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About Process Properties

Process properties are fields for storing values that you can use in steps, either as input and output arguments, or for performing evaluations. Process properties store values that the workflow process retrieves from the database or derives before or during processing. You can base decision branches on the values in a process property and pass process properties as step arguments. When a workflow process completes, the final results of the process properties are available as output arguments. You can also use process property values in expressions.

Some default process properties are automatically defined for each process. They are:

• Object ID. The Siebel row ID of the work item being processed. For more information, see Object ID and Non-7.0 Workflow Processes.
• Error Code. An error symbol of the process instance if a step returns an error. This process property is automatically populated when an error occurs.
• Error Message. An error message text of the process instance if a step returns an error. This process property is automatically populated when an error occurs.
• Siebel Operation Object ID. The object identification of an object that is updated, created, or queried on during a Siebel Operation step. This process property is automatically populated when a Siebel Operation step is executed.
• Process Instance ID. The object identification of the process instance. This process property is automatically populated when a process is executed and persistence is enabled.

The following sections provide further information on process properties:

• Object ID and Non-7.0 Workflow Processes
• Process Properties Versus Property Sets
• Defining Process Properties
• Concatenating Process Properties

Object ID and Non-7.0 Workflow Processes

In non-7.0 Flows, that is, in long-running, interactive, and service workflow processes:

• The Object ID must match the Row ID of the primary business component's active row. The Workflow engine will not allow the active row of the primary business component (BC) to be different from the Object ID process property. If the Object ID process property is different from the active row, the primary BC is re-executed to make the active row the same as the Object ID.

  NOTE:  If you want to change the active row in a step of a workflow, you may do so (using an appropriate Business Service step or Siebel Operation step), but you must promptly update the Object ID process property to the new active Row ID, in the output arguments of the step that changes the active row.
  
  Once a step completes and output arguments have been evaluated, Workflow checks to make sure the Object ID matches the active row. So changes to the active row must be reflected in the Object ID property within the affected step.

• Run-time events are always received on the row specified by the Object ID parameter.
• It is possible to change the active row by assigning a new Row ID to the Object ID parameter. When Workflow detects that an assignment is made to the Object ID process property, Workflow re-executes the BC and makes the new Row ID the active row.
• You can set the Object ID to an empty string and Workflow will no longer enforce the must-match rule. However, the parts of Workflow that require an Object ID (such as run-time events and Siebel Operation steps) cannot be used until the Object ID is set to a new Row ID.