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About State Models

State model functionality allows you to constrain the state of an object by prescribing allowed state values and allowed state transitions. For example, a service request object may be constrained to three states: Open, Closed, and Pending. Furthermore, the state transitions may be constrained to: Open to Pending, Open to Closed, and Pending to Closed.

For Siebel workflows, state models provide a data-driven method for extending control based on the state of the object. For general information about Siebel workflows, see Siebel Business Process Designer Administration Guide.

The state model functionality consists of three key elements:

• State Model. A blueprint of acceptable states and state transitions that are enforced by the state machine.
• State Machine. An engine that enforces the transitions between states for an object during its lifetime. The state represents where the object is in its lifetime. The state can also control whether the data of that object can be modified. For example, a record that is in a Closed state may be considered frozen, such that its attributes cannot be modified. The state machine reviews all required conditions defined for the state model before the state transition is completed.
• State Transition. Defines the allowable migration of an object from one state to the next. For instance, a record that has been closed but must be reopened may go from the Closed state to an Open state and may go from Open to Pending, but may not transition directly from Closed to Pending.

  Specific conditions can be associated with state transitions. For example, you can specify that only certain individuals can initiate state transitions or that a transition can only be initiated if the object meets certain criteria.