Integrating Oracle iSupport with Oracle Workflow

This chapter covers the following topics:

Oracle Workflow Overview

Oracle Applications comes with Oracle Workflow (WF) already installed as part of the Applications Object Library (AOL). WF consists of two tiers:

The sections below provide an overview of these two tiers.

Workflow Client

Workflow Client is the Workflow Builder which is used by Workflow developers to create or modify custom workflows. This is installed on selected Windows clients only.

Workflow Server

The Workflow Server consists of the following elements:

Workflow Engine: Monitors workflow states and coordinates the routing of activities for a process. Changes in workflow state -- such as the completion of workflow activities -- are signalled to the engine by a PL/SQL API or Java API. Based on flexibly-defined workflow rules, the engine determines which activities are eligible to run, and then runs them. The Workflow Engine supports sophisticated workflow rules, including looping, branching, parallel flows, and subflows.

Workflow Notification Mailer (WFMAIL): Electronic mail (e-mail) users can receive notifications of outstanding work items and can respond to those notification using their e-mail application of choice.

Workflow Definitions Loader (WFLOAD): The Workflow Definitions Loader is a utility program that moves workflow definitions between the database and corresponding flat file representations. You can use it to move workflow definitions from a development to a production database, or to apply upgrades to existing definitions. In addition to being a standalone server program, the Workflow Definitions Loader is also integrated into Oracle Workflow Builder, allowing you to open and save workflow definitions in both a database and a file.

Workflow Monitor: Workflow administrators and users can view the progress of a work item in a workflow process by connecting to the Workflow Monitor using a standard Web browser that supports Java. The Workflow Monitor displays an annotated view of the process diagram for a particular instance of a workflow process, so that users can get a graphical depiction of their work item status. The Workflow Monitor also displays a separate status summary for the work item, the process, and each activity in the process.

Message Delivery Scheduler Concurrent Program:

Workflow Background Engine/Workflow Background Process Concurrent Program: A supplemental Workflow Engine that processes deferred or timed-out activities.

Purge Obsolete Workflow Runtime Data Concurrent Program (WF_PURGE): This program purges obsolete item types runtime status information.

For more information on Oracle Workflow, see the Oracle Workflow User's Guide.

On My Oracle Support, search for Oracle Workflow to find any additional relevant documents.

Overview of Oracle Workflow Functionality in iSupport

The sections that follow describe Oracle Workflow's relationship to Oracle iSupport. For more information on Oracle Workflow, see the Oracle Workflow User's Guide.

Service Request

Oracle iSupport features the ability to create, update, and track service requests. It does this through integration with Oracle TeleService.

Service request types can be linked to an Oracle Workflow process that can be automatically launched when a service request is created, or manually launched in the service request window in Oracle TeleService. Oracle Workflow automatically notifies service personnel about their assignments based on service request. When a service request is escalated, Oracle Workflow processes and delivers the notifications regarding escalation activity.

Oracle iSupport also uses Oracle Workflow to submit service request details to users. This is done via the Email this to me button during service request creation.

For more information, see:

Returns

When a customer books a return in Oracle iSupport, Oracle Workflow picks it up using the seeded workflow, Order Flow - Return with Approval. Next, Oracle Workflow uses the Return for Credit with Receipt workflow to send the return to the Return Receiving Line stage. Then, the receiving agent from Oracle Purchasing uses Oracle Purchasing to pull up the Return Material Authorization (RMA) to verify and mark the items as received. The agent then selects a destination for the product(s), such as Oracle Inventory. As the receiving agent does this, a Workflow API is invoked to move the workflow to the next stage, and Order Management receives data that updates the RMA as appropriate. The workflow now waits in Oracle Inventory. It is here that an agent verifies and indicates in Inventory that the correct quantity has been received. When a configurable item set (BOM-enabled) is returned, the workflow will wait here until all items are checked into the inventory. The workflow will next invoke the Accounts Receivable interface APIs. After all of the items are fulfilled, an invoice is generated and a credit memo can be generated through the Oracle Invoice auto-invoice master program.

For more information, see the chapter, Integrating Oracle iSupport with Products and Returns.

Homepage Subscription E-mails

The Homepage e-mail subscription feature uses Oracle Workflow to process e-mails. This can be useful if a user is unable to access the Homepage for a period of time. The user signs up for the subscription e-mails through the Profile > Support menu. In the Support page, the user can select the days that the e-mails should be sent and whether the e-mails should be HTML or text-based. The system then uses Workflow to send the e-mails to the address setup in the Profile > Contact Points menu.

For more information, see the Setting up the Oracle iSupport Homepage topic in the Implementation Tasks chapter.

Knowledge Management

Oracle Workflow is essential for the solution authoring feature of knowledge management. Using Workflow, the authoring process allows users to define the steps in processing content. The process can be as simple as a single step, author-publish, or can include several approval stages prior to publication. In an approval-dependent process, Workflow allows content to be rejected back to the previous stage or a selected previous stage. Individuals involved in solution authoring can be assigned to specific groups that are aligned with specific stages and categories of content, and these groups can be sent e-mails notifying them of the status of content.

For more information, see the chapter, Integrating Oracle iSupport with Oracle Knowledge Management.

User Approvals

The approvals notifications used in the Oracle User Management Framework are dependent upon Oracle Workflow. The workflow notifications provide e-mails to user approvers notifying them that they have users in the queue waiting to be approved. Workflow also sends e-mails to users notifying them that they have been approved for an application. For more information, see the Oracle Workflow User's Guide.

Setting up Oracle Workflow

For instructions on setting up Oracle Workflow, refer to the Oracle Workflow User's Guide and the Oracle Workflow Developer's Guide.

Party Access Notification

The multi-party access feature uses Oracle Workflow to send email notifications to an iSupport B2B user whenever a party is added, removed, disabled, or enabled for the user.

Use this procedure to enable email notification:

Package Name: IBU_MULTIPARTY_PUB

Procedure Name: send_email_notification

(p_user_id IN SYSTEM.IBU_NUM_TBL_TYPE,

p_party_id IN SYSTEM.IBU_NUM_TBL_TYPE,

p_operation_type IN SYSTEM.IBU_VAR_3_TBL_TYPE)

Description: The public procedure is provided as a hook for sending the email notification to B2B users once the party access is added or removed. Value of p_operation_type:

A - for Adding party to the access list of the user

R - for removing party from the access list of the user

File Name: ibuspubs.pls, ibuspubb.pls