2 Getting Started

15

2.1 Customizing the Workflow Engine

15

2.1.1 Implementing Customizing (Transaction SWU3)

15

2.1.2 System User WF-BATCH

17

2.1.3 Logical RFC Destination WORKFLOW_LOCAL_xxx

18

2.1.4 Checking the Customizing (Transactions SWU3 and SWUI_VERIFY)

19

2.2 Starting Workflows and Monitoring the Workflow Events

23

2.2.1 Monitoring Events (Transactions SWELS and SWEL)

24

2.2.2 Considering Workflow Definitions (Transaction SWDS)

27

2.3 Maintaining a Minimal Organizational Structure

32

2.3.1 Creating Organizational Units (Transaction PPOCW)

33

2.3.2 Editing Organizational Units (Transaction PPOMW)

35

2.3.3 Assigning SAP Users to Positions

38

2.3.4 Testing the Agent Determination (Transaction PFAC)

40

3 Compiling a Workflow Development Environment

43

3.1 Relevant Transactions

43

3.2 Workflow Development Process with Standard SAP Functions

44

3.3 Events

45

3.3.1 Event Type Linkage

46

3.3.2 Event Instance Linkage

47

3.4 Where-Used Lists in SAP Business Workflow

48

3.4.1 From Object to Standard Task to Workflow Template

48

3.4.2 From BOR Object to Standard Task (Classic)

49

3.4.3 From ABAP Objects Class to Standard Task (Classic)

50

3.4.4 From Standard Task to Workflow Template

51

4 Methods, Work Items, and Events

53

4.1 Types of Methods in the Workflow

53

4.2 Types and Statuses of Work Items

56

4.3 Events and Their Delivery

59

4.3.1 Check and Receiver Type Function Modules

61

4.3.2 Event Queue

64

5 Intervening in the Agent Determination

67

5.1 Creating a Workflow

67

5.2 Determining and Selecting the Agent Determination Dynamically

68

5.3 Testing the Workflow Template

72

5.4 Modeling the Agent Determination Using Task Groups

75

5.5 Agent Determination with Responsibilities

81

5.5.1 Creating Rules Based on Responsibilities

83

5.5.2 Integrating a Rule with the Workflow Template

86

5.6 Programming the Agent Determination

88

5.6.1 Creating Classic Function Modules for Agent Determination

89

5.6.2 Creating an ABAP Class for Agent Determination

94

6 Containers, Binding, and Conditions in the Workflow

97

6.1 Preparation

97

6.2 Container—Location of the Data Used by a Workflow

98

6.2.1 Event Container

100

6.2.2 Workflow Container

100

6.2.3 Rule Container

101

6.2.4 Task Container

101

6.2.5 Method Container

102

6.3 ABAP-Coding with Containers (Macros)

102

6.4 ABAP Objects Classes for Handling Containers, Bindings, and Conditions

105

6.5 Coding Example for Containers, Bindings, and Conditions

107

6.5.1 Creating Container Elements

107

6.5.2 Creating Containers

109

6.5.3 Converting Containers

111

6.5.4 Creating Workflow Conditions

112

6.5.5 Defining the Binding

115

6.6 Advanced Functionality in the Binding

118

6.7 Programmed Binding

119

7 Sample Project—Designing an ABAP Objects Class for the Workflow

123

7.1 Initial Situation

123

7.2 Specific Features in the Workflow Environment

125

7.3 Creating a Class, Integrating IF_WORKFLOW, and Defining Key Attributes

126

7.4 Managing and Creating Instances

128

7.5 The Little Persistence in Between

133

7.6 Troubleshooting with Exception Classes

138

7.7 Creating Workflow Events from ABAP Objects Classes

140

7.8 BOR Objects as Attributes in ABAP Objects Classes

143

8 Sample Project—Designing a BOR Object for the Workflow

147

8.1 Initial Situation

147

8.2 Creating a New BOR Object

148

8.3 Creating Persistence for BOR Attributes

150

8.4 Creating Key and Other Attributes

151

8.5 Creating BOR Methods

159

8.5.1 Additional BOR Interfaces

161

8.5.2 Redefining the “CREATE” Method

161

8.5.3 Method Containers for Parameters

162

8.5.4 Redefining the “DELETE” Method

164

8.6 Exceptions and Errors

166

8.7 BOR Events

167

8.8 BOR Release Statuses

169

8.9 Default BOR Specifications

170

8.10 Inheritance and Delegation in BOR

172

Appendices

175

A Step Types and Sample Workflows

177

A.1 Step Types

177

A.2 Other Workflow Technologies

181

B Important Transactions

183

C The Author

187