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About the Process Simulator

This topic provides information about the Process Simulator. It includes the following topics:

• Considerations for Using the Process Simulator
• About the Simulate Toolbar
• About the Process Simulator Watch Window

The Workflow Designer includes the Process Simulator, a simulation tool that allows you to step through a workflow process while viewing the results of each step. Simulating your workflow process before deploying it to your production environment verifies that resulting actions are accurate and useful, and that the results are as expected.

For more:

• Basic information about how the Process Simulator works, see Workflow Simulation Architecture.
• Procedural information about how to use the simulator, see Preparing and Using the Process Simulator.
• Detailed process simulator and Watch window usage instructions, see Using the Process Simulator and the Watch Window to Test the Workflow.
• Information about testing your workflow process within an overall planning framework, see Roadmap to Developing a Workflow Process.
• Using the Business Service Simulator in cases where the process simulator cannot be used, see About the Business Service Simulator.

Considerations for Using the Process Simulator

This topic provides information you should consider when using the Process Simulator.

Siebel Client Usage With the Process Simulator

Most workflow processes can be tested and debugged using the Process Simulator, which is hosted in Siebel Tools. To use the simulator, you must have the Siebel Mobile Web Client installed. The Siebel Mobile Web Client can connect to a development or local database that has the test data required to debug a workflow.

When you click the Start Simulation button on the Simulate toolbar, the client launches according to the debug settings you entered in Preparing the Process Simulator. You use this Siebel client instance as the run-time environment for the simulation. There are no actions you must take in this Siebel client instance unless the workflow being simulated is an interactive flow.

After the Siebel client is initialized successfully, the Simulation In Progress dialog box disappears, control passes back to Siebel Tools, the Start step executes, and the workflow is paused at the next step in the workflow. At this point, if the first step executes as expected, the next step of the workflow is highlighted in the Process Simulator view.

Workflow Mode and the Process Simulator

You can use the Process Simulator to test a workflow that runs in the Siebel client. This includes a service workflow, 7.0 workflow, interactive workflow, and a workflow based on a run-time event. You cannot use the Process Simulator to test a long-running workflow or a workflow that involves a server component, such as Workflow Process Manager, Server Request Broker, Assignment Manager, and Communications Server. To test a workflow that involves a server component, the workflow must be deployed to the run-time environment and tested using the application server.

Using the Simulator With an Interactive Workflow

When using the simulator with an interactive workflow you must perform some actions in the Siebel client while the simulator is running.

While running the simulator, if the highlighted step is a User Interact step, when you click the Simulate Next button the corresponding view defined for the step is displayed in the Siebel client.

When this occurs, switch to the Siebel client and make sure the run-time event is executed as expected by the User Interact step to resume workflow execution.

After the User Interact step is executed successfully in the Siebel client, control is passed back to Siebel Tools, and the highlight moves to the next step in the workflow.

Testing a Workflow That Involves Server Components

You cannot use the Process Simulator to test a workflow that involves server components, such as a long-running workflow process. If a workflow process involving a server component is run in the Process Simulator, incorrect behavior results. To test a workflow process that involves a server component, you test the workflow in the run-time environment.

For example, if you need to test a workflow process that invokes Siebel Assignment Manager, you deploy the workflow to the run-time environment. You export the workflow from Siebel Tools and import it to the Siebel client. Then you test the workflow in real time with the working server components.

Invoking a Workflow Process With the Process Simulator

Of the various ways to invoke a workflow process, invocation from the Process Simulator is an easy way to test and debug a workflow process. You can debug process steps as you define them in Siebel Tools, where the Process Designer and the Process Simulator both reside.

When the workflow process is run from the Process Simulator, it runs in the application object manager. Actual invocation of the process can be run in the application object manager or in the Workflow Process Manager server session, depending on specific parameters. Because some workflow processes that can run in the Workflow Process Manager server session might not be able to run in the application object manager, it is possible that every workflow process cannot be simulated.

Other ways of invoking a workflow process involve performing the invocation outside of Siebel Workflow. For more information, see Invoking a Workflow Process. For information about invoking a workflow process from a server component, see Overview: Siebel Enterprise Application Integration and Siebel eMail Response Administration Guide.

Using the Simulator With Scripts

You can use the Process Simulator with a workflow that references a business service or business component that contains script. However, if that script contains a breakpoint, and if the Arguments field in the Siebel Tools debug configuration contains /h, the Simulator might not perform as expected.

A breakpoint is a marker on a line of Basic code that tells Basic to suspend execution at that line so that the state of the program can be examined using the Siebel Debugger. The /h argument directs the Siebel debugger to open the Watch window.

Ways to avoid this problem when using the Process Simulator include:

• Remove all breakpoints from scripts on business services or business components the workflow process references.
• Remove the /h argument from the Siebel Tools debug configuration.

To remove the/h argument:

1. From the Tools application-level menu, choose View > Options, then click the Debug tab.
2. Remove the /h argument from the Argument field.

For more information about breakpoints, the /h argument, and Siebel Debugger usage, see Using Siebel Tools.

Using the Simulator With a Workflow Subprocess

To avoid a validation error, you must publish and activate subprocesses called by the workflow process you are simulating prior to invoking the simulator. For more information, see Publishing a Workflow Process.

Process Simulator Usage Considerations

Considerations when using the Process Simulator include:

• In the Siebel client, if the workflow process does not contain a user interact step, do not navigate or click UI elements while using the Process Simulator. If you must navigate in the Siebel client, it might be necessary to close the Siebel client and Siebel Tools, then open Siebel Tools to rerun the Simulator.
• In Siebel Tools, do not navigate anywhere outside of the Process Designer while the Process Simulator is running.
• After the Siebel client launches, it might be necessary to ALT+TAB back to Siebel Tools to proceed with the simulation.
• You can use the Process Designer to make changes to step properties, then return to the Process Simulator to test the process. To make changes to step properties, first stop the Process Simulator, then restart the simulation after changes are made.
• You might need to hide the Object Explorer and the Properties window to better view your work in Siebel Tools. You can also resize the Siebel Tools window so that it covers only a part of the visible display area.
• To use the Watch window, right-click the canvas, and then choose Watch Window. For more information, see About the Process Simulator Watch Window.
• The Workflow Process Simulator simulates a wait period if a Wait step is specified in seconds. However, if the unit of time is specified in minutes or greater, the Simulator simply moves on to the next step.
• A workflow process does not have to be active to run it in the Process Simulator. The simulator ignores activation date, expiration date, and status.

CAUTION:  Your test environment and production environment must have identical software versions.

About the Simulate Toolbar

The Simulate toolbar includes several buttons that can be used to control execution of the simulation. Table 52 describes buttons in the Simulate toolbar.

About the Process Simulator Watch Window

The Process Simulator includes a Watch window that dynamically displays business component record values and process property values for the workflow process. These values are associated with and are manipulated by the workflow process being simulated.

As each step is finished during the simulation, values being manipulated by the simulation are dynamically updated and displayed in the Watch window. Table 53 describes information available in the Watch window.

To view an example that includes Watch window usage instructions, see Using the Process Simulator and the Watch Window to Test the Workflow.

The Watch window is often used in conjunction with the Workflow Utilities business service to monitor process property values and business component data. For more information, see About the Workflow Utilities Business Service.

To use the Watch window

1. From within the Process Designer for the workflow process you must simulate, right-click the canvas then choose Simulate.
2. Click the Start Simulation button, then wait for the Siebel client to launch and return control to Tools.
3. Right-click anywhere in the Process Simulator canvas, and then choose Watch Window.

   In the Watch window, the left column displays the name of the property set type. The right column displays the current value for the property.

   The Watch window is not available until after you perform Step 2. You must start the simulation and wait for control to return to Tools prior to opening the Watch window.

Watch Window Usage Considerations

Considerations when using the Watch window include:

• You can hide the Watch window by right-clicking then choosing Hide Watch Window.
• If the Watch window appears empty, right-click in the simulation canvas, then choose Watch Window. This refreshes the display.
• In addition to opening the Watch window from within the Process Simulator canvas, you can also open the Watch window by choosing View > Debug Windows > Watch from the Siebel Tools application-level menu.