This chapter covers the following topics:
In addition to seeded task types, the system administrator can define new task types in the Forms-based Task module.
The section covers the following topics:
Task types are used to further classify tasks. For example, a task can be created relating to a meeting regarding a service request. It can be a follow-up task for a sale or a marketing campaign or a callback to an existing customer. The Meeting, Follow up Action, and Callback can be the task type used to categorize similar tasks with the same creation purposes.
After specifying the task type name, description, effective dates, unit of measure, and duration effort, the administrator can also specify appropriate type flags for the new types.
| Flag | Description/Action |
|---|---|
| Notification | This flag launches the notification workflow automatically. |
| Schedulable | This flag reserves the resource through the Scheduler. |
| Private | Only the task creator can read or update the task. |
| Seeded | This flag is a seeded task type and is not editable. |
Caution: Do not try to define new task rules. Task type rules that are available in the system (Field Service and Oracle Marketing) are the only rules that can be used in Task Manager.
Responsibility: CRM Administrator
Navigation: Task and Escalation Manager > Setup > Define Task Types
To define a new task type:
Select File > New.
In the Task Types window, enter a name for the new task type.
Select Workflow for Task Manager from the list of values (LOV) in the Workflow Item Type field. Then select the workflow process.
If you do not want to use an available process, then you can define a new workflow process for Workflow for Task Manager using Oracle Workflow.
You can associate a task type with a seeded task rule but you cannot define a new rule. You can only use seeded task rules in Task Manager.
Enter the effective dates in the From and To fields.
The Effective To field is read-only for seeded task types. This field is only active if you are defining a new task type.
Select a unit of measurement for effort from the UOM LOV. Options include day, hour, minute, month, week, and year.
Use a measure of time to determine the UOM value.
Enter a number for the quantity of effort in the Qty field.
Select task type flags.
Select the Notification check box if you want notifications to be sent automatically when a task is created with the new task type.
Use the task type mapping functionality to map task types to a source object. This limits the visibility of task types shown in the task type list of values for a mapped source object. After mapping types to a source, you will see only the mapped task types displayed in the list of values. All other unmapped types will not be in the list. The Application field is used internally, it is not used for mapping purposes.
For example, after mapping task types to an object, you can only see the task types that are mapped to your source object displayed in the list of values. Any task types not mapped to your source object are now dynamically excluded from the list. In addition, if none of the types is mapped to your source object, then you will see all task types from the list of values. Therefore, any user-defined task types need to be mapped to your source object. Otherwise, you will not see them from the list after defining them.
Since the task type mapping feature will retrieve mapped task types for your source object, if you do not want certain task types displayed from the list of values for your source object, do not map these types to a source object. Instead, you should remove all your mapped task types for a source from the mapping window.
Note: The Application field in the mapping window is used internally, it is not used for task type mapping purposes. The Source Object field defines what task types appear in the Task Type list of values.
For example, if you map a type Appointment to the source Task Manager under any application, then that type Appointment will appear in the type list of values wherever the source is Task Manager no matter which application you are running. If you do not want this type "Appointment" used for standalone tasks (tasks with source Task Manager), then remove ALL mappings where source is Task Manager and type is Appointment.
If you want the new task type to appear in the task type LOV for a specific source object, then you must map the task type to that source.
To map the task type to a source:
Click Map Types in the Task Types window to open the Mapping Objects window.
Select the source object from the list of values (LOV), for example, Appointment.
Select the task type from the LOV, for example, Critical.
Select the end date from the LOV.
The Seeded check box is not editable.
Click Save.
If you want resource requirements to be automatically populated when you create a task with the new task type, then you must associate the task type to the resource requirements. After defining your new task type, use the Resource Requirements window to associate a specific resource requirement that is necessary to complete a task with the specified task type.
To associate task types to a resource type:
In the Task Types window, select the newly created task type and click Resource Requirement.
The Resource Requirements window opens.
Select a resource type from the list of values (LOV).
Enter the number of resources needed in the Required Units field.
Selecting the Enabled Flag activates the resource type for the corresponding task type.
Click OK.
The required resource information is saved.
Save your task type.
Task Manager contains one pre-defined workflow process, TASK_WORKFLOW, which is used to send workflow notifications automatically to notify personnel about task creation and changes. The workflow is launched by the user clicking the Launch Workflow button. This workflow can also send notifications to employee resources, groups, and teams. If you do not want to use the default workflow process, then you can define a new workflow for Task Manager by using Oracle Workflow.
TASK_WORKFLOW is automatically launched under the following circumstances:
In HTML, the preferences are set to Yes in the Issue Notification drop-down list.
The Task Type Notification flag is set to Y (Yes).
The Auto Notification flag in the Task window is set to Y (Yes).
Task creations or updates use a task type that has the Notification flag selected.
By turning on or off the Notification flag for each task type in the Task Types window, you can control whether or not tasks of that task type should launch a workflow process automatically.
If workflow fails to launch automatically, verify that both the task Auto Notification check box in the Tasks window and the Notification check box in the Task Types window are selected. If you do not set the workflow process, then notifications are not sent. The workflow is set using the standard applications concurrent manager.
Note: For more information on setting up Oracle Workflow, see the Oracle Workflow Administrator's Guide.
Use the Forms-based Task Manager to define task statuses and task status transition rules.
Task statuses define the progress of tasks, such as Open, Working, and Completed. To regulate status changes, Task Manager uses the status transition window to set the task status rules and to assign each rule to responsibilities to restrict the rule access to certain users or applications.
After defining task status transition rules, the implementor or system administrator must associate the rules with appropriate profile options to ensure the default profile value complies with the rules. As a result, the default task status will match the status rule for a specific application.
In addition, in order to quickly retrieve open tasks from a query, and to find the start and due dates of each task, Task Manager updates the Task Status table by denormalizing the Open Status column into the Task table.
In addition to the seeded statuses, the system administrator can use the Forms-based Task Manager to define new task statuses for specific business needs.
When defining a status, implementors or system administrators need to specify the status information including its name, description, effective dates, status usage, date type fields, task or assignment status flag, and other additional status flags. In addition, descriptive flexfield information can also be added for task statuses.
Usage
Task Manager and Escalation Manager use the same window to define task or escalation statuses. The Usage column is read only and is defaulted to Task if the Define Task Status link is opened from Navigator. If Define Escalation Status link is opened, then Usage is defaulted as Escalation.
See the Setting Escalation Statuses section for information regarding Escalation Manager.
Start By and Due Date Date Type Fields
Implementors or system administrators need to select appropriate values that correspond to the newly defined status for the Start By and Due Date fields from the list of values:
Creation Date
Planned Start (or End) Date
Scheduled Start (or End) Date
Actual Start (or End) Date
Task Manager uses a task status to define the progress of a task, such as Open, In Planning, and Completed. These statuses constitute the life cycle of a task. With these two date fields defined for status, task start date and end date can be easily identified.
For example, if a task status is In Planning, then the Start By field can be the planned start date and the Due Date field can be the planned end date. If a task status is Assigned or Planned, then the task must have scheduled start and end dates. If the task is closed, then the actual start and end dates must be populated. Therefore, depending on the status of each task, the due date for the task can be the planned end date or scheduled end date. The task's Start By date can also be derived based on the same method.
Task or Assignment Status Flags
Task Manager uses the Task or Assignment Status flag to differentiate the usage of a status. Therefore, after defining a new status, the implementor needs to further identify where it is used by selecting one appropriate status flag, or both if it can be used in both places.
This flag is particularly useful when defining status transition rules. For example, when defining a task status rule, the implementor will see only task statuses, not assignment statuses, from the list of values for status selection.
Additional Status Flags
The implementor or system administrator also needs to identify appropriate status flags for the new status.
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
| Assignment Status | The status is displayed in the Assignment Status field. |
| Task Status | The status is displayed in the Task Status field. |
| Assigned | The task is assigned to a resource. |
| Working | The task is in progress. |
| Schedulable | The task can be used through Scheduler. |
| Accepted | The task is accepted. |
| Rejected | The task is rejected. |
| On Hold | The task is currently not active. |
| Approved | The task is approved. |
| Completed | The task is completed. |
| Cancelled | The task is cancelled. |
| Delete Allowed | The task can be deleted without cancellation. |
| Closed | The task is completed and closed. |
| Seeded | The task status is pre-defined and cannot be updated. |
Descriptive Flexfields
Task Manager provides descriptive flexfields to allow additional information for each status including a seeded one to be entered.
For example, if your application needs to interact with a paging system, then your implementors can assign a three-digit code to each status so that paging can go through using the three-digit code.
To enter additional information for your statuses, click the descriptive flexfield to launch the Task Statuses additional information window.
Use a task status transition rule to define possible task status changes by identifying a set of current and next statuses which are assigned to a rule, as well as to define appropriate access to the rule by assigning the rule to responsibilities.
As each status change sequence is identified in a rule, it limits a user's selection of possible task statuses that appear in the list of status options. When a user logs in to an application with the responsibility that has an assigned rule, the first initial status associated to the rule is displayed in the task Status field. After the task creation, the user can see the next status for that rule.
For example, a task rule is defined with initial status Open to Assigned, and from Assigned to Closed. You can change a task status from Open to Assigned, or from Assigned to Closed based on the rule. However, you cannot change the task status from Open directly to Closed without first changing it to Assigned.
After defining the status change sequences for a rule, you can also associate the rule with certain responsibilities. As a result, a manager may have more privileges than an agent to access or change certain statuses, such as Approved or Cancelled, if defined in the rule.
System administrator or implementor can define task status transition rules by selecting the Define Transition button in the status setup form to launch the Status Transition window to define task transition rules.
Use the following two tabs in each window to specify your rules:
Rule tab: It defines the rule's name, its associated application, and status transition values.
For example, Oracle Field Service uses the rule to regulate the status transition for a service request. Therefore, Service Request Rule can be the task rule name, and Field Service Application can be the associated application. In addition, identify the appropriate status for the Current Status and Next Status for the rule. The Next Status is the status that immediately follows the status in the Current Status field, such as from current status Open to next status Assigned, and from current status Assigned to next status Closed.
Note: Do not confuse the status transition rule that you define here with the task type rule. The task type rule can only be associated with the task type while defining a new task type.
Responsibility tab: It associates your rules with specific responsibilities.
For example, you can associate the task rule Service Request Rule with the Field Service Dispatcher, Field Service Manager, or Customer Support responsibility. The Field Service Manager responsibility can also be associated with another transition rule if necessary. As a result, a field service manager may have more privileges than a support agent to access or change certain statuses if defined in the rules.
In order for the status transitions to work, after defining a transition rule and assigning it to responsibilities, implementors must associate the Task Manager: Default Task Status profile option to the initial status and the first current status of the rule at site, responsibility, and user levels.
Setting the "Task Manager: Default Task Status" profile option
Implementors can define the following task status transition rule and assign it to the CRM Administrator responsibility:
| Current Status | Next Status |
|---|---|
| Open | Approved |
| Approved | Working |
| Working | Closed |
Implementors must also set the Task Manager: Default Task Status profile option value to "Open", the initial status of the rule.
Impact of the Rules
Create Tasks in Forms, HTML, or the Oracle Application Framework based Tasks
When a user logs in to an application with CRM Administrator responsibility, the user will see the status Open, the initial status of the rule, displayed in the status field. If logging in with other responsibilities, the user will still see Open in the status field because of the default value in profile option.
However, if no rules have been defined, then the value specified in the profile option will not necessarily be the initial status of a rule.
Update Tasks in Forms, HTML, or the Oracle Applications Framework based Tasks
With the CRM Administrator responsibility, the user can only see the statuses Open and Approved displayed in the list of values. If changing the status from Approved, the user will only see Open and Working, the previous and next statuses, listed in the selection.
If logging in with other responsibilities, all task statuses are displayed in the list because the rule is only associated with the CRM Administrator responsibility.
In order to quickly retrieve open tasks from a query, Task Manager modifies the task table JTF_TASK_B by adding a new column OPEN_FLAG which is denormalized from the status lookup table to determine if a task is an open task. This filters out any task with a status of Cancelled, Rejected, Closed, or Completed while performing a search for open tasks.
Whether a task is an open task is dependent on the task status. If a task has any of the following task statuses, then the task is not an open task which means the OPEN_FLAG is set to N:
Cancelled (CANCELLED_FLAG is checked)
Rejected (REJECTED_FLAG is checked)
Closed (CLOSED_FLAG is checked)
Completed (COMPLETED_FLAG is checked)
Otherwise, the value of the OPEN_FLAG is set to Y which means the task is an open task.
The following table depicts the denormalized value for the OPEN_FLAG in the task table JTF_TASK_B:
| Status | Denorm. Open Flag | Completed Flag | Cancelled Flag | Rejected Flag | Closed Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accepted | Y | N | N | N | N |
| Approved | Y | N | N | N | N |
| Assigned | Y | N | N | N | N |
| Auto In Planning | Y | N | N | N | N |
| Auto In Planning | Y | N | N | N | N |
| AutoReject | Y | N | N | N | N |
| Cancelled | N | N | Y | N | N |
| Close | N | Y | N | N | Y |
| Closed | N | N | N | N | Y |
| Completed | N | Y | N | N | N |
| Failed | Y | N | N | N | N |
| In Planning | Y | N | N | N | N |
| In Progress | Y | N | N | N | N |
| Interrupted | Y | N | N | N | N |
| Invited | Y | N | N | N | N |
| Not Started | Y | N | N | N | N |
| On hold | Y | N | N | N | N |
| Open | Y | N | N | N | N |
| Planned | Y | N | N | N | N |
| Rejected | N | N | N | Y | N |
| Unassigned | Y | N | N | N | N |
| Waiting for Approval | Y | N | N | N | N |
| Working | Y | N | N | N | N |
In addition to seeded task priorities, the system administrator can define new task priorities in the Forms-based Task module. Task priorities are used to determine an importance rating for a task. Priorities define varying levels of urgency for tasks, such as low, high, and critical.
Please note that you can modify or delete priorities that you created, but not those that are seeded.
Use the task priority mapping functionality to map task priorities to a source object. This limits the visibility of task priorities shown in the task priority list of values for a mapped source object. After mapping priorities to a source, you will see only the mapped task priorities displayed in the list of values. All other unmapped priorities will not be in the list.
Steps
As the CRM Administrator, navigate to Task and Escalation Manager > Setup >Define Task Priority.
Select File > New to enter a new task priority in the Task Priority window.
Enter a name in the Priority field.
Enter a numerical value in the Importance field.
Enter a brief description for the priority.
Enter the effective dates in the From and To fields.
The Effective To field is read-only for seeded priorities. This field is only active if you are creating or updating a non seeded task priority.
Save your task priority.
The new task priority appears in the Priority list of values LOV in the UI.
To map task priorities to a source
In the Map Priority window, click Map Priority to open the Mapping Objects window.
Select the source object from the LOV, for example, appointment.
Select the task priority from the LOV, for example, critical.
Select the end date from the LOV.
Select the application from the LOV, for example, FND, Application Object Library.
The Seeded check box is not editable.
Click Save.
The Application field in the mapping window is used internally. It is not used for task priority mapping purposes. The Source Object field defines what task priorities appear in the Task Priority list of values.
The implementer can map reference types to a source object, such as Task Manager. This limits the selection in the Relate To or Reference Type list of values shown in the Task Manager.
Use the Mapping Objects window to map a reference type to a source object. This allows you to narrow down the Relate To or References drop-down list to objects that are actually relevant to a document's source object.
For example, you can map a sales lead to Task Manager. This limits the selection of list of values shown in the Relate To field in the Task Manager when you relate a task to a business object.
Please note that new task references for the Forms-based Task Manager can be created by logging in with the CRM Administrator responsibility and selecting Task and Escalation Manager > Setup > Define Reference Type. These new task references are visible from the LOV in the Type field of the References tab located in the Task Details window (Forms version).
Steps
As the CRM Administrator, navigate to CRM Administrator > Task and Escalation Manager > Setup > Task & Note References.
Note: The Task and Note References window defines reference mapping for both the Task Manager and the Notes module.
In the Mapping Objects window, select your source object from the LOV, for example, Sales Opportunity.
Select the References you want to appear in the drop-down list from the LOV.
Select an end date from the LOV.
Select the application where you want to extract your additional data from and click Save.
Repeat these steps for every object that you want to appear in the References LOV for your source object.
The implementer or system administrator must set necessary profile options used in Task Manager to set default values for task status, priority, types, as well as owner and assignee statuses. Other profile options determine the client time zone, unit of measure, and task security access.
The following table describes the profile options that common for Task Manager Forms, HTML, and OA.
| Name | Default Value | Level | Description | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task Manager: Default Task Type | Meeting | Site | Use the Default Task Type profile option to set the default task type. Possible values include appointment and lead. | Set the value to the task type that you want to appear in the task type drop-down list when you are creating a task. |
| Task Manager: Default Task Status | Open | Site | Use the Default Task Status profile option to set the default task status. Possible values include open and completed. | Set the value to the task status that you want to appear in the task status drop-down list when you are creating a task. |
| Task Manager: Default Task Priority | Medium | Site | Use the Default Task Priority profile option to set the default task priority. Possible values include critical and medium. | Set the value to the task priority that you want to appear in the task priority drop-down list when you are creating a task. |
| Task Manager: Default Task Owner | No default value | Site | Use the Default Task Owner profile option to set the default task owner. | Set the value to the name of the default task owner. |
| Task Manager: Owner Type for Task | No default value | Site | Use the Owner Type for Task profile option to set the default owner type. Possible values include employee resource and party. | Set the value to the owner type for the task. |
| Task Manager: Default Assignee Status | Accepted | Site | Use the Default Assignee Status profile option to set the default assignee status. | Set the value to the assignee status that you want to appear in the Assign To Status drop-down list when you are creating a task. |
| Task Manager: JTF Tasks Default Date Selected | Scheduled | Site | Use the JTF Tasks Default Date Selected profile option to set the default date selected. Possible values include Planned, Scheduled, or Actual. | Set the value to the default date that you want to default in the Create Task window. |
| Time Unit of Measure Class | Time | Site | Use the Time Unit of Measure Class profile option to define the time unit of measure class in the inventory module. Depending on the time unit of measure class, you will see the list of UOM codes in the Tasks module. |
Depending upon the value of this profile, the Time UOM codes are shown in the list of values. If the value of this profile changes, then there will be a discrepancy between the existing data and the new LOV shown for the new Time UOM class. Oracle strongly recommends the value of this profile should NOT be changed after the system is in production |
| Task Manager: Use the Indicator of Data Truncation | "..." | Site | Use the Indicator of Data Truncation profile option to store a three-character code which is appended to the source object name of a Task when it has been truncated. The default value of this profile option is '...'. For example, if the source of a Task is a Party, the name may be too large to store in the source_object_name column. If the name: "This is a very long name to test the truncation indicator functionality" (71 chars) is passed to the Task API as the source object name, it is written to the Task record as: "This is a very long name to test the truncation indicator..." (60 chars). The default value of this profile option is '...'. |
Set the value that is appended to the source object name of a Task when it has been truncated. |
| Client Timezone | America/Los_Angeles | Site | The Client Time zone profile option is used by Calendar to set the default time zone for the client in the Create Appointment window. | Set the value to the location where your appointments take place. Setting the time zone from the profile link in the Calendar UI is another way to set and update this profile value. |
| Task Manager: Send Notifications to Group or Team Members | No | Site | The Task Manager: Send Notifications to Group and Team Members profile option provides the ability to notify either the Owner or the Assignee of a Group or Team resource, when a task is modified. This profile option is for workflow only. |
If the value is set to No or Null, then notification is sent to group's or team's e-mail ID. If the profile option is set to Yes, then the system looks at any resources of type Group or Team and expand them to include any of their members whose resource type is RS_EMPLOYEE, RS_PARTY or PARTY_PERSON. When adding a resource to the notify list, the system checks to see if the resource is already on the list before adding it. |
| Task Manager: Automatically Launch Workflow | No | Site | The Task Manager: Automatically Launch Workflow profile option is used to determine whether to send the automatic notifications or not. | Set the value to No, for the task workflows not to be initiated by the API. If the value is set to Yes, then task workflows are initiated by the API. The default value is No. |
| Task Manager: Abort Previous Task Workflow if it is still active | No | Site | The Task Manager: Abort Previous Task Workflow if it is still active profile option is used to determine whether to abort the previous workflow processes before starting the next one. | If the value is set to No, then the previous Task Workflows that are still active are not aborted. If the value is set to Yes, then the previous Task Workflows that are still active are aborted. |
| Task Manager: Set Context Data Security | Full Access | Site | Use the Task Manager: Set Context Data Security profile option to set task data security for the context sensitive task instances. | If Full Access is selected, then all the tasks related to the context can be viewed, updated, and deleted. If Security Access is selected, then whether the task for that context can be updatable is based on the privileges granted to the user. |
The following table describes the profile options that are specific to Task Manager.
| Name | Default Value | Level | Description | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task Manager: Task APIs to Determine if Security is Implemented | No default value | Site | The Task APIs to Determine if Security is Implemented profile option is reserved for future use. | The value of this profile option should always be set to No. |
| Task Manager: View All Task Privileges | Yes | Site | The View All Task Privileges profile option is reserved for future use. | Do not change the value of this profile option. |
| Task Manager: Delete Any Task Privileges | No | Site | The Delete Any Task Privileges profile option is reserved for future use. | Do not change the value of this profile option. |
| Task Manager: Create Quick Task (HTML only) | No default value | Site | Use the Create Quick Task profile option to display the "Create Quick Task" button on the Tasks Summary window. | Set the value to Yes if you want the "Create Quick Task" button to appear in the Task Summary. Set the Value to No if you do not want the button to appear in the window. |
| Task Manager: Default Task Summary Source or All (HTML Only) | Source | User | The profile option Task Manager: Default Task Summary Source or All (HTML Only) sets the view drop-down list value in the Task Summary context sensitive window. Possible values are Source and All. | Set the value to Source to have all tasks created with a particular source appear by default in the contextual window. Set the value to All to have all tasks created with a source as well as those which refer to that source appear by default in the context sensitive Task Summary. |
| Task Manager: Mass Task Reassign Access (HTML Only) | No | Site | Use the Task Manager: Mass Task Reassign Access (HTML Only) profile option to display the Task Reassignment window. | If the profile option is set to Yes, the Task Reassignment window is accessible and the administrator is able to reassign tasks. If the value is set to No, then the Task Reassignment window is not accessible and a relevant message is shown. |
| JTF Sync: Category Value | Oracle Business | System | This profile option is used in the Palm and Outlook synchronization process. It is to set the default value for the category while trying to download business contacts to the offline device. |
All business contacts downloaded to the offline device will be created with this category. If the category does not exist in the offline device, then it will be created upon synchronization. |
| Task Manager: Copy Task Start Date to End Date | Yes | Site | This profile option is used to control the task start and end date for the Palm and Outlook synchronization. | If it is set to Yes, the task start date is defaulted from the system date and the task end date is defaulted to the task start date. For example, if it is set to Yes, then any changes the user made to the task start date while the user is in the task creation screen will automatically be populated to the task end date field. |
| Task Manager: Default Duration (HTML Only) | No Duration | Site | Use the Task Manager: Default Duration (HTML Only) profile to set the default value of the duration field. | If this profile is set, then the task end date can be automatically calculated based on start date and time plus the duration. This profile option overrides the profile "Task Manager: Copy Start Date to End Date" if both profiles are set. |
| Task Manager: Restricted Task Update (Forms only) | Yes | Site | Use the Task Manager: Restricted Task Update profile option to allow task updates in the standalone Forms-based Tasks. | If it is set to the default value "Yes", then tasks created from other sources cannot be updated in the standalone Forms-based Tasks to avoid breaking product specific business rules enforced on the task. If it is set to "No", then users can update contextual tasks. |
Task Manager uses one concurrent program, Rebuilding Intermedia Index for Task Names. This concurrent program rebuilds the intermedia index. In order for a user to see new and updated tasks and appointments when they use the quick find search, or have the ability to search on a task name, the system administrator must run this concurrent program periodically.
Task Manager, leveraging the Oracle Workflow Business Event System, publishes business events such as creating, updating, or deleting a task or an assignment.
For example if the actual start date for a task assignment is updated for a service request, this action is published or "raised" as a business event. Oracle Field Service that subscribes to this business event using its workflows can capture the updated event.
Be aware that when an escalation or appointment is created, relevant escalation or appointment business events will be raised. See Subscribing to Business Events in Escalation Manager for escalation events and Subscribing to Business Events for Appointments .
The Oracle Workflow Business Event System is an application service that leverages the Oracle Advanced Queuing infrastructure to communicate business events between systems. The Business Event System consists of the Event Manager, which allows you to register subscriptions to significant events, and workflow process event activities, which allow you to model business events within workflow processes.
The Event Manager contains a registry of business events, systems, named communication agents within those systems, and subscriptions indicating that an event is significant to a particular system. Events can be raised locally or received from an external system or the local system through Oracle Advanced Queuing. When a local event occurs, the subscribing code is executed in the same transaction as the code that raised the event, unless the subscriptions are deferred.
See the Oracle Workflow Developer's Guide for detailed information about the Oracle Workflow business event system, and subscriptions.
Task Manager publishes the following business events when a task or a task assignment is created, updated, or deleted from APIs, or application user interfaces (UIs) whether Forms, HTML, or Oracle Applications Framework based interfaces:
| Event Name | Description |
|---|---|
| oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.createTask | Task is created. |
| oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.updateTask | Task is updated. |
| oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.deleteTask | Task is deleted. |
| oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.createTaskAssignment | Task assignment is created. |
| oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.updateTaskAssignment | Task assignment is updated. |
| oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.deleteTaskAssignment | Task assignment is deleted. |
The following terms are used in the Task Business Events table:
Event Name. Event name represents the name of a business event that is an occurrence in an application or program that might be significant to other objects in a system or to external agents. Event name must be unique and is case sensitive.
Subscribers must use Event Name for subscription purposes.
Display Name. Display name is the name appearing in the event list.
Description. Description is the descriptive information of a business event.
Additionally, for each task event, the owner name is Task Manager, the owner tag is JTF and the default status is Enabled.
When the actual start date for a task assignment is updated for a service request, the updated record is created in the table JTF_TASK_ASSIGNMENTS. The relevant subscription event that contains workflow related codes calls wrapper APIs that raise the Update Task Assignment event in the Oracle workflow Event Manager with the following information.
Event Name: oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.updateTaskAssignment
Each subscription will have event name and subscription ID passed with the function.
Event Key. Event key is a string that uniquely identifies an instance of an event. Event key will be generated by the concatenation of the following:
EVENT_NAME
Value of the sequence
By default, Oracle Workflow uses the event key as the item key for the workflow process that is launched.
Task business events will be raised only when changes are made in certain task fields. For example, the Update Task event is raised if an update is made in task priority, instead of task description.
When a change results in an event raised, in order to pass the related task records and other information to event subscribers, Task Manager also publishes event attributes in the parameter list.
Only the majority of the attributes are published in the parameter list. For the rest of the attributes changed during Update, TASK_AUDIT_ID enables the subscribers to obtain the value of remaining attributes from audit tables.
In addition, the following rules are used to publish event attributes:
During Create process for event names "oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.createTask" and "oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.createTaskAssignment", the parameter is not set on the list if the null value is inserted into the column. Therefore, the API WF_EVENT.GetValueForParameter returns a NULL value.
During Update process for event names "oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.updateTask" and "oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.updateTaskAssignment", the parameter will not be set on the list if the value of the parameter is not changed. Therefore, the API WF_EVENT.GetValueForParameter returns a NULL value.
If the value of the parameter is changed, then the parameter name of the old value will be prefixed with "OLD_"+<Parameter Name>. The parameter name of the new value will be "NEW_"+<Parameter Name>.
For oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.updateTask: The parameters TASK_ID, TASK_AUDIT_ID, ENABLE_WORKFLOW and ABORT_WORKFLOW are always set in the list without any prefix. The parameters SOURCE_OBJECT_TYPE_CODE and SOURCE_OBJECT_ID are also always set in the list. But if either the value has been changed or old/new value is NULL, then 'OLD_' is prefixed for old value and 'NEW_' is prefixed for new one.
For oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.deleteTaskAssignment: The parameters ASK_ASSIGNMENT_ID, TASK_ID, ENABLE_WORKFLOW and ABORT_WORKFLOW are always set in the list without any prefix. RESOURCE_TYPE_CODE is always prefixed with 'OLD_' and 'NEW_' even if the value has not been changed. The parameters RESOURCE_ID, ASSIGNMENT_STATUS_ID, ACTUAL_START_DATE, ACTUAL_END_DATE, ASSIGNEE_ROLE, SHOW_ON_CALENDAR and CATEGORY_ID are also always set in the list. But if either the value has been changed or old/new value is NULL, then 'OLD_' is prefixed for old value and 'NEW_' is prefixed for new one.
The following table depicts the published attributes for the create, update, and delete task events. "Yes" indicates that an attribute is published and "No" indicates that it is not.
| Parameter Name | Create Task | Update Task | Delete Task | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TASK_ID | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| SOURCE_OBJECT_TYPE_CODE | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| SOURCE_OBJECT_ID | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| ENABLE_WORKFLOW | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| ABORT_WORKFLOW | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| DATE_SELECTED | No | No | No | |
| TEMPLATE_ID | No | No | No | The value of this field cannot be changed. |
| TEMPLATE_GROUP_ID | No | No | No | |
| RECURRENCE_RULE_ID | No | No | No | |
| TASK_AUDIT_ID | No | Yes | No | This value is put on the parameter list, so that the subscriber can find out the remaining fields which are not published from the audits table. |
| OBJECT_VERSION_NUMBER | No | No | No | This is the new object version of the task. For create, the object version number is always 1, hence it is not published on the parameter list. |
The following table depicts the published attributes for the create, update, and delete task assignment events. "Yes" indicates that an attribute is published and "No" indicates that it is not.
| Parameter Name | Create Task Assignment | Update Task Assignment | Delete Task Assignment |
|---|---|---|---|
| TASK_ID | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ENABLE_WORKFLOW | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ABORT_WORKFLOW | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TASK_ASSIGNMENT_ID | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| RESOURCE_TYPE_CODE | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| RESOURCE_ID | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ASSIGNMENT_STATUS_ID | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ACTUAL_START_DATE | Yes | Yes | No |
| ACTUAL_END_DATE | Yes | Yes | No |
| ASSIGNEE_ROLE | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SHOW_ON_CALENDAR | Yes | Yes | No |
| CATEGORY_ID | Yes | Yes | No |
| OBJECT_VERSION_NUMBER | No | No | No |
When users perform an action in Task Manager, it might trigger more than one business event depending on which task records are affected. In addition, each event can be raised many times before the action completes.
For example, when a task is deleted, at the same time the task assignment is also deleted as well. This action raises two task events, "oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.deleteTask" and "oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.deleteTaskAssignment". The delete task assignment event "oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.deleteTaskAssignment" can be raised whenever each row in the assignment table is deleted.
The following table describes the events that are published for possible scenarios. Since subscriptions to task events must be asynchronous, the order of these events being published is not important.
| Functional Scenario | Published Event Names | Number of Times the Event Is Published |
|---|---|---|
| Task is created. | oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.createTask | Once |
| oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.createTaskAssignment | Once | |
| Owner is changed. | oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.updateTask | Once |
| oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.updateTaskAssignment | Once | |
| Task is deleted | oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.deleteTask | Once |
| oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.deleteTaskAssignment | Once for each row in the assignment table | |
| Assignment is updated. | oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.updateTaskAssignment | Once |
| Assignment is added. | oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.createTaskAssignment | Once |
| Assignment Status/Dates are changed. | oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.updateTaskAssignment | Once |
Since the task owner change will raise two events, if the subscriber is interested in tracking the task owner, then the subscriber must subscribe to both the update task event and update task assignment event.
All event subscriptions must follow the guidelines mentioned in the workflow development standards. For example, any subscription cannot commit inside the rule function. This can cause unexpected behavior in the workflow or task APIs.
In addition, the following subscription guidelines are also used:
Asynchronous Subscriptions
All subscriptions to the events should be asynchronous. The UIs call the APIs, which in turn publish events. Therefore, if the subscriptions are synchronous, the transaction time for the UI will increase.
Returning with success or warning
The rule function of the subscriptions should return success or a warning. It should not return an error. Returning an error disrupts the processing of other subscriptions; therefore, an error should not be returned.
Event subscribers can optionally disable subscription workflow events by using a profile option so that no workflow notifications will be sent when subscribed events are raised.
The following table describes the Subscription workflow events in Task Manager:
| Event Name | Display Name | Owner Name | Owner Tag |
|---|---|---|---|
| oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.CreateTask | Send notification when task is created. | Task Manager | JTF |
| oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.UpdateTask | Send notification when task is updated. | Task Manager | JTF |
| oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.DeleteTask | Send notification when task is deletd. | Task Manager | JTF |
| oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.CreateTaskAssignment | Send notification when task assignment is created. | Task Manager | JTF |
| oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.UpdateTaskAssignment | Send notification when task assignment is updated. | Task Manager | JTF |
| oracle.apps.jtf.cac.task.DeleteTaskAssignment | Send notification when task assignment is deleted. | Task Manager | JTF |
Task event subscribers can optionally disable the subscription workflow events by changing the default value in the profile option "Task Manager: automatically launch workflow":
YES (default value): This enables the workflow event so that workflow notifications will be sent when subscribed events are raised.
NO: This disables the workflow event so that no workflow notifications will be sent when subscribed events are raised.
With the continuous support of the existing task security rules used in HTML Tasks, all data access and updates in Tasks developed for Common Application Calendar are based on the concept of Application Object Library (AOL) data security including the security rules around updating contextual tasks using a profile option and allowing group managers to access their direct's tasks. This AOL security concept allows implementors or system administrators to customize the security rules and then grant object level security to users with qualifying access privileges.
To provide product specific security rules for customizing the resource list of values security, Task Manager leverages the AOL data security based on Virtual Private Database (VPD) policy, a feature implemented in database to allow security dynamically created at runtime to all queries issued against a database table or view. This security model with VPD feature provides more flexibility in task security for resource assignments to allow any applications to set product specific security rules around the existing task security.
Note: This security model with VPD policy is only applied to the resource list of values security for assignees and is only implemented in the Forms-based and Oracle Applications Framework based Tasks. It is not used in HTML Tasks.
For example, only the resources that have privileges to access certain types of service request can be assigned to these types of service related tasks as assignees. Therefore, with this security model, Oracle Service Online can pass its own security functions to Tasks in Forms or in Oracle Applications Framework to allow qualified resources to be retrieved from the resource list of values when assigning them to a service request of certain types.
For detailed information about the security model with Virtual Private Database (VPD) feature, seeding strategy, and its impact on the Oracle Applications Framework based Tasks, see the following links in the Customizing Tasks Security chapter:
New Security Model for Tasks in Forms and Oracle Applications Framework for Resource Assignments
Customizing the Resource List of Values Security Access in Oracle Applications Framework and Forms
The selection for the profile option Task Manager: JTF Tasks Default Date Selected should determine how you personalize the Task Summary table and the Task Details Page. The choices are Planned, Scheduled, or Actual. Display the start and end dates for planned, scheduled, or actual (the same as the profile setting) and hide the others in the Task Summary table. The label for the start and end dates in the Task Details page should match the label used in the Task Summary table.
The contextual Task Summary region can only be implemented in the same application page once if the hidden columns CacSmrTaskOwner and CacSmrTaskOwnerTypeCode are turned on to be shown in Task Summary.