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Table of Contents
1. ABSTRACT...............................................................................................................................................................2
2. WORKING WITH APPLICATION WORKFLOW ENGINE............................................................................3
3. HOW TO USE APPROVAL WORKFLOW ENGINE..........................................................................................5
4. SUMMARY/CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................................19
5. REFERENCE..........................................................................................................................................................19
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1. Abstract
The Approval Workflow Engine (AWE) is the engine that provides the framework and
capabilities for creating, running, and managing approval processes. The engine uses a
series of database objects combined with application component configuration settings to
determine how to process approvals using workflow.
Approval workflows are triggered when requesters submit a transaction, such as a
promotion. The application hands the transaction over to the Approval Workflow Engine,
which finds the appropriate approval process definition and launches the approval workflow.
A set of approvers then carries out tasks related to the transaction.
The Approval Workflow Engine enables three levels of users to develop, configure, and use
transaction approvals that meet their organizational requirements. For example, the process
of submitting a promotion and getting it approved requires defining who will approve the
promotion, the order in which they will approve it, and how it will be routed to approvers.
In contrast to the standard PeopleSoft workflow, which requires advanced technical skills in
PeopleSoft PeopleTools to create and maintain, approval workflow provides an alternative
workflow that is much easier to create, configure, and maintain. For example, all of the steps
in approval workflow are defined using PeopleSoft pages rather than underlying PeopleSoft
PeopleCode, so functional users can design and maintain workflow using these online
PeopleSoft pages instead of requiring technical developers to create workflow rules.
This document describes how to create and implement Approval Workflow Engine process in a
custom PeopleSoft application with an example and this example is a basic level. In this
example we are doing only header record level approvals.
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Approval flows.
Application developers
Application developers adapt applications for approval with minimal coding, using a defined setup
process. Making this possible is the approval workflow engine, which provides a common
implementation that other applications can use. Application developers integrate their applications
with the approval workflow engine framework using the Register Transactions page, where they
register an application with the engine and describe its components, event handler, and records.
The register stores the approval process IDs those developers create for applications. After an
end user creates an application transaction and submits it for approval, the application hands the
transaction over to the approval workflow engine, which finds the appropriate approval process
definition and launches the approval workflow.
End users
End users create transactions and then use an approval process with approvers and reviewers
within an approval flow. Using this process, the different end users can approve or deny requests,
monitor transaction statuses, and audit approvals.
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Stages
A stage is one part of an approval process that can contain multiple parallel paths but must be at
the same header or line record level. The system executes stages in sequence where one must
complete before the next one begins. A stage can be at either a header level or at a line level.
Stages at a line level make it possible for approvers to sign off separately on individual line items
for a single transaction. The workflow engine sees each header and each line as individual
pieces. A line is a child of the header. A header stage acts on the unique header while a line stage
acts on each line. A stage consists of one or more paths.
Paths
A path contains a sequence of steps. Within a stage, paths execute in parallel. Path entry criteria
determines whether or not a path executes for a given transaction or transaction line.
Steps
A step represents one or more approvers or reviewers. Steps within a path execute in sequence.
Separate criteria for each step determine whether or not that step executes. Each step can also
have a set of reviewers. Reviewers are notified about transactions that are pending approval by
email, through the Worklist, or both. However, the workflow proceeds without waiting for
reviewers to act.
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Step 2: Create the page to approve/deny the approval workflow by the approvers
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Custom Appln
Package
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Step 3: Code to initialize the custom AWE process in the approval page
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Step 5: Code in the approval page to enable the approval action field
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4. Summary/Conclusion
Creating custom Approval Workflow engine is possible and it is easier to create, configure, and
maintain. For example, all of the steps in approval workflow are defined using PeopleSoft
pages rather than underlying PeopleSoft PeopleCode, so functional users can design and
maintain workflow using these online PeopleSoft pages instead of requiring technical
developers to create workflow rules.
5. Reference
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