What are the different types of WF Agents?
1.Possible Agents
Users who are authorized to execute the task
Configured during
Task definition (Org Unit, Position, User, Work Center, Role, Rule)
If a Task is configured as General Task, then all users become possible users.
2.Responsible Agents
The users to whom the work item needs to be sent.
This is set during
Step definition. Note that Possible agents are defined during Task definition.
(Org Unit, Position, User, Work Center, Role, Rule, Container Element)
Note: The work item recipients is determined by intersection of Possible Agents and Responsible Agents.
3.Actual Agents
Actual user who executed the dialog task
4.Excluded Agents
Users who are not supposed to execute the dialog task (even if they are in possible agents)
A very good Book for learning and Practicing Workflow
Practical Workflow for Sap 2ed
What are the agent determination techniques?
Rule Resolution with responsibility: Helpful when a set of static positions are responsible for action.
Rule resolution with Function (FM): Helpful when agents are determined dynamically from business logic.
Rule resolution with OM: Usually used in CRM. Have not used
Rule resolution with Function, but asynchronously: This is through a class and a method. Initially WI is created in status ready without agent. Later agent is assigned. This is suitable for agent determination having complex logic.
Users: Rarely used.
Role: Ex: ABAP_DEVELOPER
OM objects (Position, Org Unit, work center)
Expression: A container element containing the agents.
Containers
Workflow Container:
Task Container:
SWC_GET_CONTAINER
SWC_GET_TABLE
SWC_SET_CONTAINER
SWC_SET_TABLE
Event Container:
Method Container:
Rule Container: For resolving rules
Business Objects
Key Fields:
Attributes:
Database: Automatically gets populated by system code
Virtual: You determine the content and use SWC_SET_CONTAINER to populate
Methods: Can be created using FM, Transaction, Report, Dialog Module, Other
Synchronous: Finish execution before handling the control back to the task.
Asynchronous: Return the control back immediately. Cannot have export parameters. They depend on events to return results back to the calling program.
Dialog: Something to user
Background: Cannot have messages or exceptions
What are the options to implement method of a BO?
FM
BAPI
Tcode
Dialog Module
Report
Other (BO program)
How to extend a BO?
Got SWO1 and enter a BO that you want to extend. Click on ‘New Subtype’ Give all the details.
Go back to SW01, enter the BO, and goto Settings Delegate.
Example:
BUS7051: Notification,
BUS1001: Material,
BUS2012: Purchase Order,
BUS1065: Employee
Various status of BO
Modeled: Not accessible at runtime
Implemented: Not ready to be used, Internal use only
Released: For customer to use
Obsolete: Don’t use anymore
To change attribute values from methods of a BO
SWC_GET_CONTAINER
SWC_SET_CONTAINER
Events:
How to create Events?
HR Tables: SWEHR2/3
ABAP Code user Exit: SWE_EVENT_CREATE
Change Document: SWEC
Status management:
Message Control:
Event Linkage: SWE2
Subtype:
Key field cannot be created. Methods and attributes can be created.
Delegate:
If you want to change the functionality of a method, define a sub type, redefine the method, delegate the parent business object to child object.
Interface
Interface is a combination of Attributes, Methods and Events, to reduce the redundancy in definition.
IFSAP: Common interface for all BOs. It has following methods
Method: Display
Method: Existence Check
Attribute; ObjectType
Different Workflow Steps activities
Condition:
Multiple Conditions:
Until Loop:
Fork:
Send Mail:
Container Operations:
Event Creator:
Wait Event:
Process Control
Different deadline conditions
Requested Start: When this date is met, only then the work item will start execution, or available for taking action (dialog).
Latest Start: When a date mentioned here is met, it can send an email, or can be modeled to do something action.
Requested End: Same as Latest Start
Latest End: Same as Latest Start
Important Tcodes
Workflow Toolbox: SWUS
Simulate Event: SWU0
Business Object Repository: SW01
Event Trace: SWEL (S)
Workitems per task: SWI2_FREQ
SWUE: Event simulate
SWEL: Event log
SWELS: Set event log ON
SWE2: Linkage between Event and Workflow
SWEHR2: Event linkage in HR
SWU3: Workflow customizing
SWU_OBUF: Synchronize buffers
SWI5: Look into other user’s SBWP
What are the Important background Jobs for workflow?:
SWWDHEX For deadline monitoring
SWWERRE For error Monitoring
SWEQSRV For Event Queue Delivery
Workflow experience:
What are the workflows created by you? Worked upon by you?
Function Module that creates workflow
SAP_WAPI_START_WORKFLOW:
SAP_WAPI_CREATE_EVENT
SAP_WAPI_WORKITEM_RECIPIENTS
SAP_WAPI_GET_WORKITEM_DETAIL
When a infotype action is performed, an event should trigger, and a workflow subsequently. How can I configure it?
Answer: Tcode SWEHR2
When a infotype action is performed, an FM should trigger, and a workflow subsequently. How can I configure it?
Answer: Tcode SWEHR2
Workflow is not triggering... what can be the reason?
What are the different ways of triggering a workflow?
Triggering Events, which are set up in SWE2 (generic), SWEHR2 (HR)
SAP_WAPI_START_WORKFLOW
Workflow triggered, but it did not come to the user, why?
What are the difference between a Business Object and a Class?
How to achieve dynamic parallel processing?
There are three ways a parallel processing can be implemented
Dynamic parallel processing using a multi-line container element
Fork (3 out of 5) Work queue
In dynamic processing the type of each entry in the table have to be of same type.
Same task will be processed for each line of the multi-line container. It can be a dialog or background task. Deadline monitoring, binding, agent determination will be same for each work item generated To achieve, go to “Miscellaneous” in the activity, and enter the multi line container element.
How to notify a user immediately in R/3 that he has got an email?
Mark the priority as ‘1’ Express
How can we debug a workflow?
If it is a dialog task, you can set breakpoint in the method called by the task
If it is a method that you want to debug, use SWO1, and create a instance of the object and debug the methods
If it is a background task, and you are in development client, you can do the following. Create an infinite loop in the method you want to debug. Go to SM50 (processes overview) and select the relevant item, and select debug from option.
Huge number of events is getting created in a short duration of time, and thus creating a huge load on the system and making it very slow. Solution?
Enable event queue. It will ensure that triggered events are received in a phased manner. This needs to be done while providing event linkages.
Why ‘Process Control’ is used? What are its features?
‘Process Control’ is used to manipulate another work item of the workflow during runtime.
‘Process Control’ is usually used to model the workflow when deadlines are reached. SAP offers 4 standard behaviors as part of process control.
Cancel Work item: Target WI is logically deleted. Subsequent tasks are not executed. Precondition is that Process control and the target WI have to be in different branches of the same fork.
Set Work item to obsolete: The target WI is set to complete, and processing continues in the branch processing obsolete.
Cancel Workflow: Current workflow is set to ‘Complete’. If this is the sub workflow, then the control goes to super-ordinate workflow.
Complete (terminate) Workflow: Same as above, but the branch of super-ordinate workflow which contains the current sub-workflow will not be continued.
Cancel Workflow including all callers: Same as above, but all callers also will be ‘COMPLETE’d.
What is the integration point with ESS Portal?
Tcode SWFVISU
Portal config file for UWL
What are the types of work items?
Dialog Work item - W
Background work item
Workflow work item
Work queue work item
Missed deadline work item: When a deadline is missed a missed deadline workitem with the message appears in inbox
What are the different statuses of a work item?
Waiting
Ready
Reserved
Inprocess
Executed (‘confirm end of processing’ in task definition)
Completed
Logically deleted
Error
Difference between Asynchronous and Synchronous methods in a task
A work item created as part of synchronous in locked until end of the method execution. But in asynchronous, work item is locked only until start of method execution.
At least one terminating event is required for a task using Asynchronous task
What is the use of secondary methods in an Activity?
A modal call
Before work item executing
After work item execution
What is the BO method called for the task which calls UWL WD screens? Why?
EXTSRV --> PROCESS
What are Programmer exits? And why are they used?
What is the use of “Advance with dialog”?
If this indicator is set for an activity, workflow system checks if the processer of current task is also a recipient for next task. If yes, then the next task will be executed immediately.
-----------To be continued--------------------
Meanwhile this is a very good book if you want to learn and practice workflow. The workflow Admin chapter is invaluable if you are working in a support project.
Practical Workflow for SAP