethods Workflow Designer
UsingelementswithinWorkflowDesigner,designerscan:
Assign tasks within a workflow to roles. Designerscontrolthedistributionofinformationinatypicalworkflowbaseduponstaticanddynamicuserinformation.Toensurethataworkflowcanprogresssmoothly,designerscanassigntaskstoaroleratherthantoaspecificindividual.Designerscanassignindividualstosingleormultipleroleswithinandacrossworkflows,aswellastakeintoaccountschedulingissuessuchascalendarsandabsences.Definedroleshelpcategorizeusers(forexample,CustomerServiceRepresentative).Theserolesalsoestablishanorderinwhichinformationflowstothembasedongroup,reportingstructure,customattributes(forexample,spendinglimit),andmorecomplexlogicaloperationsthatcombineseveraloftheseelements.
Control business processes in the workfl ow. Businessuserscandefinebusinessrulestocomparekeyinformation,establishdecisioncriteria,assignresponsibilities,imposetimeconstraints,andmanageexternalevents.Thesebusinessrules,usedindividuallyorlinkedtogether,helpanalystscontrolthebusinessprocesstowhichtheworkflowrefers.
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Reuse elements. Designerscanreuseeachelementoftheworkflow,includingindividualtasks(stepsinaworkflow),businessrules,andeventheworkflowsthemselves.
T ime-Based Management o f I n fo rmat ionWhenstepsinaprocessinvolvepeople,itiscriticaltobeabletomanagetime.WithwebMethodsWorkflow,designerscanapplycustombusinesscalendarstotimebasedscenarios.Youcandefinetimecriteriawithinthecontextofabusinessdayordifferen
businessdaysacrossvariousboundaries(forexample,manufacturingcalendarschedules).Youcanalsoscheduletimeouts,escalations,rerouting,andnotificationsrelativetothecalendarsonwhichyourbusinessruns.
Des ign ing User In te r f aces to Comple te Human Tasks
UsingWorkflowDesigner,userinterfaces,calledtaskviews,canbecreatedthatallow
persontocompleteataskinabusinessprocess.
webMethods Workflow user interface
Forexample,designerscancreatetaskviewstocollectinformationfromseveralsourcordefineawizardthatguidestheWorkflowparticipantthroughvariousdecisions.Thdesignercancustomizethesetaskviewsforeachroleinvolvedinaparticulartask(fo
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example,createtwoviewsofapurchaseordersothatamanagerandasubordinateseedifferentpartsofthepurchaseorder).DesignerscandesigntheseviewstodisplaytoWorkflowparticipantsasJavapanelsorasHTMLpages.
Inaddition,WorkflowDesignerallowsdesignersto:
Maintain component-centric design. Designerscanreuseeachelementofthedesigneduserinterfaceacrossmultipleworkflows.
Ensure compliance with business process rules. Theuserinterface,andthereforetheuser,canworkdirectlywiththedatathatisprocessedwithinataskandtheworkfloweventsthattriggerthetask.Thisconnectionhelpsensurethatyourbusinesscanmeetthebusinessrulesthathavebeenestablishedfortheoverallprocess.
Perform dynamic data interactions. BecausetaskviewsandtheirunderlyingdataareintegratedwiththewebMethodsintegrationplatform,designerscandesignthetaskviewstodynamicallyupdatewithinformationfromthewebMethodsintegrationplatformorinitiatebyeventsoccurringthroughouttheintegrationplatform.
Move information data easily and quickly. DesignerscandraganddropanypieceofavailabledatainthewebMethodsintegrationplatformontospecificuserinterfaceelements.webMethodsWorkflowmanagesthedataflowtoandfromeachwebMethodsWorkflowobject.
Pro jec t Management
Enterpriseshandlealargenumberofprocessmodelsorworkflows.Thestructureofthesemodels(includingtheirconstituentbuildingblocks,thebusinesslogic,andinterfacestoexternalsystems)canbecomplex,requiringthedevelopmentandintegrationeffortsofateamofbusinessanalysts,designers,andsupportpersonnel.Managingthedevelopment,
integration,testing,anddeploymentofsuchcomplexprojectsneedsanefficientprojectmanagementtool.webMethodsWorkflowprojectmanagementfunctionhelpsyoutrackyourprojectstaskassignments,schedule,progress,andcompletion.
UsingtheWorkflowprojectmanagementfeature,businessuserscancreate,edit,version,anddeleteprojects.Duringprojectcreation,businessuserscanassignattributestotheprojectsuchasprojectname,description,creatorsname,projectdeadline,andeditpolicy.
Specifically,theprojectmanagementfunctionallowsbusinessusersto:
Organizetheprocessandtaskflowdesignworkintoindividualprojects.
Addorremovebusinessanalystsordevelopersassignedtoworkonaproject.
Editexistingassignments.
Setcompletiondeadlinesforassignmentsinaproject.
Createversiondesigntimeworkflowmodels.
Checkcomponentsinandoutofthesystem.
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Importandexportprojects.
Deployandactivateprojectsintoanenvironment.
I n t eg r a t i on w i t h E x i s t i ng A pp l i ca t i onsBusinessuserscanintegrateworkflowswithexistingcustomapplicationsusingthewebMethodsWorkflowClientAPI.ThisAPIenablesbusinessuserstostartworkflowfromotherapplications,aswellasaccessinformationaboutactiveworkflowsandexecworkflowtasks,bysharingthefollowingbetweentwoormorecustomapplications:
Nameofauserorroleandthelistoftasksassociatedwiththeuserorrole
Databeingpassedtoandfromthetask
Taskpropertiesthatcontrolthetimingandexecutionofthetasksuchashowtohandletaskcompletion,failure,andcancellation
Forqueuedtasks,theAPIalsoenablesadministratorstodynamicallychangetheprioanddistributionrulesofthetask.
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C H A P T E R
2w e b Me t h o d s Wo r k f l o w C o n c ep t s
webMethods Workflow Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
webMethods Workflow Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Components of a Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Workflow Project Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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webMetho ds B roker
webMethodsBrokerprovidesthecoremessaginginfrastructureofwebMethodsWorkflow.webMethodsWorkflowcomponentsactasaclienttothemessaginginfrastructuretocoordinatewebMethodsWorkflowactivityacrosstheplatform.
Database
webMethodsWorkflowrequiresanRDBMStostoreuserandconfigurationinformatialongwithcriticalruntimeandmonitoringinformation.webMethodsWorkflowusesRDBMSforwriteoperations,primarilyreadingbackdataonlyafterrestartorsystemfailure.Whentheuserdeploysaproject,webMethodsWorkflowgeneratestablesthatsupporttheruntimeoperationofthecreatedworkflows.webMethodsWorkflowsusthedatabasecentersaroundguaranteeingreliabilityandoptimizingthedatathatpasthroughthesystem.Assuch,itisnotnecessaryorappropriatetoquerythedatabasetablesdirectly.
webMethod s Work f l ow Server
TheserversideofwebMethodsWorkflowconcernsthefollowingcomponents:
ProcessServer
DistributionControlService(DCS)
MywebMethodsServer
AuthenticationService
PortfolioService
LogService
ServerManagerService
ResourceService
Process Server
TheProcessServerinterpretstheruntimeworkflowmodelsgeneratedthroughtheWorkflowDesigner.ThewebMethodsWorkflowadministratorcanreplicatetheProceServerforadditionalscalability.TheProcessServerisresponsiblefor:
Managingtransactions(committingandrollingbackchanges)andprocesscontro(starting,suspending,resuming,andstoppingaworkflow)
Savinginformationrelatedtotheworkflow
Controllingtheflowoftheworkflowfromcomponenttocomponent(suchastasktimers,andjoins)
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Generatingthedataandeventsinterpretedbythemonitoringsystem
Distribution Contro l Service (DCS)
TheDistributionControlService(DCS)interpretstheprocessandtaskflowofthe
workflowmodelstoreacttoworkflowinputs.Italsodirectstasks,whicharethehumanactionsrequiredinaworkflow,totheappropriatequeues(orInboxes)oftheWorkflowparticipantswhoconnecttowebMethodsWorkflowtoviewandactonthelistoftasksintheirinboxes.
TheDCSisresponsiblefor:
Providingrolesbasedaccesstoworkflowtasks
Dispensingtaskstobecompleted
InteractingwiththeProcessServertocoordinatetheinitiationandcompletionofWorkflowparticipantsinteractionswiththesystem(tasks)
Generatingdistributionrelateddataandeventsinterpretedbythemonitoringsystem
My webMethods Server
ThewebMethodsIntegrationPlatformprovidescentralizedusermanagementwithMywebMethodsServer.YoucannowintegrateWorkflowintoasitecentralsecuritysystem,suchasLDAP.
InwebMethods6.5.1,theWorkflowMonitorhasbeenenhanced,andisnowpartofMywebMethodsBusinessMonitoring.YouuseMywebMethodstomonitorprocesses,includingworkflows,andtomanageWorkflowtasks.Inaddition,MywebMethodsincludesanadditionalWorkflowInboxoption,calledMyInbox.
Authentication Service
Workflowauthenticationcanbeconfiguredinthreeways:MywebMethodsServer(default),localWorkflowsecurity,orintegratedwithanyexternalsystemviathepublicsecurityAPI.
TheAuthenticationservicemanagesusersofthewebMethodsWorkflowsystem(designers,administrators,andWorkflowparticipants)andgroupsoftheseusers.ThisservicevalidatestheuserIDsandpasswordssuppliedbyuserswhentheyaccesswebMethodsWorkflow,andallowsaccessbasedonrolerelatedauthorizations.
TheAuthenticationservicealsoassociatesenduserswithenterprisewiderolesthatare
configuredwithin
the
webMethods
Workflow
system.
The
Authentication
service
supportstheleveragingofexternalsystemsforuserauthenticationandtheretrievalofrolebasedinformation.Inaddition,theservicecontainsapublicAPItoassistinintegratingtocentralsecuritysystemssuchasLDAP.
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w e b M et h o d s W o r k f l o w To o l s
webMethodsWorkflowprovidestoolsthatallow:
Businessuserstoeasilycreatepowerfulprocesses
Administratorstosupportlargeproductionsystems
WhenauserlogsintowebMethodsWorkflow,atoolbarcalledtheWorkflowClientManagerdisplaystoprovideaccesstotheWorkflowtools:Users,Designer,Inbox,Generator,andAdministrator.
Workflow Client Manager
NotallusershaveaccesstoallofthewebMethodsWorkflowtools.Thebuttonsausersees
intheWorkflowClientManagerdependonthetoolsthatuserhasbeenauthorizedtouse.
Bus i ness Too ls
webMethodsWorkflowprovidesthebusinessuserwithtoolstohelpspeedthecreationanddeploymentofnewworkflows.Withthesebusinesstools,userscancreateandmonitorsolutionscreatedwithwebMethodsWorkflow.Inaddition,thesebusinesstoolsalsoenabledeveloperstocreatetheuserinterfacesthatallowWorkflowparticipantstoperformthehumaninteractionthatisrequiredinabusinessprocess.
webMethodsWorkflowtoolsforbusinessusersareDesignerandInbox.Inaddition,businessuserscanuseMywebMethodsBusinessMonitoringandwebMethodsMonitortomonitoractivityacrossthewebMethodsintegrationplatform.
Note: TheWorkflowUserstoolisonlyavailableinalocalsecurityenvironment.
Users Designer Inbox Generator Administrator
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webMethods Workflow business tools
My webMethodsBusiness Monitoring
Designers create, generate,and deploy workflows and tasksusing Workflow Designer.
WorkflowDesigner
WorkflowInbox
Workflow participants use theWorkflow Inbox to view, activate,and process any tasks assigned tothem (or to their assigned role).
Using My webMethods BusinessMonitoring, an administrator canview workflows in progress oradjust queued and active tasks.
Administrators can also usewebMethods Monitor to monitoractivity across the webMethods
integration platform.
webMethodsMonitor
1
2
3
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Workflow Inbox
TheWorkflowInboxiswhereWorkflowparticipantsviewandcompletethelistoftasassignedtothemoraroletheyareplaying.Forexample,aWorkflowparticipantmighapproveapurchaseorderorassignacustomerrequest.TheWorkflowInboxcanbeeit
aJava
application
that
presents
aJava
based
task
panel,
aWeb
URL
for
the
Workflow
participanttonavigateusingaWebbrowser,orMyInboxinMywebMethods.
My webMethods Business Monitoring
MywebMethodsBusinessMonitoringprovidesbusinessmanagersandsystemadministratorswithspecificinformationaboutwebMethodsWorkflowactivities,includingwhoiscurrentlyworkingonanactivetaskwithinwebMethodsWorkflow,wrolesareactinguponworkflowinformation,andwhatpendingtasksarecurrentlyineuserorrolesqueue.Basedonthisinformation,businessmanagersandsystemadministratorscanadjustworkflowactivityasneeded,suchasstoppingorresumingworkflowsandrequeueingorreassigningtasks.
BusinessprocessmonitoringinMywebMethodsallowsyoutomonitorotherprocessbesidesworkflowsandtasks.Formoreinformation,refertoGettingStartedwithMywebMethods.
webMethods Monitor
InadditiontothewebMethodsWorkflowtools,abusinessusercanalsousethewebMethodsMonitortomonitorprocessactivityacrosstheenterprise.webMethodsMonitorallowsyoutomonitorprocessesrunninginallcomponentsofthewebMethoplatform.
webMethods Monitor
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webMethodsWorkflowlogsinformationtotheMonitortoprovideaprocesscentricviewoftheendtoendbusinessprocessacrosstheenterprise.FormoreinformationaboutwebMethodsMonitor,seethewebMethodsMonitorUsersGuide.
Adm in i s t r a t i ve Too lswebMethodsWorkflowprovidesadministratorswiththetoolsthattheyneedtosupportaproductionwebMethodsWorkflowsystem.
webMethodsWorkflowtoolsforadministratorsareUsers,Administrator,andGenerator.
webMethods Workflow administrative tools
Workflow Users
AdministratorsusethewebMethodsWorkflowUserstooltocreateuseraccountsandgroupsandtoassignusersandgroupstoroles.
AdministratorscreateuseraccountsforallusersthataccessthewebMethodsWorkflowsystem:
Designers,whodevelopworkflows
Administrators,whomanageandsupportthewebMethodsWorkflowsystem
Workflowparticipants,whoareendusersthataccesswebMethodsWorkflowtoviewandactupontasksthatareassignedtothem(forexample,accountants,salespersons,andmanagers)
Administratorsassigneachusertoaspecificgroup.TheAuthenticationservice(described
in
webMethods
Workflow
Architecture
on
page 18)
uses
this
group
designation
to
determinethetoolstowhichtheuserhasaccess.Forexample,theAnalystgroupcanaccessWorkflowDesignerandWorkflowMonitor.
Using the Workflow Users tool, anadministrator creates user accounts,determines which Workflow tools auser can access, and assigns usersto groups and to roles they willassume during workflow execution.
WorkflowUsers
WorkflowGenerator
Using the Workflow Generator, anadministrator can view a record ofthe projects that have been placedinto quality assurance or productionenvironments and activate anddeactivate versions of a project.
WorkflowAdministrator
Using the Workflow Administrator,an administrator can view, start,and stop the run-time services ofthe webMethods Workflow systemand their properties and logs.
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Administratorsalsoassignuserstoroles.DesignersdefinerolesastheycreateworkflotodeterminehowtaskswithinaworkflowaredistributedtoWorkflowparticipants.Whendefiningtheroles,thedesignercanalsodefineattributesfortherole(forexampapprovallimitforapurchaseorder).Whentheadministratorassignsuserstoroles,thadministratoralsosetsthevaluesoftheroleattributesfortheuser(forexample,theu
fillingtherolecanapprovepurchaseordersof$5,000orless).Asingleuser,ifnotassignedtoagroup,canbeassignedtomultipleroles(forexample,oneroletoinitiatepurchaseordersandanotherroletoapproveinvoices).
Workflow Administrator
AdministratorsusethewebMethodsWorkflowAdministratortomonitorandcontrolruntimeservicesandserversofthewebMethodsWorkflowsystem.UsingWorkflowAdministrator,anadministratorcan:
Viewservicesandserversbyhost(allhostedbyaspecifichost).
Start,stop,orrestartallorselectedservicesandservers.
Viewthepropertiesofaselectedservice,suchashostname,hostIPaddress,RMIregistryport,orinstancename.
Viewtheactivitylogofaselectedserviceorserver.
ViewtheAdministratorLogthatshowstheoverallactivityoftheWorkflowAdministratortool.
Viewhostsbyserviceorserver(allhostsforaspecificserviceorserver).
Defineglobal,oralias,namesforIntegrationServersandbrokerstomakeiteasiersharethesecomponentsacrosstheintegrationplatform.
FormoreinformationaboutthewebMethodsWorkflowservicesandservers,seewebMethodsWorkflowServeronpage 19.
Workflow Generator
ThewebMethodsWorkflowGeneratorenablesadministratorstodeploygeneratedprojectstoqualityassuranceandproductionenvironments,toviewarecordoftheprojectsthathavebeendeployed,andtoactivateanddeactivateversionsofaproject.
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C o m p o n e n t s o f a W o r k f l o w
DesignersusetheWorkflowDesignertocreateaworkflow,incorporatingthefollowing
maincomponents:
Workflows
Documents
Tasks
Controllers
Roles
Implementationmodules
UnderstandingthesecomponentsandusingthemtogetherallowsbusinessuserstocreateeffectiveworkflowsolutionspoweredbythestrengthofthewebMethodsintegrationplatform.
W or k f l ow s
Aworkflowdefinesandcoordinatestheactions(tasks)thatpeople(Workflowparticipants)needtocompleteduringabusinessprocess.Coordinatingtasksincludesdeterminingthe:
Right time to assign a task to a person. Typically,Workflowassignstaskswhenitreceivesinformationitneedstoactonintheformofadocument(forexample,apurchaseorder).
Right people to whom to assign the task.Whendesignersdesigntheworkflow,theyassignthetaskstovariousrolesthatrepresentjobfunctionsinyourorganization.Peopleinyourorganizationfilltheseroles.
Atruntime,whenabusinessprocessrequireshumanaction(forexample,apurchaseorderisreceivedthatneedsapproval),thesystemdistributestaskstotheWorkflowparticipantswhofilltheroleandwhocancompletethetask(forexample,managerswhocanapprovethepurchaseorder).WorkflowparticipantsaccesstheirWorkflowInboxtoseetheirlistofpendingtasksandreviewinformation,supplydata,ormakeadecisionaccordingly.
ThefollowingillustrationshowsanexampleofaworkflowinwebMethodsWorkflowDesigner.
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Example workflow
Aworkflowcombineshumanandautomatedstepsandtheirdecisionpoints.Todefinthesestepsanddecisionpoints,designersaddtasksandotherlogiccomponentsintoworkflow.Theconnectionsbetweenthesecomponentsdeterminethebasicflowofactiintheworkflow.Often,workflowsconsistofadditionalnestedworkflowswithinthemthismanner,businessuserscanreusecomponentsandeasilycreatelargersolutionsfrexistingwork.
Roles
RolesareenterprisewidedefinitionsofjobfunctionsperformedwithinanorganizatioEachroledefinitioncanhaveassociatedattributesrelatedtothatjobfunction(forexample,aPurchasersrolemighthaveattributesoflocationandspendinglimit).AWorkflowparticipantcanfillmorethanoneroleatanypointinthebusinessprocess(example,aWorkflowparticipantcanplaytheroleofbothManagerandCustomerServRepresentative).
Whendesigningaworkflow,adesignerusesrolestodeterminehowthesystemdistributestaskstoWorkflowparticipants.Toassigntasks,thedesignerdefinesadistributionruleforatasktodeterminewhichWorkflowparticipantsshouldreceivettaskandinwhatorder.Designerscandefinesimpledistributionrules(forexample,distributeatasktooneperson)ormorecomplexrulesthataresometimesrequiredtodeterminetherightpersontoperformaworkflowtask.
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Examplesofdistributionrulesforanorderentrytaskmightinclude:
Distributethetasktoacustomerservicerepresentative.
Distributethetaskfirsttoacustomerservicerepresentativetoentertheorderandthentoamanagertoapprovetheorder.
Distributethetaskonlytomanagerswithinaspecificgeographicalregionwhohaveaspendinglimitgreaterthanthetotalamountoftheorder.
Documents
Documentsarethebusinessprocesselementsthatholdthedatathatthesystempassesthroughaworkflow.Documentsareakintophysicaldocuments,suchasapurchaseorderoraninvoice,andsupportmodelinginformationflowthroughanenterprise.
BusinessuserscancreatedocumentdefinitionswithinthewebMethodsWorkflowDesignerorthroughotherpartsofthewebMethodsplatform.Documentscontainfields
thatrepresenttheindividualelementsofadocument.Forexample,aworkflowforanorderapprovalmightuseadocumentthatincludesfieldssuchas:
Whoissubmittingtheorder
Whatitemisbeingordered
Whattheitemcosts
Documentsonlyneedtocontaindatathattheworkflowrequirestoperformitsprocessing.
Businessuserscannestdocumentstocontainotherdocuments(forexample,acreditreportcontainingacustomerdocument).Atruntime,thesystemfillsdocumentfieldswithinformationthatmaycomefromuserinput,databases,ERPs,orotherenterprisedatasources.
Tasks
Ataskrepresentshumaninteractioninabusinessprocess.AtaskisaunitofworkthataWorkflowparticipantmustcompletebeforethebusinessprocesscanproceed.
Tasksconsistofthefollowingelements:
Eventdefinitionsthatdefinehowthesystemistoprocessthetask
Adata
controller
that
handles
the
data
that
flows
in
and
out
of
the
task
Userinterfacepanels(taskviews)thatpresentinformationtoWorkflowparticipantsandpassdataanddecisionsfromaWorkflowparticipantbacktotheworkflow
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Whendesigningtaskviews,thedesignercreatesauserinterfacethatrepresentsthebusinesslogicwithinaprocess(forexample,thecriteriausedtoapproveaninsuranceclaimprocessandwhattodowhentheclaimisapproved).TaskviewsenableaWorkfparticipanttoviewinformationintextfieldsortablesandsupplyinformationbyselectitemsfromdropdownlists,selectingradiobuttons,selectingcheckboxes,typingdat
textfields,orclickingstandardbuttons(forexample,SubmitorApprove).ThedesigndesignsthetaskviewtoopenwithinanapplicationasaJavapanelorinabrowserasHTMLpage.Thedesignerthenlinks,orwires,datafromdocumentsinthetaskdatacontrollertospecificelementsinthetaskview(forexample,wiretheOrderNumberdfieldtoatextfieldontheuserinterface).SuchwiringwilldirectwebMethodsWorkflotopopulatethetaskviewwithruntimedataandrecordchangesmadebytheWorkflparticipantbacktothetaskdatacontroller.
Eachtaskcancontaindifferenttaskviewsthatpresentdifferingsetsofuserinterfaceelementsoractionsbasedonsomecriteria,suchastheroleoftheWorkflowparticipanForexample,thesystemmightpresentataskviewtoamanagerthatcontainsallaccoinformationforacustomer,includingtheaccountbalance,whereasthetaskviewthe
systempresents
to
the
managers
subordinate
might
only
contain
asubset
of
that
information.
Atruntime,WorkflowparticipantsopentasksfromtheirWorkflowInboxestodisplathetaskview.ThetaskviewmaypresentinformationforaWorkflowparticipanttoreview,fieldsinwhichtheparticipantcansupplydata,ordecisionstheparticipantmmake.AnyinformationtheWorkflowparticipantsuppliesinthetaskviewgoesbackitheworkflowintheformofadocument,whichthesystemmakesavailabletothenexstepinthebusinessprocess.
AWorkflowparticipantdisplaysataskviewinoneoftwoways:
From an Inbox menu. DesignerscandesignaworkflowsothataWorkflowparticipa
initiates
the
workflow
using
a
menu
that
designers
add
to
the
Workflow
Inbox.
Foexample,aWorkflowparticipantsInboxmightcontainamenuitemtoallowtheparticipanttosubmitanexpensereport.WhentheWorkflowparticipantselectsthmenuitem,thesystemdisplaysthetaskviewthedesignerdesignsfortheexpensreport.
By selecting a task in the Inbox. IfaworkflowdistributesatasktoaWorkflowparticip(basedondistributionrules),thesystemaddsthetasktothatparticipantsWorkflInbox.WhentheparticipantselectsataskfromtheInbox,thesystemdisplaysthetview.
InadditiontotheWorkflowInboxes,designerscanalsoembedinboxeswithinacustoapplicationusingthewebMethodsWorkflowClientAPI.
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C on t r o l l e r s
Acontrollerholdsreusablesetsoflogic,suchasacalculationorapresetqueryagainsttheplatform,sobusinessuserscanreusethislogicinotherworkflowsortasks.Forexample,aworkflowmightrequireaWorkflowparticipanttosupplyacustomernumberandthen,
basedonthatcustomernumber,retrievethecustomersinformationanddisplaythatinformationtotheWorkflowparticipant.TheactofretrievinginformationcouldinvolveseveralinteractionswithinthewebMethodsintegrationplatformtoretrievealltheappropriatecustomerinformationandthenreturnonlyasubsetofelements.Whilethislogiccouldbeincorporateddirectlyintotheworkflow,placingitintoacontrollerallowsforotherworkflowsandtaskstoeasilyreusethiswork.
Otherexamplesofoperationsthatbusinessuserscancombineandreusethroughcontrollersincludelaunchinganotherworkflow,reusingtimedsetsofactions,ornotifyingusersofstatuschanges.
Imp lementa t i on Modu les
Therearethreewaystoinitiateaworkflow:
Byanexternalevent,suchasreceivingapurchaseorderfromatradingpartnerwhich,inturn,initiatesanorderapprovalworkflow
ByaWorkflowparticipantwhoselectsamenuoptionintheInbox
Byanotherworkflowthatexecutesalaunchertostarttheworkflow
Animplementationmodule,whichhandlesthecommunicationbetweenaworkflowandtherestofthewebMethodsintegrationplatform,isonlyneededwhenaworkflowistobeinitiatedbyanexternalevent.
Businessuserscanuseimplementationmodulestocreateaspecificimplementationofaworkflow.Forexample,anorderapprovalworkflowmightimplementedeitherbyapprovinganinternalpurchaseorderforofficesuppliesorapprovingapurchaseorderreceivedfromatradingpartner.Theactionstoapprovetheorderarethesameineachinstance;whatdiffersisthepurchaseorderdocumentthatneedstobeapproved.
ImplementationmodulessubscribetothedocumentsthataworkflowwillneedtoindicatethattheworkflowistoreceivethedocumentswhentheyarriveinthewebMethodsplatform.Similarly,implementationmodulesidentifythedocumentsthatcontaintheinformationthattheworkflowwillprovide,orpublish.
Usingimplementationmodules,businessuserscanreuseandintegrateworkflowsacross
theextended
enterprise
and
link
them
to
larger
business
processes
that
span
various
businesspartners,systems,andapplications.ImplementationmodulespassdataacrossthewebMethodsplatformbypublishingorsubscribingtodocumentsthatflowtoandfromthewebMethodsBroker.Thesedocumentscansignalthebeginningorcompletionofworkflowsandcarrydatabetweenthebusinessstepsinaworkflow.
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w ebMe t hods W or k f l ow Log i c C om ponen t s
ThelogicwithinaworkflowisgovernedbythefollowingwebMethodsWorkflowlogcomponents.Youplacethesecomponentswithinaworkflow,forexample,tobranchaworkflow,tosetatimertodeterminewhentostartatask,toassignvaluestofieldsin
document,ortocomparevaluesoffieldsinadocument.
Routers
Routersusesophisticateddecisionsteplogictosplitaworkflowintodifferentbranchebasedonaspecificconditionordecision.Typically,thebranchingtakesplacebasedonvaluesoffieldsinadocument.Forexample,afteraWorkflowparticipanthascompletetasktoreviewafinancialproposal,aworkflowcanbranchoffinthreeseparatedirecti
basedontheoutcomesoftheproposalreview:Approve,Reject,orRequestAdditionaInformation.Designerscannestmultiplecomparatorswithinaroutertocreateendlescombinationsofroutinglogicprimarilybasedonbusinessrulesandbusinessdata(documents).
Timers
Timersgeneratebusinesseventsbasedonatimeoutoruponconditionsdefinedasare
ofbusinesscalendars.BusinessuserscanusetimerstocontrolprocessandtaskexecutTimerscan:
Generatealerts.
Providedelaysinprocessesandtasks.
Setandtrackdeadlinesforprocessandtaskcompletion.
Theabilitytomimicthetimeconstraintsbusinessesplaceupontheirpeople,system,aprocessesisanimportantaspectofcreatinganoverallbusinessprocess.webMethodsWorkflowallowsthisconcepttobeintegratedintoanylogicalflowofstepsoroperatioThisflexibilityallowsmultipletypesoftimebasedcontrolstobeplacedonworkflow
ensuremoreefficientprocessing.
Routers Assigners
Timers PluginsandExternalComponents
Calendars Launchers
Joins Notifiers
Comparators
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webMethodsWorkflowhasseveralwaystodefinetime:
Elapsed Time.Theamountoftimebetweentwopoints,normallytheinitiationandcompletionofatask.Anexampleofelapsedtimewouldbemonitoringthelengthofcustomerserviceorsalescalls.Whentheoptimaltimeisexceeded,theworkflowcan
sendawarning
to
the
user
or
to
another
resource
within
the
company.
Scheduled Time. Amomentintimerelativetoaspecificevent.AnexampleofscheduledtimeiswhenatimerissettonotifytheQAmanagerthreehourspriortotheweeksendthatthereareunresolvedgoodsatIncomingInspectiontobedisposedof.
Absolute Time. Aspecificmomentintime.Forexample,absolutetimewouldbeusedwhenacertaincalendareventwasapproachingandnoticehadtobegiventousersofthisimpendingevent,suchasscheduledplantmaintenance.
Calendars
Calendarshelpadjustforworkingtime(forexample,a9:00a.m.to5:00p.m.workday)versusabsolutetime.webMethodsWorkflowcanrequiretaskstobecompletedwithinaspecificamountoftime(forexample,4hours)orwithinacertainperiodoftimemeasured
byacustomcalendar(forexample,in4workinghours,where9:00a.m.to3:00p.m.representsanormalworkingday).
Calendarsoftenrepresentdifferentsegmentsoftime(forexample,differingcalendarsforthehomeofficeversusthemanufacturingfacility).Combinedwithtimers,calendarscan
beusedtoscheduleandstarteventsthataffectaworkflowsprocessing(forexample,starttaskAiftaskBdoesnotcompletewithinacertainamountoftime,asdefinedbythecalendar).
JoinsAjoinisapointinthecontrolflowwheretwoormoreparallelprocessesortasksjointoformacommonthreadofcontrol.Joinskeepaprocessopenuntilalltheneededinformationarrives.Adesignershouldincludeajoininaworkflowwhentwopiecesofdataarerequiredbeforeaprocesscancontinue(forexample,waitfortheinvoiceandtheadvancedshipnoticebeforepresentingtheapprovalscreentothefinanceclerk).
Comparators
WithinWorkflow,youcanapplyacomparatortocompareeitherfixedordynamicvalues.Comparatorscanbeconnectedtogetherornestedformorecomplicateddecisionpathssuchasifthentypecomparisons.Withcomparators,comparisonscanbemadewith
constantvalues(forexample,Total>10,000),betweenvariablesintheprocess(forexample,Total
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Components of a Work
webMethods Workfl ow Concepts Guide Version 6.5.1
Assigners
Workflowusesassignerstostaticallyordynamicallysetvaluesoffieldsindocumentstarepassingthroughtheworkflow.Assignersaresimilarinusagetocomparators,excetheyaremeanttosetspecificdataelementvaluesratherthancomparethem.
Plug-ins and External Components
webMethodsWorkflowprovidestheabilitytoaccessservicesandinformationfromthwebMethodsintegrationplatformthroughtheuseofpluginsandexternalcomponents.Pluginsandexternalcomponentsaccessexternalresourcessuchasnetwork,Broker,IntegrationServerservicestobringdataorJavacodeintoaworkflow.webMethodsWorkflowincludesthreetypesofpluginsandcomponents:
Integration Server components.IntegrationServercomponentsinvokeanintegrationserviceatacertainpointintheexecutionoftheworkflow.Forexample,anIntegratServercomponentcouldbecreatedtoinvokeaservicethatgatherscredithistoryfranoutsidecreditratingagency.
Broker components.BrokercomponentscanpublishandsubscribetoBrokereventssupportrequestreplytransactions.Forexample,aBrokercomponentcouldbeadtoaprojecttoobtainorderhistorydatafromanexternalsystemsuchasSAP.AtathatcallsthecomponentmightincludeanOrderHistorybuttonwhich,whenclickinvokestheBrokertogetthehistoryfromtheexternalresourceandreturnittothuser.
Java plug-ins.JavapluginsallowdesignerstousecustomJavacodeinaworkflow.example,aJavaplugincouldbecreatedtolaunchotherapplicationsthatperformspecialvalidationonauserinterfacefieldwithinatask(forexample,ensurethenumbersenteredinafieldareavalidlicensekey)orperformothercustomlogic.
Youusepluginsandexternalcomponentsbyaddingthemtoaworkflow,task,orcontroller.
Launchers
ThelauncherisawebMethodsWorkflowcomponentthatisusedtostartaparallelworkflowwithinaproject.Forexample,acreditcardprocessingscenariomightflagcertaintransactionsforverificationandadditionalscrutinyalthoughitshouldnotinterruptthecontinuationofthemainworkflow.Alauncherwouldinitiatethisnewworkflowwithoutdisruptingtheflowofthecurrentone.
Notifiers
Anotifiersendsanasynchronousemailmessagetoaspecifiedemailaddress.ThenotifierisaninformationalupdatetoWorkflowparticipantsinformingthemthatapredefinedeventhasoccurred.
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Wo r k f l o w P r o j e c t M an a g e m e n t
Tohelpyoumanagethedevelopmentanddeploymentofyourworkflows,webMethodsWorkflowsupportsprojects.Aprojectcontainsoneormoreworkflowsandworkflowcomponents(forexample,implementationmodules,tasks,andcontrollers).Designersshouldplaceworkflowsofrelatedpurposeinthesameproject.Forexample,adesignermightplaceaworkflowinvolvingOrderCreationandanotherinvolvingOrderApprovalwithinthesameproject.
Businessuserscanversionandbranchprojects,releasethemtoaproductionenvironment,andimportandexportthemtoandfromoneinstanceofwebMethodsWorkflowtoanother.
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webMethods Workfl ow Concepts Guide Version 6.5.1
C H A P T E R
3w e b Me t h o d s W o r k f l o w Me t h o d o l o g y
Planning Workflows: A Top-Down Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating Workflows: Basic Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Documenting Projects and Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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P l an n i n g Wo r k f l o w s : A To p - Do w n M et h o d o l o g y
AspartofthewebMethodsintegrationplatform,webMethodsWorkflowallowsbusinessanalyststographicallydesignprocessmodelsinatopdownfashionandinawaythatincorporatesinformationandactivitiesthatextendacrosstheentireenterprise.Aftertheseprocessmodelsandtheirassociatedapplicationsaredesignedandtested,theycanbedeployedinrealtimewithoutinterruptingtheenterpriseoperation.
Thetopdowndevelopmentmethodologyandthegraphicaltoolsfordesigningandimplementingenterpriseworkflowmodelsarenotnew.Businessanalystsanddesignershavebeenusingthemformanyyearsbecausetheyarefamiliarwithmodelingtechniquessuchasstructure,dataflow,andentityrelationshipdiagrams.Onedrawbackinconsideringtheseasseparatetools,however,isthatthedesignphaseisinvariablyonlylooselytiedtotheimplementationphase.Nomatterwhichmethodologyisusedorwhichprojectmanagementandqualityassurancedisciplinesareemployed,disparityexists
betweenthebusinessanalystsprocessmodelsorrequirementspecificationsandthefinalimplementation.Suchdisparity,combinedwiththerapidintroductionofinnovative
technologicaladvancementsinbothhardwareandsoftware,oftenresultsinapplicationredesign,patchedproducts,and,toooften,outrightcancellationandlossofinvestment.
ThewebMethodsintegrationplatformaddressesthisproblembyprovidingbusinessanalystswithgraphicaltoolsthatsupporttheconceptsthatanalystsaremostfamiliarwith:processesandtasks.Thesegraphicaltoolsallowbusinessuserstodesign,andimplementendtoendsolutionswithouthavingtoedittheunderlyingsourcecode.
webMethods Integration platform combines design and implementation tools
webMethods Integration
Platform
DesignTools
AnalysisTools
ImplementationTools
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Planning Workflows: A Top-Down Methodo
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Top-Down Method o log y and webMethod s Work f l o w
Inatopdownmethodology,businessanalystsstartdefiningworkflowsattheirhighelevels.BusinessanalystsanddesignerscanapplythisdesignmethodologybyusingthwebMethodsWorkflowDesignerto:
DesignthebusinessprocessesusingwebMethodsModeler.
Identifythetasksrequiredtocompletetheprocesses.
Graphicallydesigntheflowoftasksandtheirrelatedviews.
Definetherelevantbusinessdocuments.
Identifytheroleswhowillparticipateintheworkflows.
IncorporatepartsofanoverallendtoendbusinessprocessacrossallwebMethodintegrationplatformcomponents(mainframes,databasesanddatawarehouses,internalapplications,Webservices,tradingpartners,andworkflows).
ThewebMethodsWorkflowDesignersgraphicaleditorsallowalloftheseactionstobperformedandwebMethodsWorkflowgenerates,compiles,andpackagesthecodefoyou.Inaddition,webMethodsWorkflowfitsintotheoveralltopdowndeploymentmethodologyofthewebMethodsintegrationplatform.
R eus i ng Wor k f l ow C om ponen t s t o A cc om m oda t e Gr ow t h
Asanorganizationsinitiativesspanbeyondtheinitialprojects,acombinationoftopdownmethodologyandwebMethodsWorkflowsreusablecomponentsgreatlysimplithegrowthandexpansionoffutureprojects.
webMethodsWorkflow
provides
three
integral
components
that
business
users
can
re
asprojectsgrow:workflows,tasks,andcontrollers.BecausewebMethodsWorkflowseparatesdesigncomponentsfromtheflowofdata,thesecomponentshaveanevengreaterpotentialforreuse.
Iftherearevariationsinthedetailsofaworkflowortask,businessanalystscangraphicallyredesignthemodels,assignthemdifferentnamesorversionnumbers,anredeploytheminrealtimewithoutinterruptingtheoperationofthecurrentworkflow
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C r e at i n g W o r k f l o w s : B a s i c S t ep s
Tocreateaworkflow,businessusersperformthefollowingbasicstepsusingWorkflowDesigner.
1 Createaprojectifonehasnotalreadybeencreated.Youcancreateanewprojectoruseanexistingone.
2 Createanimplementationmoduleandaddoneormorehumansteps.Assigntheinputdatathattriggerstheworkflowtoexecuteandoutputdatathatmaybereturned.
Creating a workf low using Workf low Designer
Whenyouinitiallyaddanewtasktoaproject,thetaskisjustashellthatyouneedtocomplete.Youcompleteataskby:
CreatingWorkflowdocumentsthatdefinethedatayourtaskwillneed
CreatingtherolesoftheWorkflowparticipantsthatwillbeinvolvedintheworkflow
Addingthecontrollersandlogiccomponentsthatdefinetheactionsandsequenceofstepsthatthetaskswillexecute
Assigningrolestotasks
Create a project.
Create documents.Create roles.Add tasks, controllers, and logic components.Assign roles to tasks.Create the data flow.Create the control flow.Create task views.Link data from documents to task views.
1
Create animplementation
module.2
a)b)c)d)e)f )g)h)
Note: YouusewebMethodsModelertodesignanenterprisewidebusinessprocessmodel.WhenyouincludeWorkflowstepsinyourModelerprocessmodel,Modelerautomaticallycreatestheshellofataskforyouandplacesitinaproject.Modeleralsogeneratesanimplementationmoduletosubscribeto,andpublish,thedocumentsthattheworkflowneeds.
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Documenting Projects and Workf
webMethods Workfl ow Concepts Guide Version 6.5.1
Creatingthedataflowtospecifyhowdatapassesthroughtheworkflowfromstepstep
Creatingthecontrolflowtodefinehowaworkflowproceedsasitsstepsexecute,connectingtheoutputactionsofoneworkflowsteptotheinputactionsofanothe
CreatingthetaskviewsthatWorkflowparticipantsusetoviewandcompletetask
Linking,orwiring,datafromdocumentstothetaskviews
Formoreinformationaboutthesesteps,seethewebMethodsWorkflowUsersGuide.
D o c u m e n t i n g P r o j e c t s a n d W o r k f l o w s
Documentationisimportantforlongrangemaintenanceofanysoftware.However,itperhapsthemostneglecteddisciplineinmanycorporateITenvironments.
Thedaytodayoperationsofenterprisesprimarilydependontransactionprocessingapplicationssuchasorderentry,ordershipping,billing,purchaseorder,accountspayable,inventorymanagement,andpayrollmanagement.Theseapplicationshavebdeveloped,patched,redesigned,andrehostedoversomanyyearsthatfewdevelopenowunderstandthem.Maintainingsuchlegacyapplicationsisalsodifficultbecauseimostcasesnodocumentationexists.Inadequatetoolsandhumanresources,schedulepressure,andsimplythelackofadisciplinedapproachtoapplicationdevelopmentreinincompleteorinadequatedocumentationinmanyenterprises.
ThewebMethodsWorkflowDesignerresolvesthedocumentationproblemintwowa
Process models describe themselves. Theprocessmodelspictoriallyillustratevirtualallofthedetailsofanenterpriseworkflowandthereforerepresentasignificant
portionof
the
documentation.
After
the
models
are
designed
and
deployed,
whendesignerslaterneedtounderstandtheworkflowtheysimplylookattheprocess
model;zoomintoitsmultiplelevels;browsethroughtheresources,events,andattributes;andreviewthedatamappingandpaneldesign.
Documentation attached with th e workflows. Inaddition,theWorkflowDesigneralsoallowsuserstoannotateeverycomponent,resource,attribute,andprojectforaworkflow,includingtheimportedcomponents.Thedocumentationresideswhereismostrelevant:withitsimplementation.
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I
webMethods Workfl ow Concepts Guide Version 6.5.1
I ndex
Aabsolute time, defined 34
accounts, users 26
adding workflows with Workflow Designer 40
administrative tools 26
See also business tools
Workflow Administrator 27
Workflow Generator 27
Workflow Users 26
Administrators
assigning user to group 26
assigning user to roles 27using Workflow Administrator 27
using Workflow Generator 27
using Workflow Users 26
alerts 33
API, Workflow Client 15
architecture of webMethods Workflow 18
assigners, defined 35
assigning
user to group 26
user to roles 27
asynchronousactivate with launcher 35
message and notifier 35
Authentication service
architecture component 20
using group designation 26
B
branches, and routers 33
Broker plug-ins 35
business calendars 13
Business Monitoring 25business process
and tasks/human interaction 30
management, defined 8
rules. See business rules
business rules
and flow 9and graphical definition of workflows 12
business tools 22
Business Monitoring 25
See also administrative tools
webMethods Monitor 25
Workflow Designer 24
Workflow Inbox 25
C
calendars
and timers 33custom 13
defined 34
comparators, defined 34
components
logic, of webMethods Workflow 33
of architecture 18
of webMethods Workflow system 19
of workflows 28
containers
routers 33
tasks 30control flow
creating 41
defined 41
controllers
creating with Workflow Designer 24
defined 24, 32
conventions used in this document 5
coordinating tasks 28
creating
control flow 41
document definitions 30task views 41
workflow, steps to 40
workflows, elements of 28
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I n d e x
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D
data flow, defined 41
data wiring
defined 31
of tasks 31database architecture component 19
decision points, in workflow process 29
definitions
absolute time 34
assigner 35
business process management 8
calendar 34
comparator 34
control flow 41
controller 24, 32
data flow 41data wiring 31
documents 30
elapsed time 34
implementation module 24, 32
join 34
launcher 35
notifier 35
plug-ins 35
role 29
routers 33
scheduled time 34task view 41
tasks 24, 30
timer 33
workflows 9, 28
designers
defining roles 27
defining tasks 27
designing
task views 31
user interface (UI) 13
diagram ofcreating a workflow 40
example workflow 29
integration components 9
webMethods integration platform combines analysis, design,
and implementation tools 38
webMethods Workflow administrative tools 26
webMethods Workflow architecture 18
webMethods Workflow business tools 23
webMethods Workflow toolbar 22
Workflow Designer 24
Distribution Control Service (DCS) 20
documentation
additional 6
conventions used 5
feedback 6
for projects and workflows 41
maintenance of with Workflow Designer 41
documents
defined 30
definitions, creating 30
subscribing, when defining implementation module 32
dragging elements to data wire 31
dynamic data interactions 14
E
elapsed time, defined 34
elements
of the graphical definition of workflow 12
of workflow. See also components of workflow 28
reusing 13
enterprise workflow models, and top-down methodology 38
existing applications, integrating with 15external event
and implementation modules 32
to initiate workflow process 32
G
generating alerts with timers 33
graphical definition
elements of 12
of workflows 12
of workflows and time-based management 13
graphical user interface (GUI)and workflows 12
designing 13
group, users assigned to 26
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H
hosts, viewing with Workflow Administrator 27
HTML pages, and data wiring task views 31
human interaction
in workflow 29intervention in business transactions 8
represented by tasks 30
I
implementation modules
creating 32
defined 32
initiating workflow by external event 32
implementation modules, creating with Workflow Designer 24
Inboxes
accessing task views via 31and initiating workflows 32
Workflow Inbox 25
initiating workflows 32
integration
webMethods platform 8
with existing applications 15
Integration Server component 35
Introduction to webMethods and Workflow 8
J
Java panels, and data wiring task views 31
Java plug-in 35
joins, defined 34
L
launchers
defined 35
initiating workflows 32
Log service 21
logic components
assigners 35
calendars 34
comparators 34
joins 34
launchers 35
notifiers 35
of webMethods Workflow 33
plug-ins 35
routers 33
timers 33
logic, reusable sets 32
M
messaging infrastructure, webMethods Broker 19
Modeler, creating workflow shell 40
Monitor
webMethods 25
Monitoring
Workflow 25
multiple comparators, nested in routers 33
My webMethods Business Monitoring 25
My webMethods Server 20
N
notifiers, defined 35
P
parallel processes and joins 34
passwords, and Authentication Service 20
plug-ins
Broker 35
defined 35
Integration Server component 35
Java 35
Portfolio, architecture component 21
process models, creating in Modeler 40
Process Server 19
program code conventions in this document 5
project management
functionality 14
tasks 14
projects, creating 40
properties, viewing with Workflow Administrator 27
R
RDBMS 19
repository, Portfolio as 21
Resource service 21
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I n d e x
46 webMethods Workf low Concepts Guide Version 6.5.1
reusability
and top-down methodology 39
sets of logic, controller as 32
reusing
elements 13
implementation 32
role-based access and distribution 12
roles
defined 29
defined by designers 27
in workflows 29
users assigned to 27
routers, defined 33
run-time services, Workflow Administrator 27
S
scheduled time, defined 34
Server
My webMethods 20
Server Manager 21
servers
Process Server, architecture component 19
Server Manager 21
viewing with Workflow Administrator 27
services
Authentication 20
Log 21Resource 21
run-time and Workflow Administrator 27
viewing with Workflow Administrator 27
shell, workflow 40
splitting branches with router 33
starting workflows 32
subscribing to documents, when defining implementation module
32
T
task viewsaccessing via Inboxes 31
creating 41
defined 41
designing 31
HTML pages 31
Java panels 31
user interface 24
tasks
and information flow 8
coordinating 28
created with Workflow Designer 24
defined 24, 30
designers defining 27
human interaction 30
multiple step processes 10
project management functionality 14
view. See also task views 41
time-based management 13
timers, defined 33
tools 18, 22
administrative 26
business 22
Workflow Designer 24
Workflow Inbox 25
top-down methodology
and reusability 39
workflows 39
tracking deadlines with timers 33
troubleshooting information 6
typographical conventions in this document 5
U
updating workflows dynamically 14
user IDs, and Authentication Service 20
user interface (UI)
See also graphical user interface (GUI) 13
designing 13
task view 24, 31
user management 20
users
accounts created by Administrators 26
group assigned to 26
roles assigned to 27
V
viewing
hosts with Workflow Administrator 27
services and servers 27
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