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Implementing a Rules Module in a Siebel Workflow

Siebel Workflow allows you to define multi-step processes that can run on a pre-defined schedule, in response to a runtime event, or when manually initiated.

As in configuring a Siebel Task UI flow to execute a rules module, the strength of calling a rules module in a Siebel Workflow is that branching logic can be maintained in a declarative form and in a location external to the Siebel application. Rules also allow a Siebel workflow to execute more complex logic without requiring script.

As with leveraging a rules module in a Siebel Task UI flow, the critical requirement for leveraging a rules module in a workflow process is that you must include a Business Service step that invokes the rules module. Your business service step typically consists of a custom business service that calls the prepackaged Business Rule Service business service.

You must provide script in your custom business service to:

• Provide input arguments to the Business Rule Service business service. These input arguments may require interpreting process properties of the business service step.

  Script to provide input properties to Business Rule Service has a standard structure. For information about Business Rule Service input properties, see About the Input Property Set to Business Rule Service. For information and examples of using script to build the Business Rule Service input properties, see Implementing a Rules Module to Execute From Script and Scenario for Using Rules to Provide Dynamic Navigation in a Siebel Task.

• If you must capture output from Business Rule Service to use in a subsequent workflow step, then your script must parse the Business Rule Service output property set and assign that output into output arguments of the business service step.

  For information about Business Rule Service output properties, see About the Output Property Set of Business Rule Service. For information and examples of using script to capture Business Rule Service output, see Implementing a Rules Module to Execute From Script and Scenario for Using Rules to Provide Dynamic Navigation in a Siebel Task.

The process of creating and deploying an entire workflow process requires that you complete several tasks such as planning the process flow, defining the business logic, creating the workflow, creating the business logic and integrating it with the workflow process, deploying and activating the workflow process, testing, and so on.

For a complete example of planning and implementing a workflow that uses a rules module in a batch process, see Scenario for Using Rules in a Siebel Workflow to Do Batch Processing.

For information on the Business Rule Service business service, see About the Business Rule Service Business Service. For requirements for setting the Business Rule Service input properties GetMoreData and PerformAction, see Setting the GetMoreData Input Property and Setting the PerformAction Input Property.

For detailed information on creating and deploying Siebel workflows, see Siebel Business Process Framework: Workflow Guide.