50 Workflow Tips

7/23/2019 50 Workflow Tips

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50 workflow tips! (draft)

Edwin Mukusha

University of Nebraska-Lincoln



Learning Objectives

• Building workflows

• Workflow administration

• Emailing from workflow



Building workflows - 1• Use field definition with default values in a result arameters from amethod to create e!tra outcome events" thus eliminate the need for acheck condition node#

• $rogram e!cetions in your methods in the case of errors to getautomatic notification to the W% administrator#

• &ncororate '(%M notes on user decision stes to remind users torovide a descrition about a articular ste# E#g# When a managerdenies a re)uest it is useful for them to rovide a e!lanation to there)uestor about their decision#

• &f you have a re)uirement to arove short data records beforeuloading to the system consider using the container caability ofworkflow without the need to create a *-table#

• Use +heck functions for what they were designed for# ,hat is to stounwanted workflows# o not user them for rocessing stes since youwill lose visibility on audit trails



Building workflows - • ,ransorts that remain outstanding either in the eveloment client or.uality /ssurance client can lead to unnecessary headaches#

• +reate single transorts for a comlete workflow rocess#

• &n 0#1+ the Business (b2ect 3B(4 for emloyee tri in travelmanagement secifies B( EM$L(5EE, as an attribute# ,his Business

ob2ect has many mandatory attributes that can cause workflow errors#• &n t! 'W(6 do not imlement any non-mandatory attributes using the

suggested imlementation that contains the line7 e!it8ob2ect8not8found#99+omment this line out# ,his because every time the ob2ect attribute isnot found any workflow using that ob2ect will error out#

• +reate uni)ue relationshis in org-management to handle aroval

routings by osition# E#g# ,$:; for travel arover" and /B for leave ofabsence arover#



Building workflows - • o not call the same workflow on itself" rather use a loo#

• Utili*e the do not log this task otion in the workflow builder to

make your logs easier to read#

• /lways include descritive workitem te!ts for your tasks for easy

read logs#• <=e-define> default methods on ob2ect tyes for controlled

outcomes of stes eg# (n BU';:6; ME;6N instead of ME;6 or

and BU';:?@ islay ,ri over Edit ,ri#

• Use ositions when secifying holders to resonsibilities on

$%/+A((+U8=E'$#



"orkflow #d$inistration - 1• .# Where>s my workflow /# Use C(' button view log throughworkflow overview otion#

• 'et u &E' or M&N& basis systems to allow you discoversystem commands that may be useful in handling W% adminduties# e#g#t! D '(', #

• Notify more than one administrator in case of an error# E#g# asuer-user" or the wf backu administrator" through the use ofroles" distribution lists" a grou smt e-mail address#

• User-e!it E&,8'/$L'U'%8::6 will allow you to look intouser>s inbo!es and consider only workflow items and then

automatically lace them into the Business Worklace" that wayusers will hardly forget about outstanding items thus keeing thesystem clean and uncluttered#

• o not rogram to be e-mailed unless there are critical errors#,ry to delegate errors to suer-users where ossible#



"orkflow #d$inistration - • /lways follow u on all errors and endeavor to solve them byeliminating them at source by incororating edits on thealication side before workflow if forced into error# E#g# checkfor the e!istence of e-mail and relevant arovers ufront#

• Use the workflow )ueue to control triggering of workflow events

during data loads# Beware of +/,, and Winrunner and massloadsFFF

• &n transaction '(61 set the check bo! for Ge!ecution of newe!ress messages in new sessionH# ,his way users cannot lockthemselves within their own sessions in the even that they

receive an e!ress message in the midst of rocess a workitem#• &t is easier to administer workflows that are event driven#E#g#5ou can sto them activate them again without a transortusing 'WE8EIEN,8=E+8,5$E8EN/BLE

•



"orkflow #d$inistration - • Ma or alias wf-batch>s e-mail address as found in theuser master record to the workflow administrator>s e-mailaddress# &nclude in the addresss the originating client orsystem in the e-mail address" for e!amle

UN::JWorkflowKyourdomain#com# &f you are usinglotus you can ma two administrators to one address#

• ,o share system error generated via e-mail" set user wf-batch as the system administrator 3t! 'WU4# ,hen setu auto-forwarding on the wf-batch user to aliased

address#•

•

•

mailto:[email protected]






%$ail fro$ workflow - 1• &nclude U=Ls in an e-mail to user documentation for a workflow

rocess so casual users can hel themselves#

• &ncororate ,ML into the body of an e-mail to rovide easy to read

e-mails and boundless functionality# E#g# comarison before and

after • &n 0# use the rely-to field to automatically route relies on W% e-

mails to the aroriate erson#

• &n 0#1+ it is ossible to use %module"

'(8(+UMEN,8=E/8/$&6 to secify a different sender

address with a refi! with te!t like" <'/$ Workflow sent on behalfof<4#

•



%$ail fro$ workflow - • &ncororate hyerlinks to your intranet to your %/.son workflow# Embed this link into a an easy torecogni*e button or icon

• ,ry using $% attachments for better looking reorts"

$% format will reserve the data layout and colorson an /B/$ list reort comared to a te!t file#

• Email out of 0# is a bree*e# 0# is 'M,$ enabledand easy to set u# =e-visit you>re the way you e-mailuon ugrade#

•

•



%$ail fro$ workflow - • Use the rogram ='WUW%ML or ='WUW%ML; to send friendlyreminders to users when new workflow work items arrived in their inbo!#

• ='WUW%ML D has the otential of sending emails to all users in thesystem for generic tasks 3check ('' note 1?;0:0 is alied beforeusing this feature4

• With a simle modification to the rocess you can allow an ot-outfeature through the use of a *-table so that you do-not need to use theauto-forward feature#

• &f you need to clear an /uto-forwarding entry that may have been set fora ma!imum date for a background user" simly reset their office-userrofile from t! '(6;" using the reset-user button# Be warned any

outstanding office documents will be deleted as well#

•



#fter



Before



&e' Learnings

• Tips on the workflow builder

• Tips on workflow administration

• Tips on e-mail use in workflow



$aking up 50!

• Buy the Bible on workflow - Practical Workflow for SAPISBN -!""##"-$$%-&'

• Subscribe to the W( )IT listser* and don+t erase your e-

mails• Take a course on ABAP ,bects

• .eep workflows simple with a consistent user interface'/'0' use the deli*ered user decision task instead ofcustomi1in0 your own workitem screens'

• .eep your Business ,bects lean by not o*erloadin0them with data intensi*e attributes' 2onsider usin0methods'



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50 Workflow Tips