Business Workflow

Prepared by,
R.V.Prasanna Venkatesh
SAP Technical Conslutant
 Contents
1. Workflow.
2. Hystoric Process.
3. Need of Workflow.
4. Benefits.
5. Terminologies.
6. Workflow Creation.
 Workflow
• Right work is assigned in the right sequence at the
right time to the right person.
• Cross application tool that makes it possible to
integrate business tasks/processes.
• Sequence of connected activities.
 Hystoric Process
• A Business process can have several steps.
• Tasks have been coordinated manually by some
informal means of communication.

• Common problem :
▫ Inefficiency.
▫ Way to trace the task.
▫ Who executed (or executing ) the task.
 Benefits
• Automates all the Business processes.
• Operates uniformly across all applications.
• Coordinate all participating tasks.
• Provide user with active support.
• Actions can be traced.
• Flow Can be modified according to the nature of
Business.
• Existing workflow can also be modified from time
to time.
 Terminology
• Objects.
• Events.
• Methods.
• Tasks.
• Work Item.
• Agents.
• Container.
• Binding.
 Object
An object in the Workflow represents a Business
entity in SAP system.

Example : i.
Purchase Order.
ii. Material.
iii. Vendor , etc.,
 Events
 An occurrence of a change of state in an object,
which is published throughout the system.
 An event is an object type component.
 The list of possible events is defined with the
relevant object type in the Business Object Builder.

Example :
Invoice posted, PO released, Order cancellation,
Requsition approved, etc..,
 Methods
• It is the operation that can be performed on a
particular Object.
• The tasks which is defined within the workflow
is actually the methods of the Business objects.

• Types :
 Instance Dependent.
 Instance Independent.
 Method - Types
• Instance Independent :
It don’t require a specific instance of an Object to be
called.
They are also called as class methods or static
methods.
Example :
Object Method
Sales Order list Getlist
Employee list Getlist
 Method - Types
• Instance Dependent :
This methods is called on a particular instance of an
Object Type.
Example :
Object Method
Formabsenc Approve
Sales Order Create , Change
Invoice Posting
 Task
• Steps in the process
• Performed either by people or automatically by
the system.
 Single-step task : Define an activity that can be
executed within a workflow definition on a specific
object.
Example : All transaction codes.
 Multistep task
• Activity whose description includes reference to another
workflow definition.
• When you create a
workflow directly in the
Workflow Builder, the
multistep task is created
by the system.
 Work Item
• A Work item is the task instance that is performed
as a single workflow step.
• During runtime a tasks is represent as a Workitem.
• Work Item, demands action to continue the flow.
 AGENTS
• Agents are the people who process the tasks.
• Types :
Possible agents – Pool of agents considered later
to become an agent.
Responsible agents – Agent returned from workflow
agent definition.
Excluded agents – Defined while creating
workflow
Actual agents – To whom the task will be
assigned finally.
Agent - Types
 Container
• Where the data used in the workflow is collected.
• Basic common data structure of the various
definition.
• Container elements used to control the execution
of work items and workflows.
 Binding
• Assignment rules describing the assignment of
data to a container element or the exchange of
data between two container element.
• Assignment of values to a container element at
runtime
 Workflow creation
Scenario
• User has to request the manager for leave.
• Manager can either approve or reject the leave
request.
• If manager approves, user should receive the
approval mail.
• If he rejects, the user should receive the Rejection
mail.
 Workflow creation
• Step #1 : Workflow definition.
Go to workflow builder using the Tcode – SWDD.
It is where we define the
workflow process.
Add a step by selecting User
Decision in the step types.
 Workflow creation
• Step #2 : User Decision
The Title of the workitem, Agent and the list of
choices the user can select are to be filled.
 Workflow creation
• Step #2a – Container creation
To create container, select workflow container in the
step types.
Enter the name and type of container.

1 3
 Workflow creation
• Step #3 : Mail part creation
Click approve and create
“Send mail” in the step type.
A window opens in which
the mailing details are
to be filled.
 Workflow creation
• Enter the recepient type, User details, Subject and
body of the mail.
 Workflow creation
• Repeat the same process for rejection.
 Workflow creation
• Now Save -> Check -> Activate -> F8.
• Enter the value for the
container “ Test ” in this
screen.
• Now execute the Workflow.
 Workflow
• Step #4 : Workitem execution.
• Go to Business Workplace using the Tcode : SBWP.
 Workflow creation
• Now the manager has to take action.
• He can either Approve or reject.
• As soon as he selects one of the choices, the
workitem will disappear.
• If he chooses, to decide later, the workitem will be
waiting for his approval.
 Workflow creation
Output
• User checks the mail in Business Workplace.