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Revisiting SAP Business Workflow SAP NetWeaver Product Management

Laying the ground work When building your first workflow New recommended workflow features Extended Notifications, Outlook, and Lotus Notes Recommendations for Universal Worklist Using BI for monitoring Guided Procedures Resources to help you

Laying the ground work When building your first workflow New recommended workflow features Extended Notifications, Outlook, and Lotus Notes Recommendations for Universal Worklist Using BI for monitoring Guided Procedures Resources to help you

Workflow is evolutionary

Universal Business Worklist Workflow

BPM

+ Guided Procedures

+ Collaboration Tasks

… 1995 EP 5.0

2003 SAP NetWeaver ‘04

SAP NetWeaver 2004s

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Centralized vs. Decentralized Process Control “We need to create flexible, robust and highly scalable standardized processes”

Central IT

“We need to supplement the companies core processes with our own departmental procedures.”

Business Department

“I want to delegate some of my tasks to colleagues, and track their progress.”

Individual

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Guided Procedures vs. Workflow Use SAP Business Workflow where: Procedure is SAP-system centric Procedure is deeply integrated into a single SAP system Detailed audit requirements are critical Procedure is long term and well-defined Minimal changes expected in the short/medium term Created and maintained by Workflow Developer

Use Guided Procedures where: Procedure is non-SAP-centric or involves a heterogeneous mix of systems SAP solutions with no ABAP stack (e.g. xPD) Procedure is short term and unclear Many changes expected in the short/medium term Created and maintained by Business Expert SAP AG 2006

Laying the ground work When building your first workflow New recommended workflow features Extended Notifications, Outlook, and Lotus Notes Recommendations for Universal Worklist Using BI for monitoring Guided Procedures Resources to help you

Before you build… How to know if a workflow for your scenario exists: Online help – http://help.sap.com SRM - Scenario Independent functions ERP – Scenarios in Applications CRM – Components and Functions – Basic Functions – Business Workflow

Workflow explorer – SWDM Application hierarchy, local objects, task groups search Object-based search for single-step tasks

Other options: ABAP Interface IF_WORKFLOW – where-used list for ABAP OO workflows Business Object Repository (BOR), transaction code SW01 Use the event trace, transaction code SWELS After turning on the trace, do the action you would like to start a workflow (create a material, update a project, etc.) Use transaction code SWEL to see if an event has occurred If so, you already know the business object you need and you know you have an event tied to the application SAP AG 2006

Workflow Builder Tip: It’s usual to spend more time designing and prototyping the business process than developing the workflow that implements it.

11

Drag & Drop

22 33

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Laying the ground work When building your first workflow New recommended workflow features Extended Notifications, Outlook, and Lotus Notes Recommendations for Universal Worklist Using BI for monitoring Guided Procedures Resources to help you

ABAP OO for Workflow

6.40

SAP Business Workflow now supports two object repositories BOR (Business Object Repository) SE24 (ABAP Objects)

Any ABAP Programmer becomes a Workflow Programmer! (works alongside Workflow Developer) Simple to code, faster to code, fewer restrictions than BOR Multiple inheritance, true generic programming possible Full support in containers, expressions, tasks, events, exceptions, bindings Can make existing ABAP Classes workflow-ready Can mix ABAP OO with BOR objects – using data type SIBFLPORB

Some applications slow to catch up Not much provided business content as yet – existing BOR objects not re-coded Events raised by change documents supported, but not other configurable event raising mechanisms as yet (status management, HR events)

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More Web-relevant features

6.20

Calling an SAP type transaction from the UWL Transaction SWFVISU for basic configuration UWL XML Configuration for detailed configuration

Calling any URL from UWL or SBWP (SAPGUI Inbox) Transaction WF_EXTSRV – configure URL, import/export parameters, and call type (dialog/batch, synchronous/asynchronous), Wizard help Tasks generated automatically – to repoint, maintain table SWLWPTSSID Workflow handlers must be configured (transaction WF_HANDCUST, service ws_handler activated in SICF) Transaction WF_WSDL – create task from WSDL

Forms – recommendation: Adobe Requires WebDynpro application to run the form – provided by ISR/PCR technique in ECC5 onwards – otherwise create your own WebDynpro

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More support for special features

6.20

Workflow level events to Cancel, Cancel and Restart, Re-evaluate agents of active work items Set re-evaluate agents at the work/sub-flow in which the step to be reassigned exists Re-evaluate agents – add escalators to existing work without affecting deadlines or removing the original agent; reassign agents in response to system activity

Bindings More options: Assign Append Handle errors as warning (e.g. for narrowing cast) Map to structure

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Re-implementation of the Container

6.20

Complete reimplementation of container technology No restrictions concerning data types DDIC types with arbitrary lengths Binary data Structures with arbitrary depth and complexity ABAP OO references

Container is by default stored as XML document Facilitates diversity of supported data types Saves storage space (especially for large containers/structures) No database entry for each structure field required anymore

Entails serialisation / deserialisation effort Replace old reports reading SWCONT, SWCONTOB tables with Workflow API calls

Old container persistence (SWCONT, SWCONTOB) still supported Compatibility mode Workflow Builder setting

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Other bits and bobs

6.20

More Workflow APIs Workflow APIs (SAP_WAPI_* function modules) for administrative functions Work item Forward by Administrator Re-evaluate Agents – e.g. add escalators to existing work

Workflow APIs to control substitution More Administration Tools Re-execute rules on active work items Administrator Forward Administrator actions automatically marked on workflow log Work items with Deleted users (6.40) Restart Suspended workflows/deadlines (6.40)

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Laying the ground work When building your first workflow New recommended workflow features Extended Notifications, Outlook, and Lotus Notes Recommendations for Universal Worklist Using BI for monitoring Guided Procedures Resources to help you

Email Notifications of Work Items Replacement for SAP MAPI is provided (Support ends 10/2005) Client-based MS Outlook integration of SAP Business Workflow

New solutions Server-based (zero footprint) Mail client independent Covers 90% of workflow-related MAPI customer scenarios

Extended Notifications (releases 6.40+) Server notification framework (read note 627397) Supports Web UI and SAPGUI Highly Configurable – Transaction SWNCONFIG or SWNADMIN Easy to enhance – e.g. to include non-workflow tasks/mails Can be used INSTEAD of an SAP workflow inbox!

Report RSWUWFML2 (releases 4.6C to 6.20) Polling report sending email notifications SAP AG 2006

6.20

Extended Notifications: Basic Features

6.40

Notify users about work items that need to be processed Send workitems to groupware (e.g. MS Outlook or Lotus Notes) carrying direct callbacks to backend transactions Execution of web-based work items (Web Dynpro, People centric UI, …) Execution of work items via SAP GUI for Windows or Web links SAP AG 2006

Laying the ground work When building your first workflow New recommended workflow features Extended Notifications, Outlook, and Lotus Notes Recommendations for Universal Worklist Using BI for monitoring Guided Procedures Resources to help you

Universal Worklist Purpose Aggregate task items from multiple and different systems into one list SAP Business Workflow Collaboration Tasks, Alert Management System Knowledge Management Notifications (including SAP Office Mail with SONiC Connector) Guided Procedure Actions Non-SAP tasks (with UWL API) Universal Worklist API (requires Java programming) E.g. SONiC Connector for SAP Office Mail – watch for a Blog on SDN soon Further info: SAP Note: 921758 BLOG on SDN: https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/3172

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Universal Worklist: Unified and Centralized access to Work

UWL is part of the standard End User role, accessed via Home - Work

Hint: To Refresh your lists of tasks, use the drop down menu near the Hide Preview link.

Tip: Give it a FULL PAGE in the Portal SAP AG 2006

UWL Provides Task List, Execution, and Context Task List

Task Execution

Task Context

Note: As of EP 7.0, attachments and user view of workflow log supported natively

Note: Lots of special features available – e.g. note entered with user decision, multi-item approval/rejection, decline, personalization SAP AG 2006

Launch Work Transaction

Parameterized launching for BSP iView URL Web Dynpro (Java/ABAP) SAP GUI (for HTML) Object links (EP 7.0 SP8) Note: Enables you to add new UI’s for legacy SAP tasks (use Web Dynpro to launch existing task in a 4.6C system). Currently piloting API to enable external tasks to appear in UWL

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Standard Task Views & Filters

Hint XML-based configuration enables specific views for specific tasks – wizard help in NW04s.

Hint: Can also function as an application-specific inbox – applications can bypass having to implement their own inbox. Some examples provided, e.g. MSS/ESS. SAP AG 2006

Laying the ground work When building your first workflow New recommended workflow features Extended Notifications, Outlook, and Lotus Notes Recommendations for Universal Worklist Using BI for monitoring Guided Procedures Resources to help you

BI Integration for SAP Business Workflow (1)

NW04s

The Workflow Information System (WIS) has become obsolete with WAS release 610 Customers do their reporting using BI Workflow projects with BI requirements could not use standard workflow-related data extraction had to implement their own extraction logic for workflow data

This gap has now been closed Technical work item data is available in BI as infocube How many workflows of type ‘xy’ were executed? What is the average processing time for a given workflow (step)? How many steps of type ‘xy’ were executed by org unit ‘abc’?

Workflow and Business Objects worlds are linked by work item to object relation information available SAP AG 2006

BW Integration for SAP Business Workflow (2)

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NW04s

Laying the ground work When building your first workflow New recommended workflow features Extended Notifications, Outlook, and Lotus Notes Recommendations for Universal Worklist Using BI for monitoring Guided Procedures Resources to help you

Guided Procedures – Definition

NW04s

offers a flexible, functional process environment that enables users without specialized software development skills to easily set up and execute collaborative business processes by providing reusable templates, assisting users with data proposal and allowing ad-hoc changes at runtime enables offline process execution via Interactive Forms

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Guided Procedures – Design Time

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NW04s

Guided Procedures – Run Time

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NW04s

Laying the ground work When building your first workflow New recommended workflow features Extended Notifications, Outlook, and Lotus Notes Recommendations for Universal Worklist Using BI for monitoring Guided Procedures Resources to help you

The bestselling Workflow book

•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••

Setting Setting up up workflow workflow Agent Agent assignment assignment Workflow Workflow administration administration Building Building workflows workflows Using Using forms forms Custom Custom programs programs Defining Defining requirements requirements Work Work item item delivery delivery Reporting Reporting

http://www.sap-press.com/product.cfm?account=&product=H950

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Further Information SDN Blog series on ABAP OO and Workflow by Jocelyn Dart Several blogs on UWL configuration by Ginger Gatling BPM Forum for all other questions Blog series on Extended Notifications planned SAP Notes with official recommendations: 98407: Performance Workflow 322526: Analysis of workflow problems

Public sites and training Opportunities http://www.sap.com/education/ BIT600, BIT601, BIT603, BIT610

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