topic Re: What is Workflow. in Application Development and Automation Discussions

What is Workflow.

Former Member — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:32:38 GMT

Hi All,

I want to know what is workflow.

What are the steps in creating workflow.

Can anybody tell me in detail so that i can get detail idea.

Thank in advance.

Regards,

Deepak.

Re: What is Workflow.

Former Member — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:34:46 GMT

Hi,

Go through the foll link :

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_47x200/helpdata/en/92/bc26a6ec2b11d2b4b5006094b9ea0d/frameset.htm

Regards,

Mrunal

Re: What is Workflow.

Former Member — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:35:31 GMT

Hi,

Check the following links.

http://www.esnips.com/doc/90b7763b-f9d9-4861-a273-04674b9fe3f2/Workflow

http://www.esnips.com/doc/991843e0-8686-4949-94b9-f45d90081b22/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.

For a complete Step by Step procedure please refer to the following:

Hi,

Workflow tutorials with step-by-step and with screenshots are available at http://www.saptechnical.com/Tutorials/Workflow/Workflow.htm

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_erp2005vp/helpdata/en/42/c14a9b55103116e10000000a1553f7/frameset.htm

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_erp2005vp/helpdata/en/c5/e4a930453d11d189430000e829fbbd/frameset.htm

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

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

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

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

https://forums.sdn.sap.com/click.jspa?searchID=791580&messageID=2857887

https://forums.sdn.sap.com/click.jspa?searchID=791580&messageID=2855919

https://forums.sdn.sap.com/click.jspa?searchID=791580&messageID=2735228

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

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

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

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

debug a workflow.

This has a step by step procedure :

http://fuller.mit.edu/workflow/debugging.pdf

www.erpgenie.com/sap/workflow/debugging.htm

http://www.erpgenie.com/workflow/debugging.htm?2b5de440

Thanks,

Samantak.

Rewards points for useful answers.

Edited by: Samantak Chatterjee on Feb 28, 2008 10:05 AM

Re: What is Workflow.

Former Member — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:36:23 GMT

Hi,

Refer this link

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_470/helpdata/en/16/244237b8d67e70e10000009b38f936/content.htm.

Hope this helps u.

Regards,

Ramya

Re: What is Workflow.

sreelatha_gullapalli — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:39:36 GMT

There are two faces of workflow in R/3. One is the business oriented workflow design as it is taught in universities. This is implemented by the SAP Business Workflow. However, the workflow is also a tool to link transactions easily. It can be used to easily define execution chains of transactions or to trigger user actions without the need to modify the SAP standard code. This can even be achieved without laboriously customising the HR related workflow settings.

Workflow event linkage allows the execution of another program when a transaction finishes.

The workflow event linkage mechanism can be easily used without customising the full workflow scenarios.

This way we use the workflow engine to chain the execution of transaction and circumvent the setup of the SAP Business Workflow.

There are several independent ways to trigger the workflow event linkage.

Workflow in R/3 and Its Use for Development :

SAP R/3 provides a mechanism, called Workflow that allows conditional and unconditional triggering of subsequent transactions from another transaction. This allows you to build up automatic processing sequences without having the need to modify the SAP standard transactions.

The transaction to enter the graphical model, to define the events and objects, and to develop necessary triggering and processing objects is SWO1 (It is an O not a zero).

Fortunately, the underlying mechanism for workflows is less complex as the formal

overhead. Most major transactions will trigger the workflow via SWE_EVENT_CREATE . This will make a call to a workflow handler routine, whose name can usually be customised dynamically and implemented as a function module.

Contrary to what you mostly hear about R/3 workflow, it is relatively easy and mechanical to define a function module as a consecutive action after another routine raised a workflow event.For example, this can be used to call the execution of a transaction after another one has finished.

The whole workflow mechanism is based on a very simple principle. Every workflow enabled transaction will call directly or indirectly the function module during SWE_EVENT_CREATE update.

The function module SWE_EVENT_CREATE will then consult a customising table.

For a simple workflow coupling, the information is found in the table SWETYPECOU . The table will tell the name of the subsequent program to call, either a function module or an object method.

This way of defining the subsequent action is called type coupling because the action depends on the object type of the calling event.

The call to the following event is done with a dynamic function call. This requires that the called function module has a well-defined interface definition. Here you see the call as it is found in SWE_EVENT_CREATE .

CALL FUNCTION typecou-recgetfb " call receiver_type_get_fb

EXPORTING

objtype = typecou-objtype

objkey = objkey

event = event

generic_rectype = typecou-rectype

IMPORTING

rectype = typecou-rectype

TABLES

event_container = event_container

EXCEPTIONS

OTHERS = 1.

Call Function 'CHANGE_POINTERS_READ'

and verify the following link we can get detail information about workflow.

http://abapprogramming.blogspot.com/2008/02/workflow-technology.html

regards

sreelatha gullapalli

Re: What is Workflow.

Former Member — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:50:35 GMT

hi,

SAP Business Workflow is a cross-application tool that makes it possible to integrate business tasks across departments, applications and system boundaries.

Tool that automates business processes in a flexible and transparent way. Assigns the individual tasks to the users, that force the user to complete the task.

Flow of Right Information to Right People at Right Time

Extremely useful when a business process is executed Repeatedly

Integrates tasks across departments, applications and system boundaries.

Sequence of steps executed either by people / system.

Streamline the business process

Push Mechanism

Why Workflow ?

Speed

Consistency

Quality

Errors and Exceptions

Reduced cycle time

Deadline handling & Escalation mechanism

When ?

Are different people involved in the

process?

Is the process time critical?

Is the process audit critical?

Is the process consistency critical?

Helps the end user

The system performs administrative activities for the employee

Relevant information is immediately available

Processes are more transparent and easier to follow.

Helps the Management

Business processes are checked and controlled.

Automatic notification deadlines are exceeded.

Analyses using the Workflow Information System.

Workflow project

Standard Workflow

SAP has provided standard Workflows in every module.

If it matches the customer requirement, activation needs to be done

Custom workflows can be developed as per the client requirement.

http://help.sap.com/erp2005_ehp_02/helpdata/en/a1/172437130e0d09e10000009b38f839/frameset.htm

Workflow Enhancement (Custom workflow)

SAP allows to change the standard one

It is not advisable to enhance the standard one.

Copy the standard WF into a custom one and enhance it.

Treat this as a custom workflow.

During upgrade WF will b overwritten, so be cautious in changing the standard workflows.

Deadline Monitoring:

Deadline types enable you to remind employees to process tasks with important deadlines, such as activities after the probationary period has expired, performance appraisals, and HR master data updates. The deadline and date are both stored in the system.

The data required for monitoring deadlines is entered in infotype 0019 within Personnel Administration.

You can write a simple program to evaluate infotype 0019, and then trigger workflows to remind employees of their deadlines at the appropriate time. If certain deadlines are not met, superiors are informed.

Custom workflow:

Workflow Builder (SWDD)

The Workflow Builder is the main Business Workflow tool for creating, displaying and processing Workflow Definitions.

Graphical modeling view and a tree view of the workflow definition.

Made up steps in a modular fashion.

Step types exist

Steps that relate to business activities: Activity, user decision, document from template, Web activity

Steps for internal process control and monitoring: Condition, multiple condition, loop, fork, container operation, event creator, wait step.

The processing sequence of the steps depends on the result of the respective preceding step.

regards,

sreelakshmi

Re: What is Workflow.

Former Member — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:58:27 GMT

Hi,

Have a look at these links for Workflow,hope they will be of some help.

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/e0bbdb3c-d640-2a10-d3b2-e4d9b90536a6 :- this link is a DEMO of Workflows.

Re: What is Workflow.

Former Member — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 05:51:49 GMT

Hi Deepak,

I think this will help you,

Basic terminology used in the workflow:

The workflow definition is the set of rules that determine the path that the process takes. For example, how a purchase requisition is processed, from the initial request to the creation of the purchase order

A Workflow Instance, which is often simply referred to as the workflow, is a single workflow run. For example, the processing of a single purchase requisition for computers.

The Tasks are the steps in the process, which have to be performed either by people or automatically by the software. For example, to check for the availability of the spare computers in the company.

A Work item is the task instance that is performed as a single workflow step. For example, check that there are no spare computers available in the company.

Agents are the people who process the tasks (via the work items). For example, requisitioner and a member of the purchasing department.

Container is the place where all the data used in the workflow is collected.

Binding is the set of rules that define which data is passed to which part of the process.

Please check out this link for detailed description .

http://saptechnical.com/Tutorials/Workflow/WorkflowTutorialOne/WorkFlowTutorial1.htm

Regards,

SreekarKadiri.