Module 9

Workflows

2005 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved.

Module Objectives

List the benefits of workflows

Create a workflow template
Create activities using the Activity Inspector
List workflow performer options
Describe the benefit of aliases with workflow templates
Add flows and packages to workflow templates
Start, execute and monitor workflow instances

Workflows

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What is a Workflow?

A workflow formalizes and automates a

business process
For example: approval processes, document
creation

Workflow Overview
Workflow Overview
Workflow Templates
Workflow Templates
Activities
Activities
Performers
Performers
Flows and Packages
Flows and Packages
Installation
Installation
Runtime
Runtime

It defines who performs what and in what order

The structure of a workflow matches the complexity of the
business process being emulated
Program Manager

Project Team

Engineer

Automated

approve
Initiator

Author

Review

Publish

reject

Workflows

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Benefits of Workflows

Efficiency
Automates paper-based business processes
Formalizes ad hoc business processes
Minimizes human/process error
Automatic task delegation
Reduces business process completion time

Management
Enterprise scalability
Real time access to process status
Provides auditability

Workflows

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What is a Workflow Template?

Defines a workflow in terms of activities that

must be performed by specific participants in
the order specified by the template designer

Workflow Overview
Workflow Overview
Workflow Templates
Workflow Templates
Activities
Activities
Performers
Performers
Flows and Packages
Flows and Packages
Installation
Installation
Runtime
Runtime

Created with Workflow Manager and installed in the repository

When executed, initiates a workflow
Many workflow instances can be generated from the workflow
template

Workflows

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Launching Workflow Manager

To launch Workflow Manager from the Start menu:

Click Start > Programs > Documentum > Workflow
Manager

To launch the Workflow Manager from Webtop:

In Classic view, click File > New > Workflow Template
In Streamline view, click the New Workflow Template link

To launch Workflow Manager from Desktop:

Browse to /System/Desktop Client/Workflow Templates
Right-click and select New > Workflow Template

Workflows

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Workflow Manager

Used to create Workflow Templates

Activities can be connected in sequence and/or in parallel
Repository User Template State

Toolbar
Toolbar

Activity
Activity
Palette
Palette

Flow
Flow

Workflows

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Palettes

Palettes allow you to reuse existing activities and workflow

templates in your templates
Click Change Palette to add other activities or
templates from the repository

Workflows

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Activities

Activities represent the tasks that comprise the

Workflow Overview
Workflow Overview
Workflow Templates
Workflow Templates
Activities
Activities
Performers
Performers
Flows and Packages
Flows and Packages
Installation
Installation
Runtime
Runtime

business process
The runtime representation of activities
are tasks
Activities define what is needed to do for the task to finish
Create document
Append content
Review document
Approve
Activities may be:
Manual
notification arrives in a users inbox
Activitys work done using the task manager

Automatic- performed by a program on behalf of a user

Workflows

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The Activity Inspector

Double click on an activity in Workflow Manager to display

the Activity Inspector

The Activity Inspector specifies:

The messages displayed to

task performers
Who performs the task
Whether the task is manual
or automatic
Whether the task can be forwarded
and/or delegated
Whether the task requires electronic signoff
The conditions for the task to start
The conditions for the task to complete
Whether notifications should be sent to the workflow supervisor (owner)
The tasks priority (mainly for automated tasks)
Workflows

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The Performer Tab

The Performer tab provides the following options:

1

Selection of manual or
automatic activity

Delegation

Repeat the activity

Electronic signoff

3
4

Workflows

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The Definition Tab

The Definition tab is used for the following:

Set the priority of the activity (mostly used for automatic
activities)
Set the task subject (not shown in task manager)
Specify instructions for the task
task manager
at runtime

Workflows

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The Trigger Tab

The trigger tab specifies

when the activity starts

This can occur when any

combination of the previous
tasks complete

1
2
3

Can also require an event to

be sent to the workflow
programmatically

Note that activities can

occur more than once in a

workflow
Workflows

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The Notification Tab

Each workflow instance

has a workflow
supervisor
The supervisor is
usually the initiator

The supervisor can be

notified if the tasks are
not being completed in a
timely manner

Workflows

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The Transition Tab

The transition tab specifies which activities should follow the

current activity

For example, if the current

activity has a forward and
a reject path, the performer
of the current task
should choose only one
of the subsequent activities
reject

forward

Workflows

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The Display Tab

Use this to specify how the activity looks in Workflow Manager

Workflows

9-16

Select Performer (1 of 2)

Workflow Overview
Workflow Overview
Workflow Templates
Workflow Templates
Activities
Activities
Performers
Performers
Flows and Packages
Flows and Packages
Installation
Installation
Runtime
Runtime

Workflows

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Select Performer (2 of 2)

11
2
3

Workflows

9-18

When the Performer is Determined

Assign performers at design time
Hard-coding users and groups is the least flexible option
Assign performers at runtime
Let the workflow initiator pick the performer(s)
Have performer(s) of a previous activity pick the
performer(s) (the performer is resolving the alias)
Let the server pick the performer by resolving aliases

Workflows

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Performer Tab- Automatic Activity

Automatic activities are programs run on behalf of a performer

11

Workflows

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Flows

Activities are connected using flows

Workflow Overview
Workflow Overview
Workflow Templates
Workflow Templates
Activities
Activities
Performers
Performers
Flows and Packages
Flows and Packages
Installation
Installation
Runtime
Runtime

To create a flow, select an icon (straight line, segmented,

reject) from the Workflow Manager toolbar and connect two
activities

Workflows

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Flow Inspector

Double click on a Flow to bring up the Flow Inspector

A Package must be defined for every Flow except the

ending Flow
A package contains the content (documents or folder)
involved with the workflow
Multiple packages
can be defined for each
flow
At run time, the task
manager ensures that
the packages contain
the proper content
(package type, version)
before allowing
the activity to complete
Workflows

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Package Example

The first flow contains a package named Plan, which in

this case is an empty project plan
The initiator of the workflow is required to attach a
document before the workflow can start

The remaining flows all have a package named Plan

associated with them
The author edits the plan before sending it for review

Workflows

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Template Properties

Workflow Overview
Workflow Overview
Workflow Templates
Workflow Templates
Activities
Activities
Performers
Performers
Flows and Packages
Flows and Packages
Installation
Installation
Runtime
Runtime

Select File > Template

Properties to set properties
for the entire template
Change the template
owner
Specify the default alias
set
Turn on auditing

Workflows

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Workflow Template States

Workflow templates can be in one of three states:

Draft- The state while developing the template
Must save the template in the repository before it can be validated

Validated- The Workflow Template has no process definition

errors
Installed- The Workflow Templates can be instantiated as
workflows

Must uninstall the template before modifying it

11
Workflows

4
9-25

Starting a Workflow (1 of 3)

Workflow Overview
Workflow Overview
Workflow Templates
Workflow Templates
Activities
Activities
Performers
Performers
Flows and Packages
Flows and Packages
Installation
Installation
Runtime
Runtime

In Webtop, the initiator can start a workflow

without selecting content first (you will add
content to the package(s) later)

Or they can select the initial content, then select Start Attachments

classic

streamline
Workflows

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Starting a Workflow (2 of 3)

The initiator then selects the appropriate workflow template

Workflows

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Starting a Workflow (3 of 3)

The initiator provides some required information for

the workflow

The textbox is for a description seen on all subsequent tasks

The package is filled with content if the workflow was started
using Start Attachments, otherwise it must be added
If performers need to be
assigned, there will also
be a Performers tab
The Comments tab is used
to assign a comment specific
to this workflow instance
Clicking Finish sends tasks to
the performers of the first
activities
Workflows

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The Task Manager

Here is the authors task shown in Webtop

The author sees the content added by the initiator
Clicking on Finish completes the task

Workflows

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Workflow Reporting in Webtop

Workflows

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Designating a Proxy

You can designate a proxy to manage your workflow tasks

A proxy is someone who acts on your behalf
To designate a proxy in Documentum Webtop
In Classic view, click the, I am available link
On the Workflow Tasks page, check I am currently
unavailable and click edit to select the user to whom tasks will
be forwarded

To designate a proxy in Documentum Desktop

From the menu, select Tools > Workflow Availability
Select the user to whom tasks will be forwarded when you are
not available to receive them

Workflows

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Send To Distribution List Workflow

An ad-hoc workflow started from menu options in Webtop and
Desktop by specifying
Performers at workflow initiation
If performers receive a task
perf1
In parallel
Sequentially
initiate

reject 2

initiate

end

perf2
Sequential Activity
perf2
perf1

end

reject 1

If performer should sign off

Priority: Low, Medium or High
Instructions for performers
Workflows

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Quickflow in Webtop

Provides Send To Distribution List functionality in Webtop

Workflows

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Workflows vs. BPM

Basic workflow (included with the core license)

Workflow Manager for designing workflows

Tasks exposed through Documentum clients
Notifications sent through email
Business Process Management (BPM)
Similar interface to Workflow Manager
Extends workflows outside of the enterprise

Using protocols like email, Web Services, HTTP

Connects to enterprise applications inside or outside the

firewall
Incorporates XML forms (XForms) in workflow tasks
Handles high volume workflow tasks using workqueues

Workflows

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Test Your Knowledge

1. True/False: A workflow emulates the structure

of a business process only if the business
process is linear.

Workflow Overview
Workflow Overview
Workflow Templates
Workflow Templates
Activities
Activities
Performers
Performers
Flows and Packages
Flows and Packages
Installation
Installation
Runtime
Runtime

2. True/False: There can be many workflow instances

based on a single workflow template.

3. True/False: Activities can be reused in multiple

workflow templates.

4. True/False: Activities can be automatically completed

using server methods.

5. True/False: A package must be defined for every flow,

except the final flow.

Workflows

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Classroom Exercise: Lab 9

During the exercise, you will:

Use the Workflow Manager
to design a workflow template
Create a document and attach
it to your workflow template
Receive and forward
workflow tasks

Plan_Approval_x
Activity 1 = Author
Activity 2 = Review
Activity 3 = Publish

studentx
Projectx
Working Docs
Projectx New Plan 1.0

Workflows

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