Wish list (was: Change a Workflow-Definition without manually copying)
Kjetil Kilhavn
kjetilk at statoil.com
Wed Nov 24 10:21:58 EST 2004
Sorry, I will try make it good :-)
I will do so by explaining why I need this and can't work around it.
The other day (a day to remember) I got a bright idea: I can just defin=
e a
latest end deadline which refers to the actual start time of the work i=
tem.
I changed the workflow in our sandbox, and tested it. Not such a bright=
idea after all. Since the actual start time was initial SAP used curren=
t
date and time instead and calculated my latest end deadline, which now =
was
long before the latest start deadline. I can imagine that this could be=
the
result in some real-life scenarios, and I have always thought that the
first deadline that is met is the one that wins. But nooooo, not in SAP=
.
The latest start deadline _has_to_ be earlier than the latest end deadl=
ine.
It wouldn't work in any case, irrespective of whether SAP allowed the
latest end to be earlier than latest start. For it to work the latest e=
nd
deadline would have to be "inactive" until the variables upon which it
relied had values.
Therefore I need to be able to catch the close button click (and the mo=
st
natural place to do so would be in syst-ucomm, i.e. it is the report th=
at
should catch it and not the workflow).
Digression, but on-topic: I could probably work out something by making=
the
report display task asynchronous and forking off a step with latest end=
deadline in a branch parallell to the main branch which would wait for =
the
completion of the report. ... hey there's an idea: I could make the rep=
ort
display asynchronous, so the workflow completes immediately when the re=
port
is displayed. When the report is exited I just publish the event to res=
tart
the workflow and then the start of the workflow (or a check function on=
the
event linkage) makes sure there are documents waiting for approval. Tha=
t
could actually work - but that doesn't make it less desireable to be ab=
le
to catch that damned window close.
By the way, in our 46C system background tasks can go into hibernation
(status =3D started) without being changed to status =3D error. I just =
learnt
the hard way that the OSS Note that was recently implemented here only
solves the problem for one specific situation. There is a simple soluti=
on
though, but it is manual: use SWIA and select all type B work items in
status started.
--
Kjetil Kilhavn
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Michael Pokraka =
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<workflow at quirky.me. To: SAP-WUG at MITVMA.=
MIT.EDU =
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uk> cc: (bcc: Kjetil Ki=
lhavn) =
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Sent by: SAP Subject: Re: Wish l=
ist (was: Change a Workflow-Definition without manually copying) =
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Workflow =
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<Owner-SAP-WUG at MITVM =
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A.MIT.EDU> =
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23.11.2004 16:35 =
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Please respond to =
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"SAP Workflow Users' =
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Group" =
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Hi Kjetil,
Y'know, for normally posting quite sensible (and often amusing) posts, =
I am
horrified to note the increasing off-topicness of your musings :-)
I think what we want here is technically quite feasible: some setting/f=
lag
that lets a dialog task behave like a background task. The error monito=
ring
job will pick up a background task that has been active for too long an=
d
set
it to error (or in our case a different trappable outcome perhaps?).
Just my 2p on the matter.
Cheers
Mike
Kjetil Kilhavn wrote:
> Not really workflow, but strongly influencing workflow: enable me to
catch
> the situation where a user closes the session by using the window clo=
se
> button, system-menu close or some other "smart" mechanism (except
> transaction /nex) since this causes a workflow to be left in status
started
> and there is absolutely no way of catching it as far as I have been a=
ble
to
> find out.
>
> Our biggest problem: workflow step runs a report (synchronous, dialog=
).
> When user leaves report the step is completed and the next step check=
s
> whether there are remaining (unapproved) documents. If so it publishe=
s an
> event which restarts the workflow. However, when the user closes the
> session as mentioned the work item remains in status "started".
>
> Problem 1: offshore user goes home for his four weeks after using the=
close
> button. We have a 14-day deadline before the workflow terminates, so =
the
> next 14 days no approval takes place because no-one gets the approval=
> report workflow.
>
> Problem 2: users call the help desk complaining that they get approva=
l
> reports with no documents. The reason is that the #%=A7&! users appro=
ve all
> documents and then use the close button to leave the report. They hav=
e
> become used to this working nicely in all (other) windows application=
s,
> where the situation is trapped and handled as any normal exit. Not so=
in
> SAP...
> --
> Kjetil Kilhavn
>
>
>
>
> Alon Raskin
> <araskin at 3i-consulti To:
> SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
> ng.com> cc: (bcc: Kjetil
> Kilhavn)
> Sent by: SAP Subject: Re: Chan=
ge a
> Workflow-Definition without manually copying
> Workflow
> <Owner-SAP-WUG at MITVM
> A.MIT.EDU>
>
>
> 23.11.2004 12:23
> Please respond to
> "SAP Workflow Users'
> Group"
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hi Everyone,
>
> Why don't you all mail me your SAP Workflow wish list requests and I =
will
> add it to the www.wugarchive.com web site. Who knows maybe SAP will l=
ike
> some of the ideas and implement them?
>
> Please mail me directly and I will do my best to get your
ideas/suggestions
> up on the site ASAP.
>
> Regards,
>
> Alon Raskin
> e: araskin at 3i-consulting.com <mailto:araskin at 3i-consulting.com>
> w: http://www.3i-consulting.com
>
>
>
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