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Siebel eFinance Guide > Validation, Approval, and Disclosure Business Services > Administrator Procedures >
Automating Validation Processing
In Siebel eFinance, administrators can validate an object based on predefined rules. To implement validation processing, an application administrator first defines a rule set in the Validation Administration view. Then, the administrator invokes the FINS Validator business service with the validation rule set as an input argument to the business service. Automating validation processing involves the following steps:
- Define a validation rule set. For more information, see Defining Validation Rule Sets.
- Invoke the FINS Validator business service. For more information, see Invoking the FINS Validator Service from a Workflow and Invoking the FINS Validator Service from a Runtime Event.
- View a validation history. For more information, see Viewing a Validation History.
You can invoke the FINS Validator business service from a workflow or a runtime event. To invoke the business service from a workflow, you must configure the workflow steps so that they specify the correct business object, business component, business service, and method. For more information, see Invoking the FINS Validator Service from a Workflow. To invoke the FINS Validator business service from a runtime event, you must create the runtime event. For more information, see Invoking the FINS Validator Service from a Runtime Event.
Defining Validation Rule Sets
You define validation rule sets in the Application Administration, Validation Administration view. When creating a validation rule set, you specify the business object and business component you want to validate and then create rules containing expressions. The application evaluates these expressions as being true or false. If the application determines the expression is false, it executes the appropriate error handling behavior defined in the Details form.
NOTE: Before you can run a new or imported rule set, you must reload personalization in Runtime Event Administration. For more information, see Personalization Administration Guide.
To define a validation rule set
- From the application-level menu, choose View > Site Map >Application Administration > Validation Administration.
- In the Validation Rule Set list, add a record for each new rule set and complete the necessary fields.
NOTE: You can also change an existing rule set by clicking the Revise button.
Some fields are described in the following table.
- In the Details form, add a record for each rule and complete the necessary fields.
Some fields are described in the following table.
The text the application displays or writes to a log file if the expression is evaluated to be false. Maximum number of characters is 250.For more information viewing the validation log file, see Viewing a Validation History. An alphanumeric value that the application may log in the validation history record and store in the Return Code output argument of the FINS Validator business service, if the expression is evaluated to be false. Maximum number of characters is 30.For more information, see Viewing a Validation History.- To activate a validation rule set, select it in the Validation Rule Set list and click Activate.
Clicking Activate changes the Status of the rule set to Active and makes the record read-only.
To revise an existing validation rule set
- From the application-level menu, choose View > Site Map >Application Administration > Validation Administration.
- In the Validation Rule Set list, select a rule set and click Revise.
Clicking Revise a new version of the rule set and sets the Status to In Progress.
- Make the appropriate changes in the Validation Rule Set list and Details form and click Activate.
Clicking Activate changes the Status from In Progress to Active and makes the record read-only. The old validation rule set still appears, but displays a Status of Outdated.
NOTE: You can delete a Validation Rule Set in the same way you delete any other record in Siebel eFinance. Keep in mind, however, that deleting a Validation Rule Set, does not remove that rule set's Validation History. The Validation History must be deleted manually.
Importing and Exporting a Validation Rule Set
You can import and export validation rule sets by selecting Export Rule Set and Import Rule Set from the menu button on the Validation Rule Set list. The validation rule set is saved as an XML file for importing and exporting purposes.
To export a validation rule set
- From the application-level menu, choose View > Site Map >Application Administration > Validation Administration.
- In the Validation Rule Set list, select the validation rule set you wish to export and choose Export Rule Set from the menu button.
- In the Validation Rule Set Export dialog box, specify whether to export all rows or only the selected rows and click Export.
- Follow the on-screen prompts to save the rule set as an XML file.
To import a validation rule set
- From the application-level menu, choose View > Site Map >Application Administration > Validation Administration.
- From Validation Rule Set list menu button, choose Import Rule Set.
- In the Validation Rule Set Import dialog box, locate the file you wish to import and click Import.
The imported rule set appears having a status of In Progress.
- To activate the imported validation rule set, select it in the Validation Rule Set list and click Activate.
Clicking Activate changes the rule set Status to Active and makes the record read-only.
Invoking the FINS Validator Service from a Workflow
You can invoke the FINS Validator business service from a workflow. This section describes some of the possible steps you can include to enable this invocation. You may need to modify and expand on this procedure to accommodate more complex business requirements. The workflow process you create must contain the following steps:
- Start. Initiates the process instance. When the conditions have been met, the application initiates the process instance.
- Business Service. A step in a process in which an automated call is made to the FINS Validator service. A workflow process definition can have one or more business service steps.
- End. A step in a process that specifies when a process instance is finished.
In order for your workflow to execute correctly, the Start and Business Service steps must meet the minimum requirements described in the following procedures. For more information on workflows, see Siebel Business Process Designer Administration Guide for Financial Services.
To configure the Start step in your workflow
- From the application level menu, choose View > Site Map > Business Process Administration > Workflow Processes.
- In the Workflow Process list, select the workflow you wish to configure.
- Click the Process Designer view tab.
- In the Process Designer, double-click the Start step.
- In the Next Steps list, complete the necessary fields.
- Click Return to Designer.
To configure the Business Service step in your workflow
- In the Process Designer workflow, double-click the Business Service step.
The Business Service form appears. Use this view to specify the business object, the business service (FINS Validator), and the Method (Validate).
- In the Business Service form, complete the fields described in the following table.
- In the Input Arguments list, establish your Input Arguments as described in the following table.
- Y - Application logs all instances when the rule set runs.
- N - Application does not track any instances of when the rule set runs.
For more information the Validation log file, see To view the validation history. In the Value field, enter the name of the rule set to be invoked. For more information, see To define a validation rule set.If you want to pass information to another process, you must establish Output Arguments. Output arguments allow you to store a resulting value in a process property. For more information on defining return codes and return messages, see To define a validation rule set.
- In the Output Arguments list, establish the outputs as described in the following table.
- Click Return to Designer.
- Click the All Processes view tab.
- To activate the workflow, click Activate.
Invoking the FINS Validator Service from a Runtime Event
You can also invoke the FINS Validator Service from a runtime event. When the specified runtime event occurs, the application invokes the FINS Validator business service. To invoke the FINS Validator business service from an event you first define the event in the Runtime Events Administration view. For more information on runtime events, see Personalization Administration Guide.
To define a runtime event to invoke the FINS Validator Service
- From the application level menu, choose View > Site Map > Runtime Events Administration > Action Sets.
- In the Actions Sets list, add a record and complete the necessary fields.
- In Actions list, add a record and complete the necessary fields.
- In the More Info form, complete the fields described in the following table.
CAUTION: Failure to use the syntax specified in the Value field may result in errors.
- Click the Events view tab to associate the event with an action set.
- In the Events list, add a record and complete the fields as described in the following table.
NOTE: Before you can use an event to invoke a ruleset, you must reload personalization in Runtime Event Administration. For more information, see Personalization Administration Guide.
Viewing a Validation History
You can view a history of validation events in the Validation History view. All events display in chronological order.
To view the validation history
- From the application-level menu, choose View > Site Map >Application Administration > Validation History.
The Validation History view appears, displaying validation events in chronological order. Some fields are described in the following table.
For more information on defining rule sets and configuring the Return Code and Return Message fields, see Defining Validation Rule Sets.
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Siebel eFinance Guide Published: 20 October 2003 |