Siebel Business Process Framework: Workflow Guide > Developing a Workflow Process > Process of Planning a Workflow Process >

Understanding the Workflow Constructs

This task is a step in Process of Planning a Workflow Process.

To plan for building a workflow process, it is important to understand the basic constructs that can be defined. With Siebel Workflow, the run-time engine manages process flow, application flow, and integration flow. Basic constructs such as Start steps, Decision Points, Siebel Operation steps, and Connectors are available to build your workflow process. Some of the basic Siebel workflow constructs are illustrated in Figure 9.

Figure 9. Basic Constructs of a Siebel Workflow Process

The basic constructs of a workflow process include:

1. Workflow Invocation Events. A workflow process can be invoked from a run-time event in the Siebel application, a Workflow Policy, or through script. An event can pass context from the caller, for example a user session, to a workflow process using a row id.
2. Workflow Rules. The flow control for a workflow process is determined by decision rules. Rules can be based on business component data or on local variables in the workflow process known as a process property. Rule expressions are defined using Siebel Query Language.
3. Workflow Actions. A workflow process action can perform database record operations, invoke a business service, or pause workflow process execution.