topic Re: Workflow in Application Development and Automation Discussions

Workflow

Former Member — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 14:10:12 GMT

1> What are workflow containers and how they can be defined?

2> How can we debug a workflow?

3> How can we trigger a workflow and in how many ways we can trigger it?

4> How event linkage can be maintained?

5> How binding can be done?

Re: Workflow

Former Member — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 04:34:19 GMT

hi,

refer the links given below u will get all answers

Workflow is a tool for automating the business process so that the process itself flows smoothly, without bottlenecks and without dead ends. Critical parts of the process can be streamlined with deadline monitoring and contingency options. Participants are informed of milestones in the process. The process definition itself is powerful enough to allow business re-engineering with re-training and to eliminate the impact of workforce changes on the basic business process.

SAP Business Workflow is the R/3 tool for handling the process automation within R/3 or between R/3 systems and other systems involved in the business process. It is flexible enough to handle ad hoc processes such as the circulation of an electronic document. It is robust enough to handle mission critical process in the production system such as the creation of a material master.

The different R/3 applications supply standard workflows for the commonly occurring processes. Once these workflow templates are activated, they are ready for immediate use. A complete set of workflow tools, including the workflow editor and workflow generation wizard, are provided to enhance these standard workflows or create new workflows. These tools are complemented with transactions for monitoring, tracking and the statistical analysis of the processes.

Because the business process often does not step at the R/3 boundary, various interfaces and third party tools are available for extending the process across systems.

Workflow is the technique for automating business processes. It is particularly beneficial

• when different people are involved in different parts of the process

• when a process only occurs sporadically and the users need to be reminded of what they need to do

• when the duration of the process is critical and deadlines have to be met

• when the process definition is likely to change on the fly and retraining users is not possible.

By automating the process, you free the users from having to know what to do when. Work items are sent to the participants notifying them of what they have to do, and a single click on the notification calls the correct transaction and navigates to the relevant screen.

When the workflow runs it creates work items which are like e-mails, but

• they have the advantage that they contain the intelligence needed to execute the relevant task with the correct data when the operational user executes them,

• they provide their own functionality so that the operational user has access to everything that is useful to improve the flow of the process,

• they disappear on their own when they have been executed by someone else or made obsolete.

These work items can be received in the R/3 business workplace, MS Outlook (or any other MAPI compatible client), Lotus Notes, or work item notifications can be distributed by e-mail.

SAP Business Workflow:

• accelerates the workflow across applications, functional areas, organizational units, and time periods,

• supplements the integrated management of processes in the SAP System with individually tailored options for automating and actively controlling business and communication processes,

• combines integrated organizational management with flexible assignment of tasks and responsibilities to locations, positions, jobs, groups, or individuals,

• actively supports a quick implementation of workflow technologies through predefined workflow templates, Workflow Wizards and flexible adjustment options,

• integrates every employee in the value chain by providing a versatile integrated inbox ("universal inbox") at their work centers that can be configured individually,

• provides a Workflow Information System that is the foundation for process change management and continuous business engineering,

• was designed to be a change-management tool,

• simplifies continuous business engineering and process change management with user-friendly tools for defining and dynamically changing workflow tasks

• conforms to the workflow standards of the Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC)

• interfaces to other mail clients such as Lotus Notes and MS Outlook

sites regrding work flow:

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_erp2005/helpdata/en/fb/135962457311d189440000e829fbbd/frameset.htm

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_erp2005/helpdata/en/c5/e4a930453d11d189430000e829fbbd/frameset.htm

http://www.sap-img.com/workflow/sap-workflow.htm

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_47x200/helpdata/en/a5/172437130e0d09e10000009b38f839/frameset.htm

http://www.erpgenie.com/workflow/index.htm

http://www.sap-basis-abap.com/wf/sap-business-workflow.htm

http://www.insightcp.com/res_23.htm

For examples on WorkFlow...check the below link..

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_47x200/helpdata/en/3d/6a9b3c874da309e10000000a114027/frameset.htm

http://help.sap.com/printdocu/core/Print46c/en/data/pdf/PSWFL/PSWFL.pdf

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_47x200/helpdata/en/4a/dac507002f11d295340000e82dec10/frameset.htm

http://www.workflowing.com/id18.htm

http://www.e-workflow.org/

http://web.mit.edu/sapr3/dev/newdevstand.html

/people/mike.pokraka/blog/2005/07/17/sap-business-workflow-faq

http://www.sapgenie.com/workflow/index.htm

/people/ginger.gatling/blog/2005/12/01/link-workflow-business-objects-to-your-collaboration-tasks

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/92/bc26a6ec2b11d2b4b5006094b9ea0d/content.htm

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_bw33/helpdata/en/92/bc26a6ec2b11d2b4b5006094b9ea0d/content.htm

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_bw31/helpdata/en/8d/25f94b454311d189430000e829fbbd/content.htm

http://www.sap-press.com/product.cfm?account=&product=H950

http://help.sap.com/printdocu/core/Print46c/en/data/pdf/PSWFL/PSWFL.pdf

http://www.workflowing.com/id18.htm

http://www.e-workflow.org/

http://www.sap-img.com/workflow/sap-workflow.htm

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_47x200/helpdata/en/a5/172437130e0d09e10000009b38f839/frameset.htm

http://www.sap-img.com/workflow/sap-workflow.htm

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_47x200/helpdata/en/a5/172437130e0d09e10000009b38f839/frameset.htm

Re: Workflow

Former Member — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 04:50:49 GMT

Hi,

Please refer this, step by step is given.

http://www.saptechnical.com/Tutorials/Workflow/Workflow.htm

Thanks,

Anitha

Re: Workflow

Former Member — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 09:07:28 GMT

Can anybody forward me some documents describing creation of workflow in step by step.

Thanks in advance.

Santosh S.

Re: Workflow

Former Member — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 12:19:29 GMT

1> What are workflow containers and how they can be defined?

A container is required to define the area of the screen where a control will be placed. It is just like how you do it in case of subscreens. You specify a subscreen area on the screen and determine at runtime which screen will be called into the subscreen area.

Similarly, in case of controls like an ALV Grid, ALV Tree etc., we need to specify that a particular area on the screen will be used for displaying a control. Which control you want to place on the screen is left to you. You might want to conditionally display different ALV Grids which contain different data or even different controls in the same area on the screen.

These containers will give you the desired dynamism of placing any object you want on the same screen.

containers are of 5 types

1. workflow containers

2. method containers

3. event containers

4. task containers

5. role containers

they are used in SAP workflows . when we make a workflow in SAP workflow we need to process any step of workflow through a task . and the object that flows in a workflow has methods(actions which can be performed on objects) and events(status of the object). now containers are basically the parameters.

use: they are used to pass values from workflow to task, task to method, event to workflow, etc.

2> How can we debug a workflow?

U can use tcode - SWUD .

task type - WS

Enter your workflow no .as a task.

Enter transaction 'SWU8' test run your workflow in the same session through 'SWUS' and after that again in same session enter transaction 'SWU9'. You would be able to view each and every details, like all bindings, how data flows and all. You can detect at which step you have a problem. After that you can go ahead.

3> How can we trigger a workflow and in how many ways we can trigger it

Yes ofcourse you can.. you need to attach an event to the workflow.. you will have to do this.. in the start condition on the workflow template..

In your custom program or the function module, you will need to call the below Fm passing the event name.

'SWE_EVENT_CREATE'

actually depends on in which case/status what you would like to do.

An example for your own code you find:

Configuring Inbound Processing via Workflow ->>>

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_47x200/helpdata/en/e1/8e51341a06084de10000009b38f83b/frameset.htm

Shortly:

...

PERFORM WRITE_STATUS_RECORD TABLES i_edids "Status write

USING errorcode.

...

CALL FUNCTION 'EDI_DOCUMENT_CLOSE_PROCESS'

...

CALL FUNCTION 'SWE_EVENT_CREATE'

EXPORTING

objtype = 'IDOCTEST'

objkey = cidocnumber

event = 'InputErrorOccurred'

start_recfb_synchron = 'X' "synchroner Aufruf

...

The other way would be to find an customer exit to trigger the either via SAP_WAPI_CREATE_EVENT or SAP_WAPI_WORKFLOW_START.

If you write in details what you would like to do exactly, I think we are ablo to help you more.

> How event linkage can be maintained?

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_47x200/helpdata/en/1e/8ce338b46c4950e10000000a11405a/content.htm

http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wbihelp/v6rxmx/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.wbia_adapters.doc/doc/mysap3/sap141.htm

SM62- to define Events and SM64- to raise Events.

5> How binding can be done?

/community [original link is broken]

Re: Workflow

Former Member — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:03:14 GMT

Work flow is the technique for automating business processes. It is particularly beneficial

• when different people are involved in different parts of the process

• when a process only occurs sporadically and the users need to be reminded of what they need to do

• when the duration of the process is critical and deadlines have to be met

• when the process definition is likely to change on the fly and retraining users is not possible.

Re: Workflow

Former Member — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:20:38 GMT

Dear Raghavendra,

SAP Business Workflow

Purpose

SAP Business Workflow can be used to define business processes that are not yet mapped in the R/3 System. These may be simple release or approval procedures, or more complex business processes such as creating a material master and the associated coordination of the departments involved. SAP Business Workflow is particularly suitable for situations in which work processes have to be run through repeatedly, or situations in which the business process requires the involvement of a large number of agents in a specific sequence.

You can also use SAP Business Workflow to respond to errors and exceptions in other, existing business processes. You can start a workflow when predefined events occur, for example an event can be triggered if particular errors are found during an automatic check.

SAP provides several workflows that map predefined business processes. These workflows do not require much implementation. For an overview of these SAP workflows, refer to Workflow Scenarios in Applications.

Integration

SAP Business Workflow uses the existing transactions and functions of the R/3 System and does not change the functions. You can combine the existing functions of the R/3 System to form new business processes with SAP Business Workflow. The workflow system takes over control of the business processes. If you are already using SAP Organizational Management, you can use the organizational structure created there to have the relevant agents carry out the individual activities. It is possible to have an activity carried out by a position. This ensures that the respective occupiers of the position can carry out the individual activities during execution of the workflow. This means that personnel changes in your organization are taken into account immediately in the execution of a workflow.

Features

SAP Business Workflow provides a number of tools for defining and analyzing workflows as well as for monitoring operation.

The Workflow Builder is for displaying and making changes to workflows. You can make small extensions directly to the original workflows supplied by SAP, such as carrying out your own agent assignments or changing deadline monitoring.

There are several Workflow Wizards to support you in the definition of workflows, with which you can create specific parts of a workflow. The Workflow Wizard Explorer gives you an overview of the existing Workflow Wizards.

In order to make the functions of the R/3 Systems available to a workflow, you use business objects, which you can define and analyze in the Business Object Builder. These business objects are made available to the workflow in reusable tasks. The Business Wizard Explorer gives you an overview of all existing tasks.

The end user receives information about the activities they are to carry out in their Business Workplace. This provides them with a central overview of all the activities that they are authorized to carry out. They can commence the activities from here.

Several tools are available to the workflow system administrator, with which they can control and analyze the current workflows. The workflow system administrator is notified of problems automatically by the system.

Best Regards,

Raj

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