What’s New in IBM BPM v8.

6 and
IBM RPA with Automation Anywhere V10.0
CF 2017.12

Technical Overview of New Features and Functions

Paul Pacholski
Digital Process Automation Offering Manager - IBM Toronto Laboratory

V1.5

This deck: https://ibm.box.com/s/ma6p4z869w22er0dtme0hg5jsttwhg5t

Recording: http://w3.tap.ibm.com/medialibrary/media_view?id=416443
© 2018 IBM Corporation
One Page Release Summary
IBM RPA
 Adding Automation Anywhere features not supported in first release
 Enhanced IBM RPA documentation

IBM BPM
 View a IBM Process Portal work list from IBM Content Navigator (Technical Preview)
 Model decision logic in the web IBM Process Designer
 Revert to snapshot in Process Designer
 Experience enhanced support of coach views for use in IBM Robotic Process Automation with Automation Anywhere
 Efficiently manage multiple library items in Process Designer
 Gain more insight into IBM BPM process applications from IBM Cloud Product Insights
 Learn how to use IBM App Connect
 Benefit from enhanced process application validation support
 Simplify user task authoring with inline user tasks

IBM Process Federation Server

 Monitor and administer running instances of Process Federation Server
 Restrict rights to create and update saved searches by using an action policy

IBM BPM on Cloud

 Accelerate process application development with state-of-the-art industry accelerators
2  Benefit from further improvements in password security 3
 Agenda

IBM RPA
IBM BPM
IBM Process Federation Server
IBM BPM on Cloud
SOE, Quality, Serviceability, Migration

3
Upgrading RPA to CF 2017.12
IBM RPA V10.0.0.201712 is based on AA Enterprise V10.6.1.0 download link:
https://www-945.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/swg/selectFixes?parent=ibm%7EWebSphere&product=ibm/WebSphere/IBM+Robotic+Process+Automation+with+Automation+Anywhere&release=All&platform=Windows&function=recommended

Upgrade RPA Client

Upgrade RPA Control Room

4
Use Automation Anywhere IQBot and BotInsights
Prior to this CF IBM RPA with AA could not use some of the AA
companion offerings

AA IQBot AA BotInsights

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AA BotInsights
 Captures every action of every bot to yield real-time bot statistics and operational analytics
 Includes configurable out of the box dashboards

Operations managers and practitioners can

constantly monitor the efficiency and
effectiveness of their digital workforce and
easily quantify processing operational-
centric & data productivity gains

https://www.automationanywhere.com/products/bot-insight

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AA IQBots
 Integrates seamlessly with Automation Anywhere Enterprise
 Handles any form of data stream to capture, enrich and validate unstructured data
 Learns with and without supervision

https://www.automationanywhere.com/products/iq-bot
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Reinstated Terminal Emulator Command
This command was removed in the first release of IBM RPA with AA

 Access and control default, DOS-based

actions of remote terminals with Terminal
Emulator command
 Issue DOS commands - dir, ipconfig, copy,
and recover etc.
 Transfer the exact state of an application
between tasks to optimize your automation
logic
 Supported terminal types: ANSI, VT100,
TN3270, TN5250

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App Integration & Workflow are still missing
Floating Users are Enabled

Unlike in the Node-licked (default) licensing model, in Floating User

Licensing Model a Bot Creator or a Bot Runner can use any machine
connected to Control Room

Source: Automation Anywhere Help Desk

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New IBM RPA with AA Knowledge Center
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSMGNY_10.0.0/com.ibm.wbpm.rpa.main.doc/kc-homepage-rpa.html

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New Getting Started Section – Control Room Config

IBM BPM Knowledge Center now includes Information how to create custom

roles in Control Room for Bot creator, runner and administrator users

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New Getting Started Section – Creating your first bot
IBM BPM Knowledge Center now includes Information how to create your first bot,
upload it to the Control Room and create the schedule and triggers for running it.

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Integrating bots with IBM BPM processes
Link from Knowledge Center to the IBM RPA Sales on BPMDev
https://developer.ibm.com/bpm/docs/ibm-robotic-process-automation-automation-anywhere/

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 Agenda

IBM RPA
IBM BPM
IBM Process Federation Server
IBM BPM on Cloud
SOE, Quality, Serviceability, Migration

14
All Sample Converted to Use BPM UI Coach Views
Converted the Advanced Samples

15
Enhanced Drag and Drop Support in Client Side HS

 Added the ability to drag and drop: Service Flows, nested

Client Side Human Services

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Enhanced Drag and Drop Support in Heritage HS
 Added the ability to drag and drop: Service Flows, UCAs and
Tracking Groups

17
Enhanced quality and usability of BPM UI Toolkit

 Many runtime and design issues were eliminated (over 40 defects)

 Some examples:
– Read only controls were editable when placed in tabs
– Table Coach View did not display data of bound list of simple types
– Improve loading time by reducing number of library files (by combining into a
single file)
– Multiple runtime quality issue: “hiding label does not work for button groups”,
“decimal value not refreshed when changed by an event”, etc.
– Container coach views styling was being applied to the coach views that are
contained within them
– BPM UI Toolkit contained AJAX services instead of Service Flows forcing
users to use Desktop PD
18 – Design WYSWYG view did not always match the runtime view
Deprecated MobileFirst Support with Adapters
Provides generic access to BPM REST APIs.
Provides support for all methods and all parameters.
For example: startProcess() with parameters to
IBM BPM specify the details.
Generic Adapter

Provides an abstraction layer that hides the BPM

related details. Specific to a given process application.
It delegates generic REST calls to the Generic
IBM BPM Adapter. For example: startCreateOrderProcess() with
Application Specific
Adapter no parameters. Name: XXXX (Process App Acronym)

 Use IBM Mobile Foundation on cloud or on

premise
 Instead of the Adapters use the Swagger based
BPM API to interact with BPM processes and tasks
from mobile applications

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View Snapshots in Web Process Designer

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Revert Library Item in Tip to Snapshot
Replaces the current version of the library item with the selected snapshot version.

Replace tip version of

ArrayOfPerson BO with a
Snapshot 4.0 version
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Restore Library Item from Snapshot to Tip
Read-only connects of a
snapshot

Replaces TEST CSHS in

the Tip of this Toolkit with
the Snapshot version

Creates a new version of

the TEST CSHS in the Tip
of this Toolkit

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Show Runtime Performance Monitor User Preference
Automatically enables Coach Performance Monitor in web browser. Coach Performance
Monitor enabled in web
– Prior to this CF, this was tedious manual task browser

23
Guardrails Enhancements
New Guardrail warning users about
mixing in the same Coach controls
coming from different toolkits that are
based on different technologies as
this practice may result in unexpected
runtime issues and poor
performance.

Responsive
Coaches control

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New Inline User Tasks (Low Code no Code Initiative)

 New Inline User Tasks are implemented

as Client Side Human Services
– Coaches are generated automatically
(according to Inline User Task Template)
New
– Coach views required for input and
output data are automatically generated
– Default template can be customized
– Can be converted to user task to use a
stand-alone implementation

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New Inline User Task Type

Created Automatically
when a new Process is
created

Create new template

Select from a user authored template

Crete a stand alone Human Service form a template

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Default Inline Task Implementation (no variables)

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 Default Inline Task Implementation (with variables)

1. Add Process variables

Note the selection list showing all Process

variables

4. When you run the process the human service is

updated to reflect the new variables
2. Create input variable 3. Create output variable
mappings mappings

Note: any changes in variable mapping will

crate a new version of the CSHS to reflect
the changes in input or output variables
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Create a New Inline Task Template 4. Run to see custom Inline Task Template

1. Click New to create

2. Use Coach Editor to modify

3. Click New to select the new template

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BAL Rules Editor in Web Process Designer
 Service Flows now have additional tab (Decisions) to author Decisions in BAL

 Decision Services containing BAL Rules authored in Desktop PD are converted to

Service Flows and the BAL Rule logic is imported
Service Conversion in Web
Desktop PD PD creates BAL rues

Web PD

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From Decision Task to BAL Implementation Logic

Click Decision Tab

to see the BAL
implementation
Decision Task
in Process

Decision Activity in
Service Flow
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Desktop PD BAL Editor

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Web PD BAL Editor
BAL Vocabulary
automatically
generated from
Service Flow variables

Export the rule as a

project to IBM ODM
Rule Designer

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Change BAL Rule Locale User Preference
BAL vocabulary is
regenerated based on
the selected locale

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Enhanced support of coach views for use in IBM RPA
 Most web UIs are not build to support RPA navigations
– IBM BPM provides first class support for RPA automations

 RPA runtime is now able to find coach views in the following authoring scenarios:
– In nested contents
– In repeating contents
– In subsequent runs
 Code generation now preserves the DOM IDs
– When some minor changes are made:
 New content added to coach
 Layout changes - content moved around coach, including between sections and layout widgets
 Changing the labels
 Nesting support – content nested in vertical and horizontal layouts, tabs, tables
– After an upgrade to a future BPM cumulative fix / release
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 Fixes will preserve the DOM IDs
RPA runtime can now locate controls inside nested
layouts and repeating content

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Enhanced support of coach views for use in IBM RPA

 Only 33 controls within BPMUI toolkit have been  All 15 controls have been enhanced:
– Button, Checkbox, Date Time Picker, Decimal,
enhanced:
Image, Integer, Multiple Select, Output Text, Radio
– Button, Text, Checkbox, Checkbox Group, Date Time Buttons, Section, Single Select, Table, Tabs, Text,
Picker, Radio Button, Radio Button Group, Masked Text Area.
Text, Password, Text Area, Text Editor, Text Reader,
Type Ahead Text, Note, Output Text, Data Export,
Decimal, Integer, Multi Select, Single Select, Badge,
Breadcrumbs, Link, Notification, Input group, Pop-up
Menu, Slider Switch, Collapsible Panel, Modal Alert,
Tab Section, Service Data Table, Table, Icon.
 Picked the commonly used ones and ones that
made sense to automate.
 For example, no attempt was made to enable

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automation for the group of charting coach views.
DEF Support for Events in Service Flow Engine
 Prior to this release, the tracking points within Service Flows only emitted events to
PDW
 In this release Service Flows support DEF so that monitoring applications (IBM
Business Monitor, BPM Analytics and IBM Cloud Product Insights) can use them
 Unlike Process engine the Service Flow will not auto-track variables

Dynam
ic
Event
Frame
work

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What Events are Emitted?

STARTED TRACKING EVENT

COMPLETED
FAILED

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IBM Product Insights – Service Flow Tracking

View Service Flow life cycle events

in IBM Product Insights on Cloud

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Detection and Reporting of JavaScript Syntax Errors
 Prior to this release JS syntax error reporting was inconsistent and incomplete
– Process Center:
 Only reported an errors count, which includes errors in generated artifacts
– Web PD:
 Reported errors only in artifacts that can be edited in Web PD
– Eclipse PD:
 Reported a count of artifacts with errors only
– No easy way to navigate from an error report to the error location

 Key areas of improvement in this release

– You now see errors for Tip and Named Snapshots in the Process Center
– Both count and error description shown and can be located

 Not addressed in this release

– Error markers on the source code
– Semantic error detection

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JavaScript Syntax Errors in Validation Folder

Display error
details

Validation Errors folder

shows the library items
with validation errors

Line of JS code
with syntax errors
(no markers)

JS syntax errors
shown in Validation
Errors folder

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JavaScript Syntax Errors in PC - Snapshots View

JS syntax errors
shown in Validation
Errors folder

The same JS syntax errors

shown in Snapshots View
in Process Center

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Multi-selection Capability of Library Items

 With the addition of the multi-selection capability, you can

conveniently work with multiple artifacts at the same time in
process applications or toolkits
 You can apply all the action in the context menu to all
selected library items

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Multi-selection Capability of Library Items
1. Switch to multi-selection mode

2. Use selection check boxes to

select multiple library items

3. Select the action you want to

apply

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Learn how to use IBM App Connect
Knowledge Center links to two new tutorials explain how to combine IBM BPM with IBM App
Connect.
 Invoking a Salesforce API from IBM BPM: https://
www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/mw-1710-clark/index.html

 Invoking IBM BPM from IBM App Connect: https

://developer.ibm.com/integration/blog/2017/07/28/introducing-app-connect-http-connector/

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IBM BPM plug-in for IBM Content Navigator
Technology Preview

https://github.com/ibmbpm/bpm-icn-plugin
 Provides a unified content workflow by bringing your IBM BPM Process Portal Work dashboard into
a IBM Content Navigator desktop.
 You can then view Work dashboard tasks in the navigator desktop, claim them and work on them
just as you do in IBM BPM Process Portal.
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Installation and Setup

1.Configure single sign-on

(SSO) between the
products: https://
www.ibm.com/support/knowl 2
edgecenter/SSTLXK_7.5.1/c
om.ibm.wbpm.bspace.imuc.
doc/topics/tcfg_bsp_case_x
cell.html
2.Install the IBM Business
Process Manager plug-in 3
3.Add the IBM BPM Work
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Work Dashboard in IBM Content Navigator

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Work Dashboard in IBM Content Navigator

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Recorded Demo
https://ibm.box.com/s/u1j2170k9cw2rht4u3nxp819evl28uy9

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IBM BPM Analytics – No Updates
Technology Preview
BPM can stream process events to Elasticsearch to enable self service
reporting using Kibana
 DEF Connector for converting and streaming BPM events
 Sample code of Kibana based BPM Operational Dashboards
 Use Object Storage to archive / dearchive
BPM
 Support sending DEF events to the Kafka through the BPMEventEmitter
Dynam
(configurable – default is Elasticsearch) ic
Event
 Support archive/restore the raw events to/from OpenStack Swift or IBM Frame
work
Object Storage (Bluemix service)
https://github.ibm.com/bpm/bpmOIntelligence

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Operational Intelligence as a Service
Trial and Closed Beta

54
IBM Confidential until Announced
BPMoC Trial Instance - Landing Page
BPM on Cloud Trial development
server configured to emit DEF
events

Includes new Operational

Analytics launch page with
links to KIBANA dashboard
deployed to Bluemix

55
IBM Confidential until Announced
BPMoC Trial – Kibana UI
Kibana UI is accessible from
launch page in BPM on Cloud or
direct URL

The development environment in

BPMoC Trial is configured to emit
operational events from the Hiring
Sample Process Application
running on the Process Center
“playback” server
The events are streamed into a
shared Bluemix hosted instance
of BPM Operational Analytics
Users can interact with a hosted
Kibana instance to view the
emitted data by using the
preloaded dashboards.
Users can also explore the
component capabilities by building
new queries, visualizations, and
dashboards.

56
IBM Confidential until Announced
BPMoC Trial – Bluemix Hosted BPM OA Service
BPM Operational Analytics is a
Technology Preview, and BPMoC
Trial is a shared environment,
the data that is exposed through
Kibana is visible and accessible to
all BPMoC Trial users.

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 Agenda

IBM RPA
IBM BPM
IBM Process Federation Server
IBM BPM on Cloud
SOE, Quality, Serviceability, Migration

58
Restrict saved searches by using an action policy
 Prior to this release any user could create and update
saved searches
– It was not possible to restrict this activity
– Large number of complex saved searches can result in
performance issues that are difficult to detect and
discover.
 By using an action policy Administrators can now
restrict the rights to create and update saved
searches to fewer and qualified BPM users.
Large number of
complex Saved
Searches

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Authorization for creating, updating, deleting

Non-federated IBM BPM Federated IBM BPM systems

systems  Determined by the security roles for
 Added new Acton Policy to the
com.ibm.bpm.federated.rest.authoriz
BPMActionPolicy configuration ation REST service.
object
–
 These roles are set in the
ACTION_ADMINISTER_SHARED_SAV
ED_SEARCHES <authorization-roles> section of the
Process Federation Server Liberty
 By default, all users are allowed
server.xml configuration file.
to create, edit, duplicate, and
delete personal saved searches,
and to share them with a specific
team, or everyone.

When these policies are applied in the Process Portal Work dashboard, the Create, Edit and Duplicate
buttons for these actions are hidden to the users who do not have creation and update rights.

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Process Federation Server Indexing Enhancements

 Prior to this release indexers had the following flaws :

– Provided little information about their activity at runtime, just the result of
tasks indexed in Elasticsearch that is written in the index log database table
– The scheduled index maintenance operations significantly slowed down the
indexers impacting system performance:
 Change Log Compaction
 Synchronization of tasks between BPM and Elasticsearch
 Synchronization of deletes tasks between BPM and Elasticsearch
 Index log trim

 These pain points were most evident to customers with multiple

Process Federation Servers
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Multiple Process Federation Servers
BPM 8.5.0.1 BPM 8.5.6
BPD/Service BPD/Service
Change log Change log BPMDB Change log
BPMDB engine engine
Instances Instances Instances
0-9999 Event listener 0-4999 5000-9999 Event listener

JDBC JDBC JDBC

BPD indexer BPD indexer BPD indexer
for 8.5.0.1 for 8.5.6 for 8.5.6

Elasticsearch
1 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 0 2 3 6 8 9 10 11 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Federated REST Federated REST Federated REST

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Process Federation Server 1 Process Federation Server 2 Process Federation Server 3
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Monitor and Administer Multiple PFSes

 You can now monitor a running server to gather basic key performance
indicators (KPIs) and detect possible issues:
 Usage Examples
– Turn off automated process change table compaction and only perform it
when needed without having to restart the server.
 Automated compaction may result in unpredictable performance
– Detect performance bottlenecks and add new PFS to the clusters
– Detect when a member is underutilized and remove it from the PFS
cluster

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Administration and Monitoring of PFS Indexers
  PFS Liberty server

Admin scripts   bpdindexer

indexer
MBEAN BPD BPD
JMS Database
Clients curl command
REST
JMX with CONNECTOR
  bpdindexer
indexer
password MBEAN BPEL
BPEL
authentication
Database
+ SSL
JConsole

 Each BPEL/BPM/Process indexers instance can be monitored using an associated MBean in accordance with
the JMX specification
 Each MBean makes it possible to perform interaction with the indexer it is associated with
– It provides indexer metrics as attributes
– It allows disabling each scheduled maintenance operation separately and executing those operation on demand in an
unscheduled way.
64 Indexer MBeans are exposed through the Liberty REST connector that is available with each Liberty server
 Agenda

IBM RPA
IBM BPM
IBM Process Federation Server
IBM BPM on Cloud
SOE, Quality, Serviceability, Migration

65
IBM BPM on Cloud Industry Accelerators

 Industry accelerators were previously available only for the desktop IBM Process Designer.
 A set of accelerators based on the Web Process Designer artifacts, such as processes and
client-side human services, are now available too.

66
IBM BPM on Cloud Industry Accelerators
Industry accelerator Primary industry Purpose

MobileFirst Smarter Process Bank Banking Submitting bank check deposits, ensuring no discrepancies in real time by using a mobile device and Smarter Process software with
Deposits improved back-office functions.

Claims Subrogation Insurance Seeking reimbursement from the responsible party for a claim that is already paid, collecting documentation, determining liability, and
calculating reimbursement.
New Life Insurance Insurance Acquiring new business with underwriting and risk assessment by using business rules, integration into Salesforce.com, and  IBM
BPM deployment of insurance industry models, for example processes, data, and services.

Discharge Readiness Planning Healthcare Improving the coordination of and visibility into changing patient and hospital conditions, allowing practitioners to collaborate and spend
more time with patients. The Discharge Readiness Planning industry accelerator focuses on key metrics of patient wait times, discharge
rates, and instances of relapse.

Claims Eligibility and Routing Healthcare Handling claims that cannot auto-adjudicate in the previous system. This solution selects the failed claims, routes them to the proper
department for fixing, and tracks the claim back to the adjudication system.

Promotional Spend Compliance Healthcare Ensuring that life science (pharmaceutical) companies comply with constantly evolving state and federal regulations through flexible user
capabilities. These regulations are related to gifts and payments that are made to physicians and teaching hospitals.

Vendor Onboarding Retail Reducing vulnerability to supply-chain risk by streamlining supplier selection and recruitment. The Vendor Onboarding industry accelerator
minimizes waste from inefficient processes, improves productivity, and gets products to market quicker by reducing overall process cycle
time.

Vendor Trade Fund Management Retail Enabling retailers seamless interaction with vendors to manage the lifecycle of trade agreements, enhance vendor performance monitoring,
reduce costs of manual processes, and increase operational efficiencies.

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BPM on Cloud Password Security Enhancements

 The following rules apply to passwords for user accounts:

– Minimum length: 12 characters:
 Alphabetic characters: minimum 4, which must include a minimum of 1
uppercase and 1 lowercase alphabetic character
 Numeric characters: minimum 1
 Special characters: minimum 1 of the following character set, _-|@.,?/!
˜#$%&*(){}[]=
 Repetitions of a character: maximum 2
New in CF
– Password validity: minimum 1 day, maximum 60 days 2017.12

– History of used passwords: 24

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 Agenda

IBM RPA
IBM BPM
IBM Process Federation Server
IBM BPM on Cloud
SOE, Quality, Serviceability, Migration

69
BPM Support for Swinging Profiles

 Customers can configure their BPM environments to use

a common set of swinging profiles which can be easily
associated with different application server installations
and rolled back
 “Minidisk” support
– Supports scenario which splitting BPM file system into
system library(read-only) + User Data (read / write)
 Key value
– You can swing profiles to update your installation to a newer
service level or to roll back to a previously installed service
level.
– Saves time when updating large number of BPM installations
(only one swing profiles is updated and then just copied to
BPM environments)
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSFPJS_8.6.0/com.ibm.wbpm.imuc.doc/topics/swing.html
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Statement of Environment Updates
IBM Process
Federation Server
 Liberty 17.0.0.4

IBM
BPM
 Firefox 56.0.1 & Firefox 52.4.1 ESR browser
 Google Chrome 61 browser
 AIX7.2 TL1 SP2
 RHEL 7.4 operating system on x86 Hardware
 Installation Manager 1.8.7
 DB2 11.1.1.1 ESE database
 Safari 11 browser
 VMware ESXi 6.5
 Oracle 12c R2 (12.2.0.1) database

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Fixes
122 fixes IBM BPM fixes Installing IBM Business Process Manager
Version 8.6 Cumulative Fix 2017.12
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27050517

2 fixes IBM PFS fixes

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Release to Release Continuity
From To
Version EOS BPM BPM BPM BPM BPM BPM BPM BPM
751x 800x 801x 850x 855 856 857 860
BPM
09/2016 Upgrade Migration Migration Migration Migration Migration Migration Migration
750
BPM
09/2016 Upgrade Migration Migration Migration Migration Migration Migration Migration
751
BPM
09/2017 Upgrade Upgrade Migration Migration Migration Migration Migration
800
BPM
09/2017 Upgrade Migration Migration Migration Migration Migration
801
BPM
09/2019 Upgrade Upgrade Upgrade Upgrade Upgrade
850

 BPM 8.5 EOS is Sep-30-2019 (extended from original 2018) with extended support of Sep-30-2022
 BPM 8.6
– Despite 2nd digit version change 8.5.x to 8.6 in a simple upgrade!
– New release, resets lifecycle clock for customer planning
– Continuous delivery lifecycle policy with 3 years support (plus min 1 year extended)
73
How to get started?
IBM BPM 8.6 VMware image V1.2

Contents:
IBM Process Center - Small and efficient standalone profile see http://
www.ibm.com/developerworks/bpm/bpmjournal/1406_pacholski/1406_pach
olski.html
IBM DB2 Server Edition
IBM Integration Designer
IBM Process Designer
IBM RPA with Automation Anywhere
IBM Operational Decision Manager Advanced

Download link:
https://ibm.box.com/s/c7lsj7ezrbgj7u7lx0rjtturjr5mhh6c

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75