Application independant workflow ?

[Kisloff, Philip B]

Sincere thanks for all your replies,

It seems there are real world experiences in the group of using SAP workflow
for applications that do not revolve around standard SAP business objects.

Several of you have suggested custom development objects as the starting point,
and documents can be stored in the SAP document repository, with web page access 
through BSP or else Adobe forms. The organisational management module is also a strength.

I'm fully on board with SAP workflow capability in this area, and I have indeed done 
a few SAP application-independent workflows myself, using ISR as the kernel for the 
solution. But that is not the same as having a companies strategic workflow applications
supported from within SAP. That's a decision above my pay grade :( but I was hoping 
to contribute to the discussion. Certainly J2EE figures in there somewhere, so I am quite 
intrigued about Guided Procedures, and maybe the composite application framework
has something to offer in this area.

Best regards to all

Phil


 

-----Original Message-----
From: sap-wug-bounces at mit.edu [mailto:sap-wug-bounces at mit.edu]On Behalf
Of Jackson, Rob
Sent: 06 September 2006 18:37
To: SAP Workflow Users' Group
Subject: RE: Application independant workflow ?


We have utilized the 4.7 workflow engine in combination with our own custom
SAP Business Server Pages application to automate a couple of approval
processes.  The BSP's update custom z-tables in SAP and documents that are
uploaded get stored in the SAP archives, but retrievable from our Intranet.
Not sure if this is what you mean by "independent" or not.  I will be
presenting at SAP TechEd on this topic if you are interested.

Rob


Rob Jackson
Owens Corning - Information Systems
Office 419-248-7470
Fax 419-325-3470
email  rob.jackson at owenscorning.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Pokraka [mailto:asap at workflowconnections.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 9:24 AM
To: SAP Workflow Users' Group
Subject: Re: Application independant workflow ?

Hi Phil,

SAP is regarded one of the best (if not the best) workflow engines out
there, it's biggest drawback is that you need to run SAP apps to take full
advantage. However I'd still see it as a perfectly useable tool. Amongst the
biggest strengths are the organizational management and routing
capabilities. Naturally there will be processes which will cross over into
your SAP systems, which means you're all set to go with minimum interface
headaches.

You say 200 apps, are you talking separate applications?!?? Or 200
processes. The concept of business object is academic, every process
revolves around one or more objects. So if you want to define a
'MarketingEvent' object, go ahead. An object doesn't need a key, so you
don't even need anything in the database, just create your BO and add your
methods to form your tasks. Or go one better - this is a perfet opportunity
to go fully ABAP-Class based.

Other pros for SAP WF is the open architecture - XML, SOAP and various other
TLAs which all make it (supposedly) interact nicely with other compliant
apps. With the latest NW, you can even mail out PDF forms, have people fill
them in and receive them back into WF (might address the userid-question
Mark raised). I plan to check this one out at TechEd (See you there,
Sherie).

Concering your 'development effort' concerns... you're going to have that if
you are replacing a WF system anyway, might as well make it a re-useable
effort.

In short, I say it's perfectly feasible but still depends on the exact
nature of the existing apps.

Cheers,
Mike


On Tue, September 5, 2006 23:17, Philip Kisloff wrote:
> Thanks Paul,
>
> I agree there is the development track, and building up a workflow 
> from
scratch is the way to do that.
> But, and there is a but, our support model doesn't scale up to make 
> this
a corporate standard. Say 200
> applications would be using SAP, I would imagine that would be a big 
> SAP
workflow team needed in place
> for all the custom developments, something perhaps tricky to source.
>
> Now, if we could leverage a packaged solution's customising approach 
> to
implementation, after the initial
> implementation costs might support could be cheaper and more feasible ?
Anything dealing with this
> constraint in the new NetWeaver suite ?
>
> Phil
>





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