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Posted:FriOct12,20079:11amPostsubject:FAQ

HowtodoTutorials
BusinessWorkflowTutorials
http://www.saptechnical.com/Tutorials/Workflow/Workflow.htm
ThesetutorialsintroduceyoutoBusinessWorkflow,itsfundamentalprinciples,itsoperation,andsomeofitsfunctions.
Joined:01Sep2007
Posts:1634

Transactions
swo1BusinessObjectBuilder
swddWorkflowbuilder
swi1Selectionreportforworkflows
swdmBusinessWorkflowExplorer
swpcContinueWorkflow
swprRestartWorkflow
swusTestWorkflow
swelDisplayEventTrace
SWETYPVmaintaintriggeringorterminatingevents
AWUVWizardforeventcreationDefinitiontools>Eventcreation>Setupwithwizard
MCA1WorkflowInformationSystemReporting>WorkflowInformationSystem(WIS)
OOAWEvaluationpaths
PFACMaintainstandardroles
PFAC_CHGChangerolesDefinitiontools>Standardroles>Change
PFAC_DELDeleterolesDefinitiontools>Standardroles>Delete
PFAC_DISDisplayrolesDefinitiontools>Standardroles>Display
PFAC_INSCreaterolesDefinitiontools>Standardroles>Create
PFOMMaintainassignmenttoSAPorganizationalobjectsDefinitiontools>SAPorg.objects>Createassignments
PFOSDisplayassignmenttoSAPorganizationalobjectsDefinitiontools>SAPorg.objects>Displayassignments
PFSOOrganizationalenvironmentofauser
PFTMaintaincustomertask
PFTCGeneraltaskmaintenance
PFTC_CHGChangetasksDefinitiontools>Task/Taskgroups>Change
PFTC_COPCopytasksDefinitiontools>Task/Taskgroups>Copy
PFTC_DELDeletetasksDefinitiontools>Task/Taskgroups>Delete
PFTC_DISDisplaytasksDefinitiontools>Task/Taskgroups>Display
PFTC_INSCreatetasksDefinitiontools>Task/Taskgroups>Create
PFTRStandardtaskfortransaction
PFTSStandardtask
PFWFMaintainworkflowtask(customer)
PFWSMaintainworkflowtemplate
PPOCCreateorganizationalplanDefinitiontools>Organizationalplan>Create
PPOMMaintainorganizationalplanDefinitiontools>Organizationalplan>Change
PPOSDisplayorganizationalplanDefinitiontools>Organizationalplan>Display
SWDAOngoingSettingsAdministration>Settings
SWDCWorkfloweditoradministrationdata
SWDMBusinessWorkflowExplorerDefinitiontools>BusinessWorkflowExplorer
SWE2DisplayandmaintaineventtypelinkageUtilities>Events>Typelinkages
SWE3DisplayinstancelinkagesUtilities>Events>Instancelinkages
SWE4Switcheventlogon/offUtilities>Events>Event/log>On/Off
SWECLinkchangedocumentstoeventsDefinitiontools>Eventcreation>Changedocuments>Linkage
SWEDAssignmentofchangedocumentobjectstoobjecttypesDefinitiontools>Eventcreation>Changedocuments>Defineworkflow
properties

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SWELDisplayeventlogUtilities>Events>Eventlog>Display
SWF3WorkflowWizardExplorerDefinitiontools>Wizards>WorkflowWizardExplorer
SWF4WorkflowWizardRepositoryDefinitiontools>Wizards>WorkflowWizardRepository
SWI1SelectionreportforworkflowsUtilities>Workitemselection
SWI2WorkitemanalysisReporting>Workitemanalysis
SWI3WorkflowoutboxRuntimetools>Workflowoutbox
SWI4TaskanalysisReporting>Taskanalysis
SWI5WorkloadanalysisReporting>Workloadanalysis
SWI6ObjectlinksRuntimetools>Objectlinks
SWI7WorkflowresubmissionfolderFromIntegratedInboxorWorkflowOutbox
SWI8ErroroverviewPartofadministrationofworkflowruntimesystem(transactionSWUF)
SWL1SettingsfordynamiccolumnsCustomizing,partofongoingsettings
SWLCChecktasksforagentsUtilities>Consistencycheck>Organizationalassignment
SWLDWorkbenchforWorkflow4.0
SWLPCopyplanversion
SWLVMaintainworkitemviewsCustomizing,partofongoingsettingS
SWLWWorkbenchforWorkflow3.0
SW01BusinessObjectBuilderDefinitiontools>BusinessObjectBuilder
SW06CustomizingobjecttypesFromBusinessObjectBuilder,chooseSettings>Delegate>Systemwide
SWU0EventsimulationUtilities>Events>Simulateevent
SWU2RFCmonitorUtilities>WorkflowRFCmonitor
SWU3CustomizingconsistencycheckUtilities>Customizing
SWU4ConsistencycheckforstandardtasksUtilities>Consistencycheck>Task>Standardtask
SWU5ConsistencycheckforcustomertasksUtilities>Consistencycheck>Task>Customertask
SWU6ConsistencycheckforworkflowtasksUtilities>Consistencycheck>Task>Workflowtask
SWU7ConsistencycheckforworkflowtemplatesUtilities>Consistencycheck>Task>Workflowtemplate
SWU8Switchtechnicaltraceon/offUtilities>Technicaltrace>On/off
SWU9DisplaytechnicaltraceUtilities>Technicaltrace>Display
SWUDDiagnostictoolsUtilities>Diagnosis
SWUETriggereventUtilities>Events>Generateevent
SWUFRuntimesystemadministrationAdministration>Runtimesystem
SWUGWorkflowstarttransactionsDefinitiontools>Workflowstarttransactions
SWUIStartworkflowsFromtheR/3initialscreen,chooseOffice>StartWorkflow
SWUSStarttasksRuntimetools>Startworkflow
SWUYWizardformessagelinkagetoworkflowDefinitiontools>Wizards>Create"Callworkflowfrommessage"
SWX1Createnotificationofabsence
SWX2Changenotificationofabsence
SWX3Displaynotificationofabsence
SWX4Approvenotificationofabsence
SWXFFormapplications:AccesspointEnvironment>Demoexamples>Filloutform

Debugging
TestingandDebuggingWorkflowsbySusanKeohanfromMIT
SAPTips:WorkflowTroubleshootingandDebugging

Reports
RSWWWIDEDeleteworkitems
RHSOBJCHtofixPDControlTables

Tables
SWW_OUTBOXListsWorkflowsinoutboxtogetherwithstatus
SWW_CONTContainerContentsforWorkItemDataContainer
SWW_CONTOBContainerCont.forWorkItemDataContainer(OnlyObjects)
SWWLOGHISTHistoryofaworkitem
SWWORGTASKAssignmentofWIstoOrg.UnitsandTasks
SWWUSERWICurrentWorkItemsAssignedtoaUser
SWWWIHEADHeaderTableforallWorkItemTypes

Importantfunctionmodules
Forlockingofworkitemsagainstexecution,usethefunctionmoduleSWW_WI_DISABLE.
Forunlockingofworkitemsagainstexecution,usethefunctionmoduleSWW_WI_ENABLE.
Toreadthecontainerelementsofaparticularworkitem,usethefunctionmoduleSWW_WI_CONTAINER_READ.
Wecanchangetheattributesofthedeadlinemonitoringforaparticularworkitembyusingthefunctionmodule
SWW_WI_DEADLINES_CHANGE.

Workflow
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1.SAPworkflow
2.SWI2_DIAG,workflow,
:
Agents()workflow,,AC90600006
.,PO
Bindingworkflow,,,

Misc
3.SWI2_ADM1,.
4.(),Workflow
SWIA

WorkflowPracticalWorkflowforSAP:
DayintheLifeofWorkflowAdministrator(p.161)
StepbyStepTroubleshootingGuide(p.505)
AdministratorsFirstAidGuide(p.519)

Introduction
IfyouhavenooronlylimitedexperienceofBusinessWorkflow,workthroughthefollowingtwotutorialsfirst:
Tutorial:WorkflowModeling
Tutorial:MaintainingtheOrganizationalPlan
WealsorecommendthatyouworkthroughthesetutorialsaspreparationfortakingpartinanSAPtrainingcourse.

Events
Ifyouareparticularlyinterestedinoptionsforeventcreation,refertothefollowingtutorial:
Tutorial:EventCreationUponStatusChangesandCreationof"Mails"
RaisingABAPOOeventsforworkflow

Objecttypes
Objecttypedefinitionsarecoveredinaseparatetutorial:
Tutorial:WorkflowProgramming
Programmingknowledgeisaprerequisiteforthistutorial.Itisthereforeonlysuitableforadvancedusers.
UsingABAPOOmethodsinWorkflowTasks

Inputconventions
Atseveralpointsinthetutorials,youarerequestedtoenternames,descriptions,ortexts.Theseinputsareshowninboldletters.Youcan
replaceentriesinpointedparentheses(<example>)withyourowntexts.
YoucanchooseyourownIDsanddescriptions.AlloftheabbreviationsandIDsyouuseinthistutorialshouldstartwiththesamecharacter
string,forexample,yourinitials.Thiswillhelpyoutofindyourowndefinitions.Thepointsatwhichaninputisrequiredareindicatedbythe
characterstringini.
OptionsandoutputsfromtheSAPSystemareindicatedinadifferenttypeface.

Prerequisites
Toworkthroughthistutorialsuccessfully,youhavetobefamiliarwiththebasictermsinBusinessWorkflow.
YoudonothavetohaveanypracticalexperiencewithBusinessWorkflow.
Youmustbeabletocarryoutalloftheindividualstepsinthesystemdirectly.
Crossclientobjects
Youwillbeshownhowtocreatecrossclientobjects.Youwillonlybeabletoworkthroughthistutorialonthesystemifyouareauthorizedto
createtheseobjects.
Customizing
AlloftheCustomizingsettingsmustbedefinedforBusinessWorkflow.Tocheckthesesettings,chooseToolsBusinessWorkflow
DevelopmentToolsAutomaticWorkflowCustomizing.
Formoreinformation,seeAutomaticWorkflowCustomizing.
YoudonotneedtocheckthesettingsifyouarealreadyusingBusinessWorkflow.YoucanusetheautomaticworkflowCustomizingfunction
morethanonce,sinceexistingsettingsarenotoverwritten.

GOSGenericObjectServices
HowtoAttachDocumentstoAnyCustomProgramUsingGenericObjectServices

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DevelopingSAPApplications
GenericObjectServices(BCSRVGBT)

TipsandTricksbyMortenHjorthNielsen,Denmark
Sourcefrom:http://www.mortenhjorthnielsen.dk/SAPWorkflow.html
1)Haveyoueverneededa"whereused"listformethods?Thisisn'tprovidedstandardbySAP,buttrytohavealookattableHRS1201.
2)Ifyouhaveaworkflowrule,ofthetype"responsibility",thatyouwouldliketomaintaindirectlyinproduction?youmayhavenoticedthat,
thisisnotpossibleintransactionPFAC.TryinsteadthetransactionOOCU_RESP.Orevenbettercreateaparametertransactionaround
OOCU_RESPintransactionSE93,bydoingthisyoucancreatededicatedtransactionsforagentmaintenance.
3)Problemswithasynchronous/secundairymethodsgettingoutofsynce.g.ininvoiceapprovalworkflows?Ihaveoftenseensolutions
wheretheimagelinkedtothelastinvoiceprocessedisshowninsteadoftheimagethetothecurrentinvoice.Inthiscase,trythereport
RSWO_CLEAR_ASYNC_DATA(Seenote316812)
4)Doyouneedtoworkwithaninstanceofyourbusinessobjectinyourworkflow,whentheonlythingyouhavegotistheobjectkey?well
thentrythemethodgenericinstantiateonthebusinessobjectSystem
5)Ifyourworkflowfailswhen,basedonerrorintheagentresolution,itcouldbeanauthorizationerror.Iftheusergeneratingthenextdialog
stephasn'tgotthecorrectauthorization,thisnextstepwillfail.Therequiredauthorization,inthiscaseisobjectPLOG:PFCODE=DISP,
PLVAR=01,OTYPE=AC,INFOTYP=1001,SUBTYP=B240,ISTAT=*
6)DoyouknowthatyoucanassigntheallowedagentinHRthroughtransactionPP01andinfortype1217
7)IfyouwanttoseealltheworkflowthathasbeenworkingonaspecificinstanceofabusinessobjecttakealookatSWI14.
Doyouneedtodeleteworkflowdocuments(WF_DOC),createdbyaworkflowtrytransactionSWUO_DEL
9)Doyouneedtomaintainsubstitutecentrally?TrytransactionRMPS_SET_SUBSTITUTE

FAQ
1.Isthereagoodbookaboutthissubject?
Yes,"PracticalWorkflowforSAP"byRickayzen,Dart,BrenneckeandSchneider.AvailablefromSAPpressattheendofJuly.Agerman
translationofthisworkflowbookisalsoavailabledirectlyfromGalileoPress,thepublisher.
2.HowdoIconvincemycompanytouseworkflow?
Feedbackfromusergroupsemphasizesthatalthoughthecompetitiveadvantagegainedbyusingworkfloweclipsesthefinancialsavings,itis
thefinancialsavingsthatarethedecidingfactorwhenobtainingsupportfromseniormanagement.ProjectsgettingtheblessingattheCEO
levelaremucheasiertomanage,andfarmorelikelytoreachtheirgoalwithintheprojecttimeframe.Soplanwell,anddon'tneglectthe
businesscase.
Becausethefollowingquestionsdealwiththefinancialcaseinmoredetail,thissectionwillfinishbylistingthecompetitiveadvantages.
Thequalityoftheprocessisassuredbypushingtherelevantinformationtogetherwithlinkstorelatedtransactionsdirectlytotheuser.
Managersdon'thavethetimetosearchforinformationsogivethemwhattheyneedtoreachthecorrectdecision.
Cycletimeisreducedbypushingtheprocessdirectlytotheusers.Theusersreceivenotificationofataskimmediatelyandcanevenbe
prioritizedbythesystem.
Thetasksareperformedconsistentlyanddiligentlybytheusers.Theworkflowsystempushesallthenecessaryinformationneededto
performatask,includingacleardescriptionofwhathastobedone,howtodoitandtheimpactthistaskhasonthebusinessprocessfor
yourcompany.Atanytime,theusercancheckthelistoftaskspendinganddetermineataglancewhicharetheimportanttasks,andwhich
taskscanbecompletedthenextdaywithoutanynegativeimpact.
Theprocessinstanceistransparent.Anyusercancheckatanytimehowfartheprocesshasprogressedandwhichstagetheprocesshas
reached.Forexamplethecallcentercanimmediatelyseethestatusofapurchaseorder,anemployeerequisitioningapurchasewouldseeat
aglanceifacolleaguehasbeensittingonitfortoolong,theadhocnotesmadewhenapprovinganengineeringchangerequestarevisible
longaftertherequesthasgoneintoproduction.
Theprocessisflexible,allowingittobechangedontheflywithoutretrainingeveryoneinvolved.Thedescriptionaccompanyingthechange
takescareofontheflyprocessimprovements.
Deadlinehandingensuresthatusersperformthetaskswithinthetimeplanned.Escalationmeasuresensurethatthefailuretomeeta
deadlinecanbecorrectedbyothermeans.
Intelligentreportinghighlightstheweaknessesofaprocess.Oftenthereisasimplecuretosuchweaknessessuchasreeducatingtheusers
involvedinthebottleneckorprovidingadditionalinformation(automatically).Thedifficultyofanonautomatedprocessisidentifyingsuch
bottlenecks.
Theprocessdefinitionistransparent.Youcanseeataglancehowtheprocessworksandwhowillbeselectedtoperformthedifferenttasks.
Thinkoftheworkflowastheprocessbook.Ifyoucanspotthepatternanddefinetheprocesswithoutheadaches,youcancreateaworkflow
definitioneffortlessly.However,don'tforgetthatifacompanyhasbusinessprocessesthatareerraticandlackaconsistentpattern,the
companyisverylikelytobelosingalotofmoneyintermsoflostcontracts,laborintensiveadministrationandlowcustomerconfidence.Itis
mypersonalopinionthatautomatingexactlythistypeofprocesseswillyieldthebestreturns,butonlyifyoulimityourselftoautomatingthe
basicskeletonoftheprocessfirst.Don'tgetboggeddowninthedetailedexceptionhandling.Thatcanbedoneinthenextphaseonceyou've
checkedtheprocessstatisticsanddeterminedwhichexceptionsareworthtackling.
Aswithmostsoftwarethereasonsforautomatingbusinessprocessesareprimarilytoincreasethecompetitiveedgeofyourcompanyandto
cutcosts.Althoughtheincreaseincompetitivelygainedbyradicallyreducingprocesstimesisbyfarthemostinsignificantgainfrom
workflow,youshouldnotignorethecostsavings.Thecostsavingcalculationsareneededbyuppermanagementinordertoapprove
workflowprojects.Thisuppermanagementsignaturewillbeveryusefulindifferentphasesoftheprojectandcannotbeunderestimated.

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3.HowdoIcalculatethecostsavedbyworkflow?
Calculatethecostofthemanualprocessintermsofmanhours.Don'tneglectthetimespentgatheringinformation.Askthefollowing
questions:
Istheuserforcedtologintodifferentsystems,orscanthroughprinteddocumentation....?
Doesaskilleduserspendtimeonpartsofatask,wherelessskilled(lessexpensive)usercoulddothegroundwork?I.e.Canasingletaskbe
splitintoskilledandunskilledtaskstofreetheskilledworkerforworkwherehis/herskillsarereallyneeded?
Istimespentresearchingtheprogressofaprocess(usuallydonebysomeonenotinvolvedintheprocessdirectly)?
Istimespentdeterminingwhotogivethetasktonext?
Probablythemostsignificantcostwillthebethecostoffailure?
Howoftendoestheprocessfail?
Whatistherealcostoffailure?Lossofacontract?Lossofacustomer?Lawsuit?
Ifthefailurecanberectified,howlaborintensiveisit?
4.Whataretypicalcostssavedbyworkflow?
Amanuallyprocessedaccountspayableinvoicewillcostabout25USD.Afterworkflowenablingabout15USD(oneexamplebasedon
customerfeedbackfromausergroupmeeting).
5.Whataretypicalreductionsinprocessingtimecausedbyworkflow?
Atraditionalpaperbasedapprovalprocessinvolvingthreepeoplewilltypicallytakesevendaystocomplete.Theautomatedprocesswilltake
oneday(resultsbasedoncustomerfeedback).
6.WhatdocustomerssayarethestrengthsofSAPWebFlow?
WebFlowistheinternetfunctionalityofSAPBusinessWorkflow.Basedoncustomerfeedbackfromthevariousregionalusersgroups,the
mainstrengthsofSAPBusinessWorkfloware:
Robustproductionworkflowsystem,(upgradecontinuitywiththerestoftheSAPsystem,versioning,scalability,nogluing....)
StandardworkflowtemplatesdeliveredbySAPcanbeusedoutoftheboxortweakedtodelivertheoptimumbusinessprocessforyour
company.Workflowscanbeupandrunningincludingtraininginunderaday(thankstotheknowledgewaredeliveredaspartofthetemplate
packet).
SeamlesslyintegratedintotheSAPenvironment,beitR/3,BusinesstoBusinessProcurement,CRM,APO,mySAP.com....Examplesof
integrationare:
BusinessReporting(WIS),
Contextsensitiveavailabilityatanytimethroughthesystemmenu(availableanytime,anywhere)
MoreandmorestandardSAPfunctionalityisbeingprovidedbyusingSAPBusinessWorkflowsoyourhomegrownworkflowsfitthelandscape
exactly,
MoreandmoreworkflowfunctionalityisavailabledirectlywithintheSAPtransactionorWebMiniApp.
WebFlowisbecomingmoreandmoreimportantbecausecompaniesarenolongerbeingjudgedbytheirownperformancebutbythe
combinedperformanceofthecompanyANDitspartners.Inotherwordsitisnotenoughthatthebusinessprocesseswithinyourcompanyrun
smoothlyandfasterthanyourcompetitors.Youhavetoensurethattheprocessesbetweenyouandyourpartnersarealsoasfast,efficient
andflexibleaspossible.WebFlowdeliversthis.
7.Howareusersnotifiedabouttheirworkpending?
Theusersareinformedbyaworkitemwhichyoumaythinkofasbeingverylikeanemail.Thedifferenceistheworkitemcontains
intelligenceandbyexecutingtheworkitemyouwillbetakentotheformorSAPtransactionthatmakesupthestepintheworkflow.This
formortransactioncouldbeadecision,arequestforinformationorarequestforconfirmationthataparticulartaskhasbeenperformed.
Theworkitemisusuallyaccompaniedbyadescriptionofwhathastobedone,wheretorefertowhenassistanceisneeded(helpdesk,
intranet...)andasummaryofinformationaboutthebusinessobjectorprocesswhichenablestheoperatortoattackthetaskimmediately.
ThisworkitemcanbereceivedandexecutedinMSOutlook,LotusNotes,mySAPWorkflowMiniApportheSAPintegratedinbox.Ifthisis
notenough,theworkflowsystemcantransmitemailnotificationsdirectlytoanymailsystem,informingtheuseroftheneedtologintothe
SAPsystemtoexecutethetask.Theemailnotificationisdoneonasubscriptionbasissothatuserscandesubscribefromthisserviceifthey
alreadychecktheirworkiteminboxregularly.
8.Whatworkflowreportingisavailableandisituseful?
Standardworkflowreportsexistwhichallowtheadministratortocheckstatisticssuchasthefrequencyandaveragedurationoftheworkflow
processes.Howevertherealstrengthoftheworkflowreportingisthatitallowsreportstobeconfiguredwhichanalyzetheprocessstatisticsin
combinationwiththedatainvolvedwithintheworkflowprocessandtheorganizationalunitsassociatedwiththeprocess.Forexampleyoucan
determinetheaveragetimeinvestedinafailedcontractrenewalrequest,thetimetakentocreatematerialmastersindifferentplantsorthe
frequencyofrejectedpurchaserequisitionsonadepartmenttodepartmentbasis.Often,bigreducationsincostorcycletimecanbeobtained
withouttouchingtheworkflowdefinitions.Reeducatingaparticulargroupofusersorincorporatingsupplementaryinformationinaworkitem
descriptioncanoftencausedramaticimprovementsonthecycletimesofparticularlycriticalsubsetsoftheprocess.Itisnotunusualthatthis
mayhaveabigimpactonspecificproducts,plantsororganizationalunits.ThiswillshowupintheWebFlowreportinginLISortheBusiness
Warehousebutitmightnotshowupintraditionalstatisticalworkflowreporting.Eventhoughtheaveragetimedoesnotchangesignificantly,
theimpactoncostsandprofitcanbedramatic.
9.HowdoIchoosewhotodistributethetasksto?
Aworkitemisassignedtooneormoreusers.Whoeverreservesorexecutesthetaskfirstwinsandtheworkitemvanishesfromtheother
users'inboxes.Thiseliminatestheneedtoassigntheusertoonesingleuser.I.e.Noneedforcomplicatedalgorithmstodeterminewhich
singleuserwillreceivetheworkitemandnoneedtoworryaboutwhatwillhappenwhenoneuserisillfortheweek(alsotakencareofby
sophisticatedsubstitutionmechanismswhichcanbelinkedtotheSAPorganizationalmodel).
Taskscanbeassignedtoanorganizationalunitbutthestrengthoftheworkflowsystemistoenablebusinessruleswhichselectusers
accordingtothedatabeingprocessed.Forexample,youmighthaveonegroupofusersassociatedwithonequalitynotificationtype.The
workflowcanbeconfiguredtoquerytheQMmoduledirectlytodeterminetheusers.Youcandefinefallbacksusingthedefaultroleassociated
withataskandallowagentstobespecifiedontheflybyasupervisor.
Taskscanbeassignedtoofficedistributionlistswhichisusefulwhenyouwantyouruserstosubscribeorunsubscribetoaparticulartask.A

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typicaluseofthiswouldbewhereyouhaveaworkroteorwanttoreduceusermaintenancetoanabsoluteminimum.Theuserssubscribeor
unsubscribebyjoiningorleavinganofficedistributionlist(onemouseclick).
10.Whathappenswhenadeadlineismissed?
Thisdependsonyourworkflowdefinition.Inthesimplestcaseanemailissenttoanotheruserbythesystem(typicallyyoursupervisorso
watchout!).Howeverinmoresophisticatedscenariosamisseddeadlinecanredirectthatpaththattheworkflowtakes.Onecustomeruses
deadlinestoautomaticallymakeanapprovalifthedeadlineismissed(atabouttheeighthapprovallevel!!!).Thisgivestheuserthechanceto
makerejectionsbutdoesnotforcehim/hertogointothesystemtoapprovetheother99.9%oftherequests.Insafetycriticalenvironments
theworkflowmighttriggeroffpreventativeactionwhenadeadlineismissedormightputotherprocessesonhold.Thereisnolimitastohow
youcanusethisfunctionality.
11.Whatdeadlinescanbemonitored?
Manydifferenttypesofdeadlinescanmonitored.Atthesingleworkflowsteplevelyoucandefinedeadlineswhichtriggerwhentheworkitem
hasnotcompletedwithinacertaintimeandotherdeadlineswhennoonestartsworkingontheworkitemwithinagiventime.Youcanspecify
thetaskdeadlinestatically(e.g.1week)ordynamically(e.g.1weekformaterialtypeAand2weeksforalltheothermaterials).Theoffset
canberelatedtothestep(e.g.youhave1weektocompletethisstep)orrelatedtotheprocess(e.g.completewithin2weeksofthe
completeprocessstarting,irrespectiveofhowlongyourcolleagueshavehoggedtheprevioussteps).
Lastbutnotleast,deadlinescanbesetforsubprocesses,whichisoftenmoreimportantthanthedeadlineofasinglestepinaworkflow.
12.HowcanIcheckthestatusofaworkflow?
ThisisoneoftheverycoolfeaturesofSAPBusinessWorkflow.Youcanusuallynavigatedirectlyfromthebusinessobjecttocheckthe
workflowprogress.Forexample,whileviewingapurchaseorderyoucanselect"workflow"fromthesystemmenuortoolbarandyouwillsee
alistofworkflowsrelatedtothepurchaseorder.Usuallyjustone,butifyouhavecreatedafewofyourownandthesehavebeentriggered
youwillseethestatusofthesetoo.Andthatisnotall.Youalsoseeasimplifiedsummaryofallthestepsthathavetakenplacesofar
includingwhoperformedthem,whentheywereexecutedandwhichadhocnoteswereattached.
13.Howareworkflowstriggered?
Workflowscanbetriggeredautomaticallybychangesinthesystemormanuallybyanoperator.Manuallytriggeredworkflowsaregoodfor
processesthatremedyaproblemtheoperatorhasnoticedorfordealingwithaformsbasedrequests(E.g.myPCwon'tboot).Automatically
triggeredworkflowsareusefulbecausetheoperatordoesnotevenhavetobeawareoftheworkflow'sexistencetotriggerit.Inadditionto
triggersembeddedintransactionstherearealsogenerictriggeringmechanismssuchasachangeinthestatusofabusinessobjectora
changeintheHRdata.Irrespectiveofhowtheworkflowistriggered,itislinkedtothebusinessobjectasdescribedinthepreviousanswer
andcanbetrackedeasily.BecauseWebFlowispartofthebasissystem,thistriggeringisreliableandeasytoimplement.
Workflowsmaybetriggeredbyeventsbutthisisnotessential.Theeventhandlingmakesiteasytotriggerworkflowsfromtransactionsand
systemchangeswithoutyouhavingtomakemodifications.Ifyouarecreatingyourownreportortransactionwhichtriggersaworkflow,
avoideventsandtriggertheworkflowdirectlywiththeWAPIfunctioncall.Thisisparticularlyimportantwhentriggeringaworkflowfrom
outsidetheSAPsystem.Thismethodreducesflexibility(theworkflowIDishardcoded)butincreasesperformanceifthisisanissue(we're
talkingabout50000workitemsadayhere!).
Anyexceptionhandlingworkflowsthatareintendedtobetriggeredmanuallycanbetriggeredfromthesystemmenuwhenviewingthe
relevanttransaction.TheSAPsystemhastheintelligencetosuggestworkflowsthatcanbetriggeredmanuallybasedontheauthorizationof
theoperatorandthecontextthattheoperatorisworkingin.Noadditionalcustomizingisneededhere.
14.Whatopeninterfacesaresupported?
ThemostsignificantinterfacesupportedistheWfXMLstandardfromtheWorkflowManagementCoalition.Thisisanindependentorganization
ofwhichSAPisafundingmember,alongwithmostothermajorworkflowvendors.TheWfXMLinterfaceisbasedonXMLandallows
workflowsfromdifferentvendorstocommunicatewitheachother.AdetaileddescriptionoftheinterfaceisavailableontheWfMCswebsiteat
www.wfmc.org.
15.WhatisWfXMLusedfor?
AlthoughacompanyisfarbetteroffworkflowenablingtheirsystemwithSAPWebFlowwhenSAPsoftwareisusedanywherewithinthe
process,acollaborativeprocesscantakeplacebetweenpartnersusingdifferentsoftwareplatformsemployingdifferentworkflowsystems.To
supportSAPcustomersinthissituation,WebFlowofferstheopeninterfaceWfXML.ThisallowsBusinessProcessesenabledusingdifferent
toolstocommunicateandcontroleachother.Anyworkflowtoolofferingthisinterfacecanconnectupwithothertoolsthatalsoofferthis
interface.
WfXMListheonlyopeninterfaceforsupportinginteroperabilityofbusinessprocesses,independentofwhatthebusinessprocessbeing
integrated.
16.WheredoesWfXMLcomefrom?
WfXMLcomesfromtheWorkflowManagementCoalition,anindependentbodyofworkflowvendors,customersandhighereducation
establishments.
17.HowdoestheworkflowcallproceduresfromnonSAPsystems?
TheActionalcontrolbrokerintegratesdirectlyintoSAPWebFlowenablingproxyobjectstobecalleddirectlyfromtheworkflowstep.When
called,theproxymethodwillmakeacalltotheoutsidesystemeitherasabackgroundtaskorasadialoguestep.Theseproxyobjectsare
generatedintheSAPsystemusingaconverterwhichconvertstheobjectsinterface(DCOM,CORBA...)totheSAPsyntax.Asyntaxconverter
alsoletsdevelopersviewanyobjectinanyoftheparticipatingsystemsinthedeveloper'spreferredlanguage.
18.HowcanIgettheworkflowinitiatorinformationinmytask?
1)Fromyourtriggeringeventtotheworkflow,bindtheeventcreatorelementtotheworkflowinitiatorelement.
2)CreateaworkflowcontainerelementbasedonUSR01.
3)AddastepbasedonUSR01.FINDUSERFROMAGENTSTRUCTUREtoconvertyourinitiatortoaUSR01object.
4)PasstheUSR01objecttoeachtaskyouwanttodisplaythedetails.
Mailing

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19.Whatdifferencesaretherebetweenaworkitemandanotificationmail?
a)Theworkitemcannotbeusedtonotifyseveralusers.
Mailscanberoutedtoseveralusers,justlikeworkitems.Whenamailissent,andonerecipientreadsanddeletesthemail,allother
recipientswillstillhaveaccesstotheirowncopyintheirowninbox.However,whenaworkitemisprocessedbyoneoftherecipientsitwill
automaticallydisappearfromalltheotherinboxes.Soyoucanseethataworkitemisunsuitablefornotifyingseveralusers.
Itisalsoworthnotingthatamailcanbeforwardedinmanydifferentways(fax,internet...)whereastheworkitemcannot.
b)Theworkitemholdsuptheworkflow
Whentheworkflowsendsamail(usuallyasabackgroundstep)itcontinueswiththeprocessimmediatelyaftertransmittingthemail.Whena
workitemisgenerated,theworkflowwillnotcontinueuntiltheworkitemhasbeenprocessed.Thisslowsdowntheprocess.Occasionallythis
iswhatisintended(usingtheworkitemasanapprovalstepwithouttheabilitytoreject)butusuallyyouwillbetteroffusingmailsfor
notifications.
Note:YoucansendbusinessobjectsasreferenceswiththemaileitherasabusinessobjectreferenceattachedtothemailorasanURL
(ABAPrequired).
Whatisthedifferencebetweensendingamailtoarecipientlistcomparedtosendingindividualmailsviaadynamicloop?
Performance.Sending1mailto20recipientswillcostconsiderablylessperformancethansending20individualmails.Ifthemailissentasa
SAPOfficemail(asopposedtoemail,fax...)diskspacewillalsobeafactorbecausetheSAPofficemailwillonlyexistonceinthedatabase,
withreferencesbeingcreatedforeachoftherecipients.
Theonlytimeyouneedtoconsiderindividualmailswithadynamicloopiswhenthetextofthemailvariesfromonerecipienttoanother.
20.HowdoIsendastandardtextasanemailfromworkflow?
Itisveryeasysendingstandardtext,whichmayincludedatafromtheworkflow.Yousimplycreateabackgroundstepwhichsendsthework
itemdescription.Thismayincludevariableswhichwillbesubstitutedwhenmailissent.
InearlyreleasesyouhavetocreateyourowntaskbasedonthemethodSELFITEMSendTaskDescription.Inlaterreleasesawizardis
availableforcreatingthestepandinrelease4.6thereisevenasteptypewhichdoesthisallforyouautomatically.
Whicheverpathyoutake,thereisverygoodonlinedocumentationdescribingexactlywhathastobedone.
21.HowdoIsendacomplextextfromtheworkflow?
YoumaycreatemailsusingSAPscript.Thesemailscanincludeconditionswhichareevaluatedinordertodeterminewhichtextblockswhich
areusedinthemail.Workflowvariablescanbeusedintheseconditionsandworkflowvariablescanbesubstitutedintothebodyoftheemail
text.
22.HowdoIsendreallycomplexmailsfromtheworkflow?
IfyouthisisnotenoughforyouwillprobablywanttowriteyourownABAProutinesforgeneratingthetextandgeneratingtheattachmentsto
gowiththetext.
UsethefunctiongroupSO01whichcontainsfunctionsoftheformSO_*_API1whichareidealforcreatingyourownsophisticatedmessages.
ThereareplentyofadvantagesofhowtheseareusedwithintheSAPsystem.
23.HowdoIsendreports?
Therearewizards(Release3.1)whichwillcreateworkflowsforyoutosendreportstoadistributionlist.Youcanspecifywhethertheresults
shouldbetransmittedorevaluatedatthetimetherecipientwishestoviewthereport.Itisusuallybettertosendtheevaluationbecausethis
allowstherecipienttoseetheresultsinstantaneously,withouthavingtowaitforthereporttoexecutefirst.
Deadlines
24.HowcanIconfiguretheworkflowsothatdifferenttypesofmessagesaresentouttodifferentpeopledependingonhowlate
theprocessingis?
Followthesesteps:
1.Specifyadeadlineperiodforthestep.
2.Specifyanamefortheevent.Thisaddsnewbranchfromthestep.
3.Addanewsteptothebranchwhichsendsamailmessage.
4.Addanothersteptothebranchwhichsendsouttheseconddeadlinewarning(seemailstepsabove).Usedeadlinesinthissteptoconfigure
anearlieststartsothatthesecondmessageisnotsentuntilafurthertimehaselapsed.
5.Repeatstep5asoftenasyoulike.
25.HowcanIconfiguretheworkflowsothatwhenthedeadlineismissedtheworkflowstepissimplyskipped?
Thisistrickytoexplainbuteasytoimplementonceyouknowhow.
Followthesesteps(inlaterreleasesthereisawizardwhichtakesyouthroughthesteps):
1.Intheterminatingeventsviewoftheworkflowstepactivatethe"obsolete"eventandgiveitaname.
2.Specifyadeadlineperiodforthestep.
3.Specifyanamefortheevent.Thisaddsnewbranchfromthestep.
4.Addanewsteptothedeadlinepath.Thisstepmustbeoftype"processcontrol".
5.Selectthecontrol"Makestepobsolete"andusethesearchhelptospecifytheworkflowstepthathasthedeadline.Onlystepswithobsolete
pathsdefinedwillbedisplayed(seestep1).
26.HowdoItriggeraworkflowwithanemail?
YoucancustomizethesystemtocallaBORmethodwhenanexternalmail(fax,email...)arrivesinthesystem.YouBORmethodshould
eithertriggertheemaildirectlyortriggeranevent.TocustomizethisuserexitusethetransactionSCOT.
27.HowcanImakesurethatuser'saccesstheirtasksviatheworkflowandnotviathemenuorlaunchpad?
Theroutingmechanismforworkitemsusesrolesandorganizationalassignmentstodeterminewhoreceiveswhichworkitem.Howeverthe
routingdoesnotprovideextraauthorizationchecksbasedontheroutingconfiguration.Ifyouwanttoensurethatthetasksareexecuted
withintheworkflow,andnotviathestandardtransaction,serviceorMiniApp,thenyouwillhavetoapplyyourownprotection.
Thesimplestwayofdoingthisistoremovethestandardtransactionfromtheuser'smenuorWorkplacerole(butincludeitinthe

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supervisor'srole,justincase).
Ifyouwanttoallowtheusertoexecutethetaskfromthemenuifandonlyiftheyhavereceivedtheworkitemthenyoushouldreplacethe
standardtransactionwithyourowncustombuilttransaction.Yourowntransactionsimplycallsthestandardtransactionbutperformsit'sown
authorizationcheckfirst,basedontheroutingmechanismusedintheworkflow.Tip:Addasecond(ored)authorizationchecktomakesure
thatasupervisorcanexecutethetransactioninanemergency.
28.Whatisaworkflow?Whatisasinglesteptask?
Asinglesteptaskisbasedonanobjecttypefromtheobjectbusinessrepository(BOR)(forexample,apurchaseorder)andamethodfor
theobject(forexample,change).Aworkflowcancontainseveralsinglesteptasksandactivitiessuchasloopsandforks.Througha
workflow,youcreatealogicalsequenceforthesinglesteptasks.Thetoolforcreatingorchangingthesetypesofworkflows(workflow
template)istheWorkflowBuilder(transactionSWDD).
29.Whatisaworkitem(importantterms)?
Aworkitemistheruntimeobjectofaworkfloworofasinglesteptask.Youcanexecutedialogworkitemswiththeinbox(transactionSBWP).
EachworkflowandsinglesteptaskstartedisassignedauniquenumberknownastheworkitemID.
30.Howisaneventtriggeredfromtheapplicationandaworkflowthenstarted?
Aneventcanbetriggeredfromtheapplicationinthreedifferentways:
Directly:
Withintheapplication,theSWE_EVENT_CREATEfunctionmoduleortheSWE_EVENT_CREAT_IN_UPD_TASKfunctionmodule,forexample,
generatesaneventintheupdate.
Withachangedocument:
Changedocumentsarewrittenwithintheapplicationwhenyouchangeapplicationobjectsintheupdate.Youcanlinkeventsthathavethe
samekeywiththesetypesofchangedocumentsviatransactionSWEC.
Withstatusmanagement:
TheSWE_EVENT_CREATE_STATUSfunctionmoduletriggersaneventinthesamewayasthedirectmethodwhenastatusischanged.This
eventcontainstheobjecttype(forexample,purchaseorder),theobjectkey(forexample,purchaseorder4711)andotherinformation.
UsingtransactionPFTC,youcanassigntheeventtoaspecificworkfloworsinglesteptask.MoresettingsareavailableintransactionSWE2.
31.Howaretheresponsibleagentsdetermined?
YoucanassignagentstoasinglesteptaskintransactionPFTC.Forexample,youcandothisusingorganizationalunits,workcenterrolesor
positions.Withinaworkflowpattern,youcanassignspecificagentsforthisworkflowtoasinglesteptask.Theoverlapbetweenbothnumbers
of'possibleagents'representsthenumberofagents('selectedagents')whohavetheworkitemintheinboxlater.
32.Whatisthedifferenceofbetweenanemailandaworkitem?
Emailsandworkitemsaretwocompletelyseparatethings.Theyjusthappentobedisplayedinthesameinbox.Anemailisamessagesent
tooneorseveralpeople.However,aworkitemisaruntimeobjectofasinglesteptaskorworkflow.Consequently,aworkitemcannotbe
deletedfromtheinboxofauser.Inthiscaseinfact,youhavetoadjusttheagentassignmentordeletetheworkitemasdescribedinnote
49545.
33.PFACnolongerworksformyroleresponsibilitysetup...
Usetx:OOCU_RESP
34.HowdoItransportworkflowdefinitionsandagentassignments?
Whentransportingworkflows,youhavetodifferentiatebetweentheworkflowdefinitionandtheagentassignment.
Aworkflowdefinitionisaworkbenchrequest.Whenyousavetheworkflow,aworkflowversioniscreatedandarequestwritten.Further
informationaboutthetransportoraboutthestatusmanagementisprovidedinnote378487andinthenotesmentionedthereunderrelated
notes.
However,wheretheagentassignmentisconcerned,thisisaCustomizingrequest.Toallowtransportofagentassignments,thevalueofthe
semanticabbreviationCORRfortheTRSPgroupnamemustbeemptyintableT77S0.
35.Howdoyoudebugabackgroundworkflowprocess?
Inyourmethodwritethefollowingcode:
Code:
dataexit.
Do.
ifexit='X'.
exit.
endif.
enddo.

Runtheworkflow,causinganinfinitelooponthatstep,andthengotoSM50.
Hereyoucandebugtheprocess.
36.WhatistheWorkflowbasicCustomizing?
BeforeyoucanusetheWorkflowmodule,youmustfirstexecutethebasicCustomizingintransactionSWU3.Allofthelistedpointsshouldbe
green(thenumberrangeforcustomertasksisnolongerrequired).Adetaileddescriptionoftheactivitiesisprovidedintherelevant
informationbuttons.Youcanalsoexecutesome(butnotall)ofthepointsusingtheAutomaticCustomizingbutton.Seetheonline
documentationforanexactdescriptionofwhathappensthere.TheRFCdestinationmustworkcorrectlyandtheuser(usuallyWFBATCH)
shouldhavetheSAP_ALLprofile.

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37.WhatoptionsdoIhaveasausertoconfiguretheinboxindividually?
Youhavethefollowingoptions:
Youcancreateseparateuserdependentoruserindependentlayoutssothatyoucanadaptthedisplayedcolumnsindividually.Youcan
accessthefunctionintheWorkplaceviaanapplicationfunctionkey.
Youcansetfilterstosetcertaincriteriaforindividualcolumnsorseveralcolumnssimultaneously,accordingtowhichspecificworkitemsare
thenfiltered.
Youcanadddynamiccolumnsinthelayoutthatthendisplaydynamicelementsforcertaintasksandusersfromtheworkitemcontainer.
However,thisisonlypossibleifalltasksintheinboxbelongtojustonetask.Iftheyhaveseveraltasksintheinbox,filteringservesnouseful
purposebecausealltasksarefirstcompletelyreadonce.YoucandefinethesedynamiccolumnsusingtransactionSWL1.
38.Whatdoesthesubstituterulesystemlooklikeintheworkflow?
Youhaveachoiceoftwodifferentsubstituterulings:
Activesubstituteruling(forexample,forabsenceduetovacations):Inthiscase,theitemsbelongingtotheabsentpersonareautomatically
assignedtothesubstitutesinbox(inadditiontohisownworkitems).
Passivesubstitution(forexample,forabsenceduetoillness):thesubstitutemustexplicitlyassumethesubstitutionandcanonlyviewthe
itemsoftheabsentpersoninthismode.
Forotherquestions,youmustalsorefertonote74000.
39.Howcanusersbeautomaticallynotifiedthatnewworkitemsareavailableforprocessing?
Unfortunately,thedialogboxthatinformsusersofnewworkitemswhichappearsinSAPofficeisnotavailablewithinSAPSystems.
However,thefollowingtwooptionsareprovided:
IntheWorkflowBuilder,youcandesignatetheitemasanexpressitemviaadditionaldata.Theuserthenreceivesacorrespondingexpress
dialogbox.
TheRSWUWFMLreport(note131795)isamoreflexibleoption.ThisreportsendsanemailtoanexternalInternetaddresstonotifytheuser
ofnewworkitems.
40.CanIsetdeadlinesforthelatestprocessingofworkitems?
Thisiswhereyoucanusedeadlinemonitoringforworkitems.IntheWorkflowBuilder,youcansetdatesforarequested/lateststart/end
dateforeachindividualstep.YoumustscheduletheSWWDHEXjobviatransactionSWU3forthis.Schedulethejobpermanentlyinthe
productionsystemotherwiseitisdifficultforthejobtoscheduleindividualdeadlinemonitoringscenarioswhenworkflowisheavy.
41.CanIalsoexecuteworkitemswithexternalprogramssuchasOutlook?
YoucanusetheWebGUIforHTMLinsteadoftheWindowsGUI.However,notethatsomefunctionsdonoworkintheWEBGUI,dueto
technicalrestrictionsinthebrowser.Youmustrefertonote487649onthissubject.
SAPalsoprovidesinterfaceswhichallowyoutoprocessworkitemswithexternalprogramssuchasLotusNotesorMicrosoftOutlook.Referto
notes77099,98408and454845fordetails.

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