Workflows

Workflows allow users to collaborate for data authoring. Each task of a workflow is processed by a user who modifies and reviews data using a stepper.

Overview

A workflow is a set of tasks, linked by transitions.

A workflow instance (also named activity) is initiated from an Application. When it runs, it executes a single task at a time. A task is assigned to a role declared in Semarchy xDM. Such a task is assigned to a user having this role. This user then can operations on the data in the workflow. When the task is finished, the user completes the task and moves it through a transition to another task.

The task may finish the workflow either via a submit or a cancel operation. The cancel operation cancels all data changes, and the submit operation submits them to the hub. After a submit operation, the workflow completes, and an integration job is triggered to process the changes and choices made by the user.

A workflow carries along a Load Transaction (equivalent to an external load) which contains the data changes performed by the user. This transaction attached to the workflow. Changes performed in this transaction exist only for the transaction and the workflow until the workflow is submitted or canceled

Create a workflow

To create a workflow:

  1. Right-click the Workflows node and select Add Workflow…. The Create New Workflow wizard opens.

  2. In the Create New Workflow wizard, check the Auto Fill option and then enter the following values:

    • Name: internal name of the workflow.

    • Label: user-friendly label for this workflow. Since the Auto Fill checkbox is selected, the Label field is automatically filled in. Modifying this label is optional.

    • Administrator Role: role required to administer this workflow. Users with this role can perform any operation on this workflow.

    • Job: select the job to execute when the workflow completes with a Submit operation. Do not select any job to have a job automatically generated for this workflow based on the manipulated data.

  3. Click Next. In the next page, configure the first task of the workflow:

    • Name: internal name of the task.

    • Label: user-friendly label for this task. Since the Auto Fill checkbox is selected, the Label field is automatically filled in. Modifying this label is optional.

    • Assigned to Role: select the role to which this task is automatically assigned.

    • Entity: select the entity which data is manipulated in the first task.

    • Authoring Stepper: select a stepper from that entity that is used for the first authoring task.

  4. Click Finish to close the wizard. The Workflow editor opens.

The workflow editor

The workflow editor displays the workflow as a diagram. This diagram is used to configure, add tasks and transitions to the workflow.

Using this diagram, you can design tasks and transitions for a workflow.

The diagram is organized in the following way:

  • The Diagram shows shapes representing tasks (rectangles) and transitions (links), as well as the start and end events (round shapes).

  • The Toolbar allows you:

    • to zoom in and out in the diagram.

    • to select an automatic layout for the diagram and apply this layout by clicking the Auto Layout button.

    • to select the elements to show in the diagram (name/labels on the tasks and transitions).

    • to validate the workflow. The validation report shows the errors of the workflow.

  • The Palette provides a set of tools:

    • Select allows you to select, move and organize shapes in the diagram. This selection tool allows multiple selection (hold Shift or Control, or Command on macOS).

    • Add Task and Add Transition tools allow you to modify the workflow.

  • The Properties view allows you to edit the properties of the task or transition selected in the diagram.

In this diagram, you can drag the transition arrows to change the source and target tasks of a transition.

This workflow contains by default the following elements:

  • A Start Event (circular shape) that represents the startup point for this workflow. All the start tasks are linked from this event.

  • An End Event (circular shape) that represents the completion point for this workflow. This event is preceded by two built-in tasks called Submit Data and Cancel Data that represent the submit and cancel operations that finish a workflow.

  • The first Task that is linked from the Start Event and that links to the Submit Data and Cancel Data built-in tasks.

It is possible to link the start event to your tasks, but your tasks cannot link directly to the end event. They must transition to the built-in Submit Data and Cancel Data tasks that finish the workflow.

Configure workflow properties

The workflow can be configured from the Properties view. Click the background of the workflow diagram to open the workflow properties.

All workflow have the following properties sections:

  • Name and Definition: The Name, Label, Description, Administrator Role and Job options in this section are configured when creating the workflow and can be changed here. The additional Editable Properties allows you to define whether workflow properties (the label, for example) can be modified after startup.

  • Tasks: The list of tasks of the workflow.

  • Transitions: The list of transitions of the workflow.