4/6/2014

SAP Business Workflow - ABAP Development - SCN Wiki

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SAP Business Workflow

Added by Guest, last edited by R. J. van Looy on May 25, 2009
#What are advantages of SAP Business Workflow s?
#What are the layers in Workflow Architecture?
#How Process, Business Logic and People are linked in Workflow s?
#What is a Business Object?
#What is an Agent and w hat are different types of Agent?
#What are the capabilities of Workflow Builder?
#What are Events?
#What are the various methos of creating Events?
#How can an Event be linked w ith a Workflow ?
#What are containers, Binding and Binding Editor?
#What are important Transactions and Reports?
#Where can I find more details about w orkflow s?
#Exception in binding of Task and the Method?
#Basic Function Modules in Workflow s?

What are advantages of SAP Business Workflows?

A business process can consist of several steps. Historically, the
tasks have been coordinated manually or by some informal means
of communication (sticky note, e-mail, shouting, and so on).
The common problem in these approaches is :
Inefficiency
Each lacks a w ay to trace w here a task is
Who executed(or is executing it),
How much time it requires.
In contrast, the w orkflow ensures that the right w ork is sent to the right person at the right time in the right sequence w ith the right information.
Workflow is a tool for automization of business processes
Not tied up to any particular application
Operates uniformly across applications
Coordinate all participating tasks
Provide users w ith active support
Deadline Management is possible
Workflow s are very useful for business processes that:
Contain a sequence of activities.
Reoccur in the same or similar forms.
Involve several people or groups of people.
Require considerable coordination.
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What are the layers in Workflow Architecture?

There are 3 layers in the Workflow Architecture:
Business Object
Business Process
Organization Model
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How Process, Business Logic and People are linked in Workflows?

The business processes are defined in Workflow builder. Each and every small w ork process is called as an activity in the w orkflow builder. Each activity consists of a single step task, w hich can be a
standard task or a w orkflow template.
Associated Business Logic is built in Business Objects. i.e. ABAP code w ill be in Business Object. Business Objects consist of attributes, methods and events. Methods consist of ABAP code. Each and
every standard task is associated w ith a Business Object and a method.
People / Group of people responsible for taking actions are defined in organization structure. Person responsible for taking an action is called actual agent. It is defined in the w orkflow activity.
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What is a Business Object?

Business object (BO) is basically collection of Attributes, Methods and Events for a particular business entity. Example of BO: Sale Order, Vendor, Customer, Material etc.
BOs w rap around backend tables, application code, change document and other technical information and expose them as Attributes, Methods and Events. Usually methods of BOs refer to BAPIs.

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The follow ing diagram explains BO much better:

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What is an Agent and what are different types of Agent?

An agent is a person or a group of persons w ho can take an action during w orkflow runtime. Action can be approval of some business document, creation of some document or sending email.
There are basically three types of Agents:
Actual Agent: One w ho actually takes the action. This is provided in the w orkflow Activity.
Possible Agent: All possible persons/entities that can execute a task during runtime. Defines either in Org Structure or task.
Excluded Agents: Persons w ho are excluded from taking action on a task. These are assigned in the w orkflow definition at the w orkflow activity.
System checks Actual Agent defined in w orkflow runtime w ith the Possible Agents defined in the task and the Excluded Agents. Actual Agent should be a subset of Possible Agents minus the Excluded
Agents, else Agent resolution fails.
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What are the capabilities of Workflow Builder?

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What are Events?

Events are actions that occur in the system and that acts as trigger point for any w orkflow . Eg. Sales order creation. is an event.
Eg; Consider a scenario w here any sales order after creation subject to approval from superior. So here a w orkflow comes into play. The w orkflow needs to start w henever a Sales order is created. The
business object BUS2032 is associated to sales order creation. It has event CREATED. So the trigger point or " START EVENTS " in the w orkflow is the BUS2032 's event CREATED.
Then bind the event to the w orkflow so the data flow s from event to the Workflow . e.g.: Sales order is created. So for the w orkflow to proceed it'll need sales order details. With binding the respective
values is mapped ito the w orkflow container.
Then activate the linkage once you are through the w orkflow creation. This is important as after this only the w orkflow w ill listen for the event, in the sense that after this only the w orkflow is triggered on
the event. This is critical also as each active link adds to system load considerably and too many w orkflow s in the test environment can bring the system dow n. So careful. Deactivate once test is over and
w orkflow is no longer used.
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What are the various methos of creating Events?

The various metods of creating Events are:-

Function module - event creation by calling function module

Change documents

Event creation w hen change documents are w ritten.

General status management

Logistics Information System (LIS)

Event creation upon status changes.

Business Transaction Events

Message Control

SWE_EVENT_CREATE or SAP_WAPI_CREATE_EVENT.

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How can an Event be linked with a Workflow ?

Consider the start of any w orkflow . The START EVENTS tab is taken through the header. The Business Object is specified and binding is generated to the w orkflow to receive the values and then the link is
activated.See the pic below for the Sales Order creation as start event for a w orkflow .

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What are containers, Binding and Binding Editor?

Containers are nothing but the Variables in the Workflow that hold the values in the w orkflow . They can be simple variables or structures or even objects of any class. So they are best treated as the
variables. Binding as explained above is passing the values from events, methods and other externals sources to the container. When an event is binded to the w orkflow then the data automatically flow s
from the Event to the Container in the w orkflow . Binding editor is there as automatic binding may not alw ays pick up the right or desired binding or precisely the mapping generated may not be appropriate or
as required due to technical reasons w hich any techie can guess. So editor gives an option to the developer to edit or generate manually.
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What are important Transactions and Reports?

The area menu 'SWLD' lists all the transactions associated w ith Business w orkflow s.
SWDD - Main Workflow Builder.
PFTC - General task maintenance.
SWO1- Business Object Builder.
SBWP- The Business Workplace SWDM - Business Workflow Explorer
SWELS - Sw itch Event Trace On/Off
SWETYPV - Display/Maint. Event Type Linkages
SWUS - Test Workflow
SWUI - Start Workflow
SWI6 - Workflow for Objects
SW14 - Workflow s for Objects Types
SWDB - Workflow Builder - Create Workflow
SWLV - Maintain View s
TASK/TASK GROUPS
PFTC_INS - Create
PFTC_CHG - Change
PFTC_DIS - Display
PFTC_COP - Copy
PFTC_DEL - Delete
Tcodes Related To Events
Events Creation
BSVW - Status management
NACE - Message Control
AWUW - Logistics Information System (LIS)
Event Linkages
SWB_COND - Workflow Start Conditions
Work item analysis

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SWI2_FREQ - Work Items Per Task

SWI2_DEAD - Work Items With Monitored Deadlines
SWI2_DURA - Work Items By Processing Duration
Task analysis
SWI11 - Tasks in Workflow s
SWI13 - Task profile
List of Important Transaction Codes
For more SAP Business Workflow Transactions,check the link :- http://help.sap.com/saphelp_40b/helpdata/en/9b/572614f6ca11d1952e0000e82dec10/content.htm
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Where can I find more details about workflows?

SAP Help - Business Workflow s
SDN Forums
SDN Blogs for Workflow s
SAP Business Workflow FAQ
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Exception in binding of Task and the Method?

It is observed that w hen w e bind a Task w ith any BO Method then all the fields defined for binding are w iped out after w e save the binding i.e. if w e w ant to see the fields taking part in binding of the TASK
& METHOD or w hile binding the w ork flow and the TASK it is observed that the container elements and task container elements disappear even though binding is established. This happens because of
inconsistent buffer synchronization.
To overcome this issue follow the steps in SWDD.
Menu->Extras->Transport->Synchronize runtime buffer, or go to TCODE SWU_OBUF of buffer synchronization.

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Basic Function Modules in Workflows?

SWW_WI_POPUP_FOR_COMPLETION
SWW_ADDR_KEY_CREATE_FROM_USER
SWW_WI_DELETE
SWW_WI_CREATE_VIA_EVENT

" show s the compeleted status of a w orkflow

" display the address of the user or recipient
" delete w ork item
" create w ork item as result of event

SWW_WI_DEADLINE_CHANGE

" change of deadline attribute of w ork item

SWW_WI_COMP_EVENT_RECEIVE

" complete w orkitem using events

SWW_WI_REJECT

" reject w ork item

SWW_WI_EVENT_RECEIVE

" retrive event for a w orkflow

SWW_WI_DISABLE

" lock w orkitem against execution

SWW_WI_ENABLE

" remove lock against execution of w orkitem

sap

http://wiki.scn.sap.com/wiki/display/ABAP/SAP+Business+Workflow

workflow

business

object

agent

event

binding

other

container

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37 Child Pages
Accessing Single Entry from Multi-line Element
Approval Decision on Approve or Reject with Reasons or Comments
Binding Definition in Workflow
BOM in workflows!What and how?
Converting Smartform to PDF in Workflows
Deadline Monitoring
Delegation and Redefining methods of business object BUS1001
Differences between a Work item and an email
Display Users details in Rules
Document Template in Workflow
Event Creator & Wait Step Use
Exception handling in Workflows
Extended Workflow Notification
Function Module to evaluate what are the function modules suitable for a given generated Work Item.
How to find an Event for any transaction for triggering of a workflow
How to find which organization unit you are currently being assigned to
How to Handle User Decesion in Workflow
How to make FORM in workflow?
How to send an external mail from workflow
Marking the material for deletion using SAP Business Workflow - triggering the redefined methods of a Business Object
Need to delete entries from table SWFREVTLOG
Organizational Plan in Workflows
Program Exits In Workflow
Real Estate Contract Workflow
SAP Workflow EVENTS
SDN Blogs for Workflows
Secondary Methods, Before and After Methods
Send an External mail through SAP Business Workflow and Recievers address in CC
Simple Report to display Task or Workflow Container Definition
Tasks in Workflows
testing
Triggering the workflow by releasing a purchase requisition and automatically creating a Purchase Order
Troubleshooting Workflow Terminating Events
Version Management In Workflows
Workflow for Customer Blocking and UnBlocking
Workflow Scenario
Workitem intimation in the email

2 Comments
Prabhakar Dharmala

niran orkkatteri kariyadan

Excellent !!

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