FW: Container problem in parallel processing with simple forms

Thu May 3 01:08:21 EDT 2007

Sorry, forgot to say - GT_CONTAINER was a reference to going through the whole thing in debug. Not visible from workflow builder so ignore that!

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul.Bakker at osr.treasury.qld.gov.au
[mailto:Paul.Bakker at osr.treasury.qld.gov.au]
Sent: Thursday, 3 May 2007 11:08 AM
To: SAP Workflow Users' Group
Subject: Re: FW: Container problem in parallel processing with simple
forms

Nigel,

 Please allow me to barge in. Can you please confirm:

-  AUS and NZ are separate elements in the _workflow_ container.
- Only the AUS element is passed to the AUS task
- Only the NZ element is passed to the NZ task
- If the NZ task is completed after the AUS task, the contents of AUS are
wiped out in the workflow container

If all the above are true, then it certainly sounds like a problem.

However, if AUS and NZ are somehow linked together (eg if they are _both_
passed to the AUS and NZ tasks), then this behaviour is perfectly normal .
An analogy would be two ABAP programs updating a single row in a database
table.

I don't understand where the field GT_CONTAINER comes into it. Why is it
used? Does it contain both elements? That may be your problem.

Maybe your screenshots would help to clarify?

cheers
Paul B
(Brisbane)

|---------+---------------------------------->
|         |           "Nigel Thurgood"       |
|         |           <Nigel.Thurgood at sanitar|
|         |           ium.com.au>            |
|         |           Sent by:               |
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|         |           03/05/2007 10:23       |
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|         |           Workflow Users' Group" |
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  |       Subject:  FW: Container problem in parallel processing with simple forms                                   |
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Thanks for replying Mike.

Unfortunately either I didn't explain clearly enough or you misinterpreted
the problem - I'll assume it was the former (smiley thing).

Scenario is:

Two parallel branch fork, each fork containing a simple form ('Change'
form).

First branch / form references container structure 'Australia'

Second branch /form references container structure 'NewZealand'.

NOTE THAT THESE ARE SEPARATE CONTAINER STRUCTURES.

Australian agent opens the Australian form, and BEFORE HE HAS SAVED HIS
CHANGES, New Zealand agent opens the New Zealand form.

Australian agent saves and closes the Australian form.

New Zealand agent saves and closes the New Zealand form.

The workflow log shows that only container structure New Zealand has any
data set in it. This is because the Australian changes were reset when the
New Zealand form was saved.

You've earnt yourself an early mark, or I'm missing the bleeding obvious
somewhere. I hope it's me, as this means mucho changes to my workflows.

Note that this is a real-life scenario. The workflow (create material
master record) determines whether the material is for Australia, New
Zealand, or both. If both, then a task is sent to both country's agents.
The problem only occurs when both tasks are open (and not saved) at the
same time. At first I supposed this would be a one in a thousand happening
(still too many!), but in fact the scheduled RSWUWFML2 sends both agents a
'You have new work items' email with logon icon, and both being keen as
mustard, the tasks are opened pretty much simultaneously and this causes
the conflict.

>From what I can gather, and I need to look at this in more detail, when
the task starts, the entire container, including Australia AND New Zealand
and other elements and structures, is read into field GT_CONTAINER.

Australia then makes changes to the Australia form and saves. The Australia
structure of the gt_container is updated by the local Australia structure.
Note that the New Zealand structure, blank at the outset, remains blank.

New Zealand then makes changes to the New Zealand structure and saves. The
New Zealand structure of the gt_container is updated by the local New
Zealand structure. Note that the Australia structure, blank when the New
Zealand step commenced, becomes blank again.

Thus the Australia changes are overwritten (or more accurately 'cleared').

If you wish, I can send screen shots of all the above . I've written a
dummy workflow to debug this problem, with just a fork, two form steps and
a start transaction.

Cheers.

Nigel.

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Pokraka [mailto:asap at workflowconnections.com]
Sent: Wednesday, 2 May 2007 9:09 PM
To: SAP Workflow Users' Group
Subject: Re: Container problem in parallel processing with simple forms

Hi Nigel,

This is neither a problem nor a limitation but works correctly as I'd
imagine it would.

It *should* always update the entire structure including elements A B C D
E and whatever else, otherwise we might as well all go home right now.
Updates always update an entire row, that's how databases work. It would
be disastrous if it worked differntly!

Your only solution is to use speparate structures / container elements for
the two agents.

Cheers,
Mike

On Wed, May 2, 2007 1:44 am, Nigel Thurgood wrote:
> Scenario is a fork with 2 branches, each branch contains a simple form
> step. Branch A form changes container element structure 'A', branch B
form
> changes container structure element 'B'.
>
> *     Agents A and B open forms A and B simultaneously, then the
GT_CONTAINER
> for both forms has both structures A and B blank.
> *     Agent A enters data on form and presses 'Save';
>
> *     Function SWY_STRUCTURE_TO_CONTAINER firstly calls function
> SWY_GET_CONTAINER, which loads a local copy of blank structures A and B
> from GT_CONTAINER (ie as at when the form was opened);
> *     The container element name ('A')  is sourced, and then
SWC_SET_ELEMENT
> updates structure A of the local container;
> *     SWC_SET_CONTAINER then updates GT_CONTAINER with the local
container.
>
> *     Agent B enters data on form and presses 'Save';
>
> *     SWY_GET_CONTAINER loads local copy of blank structures A and B (ie
as at
> when the form was opened);
>
> *     The container element name ('B') is sourced, and then
SWC_SET_ELEMENT
> updates structure B of the local container;
> *     SWC_SET_CONTAINER then updates GT_CONTAINER with the local
container.
>
> *     End result is that Agent A / form A changes are overwritten.
>
> Apologies if this has been vovered before / is a know problem /
> limitation. Any advice would be appreciated.
>
> Best regards.
>
> Nigel E Thurgood
>
> Senior Application Specialist
> Sanitarium Health Food Company
>
> Phone: (02) 4349-6019
> Mobile: 0416 254919
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--
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Senior Consultant
Workflow Connections
Mobile: +44(0)7786 910855
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