Workflow Troubleshooting in R12

Workflow
Troubleshooting in R12
Karen Brownfield
About the Speaker
Oracle Ace
Oracle Certified Specialist (EBS and Fusion)
Over 20 years E-Business Suite support
OAUG Board 1994-2009, 2014-2015, former President
Member ATG Customer Advisory Board
Co-Chair Oracle EBS User Management SIG
Over 100 presentations worldwide
Co-author multiple books on E-Business Suite
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Copyright 2014 Infosemantics, Inc. All Rights Reserved . Any other commercial product names herein are trademark, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.
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About Infosemantics
Established in 2001
SBA 8(a) Small Business

disadvantaged company
GSA Schedule contract GS35F-0680V
Texas State HUB vendor
For more information, go to

our web site at
www.Infosemantics.com
R12.1.3, R12.2, OBIEE public

vision instances
Posted presentations on
functional and technical topics
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Agenda
Introduction
Workflow Dashboard
Workflows and Events
Setups and Prepare for Cleanup
Access Health of Active Workflows
Solve and Remediate Errored Workflows and Events
Cleanup
Special Cases
References
Q&A
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Introduction
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The Problem
SYSADMIN has hundreds of emails
Workflow Analyzer evaluated my environment as RED
I closed a bunch of WFERRORs, but the errored
workflows are still there

WFERROR subject starts out Local Event Error
where did the event go?
Is WFERROR the only error handling workflow?
Is there any special help for Order Management?
Where do I start? What do I do? Is there any way to
manage this better than one workflow/email at a time?
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Audience?
Role ?
DBA
SYSADMIN
Workflow Administrator
Functional SuperUser
Release ?
11.5.10
12.0.x
12.1.x
12.2.x
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Workflow Dashboard
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Workflow Dashboard
Mailer Not Required, Purge can be run manually, all
other should be green checks
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Setups
Prepare for Cleanup
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Non-Optional Setups (prevent trouble)

Start Listeners
Set Server Timezone profile option
Either add email to SYSADMIN user or set preference
for SYSADMIN to Do not send me mail

If not using mailer, set global preference to Do not
send me mail
For mailer on cloned instances
If stopped, set global preference
If not stopped, MUST use different email account than
production if inbound responses permitted
Perform all required setups for each workflow in use
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Non-Optional Setups (prevent trouble)

If running Projects, setup PASYSADMIN as a user
Must have Workflow Administrator responsibility
Setup Worklist Access to this user same as SYSADMIN
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Highly Recommended Setups

Download Workflow Analyzer
Set up to run as concurrent program
See MOS notes 1369938.1 and 1425053.1
Set Workflow Administrator to responsibility
Update Config.sys parameters
Add Personal Worklist to this responsibility
If not using System Administrator
Add Application Super User Role to role hierarchy
Ensure Workflow Administrator report group assigned
Ensure responsibility can run reports
Add following programs to responsibility report group

(R12.2.n) Workflow Directory Services Bulk Reset DISABLED
Notification Preference
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Highly Recommended Setups

Grant Worklist Access to SYSADMINs emails to all
administrators
Use Functional Administrator and create grant
Create Worklist Flexfields

Create Custom views for WFERROR, POERROR,
HRSSA, OMERROR, xxERROR notifications

See Workflow Analyzer for active xxERROR workflows in
your environment
Enable Export button in Personal Worklist
Set WF: Enable Bulk Notification Response profile
option to Yes for workflow administrators
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Prepare for Cleanup

Patch current
12.1.3
Run Patch Wizard
17774755 EBS 12.1.3+ RPC1
9817770 Post R12.ATG.PF.B.DELTA.3 Consolidated Patch
19329720 Latest Recommended Patch Collection for OWF
12.1.3+
See list from Workflow Analyzer
12.2.3 / 12.2.4
See MOS note 1583092.1
AD/TXK Delta 5
Apply at same time (12.2.n AD/TXK MUST be at same delta)
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Patch Current from Workflow Analyzer 12.1.3
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Patch Current from Workflow Analyzer 12.1.3
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Prepare for Cleanup

Run Purge for Temp and Perm
Reduce noise
Purge Orphaned Notifications from WFERROR
Wf_purge.Notifications (WFERROR,<date>,TRUE,1)
Date is used to compare to closed date for orphaned notifications
Run Workflow Statistics programs

Workflow Mailer Statistics Concurrent Program
Workflow Agent Activity Statistics Concurrent Program
Workflow Work Items Statistics Concurrent Program
Run Gather Schema Statistics at 30% for APPLSYS
Unclick Send e-mails for canceled notifications if running
Notification Mailer and SYSADMIN is setup to receive

emails (step 4 of Mailer setup)
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Process
Assess Health
Was has errored? How many?
Dont forget errored events
Triage
Most Recent
Most Numerous
Stop the Bleeding!!
Take action on errored workflows
Clean up associated WFERRORs
Take action on errored events
Clean up associated WFERRORS
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Access Health
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How Many Notifications Awaiting Action
If notification or xxERROR workflow closed, this may
give false picture

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What? How many? Where? When?

Workflow Analyzer tells What, How many
Count is of distinct workflows
OAM Workflow pages tells What, How many, Where
Tells When by specific workflow, but not sorted so earliest
/ most recent hard to determine
Provides link to Status monitor
Workflow may be errored in multiple points, so count may
not match Workflow Analyzer
SQL summary tells What, How many, Where, Earliest
/ most recent
Workflow may be errored in multiple points, so count may
not match Workflow Analyzer

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SQL Summary (my script)
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Errored Events (my script)

WFERROR not linked to workflow, so previous
methods not applicable

SQL to get counts and errored event, then use
notifications to SYSADMIN to diagnose and remediate
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Workflow Analyzer
Ideally there should be at least one WFERROR (and
message to SYSADMIN) for each errored workflow
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OAM Workflow Pages

Click Work Items link at bottom of page, then select
the view Errored Work Items
To see which activity

errored,
workflow,
errored,click
clickaworkflow,
then View Details
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OAM Workflow Pages

Each activity in error and count
Next drilldown will show specific workflows
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OAM Workflow Pages

Not sorted by Date or Key
Links to manage or view Status Diagram
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What About #STUCK?
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What About #STUCK?

Stuck will show in error counts also
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Not Every Message is an Errored Workflow

This type error will have to be addressed (usually) one
workflow at a time
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Not Every Message is an Errored Workflow
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Diagnostics
MOS note 1083807.1 12.1.3+ catalog
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Diagnostics
Use <CTRL>F to search for tests in other sections
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Diagnostics
Need Application Diagnostics responsibility
MOS note 753979.1
Must use User Management and assign at least one of
following roles
Application End User
Application Super User
Diagnostics Super User
Many responsibilities (PO Super User, System Administrator,
Order Management Super User) have had Diagnostics Super
User role attached to the responsibility
For further information, see OAUG paper database Maximize
Efficiency of Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i/12 through
Diagnostics by Susan Behn
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Triage
Stop the Bleeding!
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Where to start
Start with workflow or event that has errored most
recently and if multiple ones, one that has errored most

often
If Most Recent Begin Date in past, then indicates error
fixed
Still need to clean up workflow that errored and associated
WFERROR
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Use Personal Worklist Views
Note multiple workflows have same error

In this case, inform DBA immediately
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Other Common Worklist Views
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Export to Spreadsheet
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What if xxERROR is missing?

For non-event errors
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What if count of event errors is really large?

Note: If WFERROR is missing, there is no other source
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Use OAM Drilldown

Effective when associated WFERRORs are closed
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Take Action
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Will Retry Work?

Retry is a good answer if:
Errors are recent
Issue that caused error did not require changes to
workflow definition
Exception: Messages, PL/SQL are not versioned
Error doesnt make sense (retry one to see if anomaly)

PO Approval Document Manager error
How to Retry
Notifications or status monitor one at a time
Bulk Response from Notifications
OAM Retry All
Retry Errored Workflow Activities concurrent program
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Bulk Respond from Notification

Select Notifications, click Respond
Must all belong to same Type, Same Message Name
Different Error
Message Name
Different
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Bulk Response From Notifications

Select Response (Retry), Click Go
Response for WFERROR for events is:

Abort
Raise Event with Event Key
Raise Event with Event Key and Event Data
Raise with Event Key Event Data and Parameters
(and standard) Reassign, More Information Please
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OAM Retry All

Retry All acts on all, not just ones showing on screen
Retry happens while you wait, not deferred
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Retry Errored Workflow Activities

Useful when want to only restart recent errors (specify
Errored On or After (DD-MON-RRRR))
Change to 1
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Selectively Abort
Do you really want old POs, Requisitions, Expense
Reports, .. to restart?
Aborting workflow does not remove data from application
tables
What does the event do? Is there an alternative
process that will perform the same action

Example: all events with user in the name do not have to
be re-raised, run Workflow Directory Services User/Role

Validation
All error reporting workflows that are still open although
parent workflow is now closed

Purge will close WFERROR, but not OMERROR,
POERROR, HRSSA, etc.

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Selectively Abort Non-Error Reporting Items

How many exist?
Use Status Monitor or OAM to abort if number is small
Otherwise adjust following (from MOS note 804622.1)
If Error Item Type is WFERROR, it will be closed and
purged when parent workflow is purged
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Selectively Abort Errored Event
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Error Reporting Workflows
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Error Reporting Workflows (MOS 804622.1)

Change to create list of errored workflows
Use OAM to
Abort All
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Its a Repetitive Process
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Repeat Preparation
Run Purge for Temp and Perm
Reduce noise
Run Workflow Statistics programs
Workflow Mailer Statistics Concurrent Program
Workflow Agent Activity Statistics Concurrent Program
Workflow Work Items Statistics Concurrent Program
Run Gather Schema Statistics at 30% for APPLSYS
Rerun Workflow Analyzer
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Monitor Need to Reorganize
% is actually
> 100
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Special Cases
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User Notification Preference Update Report

FYI notification issued when someones notification
preference is set to DISABLED due to bad or missing

email
No workflow behind this, so cant use Worklist Flexfields
Can customize message in workflow System: Mailer
and add person to Subject
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MOS note 1326359.1
Fix Email Address
If user linked to employee, must add to employee
To see email in user record, relink user to employee
If recipient a supplier/customer, use supplier/customer forms
Fix User Notification Preference 12.1.3

If recipient is a user, user can use Preferences link
SQL
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MOS note 1326359.1
Fix User Notification Preference 12.2.n
If recipient is a user, user can use Preferences link
Run Workflow Directory Services Bulk Reset DISABLED
Notification Preference
Resend Notifications
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Users Missing Responsibilities / Cant Log In

R12.1.3 and R12.2.n use complex set of events to
synchronize all tables

Synchronize WF LOCAL Tables obsolete in 12.2.2
(MOS note 1547670.1)
12.1.3 still needed for PER_ROLE, POS, PQH_ROLE
Workflow Directory Services User/Role Validation
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If Using Resource Manager

MOS notes 1293524.1 and 462988.1
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ONT, PO, HCM, (and soon to come) INV, AP

Workflow Analyzer contains special sections for issues
specific to select products

Section has detailed analysis of product specific
workflows
References to MOS notes
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References
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References and More Information

MOS notes
1320509.1 E-Business Suite 11i/R12: Oracle Workflow
(WF) Product Information Center (PIC)
453137.1 Oracle Workflow Best Practices Release 12
and Release 11i
Workflow Book
Pdf copy from lulu.com
Workflow Documentation
My Oracle Support feeds
Settings, Hot Topics E-Mail
OAUG Conference Database
Now googling will yield links to papers
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Thank you!!
Karen.Brownfield@Infosemantics.com
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Workflow

About the Speaker

SBA 8(a) Small Business

GSA Schedule contract GS35F-0680V

Texas State HUB vendor

For more information, go to

R12.1.3, R12.2, OBIEE public

workflows are still there

other should be green checks

Non-Optional Setups (prevent trouble)

for SYSADMIN to Do not send me mail

Non-Optional Setups (prevent trouble)

Highly Recommended Setups

Add following programs to responsibility report group

Highly Recommended Setups

Create Worklist Flexfields

HRSSA, OMERROR, xxERROR notifications

option to Yes for workflow administrators

Prepare for Cleanup

Patch Current from Workflow Analyzer 12.1.3

Patch Current from Workflow Analyzer 12.1.3

Prepare for Cleanup

Date is used to compare to closed date for orphaned notifications

Run Workflow Statistics programs

Notification Mailer and SYSADMIN is setup to receive

How Many Notifications Awaiting Action

If notification or xxERROR workflow closed, this may

give false picture

What? How many? Where? When?

not match Workflow Analyzer

SQL Summary (my script)

Errored Events (my script)

methods not applicable

Ideally there should be at least one WFERROR (and

message to SYSADMIN) for each errored workflow

OAM Workflow Pages

the view Errored Work Items

To see which activity

OAM Workflow Pages

OAM Workflow Pages

What About #STUCK?

What About #STUCK?

Not Every Message is an Errored Workflow

Not Every Message is an Errored Workflow

recently and if multiple ones, one that has errored most

Use Personal Worklist Views

Note multiple workflows have same error

Other Common Worklist Views

What if xxERROR is missing?

What if count of event errors is really large?

Use OAM Drilldown

Will Retry Work?

Error doesnt make sense (retry one to see if anomaly)

Bulk Respond from Notification

Bulk Response From Notifications

Response for WFERROR for events is:

OAM Retry All

Retry Errored Workflow Activities

Errored On or After (DD-MON-RRRR))

process that will perform the same action

be re-raised, run Workflow Directory Services User/Role

parent workflow is now closed

POERROR, HRSSA, etc.

Selectively Abort Non-Error Reporting Items