webMethods Workflow

Concepts Guide

VERSION 6.5.1

webMethods, Inc. South Tower 3877 Fairfax Ridge Road Fairfax, VA 22030 USA 703.460.2500 http://www.webmethods.com

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Contents

Contents
About This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Document Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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5 6

Chapter 1.

What is webMethods Workflow? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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8 8 10 11 11 12 13 13 14 15

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . How webMethods Workflow Helps Manage Business Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Types of Scenarios webMethods Workflow Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . webMethods Workflow: Key Benefits ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... and Key Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Graphically Designed Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Time-Based Management of Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Designing User Interfaces to Complete Human Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Project Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Integration with Existing Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 2. webMethods Workflow Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

webMethods Workflow Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . webMethods Workflow Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . webMethods Broker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . webMethods Workflow Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Process Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Distribution Control Service (DCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . My webMethods Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Authentication Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Portfolio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Log Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Server Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Resource Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . webMethods Workflow Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Business Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Workflow Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Workflow Inbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . My webMethods Business Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . webMethods Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Administrative Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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18 18 19 19 19 19 20 20 20 21 21 21 21 22 22 24 25 25 25 26

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Contents

Workflow Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Workflow Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Workflow Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Components of a Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Implementation Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . webMethods Workflow Logic Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Routers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Timers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Calendars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comparators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assigners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Plug-ins and External Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Launchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Notifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Workflow Project Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

26 27 27 28 28 29 30 30 32 32 33 33 33 34 34 34 35 35 35 35 36

Chapter 3. webMethods Workflow Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Planning Workflows: A Top-Down Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Top-Down Methodology and webMethods Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reusing Workflow Components to Accommodate Growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating Workflows: Basic Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Documenting Projects and Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 39 39 40 41

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About This Guide

About This Guide

ThisguidedescribesthebenefitsofusingwebMethodsWorkflow,thearchitectureand componentsofwebMethodsWorkflow,andthemethodologytousetoeffectivelycreate andmanageworkflowprocesses.

Document Conventions
Convention Bold Italic Description Identifieselementsonascreen. Identifiesvariableinformationthatyoumustsupplyor changebasedonyourspecificsituationorenvironment. Identifiestermsthefirsttimetheyaredefinedintext.Also identifiesserviceinputandoutputvariables. IdentifiesstoragelocationsforservicesonthewebMethods IntegrationServerusingtheconventionfolder.subfolder:service. Identifiescharactersandvaluesthatyoumusttypeexactlyor messagesthatthesystemdisplaysontheconsole. Identifieskeyboardkeys.Keysthatyoumustpress simultaneouslyarejoinedwiththe+symbol. Directorypathsusethe\directorydelimiterunlessthe subjectisUNIXspecific. Optionalkeywordsorvaluesareenclosedin[].Donottype the[]symbolsinyourowncode.

Narrow font
Typewriter font

UPPERCASE \ []

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About This Guide

Additional Information
ThewebMethodsAdvantageWebsiteathttp://advantage.webmethods.comprovidesyou withimportantsourcesofinformationaboutthewebMethodsIntegrationPlatform: Troubleshooting Information.webMethodsprovidestroubleshootinginformationfor manywebMethodscomponentsinthewebMethodsKnowledgeBase. Documentation Feedback.ToprovidedocumentationfeedbacktowebMethods,gotothe DocumentationFeedbackFormonthewebMethodsBookshelf. Additional Documentation.AllwebMethodsdocumentationisavailableonthe webMethodsBookshelf.

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CHAPTER

What is webMethods Workflow?

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 How webMethods Workflow Helps Manage Business Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Types of Scenarios webMethods Workflow Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 webMethods Workflow: Key Benefits ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 ... and Key Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

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CHAPTER 1 What is webMethods Workflow?

Overview
ThewebMethodsintegrationplatformenablesyoutoautomateanentireenterpriseby integratingyourcompanyscoreinformationsystemsandpeoplewiththoseofyour businesspartners.Withalmostanyautomatedprocess,yourbusinessinevitablyhas transactionsthatrequirehumanintervention(forexample,anorderneedingapprovalor creditissuesneedingresolution).webMethodsWorkflowhelpsyoustreamlineyour businessprocessesbyintegratingthesehumaninteractionswithautomatedbusiness stepswithinthewebMethodsintegrationplatformandensuringthattherightpeopleget therightdataattherighttime. webMethodsWorkflowallowsbusinessusersanddesignerstocreateavisual representationofacompanysbusinessrulesandthenusethoserulestodefineaseriesof tasksandtheinformationthatflowsamongthem.Designerscanthencreateuser interfacesthatworkflowparticipantsusetoviewandcompletetheirtasks.Youcanuse workflowsindividuallyorconnectthemtootherprocesseswithinthewebMethods platformtoconstructlargersolutions.

How webMethods Workflow Helps Manage Business Processes

Businessprocessmanagementrepresentstheabilitytomodel,integrate,manage,and optimizeinteractionsbetweenthefollowingintegrationcomponents: Mainframes Databases/Datawarehouses Internalsystemsandapplications Tradingpartners Webservices Workflow

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How webMethods Workflow Helps Manage Business Processes

Integration components managed by business processes in an integration solution

Business Process Management

Workflow Mainframes Web Services

Trading Partners

Databases/ Data Warehouses

Internal Systems and Applications

webMethodsWorkflowfocusesbusinessprocessmanagementactivitiesonareaswhere people,ratherthansystemsandapplications,performthoseactivities.Within webMethodsWorkflow,businessusersordesignerscancombinetheseintegration componentswiththebusinessstepsthatrequirehumaninteractiontocreatepowerful solutionsinanyenvironment. Todefineandcoordinatetheactionsthatpeoplecanperforminabusinessprocess, designerscreateaworkflowusingwebMethodsWorkflowDesigner.Atruntime,when humaninteractionisrequired,eachwebMethodsWorkflowparticipantispresentedwith alistofpendingtasksthatmayprovideinformation,collectdata,orasktheparticipantto makeadecision. Theinteractionamongvarioustasksandotheraspectsoftheoverallworkfloware connectedbybusinessrulesdefinedwithinthewebMethodsWorkflowmodel.Business rulesbindbusinesslogictotheflowofcontrolateachstepthroughouttheentire workflow.

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CHAPTER 1 What is webMethods Workflow?

Types of Scenarios webMethods Workflow Addresses

webMethodsWorkflowaddressesamyriadofbusinessscenarios.Anyprocessthat involvespeopleanddataisacandidateforwebMethodsWorkflowsolutions.Some examplesinclude: Human validation. Inmanybusinessscenarios,itisimportantforapersontoverify informationbeforeabusinessprocesscontinues. Example:Verificationofpaymentinformationincludedwithanorder Data exception handling. Evenwithinautomatedprocesses,errorscanoccur.These errorsmustberaisedtothosepeoplewhocancorrectthem,sothatprocessingcan continuewithminimumdisruption. Example:Updatingbatchinformationthatwasformattedincorrectly Process exception handling ("intelligent business"). Withinanybusinessprocess, conditionsarisethatalterthenormalcourseofbusiness.Whentheseemergencies happen,itiscriticaltoprovidetherightinformationtothepeoplewhoneedtomake decisionstodeliveroncommittedbusinessoperations. Example:Choosinganalternativesupplysourceforoutofstockmaterial Multiple step processes. Completingcomplextransactionswithinabusinessnormally involvestaskssharedbymanypeopleanddepartments. Example:Completinganemployeechangerequestbyreceivingtherequiredapprovals fromtheemployee,theemployeesmanager,andHumanResources Escalations and approvals. Withinorganizations,manydecisionsrequirechecksand balances. Example:Identificationofakeycustomerandreceiptofapprovalfrommanagementto provideasalesdiscounttothatcustomer Collaborative processes. Manyprocessesrequireiterativecollaborationbetween partnersorbetweendepartmentswithinanorganizationtocompletetheoverall objective. Example:Multiplepartyadjustmentandacceptanceofapartdesign Progression and time-based management. Efficientorganizationsrequiretheabilityto managetimeacrossallaspectsofabusiness. Example:Certainordersrequireprocessingwithinfourbusinesshours(Monday throughSaturday,8:00a.m.to4:30p.m.) Composite applications. Manycompanieshavebeenforcedtointegratemultipledata sourceswithintheirorganizationsandseekwaystocomposeintegrated,extended applicationswithoutadditionaldevelopmentoftheapplicationinfrastructure.

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webMethods Workflow: Key Benefits ...

Example:Allowinguserstocreateandviewanintegratedsingleviewofthecustomer acrossmultipleERPsanddepartments

webMethods Workflow: Key Benefits ...

webMethodsWorkflowprovidesseveralbenefits: Access to key systems. Forworkflowstoscalebeyonddepartmentalusage,theymust beabletoplugintothesystemsoftheoverallenvironment.webMethodsWorkflow allowsforsolutionsinvolvingpeopleandsystemsthatextendtoallaspectsofthe enterprise. Customized user interfaces. webMethodsWorkflowDesignerenablesdesignerstocreate userinterfacesand,usingdraganddroptechniques,connectelementsonthe interfacestothedataonwhichtheyoperate.Businessuserscancustomizethese interfacestomatchtheirprocessanddatarequirements,withoutcoding. Sophisticated change management capabilities. Workflowalsoprovidesflexibilityinthe waybusinessusersmanagechangestotheproject,includingallowinguserstodeploy enhancedversionsofprojectsandmigrateorupgradeontonewworkflowinstances.

... and Key Capabilities

UsingwebMethodsWorkflow,businessuserscancreatesophisticatedmultistep workflowsthatincludebothpeopleandapplications.Withintheseworkflows,designers cancreatetaskstorepresentuserinteractionwiththesystem,definebusinessrules,and controltheflowofstepsthroughouttheoverallintegrationsystem. webMethodsWorkflowprovidesthefollowingkeycapabilities: Graphicallydesignedworkflows Timebasedmanagementofinformation Capacitytocreateuserinterfaces Projectmanagementfeatures Integrationwithexistingapplications

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CHAPTER 1 What is webMethods Workflow?

Graphically Designed Workflows

ThewebMethodsWorkflowDesignerenablesuserstocreateworkflowmodels graphicallybydragginganddroppingneededcomponents,withoutcoding.The followingillustrationshowstheDesignerinterfacewithanexampleworkflow.
Creating workflows with webMethods Workflow Designer

UsingelementswithinWorkflowDesigner,designerscan: Assign tasks within a workflow to roles. Designerscontrolthedistributionofinformation inatypicalworkflowbaseduponstaticanddynamicuserinformation.Toensurethat aworkflowcanprogresssmoothly,designerscanassigntaskstoaroleratherthanto aspecificindividual.Designerscanassignindividualstosingleormultipleroles withinandacrossworkflows,aswellastakeintoaccountschedulingissuessuchas calendarsandabsences.Definedroleshelpcategorizeusers(forexample,Customer ServiceRepresentative).Theserolesalsoestablishanorderinwhichinformation flowstothembasedongroup,reportingstructure,customattributes(forexample, spendinglimit),andmorecomplexlogicaloperationsthatcombineseveralofthese elements. Control business processes in the workflow. Businessuserscandefinebusinessrulesto comparekeyinformation,establishdecisioncriteria,assignresponsibilities,impose timeconstraints,andmanageexternalevents.Thesebusinessrules,usedindividually orlinkedtogether,helpanalystscontrolthebusinessprocesstowhichtheworkflow refers.

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... and Key Capabilities

Reuse elements. Designerscanreuseeachelementoftheworkflow,including individualtasks(stepsinaworkflow),businessrules,andeventheworkflows themselves.

Time-Based Management of Information

Whenstepsinaprocessinvolvepeople,itiscriticaltobeabletomanagetime.With webMethodsWorkflow,designerscanapplycustombusinesscalendarstotimebased scenarios.Youcandefinetimecriteriawithinthecontextofabusinessdayordifferent businessdaysacrossvariousboundaries(forexample,manufacturingcalendar schedules).Youcanalsoscheduletimeouts,escalations,rerouting,andnotifications relativetothecalendarsonwhichyourbusinessruns.

Designing User Interfaces to Complete Human Tasks

UsingWorkflowDesigner,userinterfaces,calledtaskviews,canbecreatedthatallowa persontocompleteataskinabusinessprocess.
webMethods Workflow user interface

Forexample,designerscancreatetaskviewstocollectinformationfromseveralsources, ordefineawizardthatguidestheWorkflowparticipantthroughvariousdecisions.The designercancustomizethesetaskviewsforeachroleinvolvedinaparticulartask(for

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example,createtwoviewsofapurchaseordersothatamanagerandasubordinatesee differentpartsofthepurchaseorder).Designerscandesigntheseviewstodisplayto WorkflowparticipantsasJavapanelsorasHTMLpages. Inaddition,WorkflowDesignerallowsdesignersto: Maintain component-centric design. Designerscanreuseeachelementofthedesigned userinterfaceacrossmultipleworkflows. Ensure compliance with business process rules. Theuserinterface,andthereforetheuser, canworkdirectlywiththedatathatisprocessedwithinataskandtheworkflow eventsthattriggerthetask.Thisconnectionhelpsensurethatyourbusinesscanmeet thebusinessrulesthathavebeenestablishedfortheoverallprocess. Perform dynamic data interactions. Becausetaskviewsandtheirunderlyingdataare integratedwiththewebMethodsintegrationplatform,designerscandesignthetask viewstodynamicallyupdatewithinformationfromthewebMethodsintegration platformorinitiatebyeventsoccurringthroughouttheintegrationplatform. Move information data easily and quickly. Designerscandraganddropanypieceof availabledatainthewebMethodsintegrationplatformontospecificuserinterface elements.webMethodsWorkflowmanagesthedataflowtoandfromeach webMethodsWorkflowobject.

Project Management
Enterpriseshandlealargenumberofprocessmodelsorworkflows.Thestructureofthese models(includingtheirconstituentbuildingblocks,thebusinesslogic,andinterfacesto externalsystems)canbecomplex,requiringthedevelopmentandintegrationeffortsofa teamofbusinessanalysts,designers,andsupportpersonnel.Managingthedevelopment, integration,testing,anddeploymentofsuchcomplexprojectsneedsanefficientproject managementtool.webMethodsWorkflowprojectmanagementfunctionhelpsyoutrack yourprojectstaskassignments,schedule,progress,andcompletion. UsingtheWorkflowprojectmanagementfeature,businessuserscancreate,edit,version, anddeleteprojects.Duringprojectcreation,businessuserscanassignattributestothe projectsuchasprojectname,description,creatorsname,projectdeadline,andeditpolicy. Specifically,theprojectmanagementfunctionallowsbusinessusersto: Organizetheprocessandtaskflowdesignworkintoindividualprojects. Addorremovebusinessanalystsordevelopersassignedtoworkonaproject. Editexistingassignments. Setcompletiondeadlinesforassignmentsinaproject. Createversiondesigntimeworkflowmodels. Checkcomponentsinandoutofthesystem.

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... and Key Capabilities

Importandexportprojects. Deployandactivateprojectsintoanenvironment.

Integration with Existing Applications

Businessuserscanintegrateworkflowswithexistingcustomapplicationsusingthe webMethodsWorkflowClientAPI.ThisAPIenablesbusinessuserstostartworkflows fromotherapplications,aswellasaccessinformationaboutactiveworkflowsandexecute workflowtasks,bysharingthefollowingbetweentwoormorecustomapplications: Nameofauserorroleandthelistoftasksassociatedwiththeuserorrole Databeingpassedtoandfromthetask Taskpropertiesthatcontrolthetimingandexecutionofthetasksuchashowto handletaskcompletion,failure,andcancellation Forqueuedtasks,theAPIalsoenablesadministratorstodynamicallychangethepriority anddistributionrulesofthetask.

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webMethods Workflow Concepts

webMethods Workflow Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 webMethods Workflow Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Components of a Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Workflow Project Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

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webMethods Workflow Architecture

webMethodsWorkflowoffersadistributedarchitecturethatisbasedonwebMethods Broker.webMethodsBrokerprovidesthecoremessaginginfrastructureofwebMethods Workflow.ThewebMethodsWorkflowcomponentsactasclientsofthemessaging infrastructuretocoordinatewebMethodsWorkflowactivityacrosstheplatform.
webMethods Workflow architecture

webMethods Workflow Server My webMethods Server Services

Authentication Portfolio Log Server Manager Resource

webMethods Workflow client

Users Groups Roles

Distribution Control Service

Process Server

Database

webMethods Broker

webMethods Integration Server

webMethods Workflow Client

ThewebMethodsWorkflowclientisagraphicaluserinterfacethatallowsWorkflowusers tostartthewebMethodsWorkflowUsers,Designer,Inbox,Generator,Administrator,and Monitortools.Userscanselectthetoolbarbuttonstostartanyofthesesixtoolsthatthey areauthorizedtoaccess.

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webMethods Broker
webMethodsBrokerprovidesthecoremessaginginfrastructureofwebMethods Workflow.webMethodsWorkflowcomponentsactasaclienttothemessaging infrastructuretocoordinatewebMethodsWorkflowactivityacrosstheplatform.

Database
webMethodsWorkflowrequiresanRDBMStostoreuserandconfigurationinformation, alongwithcriticalruntimeandmonitoringinformation.webMethodsWorkflowusesthis RDBMSforwriteoperations,primarilyreadingbackdataonlyafterrestartorsystem failure.Whentheuserdeploysaproject,webMethodsWorkflowgeneratestablesthat supporttheruntimeoperationofthecreatedworkflows.webMethodsWorkflowsuseof thedatabasecentersaroundguaranteeingreliabilityandoptimizingthedatathatpasses throughthesystem.Assuch,itisnotnecessaryorappropriatetoquerythedatabase tablesdirectly.

webMethods Workflow Server

TheserversideofwebMethodsWorkflowconcernsthefollowingcomponents: ProcessServer DistributionControlService(DCS) MywebMethodsServer AuthenticationService PortfolioService LogService ServerManagerService ResourceService

Process Server
TheProcessServerinterpretstheruntimeworkflowmodelsgeneratedthroughthe WorkflowDesigner.ThewebMethodsWorkflowadministratorcanreplicatetheProcess Serverforadditionalscalability.TheProcessServerisresponsiblefor: Managingtransactions(committingandrollingbackchanges)andprocesscontrols (starting,suspending,resuming,andstoppingaworkflow) Savinginformationrelatedtotheworkflow Controllingtheflowoftheworkflowfromcomponenttocomponent(suchastasks, timers,andjoins)

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Generatingthedataandeventsinterpretedbythemonitoringsystem

Distribution Control Service (DCS)

TheDistributionControlService(DCS)interpretstheprocessandtaskflowofthe workflowmodelstoreacttoworkflowinputs.Italsodirectstasks,whicharethehuman actionsrequiredinaworkflow,totheappropriatequeues(orInboxes)oftheWorkflow participantswhoconnecttowebMethodsWorkflowtoviewandactonthelistoftasksin theirinboxes. TheDCSisresponsiblefor: Providingrolesbasedaccesstoworkflowtasks Dispensingtaskstobecompleted InteractingwiththeProcessServertocoordinatetheinitiationandcompletionof Workflowparticipantsinteractionswiththesystem(tasks) Generatingdistributionrelateddataandeventsinterpretedbythemonitoringsystem

My webMethods Server
ThewebMethodsIntegrationPlatformprovidescentralizedusermanagementwithMy webMethodsServer.YoucannowintegrateWorkflowintoasitecentralsecuritysystem, suchasLDAP. InwebMethods6.5.1,theWorkflowMonitorhasbeenenhanced,andisnowpartofMy webMethodsBusinessMonitoring.YouuseMywebMethodstomonitorprocesses, includingworkflows,andtomanageWorkflowtasks.Inaddition,MywebMethods includesanadditionalWorkflowInboxoption,calledMyInbox.

Authentication Service
Workflowauthenticationcanbeconfiguredinthreeways:MywebMethodsServer (default),localWorkflowsecurity,orintegratedwithanyexternalsystemviathepublic securityAPI. TheAuthenticationservicemanagesusersofthewebMethodsWorkflowsystem (designers,administrators,andWorkflowparticipants)andgroupsoftheseusers.This servicevalidatestheuserIDsandpasswordssuppliedbyuserswhentheyaccess webMethodsWorkflow,andallowsaccessbasedonrolerelatedauthorizations. TheAuthenticationservicealsoassociatesenduserswithenterprisewiderolesthatare configuredwithinthewebMethodsWorkflowsystem.TheAuthenticationservice supportstheleveragingofexternalsystemsforuserauthenticationandtheretrievalof rolebasedinformation.Inaddition,theservicecontainsapublicAPItoassistin integratingtocentralsecuritysystemssuchasLDAP.

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Portfolio
ThePortfolioistherepositoryforalldesigntimeWorkflowcomponentsandtheir controls,including: Projectmanagementandtracking Access/Authenticationcontrol(checkingcomponentsinandoutofthesystem) Workflowmodelversioning Importandexportofprojects Multiuserdevelopmentnotifications Dependencychecking

Log Service
TheLogservicehelpscoordinateloggingactivityfromotherwebMethodsWorkflowrun timecomponentsandpublishestherelevantlogeventsusedbythewebMethodsBroker logginginfrastructure.TheLogservicealsocreatesthespecificinformationrequiredto supportthewebMethodsWorkflowAdministrator.

Server Manager
ThewebMethodsWorkflowServerManagercontrolstheoperationsofallruntime servicesandcanbeusedtostart,stop,andrelocateruntimeservices.TheServerManager helpscoordinatemonitoringactivitieswherepeerserviceshelpensureallelementsofthe workflowareupandproperlyfunctioning.

Resource Service
TheResourceservicerepresentsthewebMethodsWorkflowdeploymentenvironment.It helpssupportthedispensingofresourcestotheWorkflowtoolssuchasWorkflow DesignerandWorkflowInbox.Throughthismechanism,Workflowneedstobeinstalled onlyonce.Afteritsinitialinstallation,theResourceserviceensuresthatithasthe appropriateversionsofallthenecessaryinterfacesandfunctionality.

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webMethods Workflow Tools

webMethodsWorkflowprovidestoolsthatallow: Businessuserstoeasilycreatepowerfulprocesses Administratorstosupportlargeproductionsystems WhenauserlogsintowebMethodsWorkflow,atoolbarcalledtheWorkflowClient ManagerdisplaystoprovideaccesstotheWorkflowtools:Users,Designer,Inbox, Generator,andAdministrator. Note: TheWorkflowUserstoolisonlyavailableinalocalsecurityenvironment.
Workflow Client Manager

Users

Designer

Inbox

Generator Administrator

NotallusershaveaccesstoallofthewebMethodsWorkflowtools.Thebuttonsausersees intheWorkflowClientManagerdependonthetoolsthatuserhasbeenauthorizedtouse.

Business Tools
webMethodsWorkflowprovidesthebusinessuserwithtoolstohelpspeedthecreation anddeploymentofnewworkflows.Withthesebusinesstools,userscancreateand monitorsolutionscreatedwithwebMethodsWorkflow.Inaddition,thesebusinesstools alsoenabledeveloperstocreatetheuserinterfacesthatallowWorkflowparticipantsto performthehumaninteractionthatisrequiredinabusinessprocess. webMethodsWorkflowtoolsforbusinessusersareDesignerandInbox.Inaddition, businessuserscanuseMywebMethodsBusinessMonitoringandwebMethodsMonitor tomonitoractivityacrossthewebMethodsintegrationplatform.

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webMethods Workflow business tools

Workflow Designer

Designers create, generate, and deploy workflows and tasks using Workflow Designer.

Workflow Inbox
Workflow participants use the Workflow Inbox to view, activate, and process any tasks assigned to them (or to their assigned role).

My webMethods Business Monitoring

Using My webMethods Business Monitoring, an administrator can view workflows in progress or adjust queued and active tasks. Administrators can also use webMethods Monitor to monitor activity across the webMethods integration platform.

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Workflow Designer
ThewebMethodsWorkflowDesignerisapowerfulvisual,icondriventoolfordefining, creating,testing,anddeployingworkflowsacrosstheenterprise.
Workflow Designer

TheWorkflowDesignerallowsdesignerstocreateprojectscontainingWorkflow componentssuchas: Workflows Tasks(stepsinaprocessthatrequirehumanintervention) Controllers(reusablesetofsteps) Implementationmodules(modulesthatconnectwebMethodsWorkflowtothe webMethodsintegrationplatformandspecifythedocumentsaworkflowpublishes orsubscribesto) Taskviews(userinterfacesthatenableaWorkflowparticipanttocompleteatask) Tothesecomponents,designerscanaddlogiccomponentssuchastimers,joins,and comparatorstocompletetheoverallprocessanditsintegrationtotaskviewsandthe webMethodsplatform.Formoreinformationaboutthesecomponents,seeComponents ofaWorkflowonpage 28.

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Workflow Inbox
TheWorkflowInboxiswhereWorkflowparticipantsviewandcompletethelistoftasks assignedtothemoraroletheyareplaying.Forexample,aWorkflowparticipantmight approveapurchaseorderorassignacustomerrequest.TheWorkflowInboxcanbeeither aJavaapplicationthatpresentsaJavabasedtaskpanel,aWebURLfortheWorkflow participanttonavigateusingaWebbrowser,orMyInboxinMywebMethods.

My webMethods Business Monitoring

MywebMethodsBusinessMonitoringprovidesbusinessmanagersandsystem administratorswithspecificinformationaboutwebMethodsWorkflowactivities, includingwhoiscurrentlyworkingonanactivetaskwithinwebMethodsWorkflow,what rolesareactinguponworkflowinformation,andwhatpendingtasksarecurrentlyineach userorrolesqueue.Basedonthisinformation,businessmanagersandsystem administratorscanadjustworkflowactivityasneeded,suchasstoppingorresuming workflowsandrequeueingorreassigningtasks. BusinessprocessmonitoringinMywebMethodsallowsyoutomonitorotherprocesses besidesworkflowsandtasks.Formoreinformation,refertoGettingStartedwithMy webMethods.

webMethods Monitor
InadditiontothewebMethodsWorkflowtools,abusinessusercanalsousethe webMethodsMonitortomonitorprocessactivityacrosstheenterprise.webMethods MonitorallowsyoutomonitorprocessesrunninginallcomponentsofthewebMethods platform.
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webMethodsWorkflowlogsinformationtotheMonitortoprovideaprocesscentricview oftheendtoendbusinessprocessacrosstheenterprise.Formoreinformationabout webMethodsMonitor,seethewebMethodsMonitorUsersGuide.

Administrative Tools
webMethodsWorkflowprovidesadministratorswiththetoolsthattheyneedtosupporta productionwebMethodsWorkflowsystem. webMethodsWorkflowtoolsforadministratorsareUsers,Administrator,andGenerator.
webMethods Workflow administrative tools

Workflow Users
Using the Workflow Users tool, an administrator creates user accounts, determines which Workflow tools a user can access, and assigns users to groups and to roles they will assume during workflow execution.

Workflow Administrator
Using the Workflow Administrator, an administrator can view, start, and stop the run-time services of the webMethods Workflow system and their properties and logs.

Workflow Generator
Using the Workflow Generator, an administrator can view a record of the projects that have been placed into quality assurance or production environments and activate and deactivate versions of a project.

Workflow Users
AdministratorsusethewebMethodsWorkflowUserstooltocreateuseraccountsand groupsandtoassignusersandgroupstoroles. AdministratorscreateuseraccountsforallusersthataccessthewebMethodsWorkflow system: Designers,whodevelopworkflows Administrators,whomanageandsupportthewebMethodsWorkflowsystem Workflowparticipants,whoareendusersthataccesswebMethodsWorkflowtoview andactupontasksthatareassignedtothem(forexample,accountants,salespersons, andmanagers) Administratorsassigneachusertoaspecificgroup.TheAuthenticationservice(described inwebMethodsWorkflowArchitectureonpage 18)usesthisgroupdesignationto determinethetoolstowhichtheuserhasaccess.Forexample,theAnalystgroupcan accessWorkflowDesignerandWorkflowMonitor.

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Administratorsalsoassignuserstoroles.Designersdefinerolesastheycreateworkflows todeterminehowtaskswithinaworkflowaredistributedtoWorkflowparticipants. Whendefiningtheroles,thedesignercanalsodefineattributesfortherole(forexample, approvallimitforapurchaseorder).Whentheadministratorassignsuserstoroles,the administratoralsosetsthevaluesoftheroleattributesfortheuser(forexample,theuser fillingtherolecanapprovepurchaseordersof$5,000orless).Asingleuser,ifnot assignedtoagroup,canbeassignedtomultipleroles(forexample,oneroletoinitiatea purchaseordersandanotherroletoapproveinvoices).

Workflow Administrator
AdministratorsusethewebMethodsWorkflowAdministratortomonitorandcontrolthe runtimeservicesandserversofthewebMethodsWorkflowsystem.UsingWorkflow Administrator,anadministratorcan: Viewservicesandserversbyhost(allhostedbyaspecifichost). Start,stop,orrestartallorselectedservicesandservers. Viewthepropertiesofaselectedservice,suchashostname,hostIPaddress,RMI registryport,orinstancename. Viewtheactivitylogofaselectedserviceorserver. ViewtheAdministratorLogthatshowstheoverallactivityoftheWorkflow Administratortool. Viewhostsbyserviceorserver(allhostsforaspecificserviceorserver). Defineglobal,oralias,namesforIntegrationServersandbrokerstomakeiteasierto sharethesecomponentsacrosstheintegrationplatform. FormoreinformationaboutthewebMethodsWorkflowservicesandservers,see webMethodsWorkflowServeronpage 19.

Workflow Generator
ThewebMethodsWorkflowGeneratorenablesadministratorstodeploygenerated projectstoqualityassuranceandproductionenvironments,toviewarecordofthe projectsthathavebeendeployed,andtoactivateanddeactivateversionsofaproject.

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Components of a Workflow
DesignersusetheWorkflowDesignertocreateaworkflow,incorporatingthefollowing maincomponents: Workflows Documents Tasks Controllers Roles Implementationmodules Understandingthesecomponentsandusingthemtogetherallowsbusinessuserstocreate effectiveworkflowsolutionspoweredbythestrengthofthewebMethodsintegration platform.

Workflows
Aworkflowdefinesandcoordinatestheactions(tasks)thatpeople(Workflowparticipants) needtocompleteduringabusinessprocess.Coordinatingtasksincludesdeterminingthe: Right time to assign a task to a person. Typically,Workflowassignstaskswhenitreceives informationitneedstoactonintheformofadocument(forexample,apurchase order). Right people to whom to assign the task.Whendesignersdesigntheworkflow,theyassign thetaskstovariousrolesthatrepresentjobfunctionsinyourorganization.Peoplein yourorganizationfilltheseroles. Atruntime,whenabusinessprocessrequireshumanaction(forexample,apurchase orderisreceivedthatneedsapproval),thesystemdistributestaskstotheWorkflow participantswhofilltheroleandwhocancompletethetask(forexample,managerswho canapprovethepurchaseorder).WorkflowparticipantsaccesstheirWorkflowInboxto seetheirlistofpendingtasksandreviewinformation,supplydata,ormakeadecision accordingly. ThefollowingillustrationshowsanexampleofaworkflowinwebMethodsWorkflow Designer.

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Example workflow

Aworkflowcombineshumanandautomatedstepsandtheirdecisionpoints.Todefine thesestepsanddecisionpoints,designersaddtasksandotherlogiccomponentsintothe workflow.Theconnectionsbetweenthesecomponentsdeterminethebasicflowofactivity intheworkflow.Often,workflowsconsistofadditionalnestedworkflowswithinthem.In thismanner,businessuserscanreusecomponentsandeasilycreatelargersolutionsfrom existingwork.

Roles
Rolesareenterprisewidedefinitionsofjobfunctionsperformedwithinanorganization. Eachroledefinitioncanhaveassociatedattributesrelatedtothatjobfunction(for example,aPurchasersrolemighthaveattributesoflocationandspendinglimit).A Workflowparticipantcanfillmorethanoneroleatanypointinthebusinessprocess(for example,aWorkflowparticipantcanplaytheroleofbothManagerandCustomerService Representative). Whendesigningaworkflow,adesignerusesrolestodeterminehowthesystem distributestaskstoWorkflowparticipants.Toassigntasks,thedesignerdefinesa distributionruleforatasktodeterminewhichWorkflowparticipantsshouldreceivethe taskandinwhatorder.Designerscandefinesimpledistributionrules(forexample, distributeatasktooneperson)ormorecomplexrulesthataresometimesrequiredto determinetherightpersontoperformaworkflowtask.

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Examplesofdistributionrulesforanorderentrytaskmightinclude: Distributethetasktoacustomerservicerepresentative. Distributethetaskfirsttoacustomerservicerepresentativetoentertheorderand thentoamanagertoapprovetheorder. Distributethetaskonlytomanagerswithinaspecificgeographicalregionwhohavea spendinglimitgreaterthanthetotalamountoftheorder.

Documents
Documentsarethebusinessprocesselementsthatholdthedatathatthesystempasses throughaworkflow.Documentsareakintophysicaldocuments,suchasapurchaseorder oraninvoice,andsupportmodelinginformationflowthroughanenterprise. BusinessuserscancreatedocumentdefinitionswithinthewebMethodsWorkflow DesignerorthroughotherpartsofthewebMethodsplatform.Documentscontainfields thatrepresenttheindividualelementsofadocument.Forexample,aworkflowforan orderapprovalmightuseadocumentthatincludesfieldssuchas: Whoissubmittingtheorder Whatitemisbeingordered Whattheitemcosts Documentsonlyneedtocontaindatathattheworkflowrequirestoperformits processing. Businessuserscannestdocumentstocontainotherdocuments(forexample,acredit reportcontainingacustomerdocument).Atruntime,thesystemfillsdocumentfields withinformationthatmaycomefromuserinput,databases,ERPs,orotherenterprise datasources.

Tasks
Ataskrepresentshumaninteractioninabusinessprocess.Ataskisaunitofworkthata Workflowparticipantmustcompletebeforethebusinessprocesscanproceed. Tasksconsistofthefollowingelements: Eventdefinitionsthatdefinehowthesystemistoprocessthetask Adatacontrollerthathandlesthedatathatflowsinandoutofthetask Userinterfacepanels(taskviews)thatpresentinformationtoWorkflowparticipants andpassdataanddecisionsfromaWorkflowparticipantbacktotheworkflow

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Whendesigningtaskviews,thedesignercreatesauserinterfacethatrepresentsthe businesslogicwithinaprocess(forexample,thecriteriausedtoapproveaninsurance claimprocessandwhattodowhentheclaimisapproved).TaskviewsenableaWorkflow participanttoviewinformationintextfieldsortablesandsupplyinformationbyselecting itemsfromdropdownlists,selectingradiobuttons,selectingcheckboxes,typingdatain textfields,orclickingstandardbuttons(forexample,SubmitorApprove).Thedesigner designsthetaskviewtoopenwithinanapplicationasaJavapanelorinabrowserasan HTMLpage.Thedesignerthenlinks,orwires,datafromdocumentsinthetaskdata controllertospecificelementsinthetaskview(forexample,wiretheOrderNumberdata fieldtoatextfieldontheuserinterface).SuchwiringwilldirectwebMethodsWorkflow topopulatethetaskviewwithruntimedataandrecordchangesmadebytheWorkflow participantbacktothetaskdatacontroller. Eachtaskcancontaindifferenttaskviewsthatpresentdifferingsetsofuserinterface elementsoractionsbasedonsomecriteria,suchastheroleoftheWorkflowparticipant. Forexample,thesystemmightpresentataskviewtoamanagerthatcontainsallaccount informationforacustomer,includingtheaccountbalance,whereasthetaskviewthe systempresentstothemanagerssubordinatemightonlycontainasubsetofthat information. Atruntime,WorkflowparticipantsopentasksfromtheirWorkflowInboxestodisplay thetaskview.ThetaskviewmaypresentinformationforaWorkflowparticipantto review,fieldsinwhichtheparticipantcansupplydata,ordecisionstheparticipantmust make.AnyinformationtheWorkflowparticipantsuppliesinthetaskviewgoesbackinto theworkflowintheformofadocument,whichthesystemmakesavailabletothenext stepinthebusinessprocess. AWorkflowparticipantdisplaysataskviewinoneoftwoways: From an Inbox menu. DesignerscandesignaworkflowsothataWorkflowparticipant initiatestheworkflowusingamenuthatdesignersaddtotheWorkflowInbox.For example,aWorkflowparticipantsInboxmightcontainamenuitemtoallowthe participanttosubmitanexpensereport.WhentheWorkflowparticipantselectsthis menuitem,thesystemdisplaysthetaskviewthedesignerdesignsfortheexpense report. By selecting a task in the Inbox. IfaworkflowdistributesatasktoaWorkflowparticipant (basedondistributionrules),thesystemaddsthetasktothatparticipantsWorkflow Inbox.WhentheparticipantselectsataskfromtheInbox,thesystemdisplaysthetask view. InadditiontotheWorkflowInboxes,designerscanalsoembedinboxeswithinacustom applicationusingthewebMethodsWorkflowClientAPI.

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Controllers
Acontrollerholdsreusablesetsoflogic,suchasacalculationorapresetqueryagainstthe platform,sobusinessuserscanreusethislogicinotherworkflowsortasks.Forexample,a workflowmightrequireaWorkflowparticipanttosupplyacustomernumberandthen, basedonthatcustomernumber,retrievethecustomersinformationanddisplaythat informationtotheWorkflowparticipant.Theactofretrievinginformationcouldinvolve severalinteractionswithinthewebMethodsintegrationplatformtoretrieveallthe appropriatecustomerinformationandthenreturnonlyasubsetofelements.Whilethis logiccouldbeincorporateddirectlyintotheworkflow,placingitintoacontrollerallows forotherworkflowsandtaskstoeasilyreusethiswork. Otherexamplesofoperationsthatbusinessuserscancombineandreusethrough controllersincludelaunchinganotherworkflow,reusingtimedsetsofactions,or notifyingusersofstatuschanges.

Implementation Modules
Therearethreewaystoinitiateaworkflow: Byanexternalevent,suchasreceivingapurchaseorderfromatradingpartner which,inturn,initiatesanorderapprovalworkflow ByaWorkflowparticipantwhoselectsamenuoptionintheInbox Byanotherworkflowthatexecutesalaunchertostarttheworkflow Animplementationmodule,whichhandlesthecommunicationbetweenaworkflowandthe restofthewebMethodsintegrationplatform,isonlyneededwhenaworkflowistobe initiatedbyanexternalevent. Businessuserscanuseimplementationmodulestocreateaspecificimplementationofa workflow.Forexample,anorderapprovalworkflowmightimplementedeitherby approvinganinternalpurchaseorderforofficesuppliesorapprovingapurchaseorder receivedfromatradingpartner.Theactionstoapprovetheorderarethesameineach instance;whatdiffersisthepurchaseorderdocumentthatneedstobeapproved. Implementationmodulessubscribetothedocumentsthataworkflowwillneedtoindicate thattheworkflowistoreceivethedocumentswhentheyarriveinthewebMethods platform.Similarly,implementationmodulesidentifythedocumentsthatcontainthe informationthattheworkflowwillprovide,orpublish. Usingimplementationmodules,businessuserscanreuseandintegrateworkflowsacross theextendedenterpriseandlinkthemtolargerbusinessprocessesthatspanvarious businesspartners,systems,andapplications.Implementationmodulespassdataacross thewebMethodsplatformbypublishingorsubscribingtodocumentsthatflowtoand fromthewebMethodsBroker.Thesedocumentscansignalthebeginningorcompletionof workflowsandcarrydatabetweenthebusinessstepsinaworkflow.

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webMethods Workflow Logic Components

ThelogicwithinaworkflowisgovernedbythefollowingwebMethodsWorkflowlogic components.Youplacethesecomponentswithinaworkflow,forexample,tobrancha workflow,tosetatimertodeterminewhentostartatask,toassignvaluestofieldsina document,ortocomparevaluesoffieldsinadocument. Routers Timers Calendars Joins Comparators Assigners PluginsandExternalComponents Launchers Notifiers

Routers
Routersusesophisticateddecisionsteplogictosplitaworkflowintodifferentbranches basedonaspecificconditionordecision.Typically,thebranchingtakesplacebasedon valuesoffieldsinadocument.Forexample,afteraWorkflowparticipanthascompleteda tasktoreviewafinancialproposal,aworkflowcanbranchoffinthreeseparatedirections basedontheoutcomesoftheproposalreview:Approve,Reject,orRequestAdditional Information.Designerscannestmultiplecomparatorswithinaroutertocreateendless combinationsofroutinglogicprimarilybasedonbusinessrulesandbusinessdata (documents).

Timers
Timersgeneratebusinesseventsbasedonatimeoutoruponconditionsdefinedasaresult ofbusinesscalendars.Businessuserscanusetimerstocontrolprocessandtaskexecution. Timerscan: Generatealerts. Providedelaysinprocessesandtasks. Setandtrackdeadlinesforprocessandtaskcompletion. Theabilitytomimicthetimeconstraintsbusinessesplaceupontheirpeople,system,and processesisanimportantaspectofcreatinganoverallbusinessprocess.webMethods Workflowallowsthisconcepttobeintegratedintoanylogicalflowofstepsoroperations. Thisflexibilityallowsmultipletypesoftimebasedcontrolstobeplacedonworkflowsto ensuremoreefficientprocessing.

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webMethodsWorkflowhasseveralwaystodefinetime: Elapsed Time.Theamountoftimebetweentwopoints,normallytheinitiationand completionofatask.Anexampleofelapsedtimewouldbemonitoringthelengthof customerserviceorsalescalls.Whentheoptimaltimeisexceeded,theworkflowcan sendawarningtotheuserortoanotherresourcewithinthecompany. Scheduled Time. Amomentintimerelativetoaspecificevent.Anexampleof scheduledtimeiswhenatimerissettonotifytheQAmanagerthreehourspriorto theweeksendthatthereareunresolvedgoodsatIncomingInspectiontobedisposed of. Absolute Time. Aspecificmomentintime.Forexample,absolutetimewouldbeused whenacertaincalendareventwasapproachingandnoticehadtobegiventousersof thisimpendingevent,suchasscheduledplantmaintenance.

Calendars
Calendarshelpadjustforworkingtime(forexample,a9:00a.m.to5:00p.m.workday) versusabsolutetime.webMethodsWorkflowcanrequiretaskstobecompletedwithina specificamountoftime(forexample,4hours)orwithinacertainperiodoftimemeasured byacustomcalendar(forexample,in4workinghours,where9:00a.m.to3:00p.m. representsanormalworkingday). Calendarsoftenrepresentdifferentsegmentsoftime(forexample,differingcalendarsfor thehomeofficeversusthemanufacturingfacility).Combinedwithtimers,calendarscan beusedtoscheduleandstarteventsthataffectaworkflowsprocessing(forexample,start taskAiftaskBdoesnotcompletewithinacertainamountoftime,asdefinedbythe calendar).

Joins
Ajoinisapointinthecontrolflowwheretwoormoreparallelprocessesortasksjointo formacommonthreadofcontrol.Joinskeepaprocessopenuntilalltheneeded informationarrives.Adesignershouldincludeajoininaworkflowwhentwopiecesof dataarerequiredbeforeaprocesscancontinue(forexample,waitfortheinvoiceandthe advancedshipnoticebeforepresentingtheapprovalscreentothefinanceclerk).

Comparators
WithinWorkflow,youcanapplyacomparatortocompareeitherfixedordynamicvalues. Comparatorscanbeconnectedtogetherornestedformorecomplicateddecisionpaths suchasifthentypecomparisons.Withcomparators,comparisonscanbemadewith constantvalues(forexample,Total>10,000),betweenvariablesintheprocess(for example,Total<CreditLimit),orevenvaluescalculatedfromelementsthatarepartofthe dataofaworkflowortask(forexample,Total+Tax<=Payment).

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Assigners
Workflowusesassignerstostaticallyordynamicallysetvaluesoffieldsindocumentsthat arepassingthroughtheworkflow.Assignersaresimilarinusagetocomparators,except theyaremeanttosetspecificdataelementvaluesratherthancomparethem.

Plug-ins and External Components

webMethodsWorkflowprovidestheabilitytoaccessservicesandinformationfromthe webMethodsintegrationplatformthroughtheuseofpluginsandexternalcomponents. Pluginsandexternalcomponentsaccessexternalresourcessuchasnetwork,Broker,and IntegrationServerservicestobringdataorJavacodeintoaworkflow.webMethods Workflowincludesthreetypesofpluginsandcomponents: Integration Server components.IntegrationServercomponentsinvokeanintegration serviceatacertainpointintheexecutionoftheworkflow.Forexample,anIntegration Servercomponentcouldbecreatedtoinvokeaservicethatgatherscredithistoryfrom anoutsidecreditratingagency. Broker components.BrokercomponentscanpublishandsubscribetoBrokereventsand supportrequestreplytransactions.Forexample,aBrokercomponentcouldbeadded toaprojecttoobtainorderhistorydatafromanexternalsystemsuchasSAP.Atask thatcallsthecomponentmightincludeanOrderHistorybuttonwhich,whenclicked, invokestheBrokertogetthehistoryfromtheexternalresourceandreturnittothe user. Java plug-ins.JavapluginsallowdesignerstousecustomJavacodeinaworkflow.For example,aJavaplugincouldbecreatedtolaunchotherapplicationsthatperform specialvalidationonauserinterfacefieldwithinatask(forexample,ensurethe numbersenteredinafieldareavalidlicensekey)orperformothercustomlogic. Youusepluginsandexternalcomponentsbyaddingthemtoaworkflow,task,or controller.

Launchers
ThelauncherisawebMethodsWorkflowcomponentthatisusedtostartaparallel workflowwithinaproject.Forexample,acreditcardprocessingscenariomightflag certaintransactionsforverificationandadditionalscrutinyalthoughitshouldnot interruptthecontinuationofthemainworkflow.Alauncherwouldinitiatethisnew workflowwithoutdisruptingtheflowofthecurrentone.

Notifiers
Anotifiersendsanasynchronousemailmessagetoaspecifiedemailaddress.The notifierisaninformationalupdatetoWorkflowparticipantsinformingthemthata predefinedeventhasoccurred.

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CHAPTER 2 webMethods Workflow Concepts

Workflow Project Management

Tohelpyoumanagethedevelopmentanddeploymentofyourworkflows,webMethods Workflowsupportsprojects.Aprojectcontainsoneormoreworkflowsandworkflow components(forexample,implementationmodules,tasks,andcontrollers).Designers shouldplaceworkflowsofrelatedpurposeinthesameproject.Forexample,adesigner mightplaceaworkflowinvolvingOrderCreationandanotherinvolvingOrderApproval withinthesameproject. Businessuserscanversionandbranchprojects,releasethemtoaproduction environment,andimportandexportthemtoandfromoneinstanceofwebMethods Workflowtoanother.

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webMethods Workflow Methodology

Planning Workflows: A Top-Down Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Creating Workflows: Basic Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Documenting Projects and Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

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CHAPTER 3 webMethods Workflow Methodology

Planning Workflows: A Top-Down Methodology

AspartofthewebMethodsintegrationplatform,webMethodsWorkflowallowsbusiness analyststographicallydesignprocessmodelsinatopdownfashionandinawaythat incorporatesinformationandactivitiesthatextendacrosstheentireenterprise.Afterthese processmodelsandtheirassociatedapplicationsaredesignedandtested,theycanbe deployedinrealtimewithoutinterruptingtheenterpriseoperation. Thetopdowndevelopmentmethodologyandthegraphicaltoolsfordesigningand implementingenterpriseworkflowmodelsarenotnew.Businessanalystsanddesigners havebeenusingthemformanyyearsbecausetheyarefamiliarwithmodelingtechniques suchasstructure,dataflow,andentityrelationshipdiagrams.Onedrawbackin consideringtheseasseparatetools,however,isthatthedesignphaseisinvariablyonly looselytiedtotheimplementationphase.Nomatterwhichmethodologyisusedorwhich projectmanagementandqualityassurancedisciplinesareemployed,disparityexists betweenthebusinessanalystsprocessmodelsorrequirementspecificationsandthefinal implementation.Suchdisparity,combinedwiththerapidintroductionofinnovative technologicaladvancementsinbothhardwareandsoftware,oftenresultsinapplication redesign,patchedproducts,and,toooften,outrightcancellationandlossofinvestment. ThewebMethodsintegrationplatformaddressesthisproblembyprovidingbusiness analystswithgraphicaltoolsthatsupporttheconceptsthatanalystsaremostfamiliar with:processesandtasks.Thesegraphicaltoolsallowbusinessuserstodesign,and implementendtoendsolutionswithouthavingtoedittheunderlyingsourcecode.
webMethods Integration platform combines design and implementation tools

webMethods Integration Platform

Analysis Tools

Design Tools

Implementation Tools

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Planning Workflows: A Top-Down Methodology

Top-Down Methodology and webMethods Workflow

Inatopdownmethodology,businessanalystsstartdefiningworkflowsattheirhighest levels.Businessanalystsanddesignerscanapplythisdesignmethodologybyusingthe webMethodsWorkflowDesignerto: DesignthebusinessprocessesusingwebMethodsModeler. Identifythetasksrequiredtocompletetheprocesses. Graphicallydesigntheflowoftasksandtheirrelatedviews. Definetherelevantbusinessdocuments. Identifytheroleswhowillparticipateintheworkflows. IncorporatepartsofanoverallendtoendbusinessprocessacrossallwebMethods integrationplatformcomponents(mainframes,databasesanddatawarehouses, internalapplications,Webservices,tradingpartners,andworkflows). ThewebMethodsWorkflowDesignersgraphicaleditorsallowalloftheseactionstobe performedandwebMethodsWorkflowgenerates,compiles,andpackagesthecodefor you.Inaddition,webMethodsWorkflowfitsintotheoveralltopdowndeployment methodologyofthewebMethodsintegrationplatform.

Reusing Workflow Components to Accommodate Growth

Asanorganizationsinitiativesspanbeyondtheinitialprojects,acombinationoftop downmethodologyandwebMethodsWorkflowsreusablecomponentsgreatlysimplifies thegrowthandexpansionoffutureprojects. webMethodsWorkflowprovidesthreeintegralcomponentsthatbusinessuserscanreuse asprojectsgrow:workflows,tasks,andcontrollers.BecausewebMethodsWorkflow separatesdesigncomponentsfromtheflowofdata,thesecomponentshaveaneven greaterpotentialforreuse. Iftherearevariationsinthedetailsofaworkflowortask,businessanalystscan graphicallyredesignthemodels,assignthemdifferentnamesorversionnumbers,and redeploytheminrealtimewithoutinterruptingtheoperationofthecurrentworkflow.

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CHAPTER 3 webMethods Workflow Methodology

Creating Workflows: Basic Steps

Tocreateaworkflow,businessusersperformthefollowingbasicstepsusingWorkflow Designer. 1 2 Createaprojectifonehasnotalreadybeencreated.Youcancreateanewprojector useanexistingone. Createanimplementationmoduleandaddoneormorehumansteps.Assignthe inputdatathattriggerstheworkflowtoexecuteandoutputdatathatmaybe returned.

Creating a workflow using Workflow Designer

Create a project.

Create an implementation module.

a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h)

Create documents. Create roles. Add tasks, controllers, and logic components. Assign roles to tasks. Create the data flow. Create the control flow. Create task views. Link data from documents to task views.

Note: YouusewebMethodsModelertodesignanenterprisewidebusinessprocessmodel. WhenyouincludeWorkflowstepsinyourModelerprocessmodel,Modeler automaticallycreatestheshellofataskforyouandplacesitinaproject.Modeleralso generatesanimplementationmoduletosubscribeto,andpublish,thedocumentsthatthe workflowneeds. Whenyouinitiallyaddanewtasktoaproject,thetaskisjustashellthatyouneedto complete.Youcompleteataskby: CreatingWorkflowdocumentsthatdefinethedatayourtaskwillneed CreatingtherolesoftheWorkflowparticipantsthatwillbeinvolvedintheworkflow Addingthecontrollersandlogiccomponentsthatdefinetheactionsandsequenceof stepsthatthetaskswillexecute Assigningrolestotasks

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Documenting Projects and Workflows

Creatingthedataflowtospecifyhowdatapassesthroughtheworkflowfromstepto step Creatingthecontrolflowtodefinehowaworkflowproceedsasitsstepsexecute,by connectingtheoutputactionsofoneworkflowsteptotheinputactionsofanother CreatingthetaskviewsthatWorkflowparticipantsusetoviewandcompletetasks Linking,orwiring,datafromdocumentstothetaskviews Formoreinformationaboutthesesteps,seethewebMethodsWorkflowUsersGuide.

Documenting Projects and Workflows

Documentationisimportantforlongrangemaintenanceofanysoftware.However,itis perhapsthemostneglecteddisciplineinmanycorporateITenvironments. Thedaytodayoperationsofenterprisesprimarilydependontransactionprocessing applicationssuchasorderentry,ordershipping,billing,purchaseorder,accounts payable,inventorymanagement,andpayrollmanagement.Theseapplicationshavebeen developed,patched,redesigned,andrehostedoversomanyyearsthatfewdevelopers nowunderstandthem.Maintainingsuchlegacyapplicationsisalsodifficultbecausein mostcasesnodocumentationexists.Inadequatetoolsandhumanresources,schedule pressure,andsimplythelackofadisciplinedapproachtoapplicationdevelopmentresult inincompleteorinadequatedocumentationinmanyenterprises. ThewebMethodsWorkflowDesignerresolvesthedocumentationproblemintwoways: Process models describe themselves. Theprocessmodelspictoriallyillustratevirtually allofthedetailsofanenterpriseworkflowandthereforerepresentasignificant portionofthedocumentation.Afterthemodelsaredesignedanddeployed,when designerslaterneedtounderstandtheworkflowtheysimplylookattheprocess model;zoomintoitsmultiplelevels;browsethroughtheresources,events,and attributes;andreviewthedatamappingandpaneldesign. Documentation attached with the workflows. Inaddition,theWorkflowDesigneralso allowsuserstoannotateeverycomponent,resource,attribute,andprojectfora workflow,includingtheimportedcomponents.Thedocumentationresideswhereit ismostrelevant:withitsimplementation.

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CHAPTER 3 webMethods Workflow Methodology

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Index

Index
A
absolute time, defined 34 accounts, users 26 adding workflows with Workflow Designer 40 administrative tools 26 See also business tools Workflow Administrator 27 Workflow Generator 27 Workflow Users 26 Administrators assigning user to group 26 assigning user to roles 27 using Workflow Administrator 27 using Workflow Generator 27 using Workflow Users 26 alerts 33 API, Workflow Client 15 architecture of webMethods Workflow 18 assigners, defined 35 assigning user to group 26 user to roles 27 asynchronous activate with launcher 35 message and notifier 35 Authentication service architecture component 20 using group designation 26 and flow 9 and graphical definition of workflows 12 business tools 22 Business Monitoring 25 See also administrative tools webMethods Monitor 25 Workflow Designer 24 Workflow Inbox 25

C
calendars and timers 33 custom 13 defined 34 comparators, defined 34 components logic, of webMethods Workflow 33 of architecture 18 of webMethods Workflow system 19 of workflows 28 containers routers 33 tasks 30 control flow creating 41 defined 41 controllers creating with Workflow Designer 24 defined 24, 32 conventions used in this document 5 coordinating tasks 28 creating control flow 41 document definitions 30 task views 41 workflow, steps to 40 workflows, elements of 28

B
branches, and routers 33 Broker plug-ins 35 business calendars 13 Business Monitoring 25 business process and tasks/human interaction 30 management, defined 8 rules. See business rules business rules

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Index

D
data flow, defined 41 data wiring defined 31 of tasks 31 database architecture component 19 decision points, in workflow process 29 definitions absolute time 34 assigner 35 business process management 8 calendar 34 comparator 34 control flow 41 controller 24, 32 data flow 41 data wiring 31 documents 30 elapsed time 34 implementation module 24, 32 join 34 launcher 35 notifier 35 plug-ins 35 role 29 routers 33 scheduled time 34 task view 41 tasks 24, 30 timer 33 workflows 9, 28 designers defining roles 27 defining tasks 27 designing task views 31 user interface (UI) 13 diagram of creating a workflow 40 example workflow 29 integration components 9 webMethods integration platform combines analysis, design, and implementation tools 38

webMethods Workflow administrative tools 26 webMethods Workflow architecture 18 webMethods Workflow business tools 23 webMethods Workflow toolbar 22 Workflow Designer 24 Distribution Control Service (DCS) 20 documentation additional 6 conventions used 5 feedback 6 for projects and workflows 41 maintenance of with Workflow Designer 41 documents defined 30 definitions, creating 30 subscribing, when defining implementation module 32 dragging elements to data wire 31 dynamic data interactions 14

E
elapsed time, defined 34 elements of the graphical definition of workflow 12 of workflow. See also components of workflow 28 reusing 13 enterprise workflow models, and top-down methodology 38 existing applications, integrating with 15 external event and implementation modules 32 to initiate workflow process 32

G
generating alerts with timers 33 graphical definition elements of 12 of workflows 12 of workflows and time-based management 13 graphical user interface (GUI) and workflows 12 designing 13 group, users assigned to 26

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H
hosts, viewing with Workflow Administrator 27 HTML pages, and data wiring task views 31 human interaction in workflow 29 intervention in business transactions 8 represented by tasks 30

of webMethods Workflow 33 plug-ins 35 routers 33 timers 33 logic, reusable sets 32

M
messaging infrastructure, webMethods Broker 19 Modeler, creating workflow shell 40 Monitor webMethods 25 Monitoring Workflow 25 multiple comparators, nested in routers 33 My webMethods Business Monitoring 25 My webMethods Server 20

I
implementation modules creating 32 defined 32 initiating workflow by external event 32 implementation modules, creating with Workflow Designer 24 Inboxes accessing task views via 31 and initiating workflows 32 Workflow Inbox 25 initiating workflows 32 integration webMethods platform 8 with existing applications 15 Integration Server component 35 Introduction to webMethods and Workflow 8

N
notifiers, defined 35

P
parallel processes and joins 34 passwords, and Authentication Service 20 plug-ins Broker 35 defined 35 Integration Server component 35 Java 35 Portfolio, architecture component 21 process models, creating in Modeler 40 Process Server 19 program code conventions in this document 5 project management functionality 14 tasks 14 projects, creating 40 properties, viewing with Workflow Administrator 27

J
Java panels, and data wiring task views 31 Java plug-in 35 joins, defined 34

L
launchers defined 35 initiating workflows 32 Log service 21 logic components assigners 35 calendars 34 comparators 34 joins 34 launchers 35 notifiers 35

R
RDBMS 19 repository, Portfolio as 21 Resource service 21

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Index

reusability and top-down methodology 39 sets of logic, controller as 32 reusing elements 13 implementation 32 role-based access and distribution 12 roles defined 29 defined by designers 27 in workflows 29 users assigned to 27 routers, defined 33 run-time services, Workflow Administrator 27

S
scheduled time, defined 34 Server My webMethods 20 Server Manager 21 servers Process Server, architecture component 19 Server Manager 21 viewing with Workflow Administrator 27 services Authentication 20 Log 21 Resource 21 run-time and Workflow Administrator 27 viewing with Workflow Administrator 27 shell, workflow 40 splitting branches with router 33 starting workflows 32 subscribing to documents, when defining implementation module 32

Java panels 31 user interface 24 tasks and information flow 8 coordinating 28 created with Workflow Designer 24 defined 24, 30 designers defining 27 human interaction 30 multiple step processes 10 project management functionality 14 view. See also task views 41 time-based management 13 timers, defined 33 tools 18, 22 administrative 26 business 22 Workflow Designer 24 Workflow Inbox 25 top-down methodology and reusability 39 workflows 39 tracking deadlines with timers 33 troubleshooting information 6 typographical conventions in this document 5

U
updating workflows dynamically 14 user IDs, and Authentication Service 20 user interface (UI) See also graphical user interface (GUI) 13 designing 13 task view 24, 31 user management 20 users accounts created by Administrators 26 group assigned to 26 roles assigned to 27

T
task views accessing via Inboxes 31 creating 41 defined 41 designing 31 HTML pages 31

V
viewing hosts with Workflow Administrator 27 services and servers 27

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W
webMethods Broker 19 webMethods integration platform 8 and plug-ins to access 35 relation to workflows 32 top-down methodology 38 webMethods Monitor 25 webMethods Workflow Administrator 27 architecture of 18 Business Monitoring. See also Monitoring 25 Designer. See also Workflow Designer 12 Generator 27 Inbox, business tool 25 participants. See also users, end users 20 server, architecture component 19 tools 18, 22 Users tool 26 webMethods Workflow client architecture component 18 wiring. See data wiring Workflow Administrator 27 Workflow Client API 15 Workflow Designer business tool 24 creating document definitions with 30 creating projects 40 creating workflows 28, 40 documentation maintenance 41 graphical definition of workflow 12 sample of workflow 28 sample screenshot 12 Workflow Inbox. See Inboxes workflows and documentation 41 assigning roles 29 components of 28 created with Workflow Designer 24 creating shell with Modeler 40 creating with Workflow Designer 40 creating, steps to 40 defined 8, 9, 28 initiating 32 logic components, list of 33

relation to webMethods platform 32 sample diagram of 28 top-down methodology 39 updating dynamically 14

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Index

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