Approve/Reject Workflow with email

[Dart, Jocelyn]

Hi Thierry, 
 
Be careful when you look at versions.  EBP 3.0 was on a 6.10 basis
system - very nearly equivalent to running on an R/3 Enterprise system.
R/3 3.1 is a long long long way behind that.
 
The program RBBP_OFFLINE_EVAL was included with EBP 3.0 and higher
versions.  It does not exist in other SAP systems.  However the
techniques it uses are appropriate for any SAP system with basis 3.1 or
above.  Get chummy with an EBP person and "borrow" a copy of the
program.  Or just use the WI_MAILREC approach which does basically the
same thing - i.e. lets you read an incoming email and do some processing
based on the email text.
 
The "encryption" used in EBP is just a base64 conversion using some
standard function modules (not sure if they are in 4.6c or not - but
they aren't critical to the solution).  The "encryption" was more to
discourage users from trying to change the hyperlink than to provide
serious security.  In fact we warn companies that the offline reply
should be used within the firewall/network only for security reasons. 
 
Searching the text for keywords is exactly how RBBP_OFFLINE_EVAL works.
It's just a basic text string search. 
 
I have had at least one customer get a similar process working
successfully in an R/3 4.6C system.  But it does help to have a look at
the EBP program if you have access to a copy.
 
Regards,
Jocelyn 
 


________________________________

	From: sap-wug-bounces at mit.edu [mailto:sap-wug-bounces at mit.edu]
On Behalf Of Logiest, Thierry T SI-SPOS-SPOS
	Sent: Monday,23 May 2005 11:29 PM
	To: sap-wug at mit.edu
	Subject: Approve/Reject Workflow with email
	
	

	Dear all, 

	I have been reading the archives and consulting SAP
documentation ( as well as a few workflow consultants familiar with this
list ) in regards to the approval of workflow items via email, my
conclusions up to now are the following :

	1. According to Jocelyn and Alan and there wonderful book it is
possible to execute workitems since REL 3.0 of EBP. ( Although a an
email from Alan, dated May 2000, describes the functionality as possible
since R/3 rel 3.1.)

	2. Object WI_MAILREC.RECEIVE (synchronous reception) or report
RBBP_OFFLINE_EVAL (asynchronous reception) can be used to process the
incoming mails in R/3 and start/execute the relevant
workflows/workitems.

	3. Transaction SO28 is used to set up the link between
WI_MAILREC.RECEIVE ( or a subtype or another object implementing
IFRECEIVE or IFFIND ).

	What is less clear to me is the following : 

	1. Do we need EBP to make this work, object WI_MAILREC is
available in our standard R/3 release 4.6C but report RBBP_OFFLINE_EVAL
is not.

	2. The Workflow bible makes reference to an HTML-based hyperlink
for the approve and reject path which is encrypted together with the
workitem id and mail text, how is that email generated and encrypted ?
Is this done through a standard task, function, method ? 

	3. Jocelyn ( February 2002 ) states that we do not need an
attachment to the mail ( I presume encrypted WID and HTML Hyperlink )
and that we can search the text for keywords, has anybody tried this in
practice ? and was this a successful approach ? 

	Any comments on already running implementations of this
functionality would be extemely welcome and re-assuring. 


	Thank you all. 

	Kind Regards, 

	Thierry Logiest 

	Workflow-HR-ABAP SAP Certified Senior Consultant 


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