·
Workflow
processes represent business process flows and information routing.
·
Each
workflow process consists of a set of activities and transitions.
·
Activities
can be process activities, notification activities, and function activities.
·
The
business process flow in Oracle Workflow can have decision points (branches),
parallel flows, and loops.
·
The
Workflow Builder is a graphical interface for diagramming the workflow process.
·
The
Workflow Engine enforces and executes the workflow process and drives items
through the workflow processes.
·
The
Workflow Monitor displays any instances/items and their status within a
workflow process.
·
The
Workflow Definitions Loader loads the workflow definition from a flat file or
from another database.
·
Workflow
Directory Services obtains the email addresses for roles from the directory
repository.
·
The
Notification System sends out messages and solicits responses.
·
The
Workflow Engine is a PL/SQL program that resides on the server and drives items
through workflow processes defined in Oracle Workflow.
·
Each
item has a set of attributed values that contains information about the
specific item. Each one of these items, with its own set of attribute values in
the middle of the workflow process, is referred to as one instance of the
workflow process.
·
Valid
states of an activity are Active, Complete, Deferred, Error, Notified,
Suspended, and Waiting.
·
If
the state is Error, the changes will roll back to the last savepoint and the
error-handling process will be initiated.
·
Active
activities are deferred to the background Workflow Engine if the operating cost
is higher than the threshold specified in the Workflow Engine.
·
If
an activity is completed, the Workflow Engine will issue a savepoint and the
activities that depend on the completed activity will be set to Active, if
appropriate.
·
If
Loop Reset is on and the Workflow
Engine comes to an activity that has been executed, then all of the activities
will be reversed; otherwise, the transition will be ignored.
·
Workflow
Engine APIs are found in the WF_ENGINE package.
·
The
CreateProcess API creates a new runtime process for an item of an instance.
·
The
StartProcess API begins execution of the workflow process.
·
The
CompleteActivity API notifies the Workflow Engine that an activity has been
completed for an item.
·
GetItemAttrInfo
obtains type information about an item attribute.
·
Oracle
Workflow obtains information about a role from three views: WF_USERS, WF_ROLES,
and WF_USER_ROLES.
·
Groups
of users, as well as individual users, are assigned to roles.
·
The
Email field in WF_ROLES is used if Expand
Role is not checked; otherwise, the Email field of the users in the role
will be used.
·
To
add more roles and users, you can use the three local tables: WF_LOCAL_USERS,
WF_LOCAL_ROLES, and WF_LOCAL_USER_ROLES.
·
An
item type consists of six components/objects: attributes, processes,
notifications, functions, messages, and lookup types.
·
The
internal name of Workflow Builder components must be unique, typed in
uppercase, and should not contain spaces.
·
If
there is more than one process attached to an item type, a selector is needed
to select the correct process.
·
Each
notification activity must have an attached message.
·
A
message can have its own attributes, and a respond attribute will solicit users
to select a valid respond value.
·
You
can attach a time-out to the notification activity. If time passes and a
response is not received within the specified time, a <Timeout>
transition will be executed.
·
Lookup
types are used to define lists of lookup codes. Result types must be lookup
types.
·
To
monitor workflow and to view its progress, you can use either the Workflow
Status form in Oracle Applications or the Java-based Workflow Monitor tool.
·
There
are two modes for both forms: ADMIN and USER.
·
To
diagram a workflow process, drag and drop activities into the Process window
and draw lines between them by holding down the right mouse button.
·
Fill
in the performer for a notification activity.
·
The
Continue Flow function and Wait for Flow function work together to coordinate
the master/detail process flow.
·
The
Oracle Applications Implementation Wizard—wizard for short—is a module in
Oracle Applications that guides you through the setup steps of Oracle
Applications.
·
The
Oracle Applications Implementation Method (AIM) is a methodology that guides
you through every phase of the implementation process and is complemented by
the Implementation Wizard.
·
The
process hierarchy ensures that the common setups are finished before the
specific setups.
·
Primary
processes are common processes that span the entire application, requiring
setup steps that cross multiple modules across the financial, distribution, and
manufacturing product families.
·
Secondary
processes are common processes that cross modules within the product family.
·
Final
processes are processes that are specific to an individual module and have no
cross-module dependencies. Enter the context for setup steps that are dependent
on organization context. Organization contexts are Business Group, Set of
Books, Operating Unit, and Inventory Organization. Start the implementation
process by launching it through the Implementation Wizard form.
·
If
you are assigned a setup step through the wizard, you will receive notification
through Workflow, and you can see the notification in the Notifications Summary
form.
·
You
can complete the setup and respond with a Done result.
·
You
can respond with a Skipped result and ask the wizard to skip the setup steps.
·
You
can reassign the setup steps to another role.
·
You
can run the wizard installation process to ensure that the wizard is installed
correctly.
1. When will an activity be
deferred?
A. Activity cost
= 0
B. Activity cost
< Workflow Engine threshold
C. Activity cost
> Workflow Engine threshold
2. What is the primary purpose
of a workflow?
A. Routes
information
B. Sends
notifications
C. Creates audit
trails
D Defines
process rules
3. What job does the
SetItemUserKey API perform?
A. Sets the
unique identifier for an item
B. Sets the role
to be notified
C. Sets the
user-friendly identifier for an item
D. Sets the
activity ID for an item
4. How will you define the
possible results of an activity in order to drive different transitions?
A. As item
attributes for an item
B. As lookup
codes for a lookup type
C. Separate the
activity into two
D. Use a process
activity
5. Time-out parameters apply
to which activity?
A. Function
B. Process
C. Notification
D. All of the
above
6. What will solicit responses
from a notification activity?
A. Having a
time-out parameter
B. Having a
performer
C. Having a Send
message attribute
D. Having a
Respond message attribute
7. Which Work Engine API
should you use to begin execution of an activity?
A. CreateProcess
B. StartProcess
C. ResumeProcess
D. BeginActivity
8. Which implementation
process group comes before the product family processes?
A. Common
application processes
B. Product family
processes
C. Product-specific
processes
D Common
financial
9. What is the proper format
for an internal name in the Workflow Builder component?
A. Uppercase
B. No spaces
C. Unique within
item type
D. All of the
above
10. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Role can be
created in Workflow Builder.
B. A user is a
role if it has at least one active responsibility.
C. A role can
only have one user.
D. A user must be
a role.
11. Which component in Oracle Workflow is the
graphical interface for workflow processes?
A. Workflow Builder
B. Workflow
Engine
C. Workflow
Monitor
D. Workflow
Definitions Loader
12. When do you need a selector for an item type?
A. When you must
perform role resolution
B. When
performing a voting activity
C. When more than
one process is associated with an item type
D. When multiple
result codes are possible
13. What does the Workflow Engine do when a function
activity has finished?
A. Issue a
savepoint
B. Issue a commit
C. Generate a log
file
D. Notify the
user
Answer
to the above Questions
1.
C. Activity cost > Workflow Engine threshold
Explanation An activity is
deferred when the activity cost is greater than the Workflow Engine threshold.
If the activity cost = 0 or if the activity cost is less than the Workflow
Engine threshold, the activity will become Active.
2.
A., B., D. Routes information, Sends notifications, Defines process rules
Explanation The primary purposes
of a workflow are to route information, send notification, and define process
rule. Although some history is maintained automatically by Oracle Workflow, it
will not be considered as creating audit trails.
3.
C. Set the user-friendly identifier for an item
Explanation The SetItemUserKey
API is used for setting a user-friendly identifier for an item.
4.
B. As lookup codes for a lookup type
Explanation You define the
possible results of an activity to drive different transitions using lookup
codes for a lookup type. You cannot use item attributes. Separating the
activity into two does not make sense since you want to drive two transactions
with the same activity, but with two result codes. A process activity will not
help in this scenario.
5.
C. Notification
Explanation A time-out parameter
only applies to a notification activity since the time-out parameters are used
to measure when a notification expires. It does not apply to a function
activity or a process activity.
6.
D. Having a Respond message attribute
Explanation Having a Respond
message attribute will solicit responses from a notification activity. The
display name will become the prompt and the description will be the
instruction. Nothing else, such as a time-out parameter, a performer, or a Send
message attribute, will have
an affect in soliciting responses.
7.
B. StartProcess
Explanation The StartProcess API
begins the execution of an activity. The CreateProcess API creates a new
runtime process for an item. The ResumeProcess API resumes a suspended item.
The BeginActivity determines if the specified activity may currently be
performed on the item.
8.
A. Common application processes
Explanation Common application
processes come before the product family processes, which come before
product-specific processes. Common financial is one of the product family processes.
It does not come before product family processes.
9.
D. All of the above
Explanation An internal name for
a Workflow Builder component must be in uppercase, have no spaces, and be
unique within item type.
10. D. A user
must be a role.
Explanation A user must be a
role. A role cannot be created in the Workflow Builder. Having one active
responsibility is not a requirement for a user to be a role. A role can have
more than one user.
11. A. Workflow
Builder
Explanation The Workflow Builder
in Oracle Workflow is the graphical interface for workflow processes. The
Workflow Engine drives items through workflow processes. The Workflow Monitor
allows you to view and monitor workflow process instances and the Workflow
Definitions Loader loads workflow definitions from a text file or database.
12. C. More
than one process associated with an item type
Explanation When you have more
than one process associated with an item type, you need a selector to select a
process. You use the Role Resolution standard activity to perform role
resolution. Voting is another standard activity. Multiple result codes drive
different transitions, but this is not related to the selector.
13. A. Issue a
savepoint
Explanation The Workflow Engine
issues a savepoint when a function activity is completed. The Workflow Engine
never issues a commit; the calling application issues a commit. The Workflow
Engine does not generate a log file or notify users.
