Siebel Workflow and How to Invoke a Workflow Processes

Siebel Workflow Processes Tutorial.

What is a Siebel Workflow.

Workflow = Timely management of events of an event in order to ensure proper handling
Challenge:

Companies establish bus rules and procedures
Business Rules and procedures are not consistently enforced
Sometimes rules enforced pragmatically are inflexible to changing bus needs
Difficult to manage across multiple channels + external applications

Solution: Siebel Workflow allows and solves the following

companies to define their workflow steps and the events that trigger them
is a set of tools to graphically define the processes and steps
an engine to automate these processes
invoke either immediately (via run-time events) or over time (via workflow policies)

Siebel Workflow process

Defined as a series of steps (usually with inputs + outputs) and embedded sub-processes executed in response to a defined set of conditions. (could be process properties)

Steps in a Siebel Workflow Process.

# Siebel Decision Point Step = use branch to various steps based on conditions

I.e. SR Severity = High vs Low

# Siebel Business Service Step = perform a Siebel-provided or custom function

I.e. send email

# Sub Process Step = used to start another process within an existing process

I.e. to re-use previously defined workflow processes
Requires input arguments and may have outputs (i.e. pass Id)

# Operation Step = updates and inserts Siebel data w/o programmatic knowledge

I.e. insert, update,query

# Siebel Wait Step = define a period of time before executing a subsequent process

Pause for time until:
---> Amount of time,
---> Until run-time event occurs,
---> Timeout parameter,
---> NO RESTART

I.e. do not send email follow-up for 24 hrs
I.e. send email on day 1 of campaign, Day 2 of campaign, etc

# User Interact Step = navigates user to a view + waits for a response

I.e. navigates user to a view to enter credit card number before purchasing items in shopping cart

# Connector = used to define the direction of flow between two workflow steps

# Exception = used to handle system and user-defined errors

# Start Step = trigger workflow process

# Stop = notify user of error and stop workflow

# End = finish the process

Siebel Steps:

# Define Rules to be automated = design

# Create Workflow process = use process designer

# Define Step Details = use aforementioned steps

# Test the process = user process simulator; default values with Default String in Process properties

# Activate the process = compiles process, checks syntax

Versioning = only one active version of a given workflow process at a time

Workflow Management Component Group must be enabled for the enterprise.

Consists of Five server components:

Generate triggers

Creates insert, update, delete triggers on base tables using workflow policies

Workflow Action Agent

Optional component that executes actions associated with workflow policies

Workflow Monitor Agent

Monitors policies to invoke workflow processes

Workflow Process Batch Manager

Enables workflow processes to be run in batch mode allowing actions to be executed for multiple records

Workflow Process Manager

Workflow engine for Workflow processes and is used for real-time process automation (i.e. user defined events)

How to Invoke a Workflow Process

Invoke a Siebel Workflow by Workflow policies.

Defined set of rules to be monitored and the actions to take when a rule condition is met (i.e. SR = Critical).
Policies should be limited, and should be used primarily to invoke a workflow process and the process should contain the complex logic
Steps:

Create Workflow group
---> I.e. Borrower Contact Creation vs. Transaction processing at Dept of Ed
---> Collection of WF Policies monitored concurrently
---> Why multiple? To assign to different Agents for load balancing across many application servers, assign different polling intervals for different groups

Create Workflow policy action
---> Why action before Policy? B/c actions can be used by multiple policies
---> Actions initiate ‘something’, primarily a workflow process
---> Actions are independent of Policies

Create Workflow Policy
---> All conditions must be met AND duration must be satisfied to trigger WFP Actions
---> Consist of: # Conditions = i.e. SR Priority = Medium, # Actions = ie. eCRM Call XYZ ,Workflow , # Arguments = not always populated

Generate Database Triggers
---> WF Policies use database triggers to ID which records satisfy policy conditions
---> Re-execute this step after changing or adding new policies
---> EXEC must = TRUE
---> When triggers execute, copies records to S_ESCL_REQ table

Start Workflow monitor Agent
---> Monitor Agent monitors all policies (S_ESCL_REQ) within a single WF Group
---> Policy must be part of a workflow group
---> Start from command line:
---> Start task for component WorkMon server DCCASO1 with SleepTime = 60, GroupName =’eCRM

Invoke a Siebel Workflow by Siebel Run-time events

Responds to an action or occurence
Minimizes need for customer scripting and workflow policy invocations
E.g. NewRecord, ButtonClick, Hyperlink, Field Change
Applet Events
Business Component events
Application Events

Invoke a Siebel Workflow by Scripting Language

Can invoke WF Policies via VB or eScript