7 Working with the Project Life Cycle

This chapter describes some of the advanced features related to BPM projects and how to work with them within the development life-cycle.

This chapter includes the following sections:

7.1 Importing and Exporting Projects

Business Process Composer enables you to import and export BPM projects as .exp files. This enables you to share projects directly with other Business Process Composer and BPM Studio users directly through the files system without having to use the BPM repository.

7.1.1 How to Import a Project from Your Local File System

You can import a BPM project that was previously exported and saved as a .EXP file. The imported project is stored in the BPM repository.

To import a project:

  1. Access the application welcome page.

  2. From the main menu, select Import, then select Import Project

    The main menu is accessible from the upper left-hand corner of the Business Process Composer user interface as shown in Figure 7-1.

    Figure 7-1 The Application Composer Main Menu

    Description of Figure 7-1 follows
    Description of "Figure 7-1 The Application Composer Main Menu"

  3. Click Browse, then select the project file you want to import.

  4. Click OK.

  5. Enter a name for the project.

    After you select a project file to import, the name field is automatically propagated.

  6. Enter an optional description.

  7. If you want to optionally select a folder within the BPM repository where the imported project will be created, click Browse, then select the folder.

  8. Click OK to import the project into the BPM repository.

7.1.2 How to Export a Project to Your Local File System

Projects exported from Business Process Composer can be imported into Oracle BPM Studio. Exporting a project to your local file system enables you to share projects without using the Oracle BPM MDS repository.

For information on importing a project into Oracle BPM Studio see the Oracle BPM Modeling and Implementation Guide.

To export a project as an EXP file:

  1. Open the project you want to export.

  2. From the main menu, select Export, then select Export Project.

  3. Choose a location on your local file system and click Save.

Your exported project is saved as a.EXP file on your local file system.

To export a project as an Oracle Tutor file:

  1. Open the project you want to export.

  2. From the main menu, select Export, then select Export Oracle Tutor.

  3. Select one of the following:

    • Active process: Selects the currently active process. This option is only displayed if a process has already been opened and focus is currently on that process.

    • All open processes: Exports only the processes that are currently open.

    • All processes of project: Exports all of the processes of the current project.

  4. Click OK.

The file is saved as a ZIP file on your file system.

7.2 Using BPM Project Templates

The following sections provides information how to create and use Oracle BPM projects.

7.2.1 Introduction to Project Templates

Project templates enable business users to quickly create custom Oracle BPM applications and deploy them to runtime without assistance from developers. Using Oracle Business Process Composer business users can create new BPM projects based on project templates. These projects contain BPMN process flows and can be deployed directly to run time.

Project templates enable you to incorporate reusable components and services including Human Tasks, Business Rules, and Adapters. These services are stored as part of the business catalog.

Business Process Composer users who have administrative privileges can also import project templates directly from their local file system. See Chapter 12, "Performing Administrative Tasks" for more information.

Using Oracle BPM Studio process developers can convert a normal project to a template and publish it to the Oracle BPM repository. After a template is available in the repository, you can create new projects based on the template using Business Process Composer.

See the Oracle BPM Modeling and Implementation Guide for more information on creating process templates.

Project templates are based on normal Oracle BPM projects and generally have all the required implementation and services defined in the business catalog. However, they often do not have all of the required services assigned to the necessary flow objects. After creating a new project based on a project template, a business analyst can assign business catalog components to the necessary flow objects.

The specific services required for each activity are defined by the editor policies of the project template. After the process analyst incorporates the required services, the project can be deployed to Oracle BPM run time.

7.2.1.1 Introduction to Edit Policies

Project templates also allow you to define edit policies for processes and flow objects within a process. Edit policies determine what parts of a process can be changed or edited when creating a new project based on a project template. Edit policies are defined for the entire process. However, you can also define edit policies for individual flow objects.

See the Oracle BPM Modeling and Implementation Guide for information on defining edit policies in a process template.

Edit policies allow the creator of a project template to define what elements of a process can and cannot be changed when a project is created from a template.

Note:

You cannot change the edit policy settings of processes and elements using Business Process Composer.

7.2.1.1.1 Process Level Edit Policies

Within a project template, each process contains an edit policy which determines the changes you can make to the process using Business Process Composer.

Table 7-1 describes the process level edit policies.

Table 7-1 Process Level Edit Policies

Edit Policy Description

Activity Sealed

User cannot make any changes to the activities within the process.

Flow Sealed

The overall flow of the process cannot be changed. A user can edit specific implementation details, but cannot change the process flow

7.2.1.1.2 Component Level Edit Policies

Within a process, there are also edit policies that apply to the flow objects within a process. Component level edit policies can be configured for the flow objects within a process.

Table 7-2 describes the edit policies values that can be configured for component level edit policies.

Table 7-2 Component Level Edit Policies

Edit Policy Description

Sealed

The flow object cannot be modified

Can modify implementation

The user may redefine this flow object if necessary.

Must implement

The user is required to assign a component from the business catalog to this flow object for it to function correctly.

Use process permission

Uses the default edit policy defined by the process.

7.2.1.2 Introduction to Using Data Objects and Variables in Project Templates

A project template can define the data objects used within a project. These can be the Oracle BPM default types or complex data objects created by process template developers within Oracle BPM Studio.

When editing a project based on a project template in Business Process Composer, you can add and create new data objects as necessary. However, you can only create new data objects based on types that are previously defined in the project template. You cannot create new types of complex data objects.

You can use any of the data objects defined in a project template in data associations and expressions. See Section 10, "Working with Data Objects and Expressions" for more information.

7.2.2 Creating a Project Based on a Project Templates

Using Business Process Composer you can create new projects based on project templates.

To create a new project from a project template:

  1. Launch Oracle Business Process Composer.

  2. From the main menu select New, then select New Project.

  3. Enter a name for you project

  4. Select Use Template, then click Choose.

  5. Select the template you want to use.

  6. Optionally, choose the folder where you want to store the new project.

  7. Click Next

  8. From the drop-down list, choose the type of approval routing you want to configure for the project.

    Note:

    You can change the type of approval routing after you create the new project.

  9. Click Choose, then select Users or Groups from the drop-down menu in the browser.

  10. Click Search to see a list of available users or groups.

  11. Select an item from the Available list, then click Move selected items to other list.

  12. Click OK.

  13. Click Finish to create the new project.

7.3 Using Project Snapshots

The following sections describe how to use project snapshots.

7.3.1 Introduction to Project Snapshots

A project snapshot is a read-only copy of a project at a particular moment. Since snapshots are read-only, they cannot be modified or opened for editing. You can view the contents of a project snapshot as well as export and deploy a project based on a snapshot.

7.3.2 Working with Project Snapshots

The procedures in this section describe how to create and manage project snapshots.

7.3.2.1 How to Create a New Project Snapshot

You can create a new project snapshot from the project welcome page.

To create a new project snapshot:

Users with owner and editor permissions on a project can create new snapshots.

  1. Go to the project welcome page, then expand Snapshots.

  2. Click New.

  3. Enter a name for your snapshot, then click Create Snapshot.

The snapshot appears in the list of snapshots defined for this project, including the date the snapshot was created and the user ID of the snapshot creator.

7.3.2.2 How to View the Contents of a Project Snapshot

Viewing the contents of a project snapshot enables you to view and compare previous version of a project with the current one.

To view the contents of a project snapshot:

  1. Go to the project welcome page.

  2. Expand Snapshots, then click the name of the snapshot you want to view.

Within the snapshot view, you can view the state of the processes, rules, and human tasks associated with the project.

7.3.2.3 How to Return to the Active Version of a Project

To return to the active version of a project from a project snapshot, click the Back to Active Version button at the top of the project welcome page.

7.3.2.4 How to Delete a Project Snapshot

A user who is granted the editor role can delete the snapshots they created. A user who is granted the owner or an administrator role can delete any snapshot created by any user.

  1. Open your project.

  2. From the project welcome page, expand Snapshots.

  3. Select the snapshot you want to delete from the list, then click Delete.

  4. Click Yes to confirm that you want to delete the project snapshot.

    Once you delete a project snapshot, it cannot be recovered.

7.3.2.5 How to Export a Project Snapshot

  1. Open your project.

  2. View the project snapshot you want to export.

  3. From the main menu, select Export, then Export Project.

  4. Choose a location on your local file system and click Save.

    The exported project snapshot is saved as a .EXP file on your file system.

7.3.2.6 How to Deploy a Project Snapshot

  1. Open your project.

  2. View the project snapshot you want to deploy.

  3. From the main menu, select Deploy Project.

  4. Provide the information as shown in Figure 7-2.

  5. Click Deploy.

7.4 Configuring Approval Workflow for a Project

The following sections describe how to configure the approval workflow for a project.

7.4.1 Introduction to Approval Workflow

Approval workflow defines the approval process that must be followed before an Oracle BPM project can be deployed to run time using Business Process Composer. You can define the approval workflow when you create a new project, or you can configure it later. You can view the approval workflow defined for a project in the project properties box of the project welcome page.

Table 7-3 describes the different types of approval workflow available in Oracle BPM.

Table 7-3 Approval Routing

None

No approval workflow is specified. Any user with the correct permissions can deploy the project directly to Oracle BPM run time.

Simple

Specifies only one approver in the workflow.

Simple Sequential

Specifies a sequential list of approvers. All approvers must take action in order to approve deployment of the project.

Simple FYI

Sends notification that a project is being deployed, but approval workflow does not wait for approvers to process the task.

Parallel

Specifies a list of approvers who must approve the project deployment concurrently and in parallel.

7.4.2 Working with Approval Workflow

The following sections describe how to configure approval workflow for a project and how to perform approvals as part of the workflow.

7.4.2.1 How to Configure Approval Workflow for a Project

Business Process Composer enables you to configure the type of approval workflow when you create a new project. You can also configure approval workflow after the project has been create.

To configure approval workflow for a project:

  1. Go to the project welcome page.

  2. Ensure that you are editing the project.

  3. Click Edit next to the approval workflow in the project information area.

  4. Select the type of approval workflow, then click Apply.

  5. Click Choose, then select Users or Groups from the drop-down menu in the browser.

  6. Click Search to see a list of available users or groups.

  7. Select an item from the Available list, then click Move selected items to other list.

  8. Click OK.

  9. Click Apply.

7.5 Deploying a Project

You can use Business Process Composer to deploy a project to the Oracle BPM run time. Deployment is available only within the same environment where the Business Process Composer application is installed.

7.5.1 Who Can Deploy Projects?

Users who are granted project owner permissions can use Business Process Composer to deploy projects directly to Oracle BPM run time.

7.5.2 How to Deploy a Project to Run Time

Project owners can deploy projects directly to Oracle BPM run time. The following procedures define how to deploy a project when approval workflow is not enabled.

To deploy a project to run time:

  1. From the main menu select Deployment, then select Deploy Project.Deploy Project.

    Business Process Composer validates the project. If there are no errors in the project, the deployment process continues.

  2. Provide the required information in the Deploy Project dialog shown in Figure 7-2.

    Figure 7-2 The Deploy Project Dialog

    Description of Figure 7-2 follows
    Description of "Figure 7-2 The Deploy Project Dialog"

    The properties in the Deploy Project dialog are described in the following table.

    Table 7-4 The Deploy Project Dialog Properties

    Project

    Displays the name of the project

    Version

    Use to select the version of the project you want to deploy. This can be the current version of the project or a project snapshot.

    Last Revision ID

    Displays the revision ID of the most recent deployed version of the project.

    New Revision ID

    Specifies a revision ID for the deployed application. This ID can must be of the form:

    n0[.n1[.n2[.n3[.n4]]]][-milestone-name[milestone-number]/_patch-number.

    Override the default deployment version

    Overrides the default deployment version.

    Deployer Username

    Used for deploying the Oracle BPM project to run time.

    Password

    Specifies the password corresponding to the Deployer Username defined above.

    Add MDS Connection for oramds Protocol

    This option may be available, depending on how your server is configured.

    Select to enable a connection to a database using the oramds protocol. This is sometimes required when connecting to the database used for the Oracle BPM repository.

    If this is required, your system administrator must provide the following connectivity information for the database:

    • Hostname: specifies the database hostname or IP address.

    • Port: specifies the database port.

    • SID: specifies the SID of the database.

    • Username: specifies the database username used to connect to the Oracle MDS database.

    • Password: specifies the password for the database user.

    Mark composite revision as default

    Defines the current revision as the default revision.

    Deploy target

    Enables you to select the folder in Oracle MDS where the SOA composite application is deployed.

  3. Click Deploy.

    Business Process Composer deploys the project to runtime. This may take a few minutes.

  4. After the deployment is complete, click OK.

The project is deployed to Oracle BPM run time. The project is available from the list of deployed projects in the project browser.

7.5.3 How to Deploy a Project Using an Approval Workflow

Business Process Composer enables you to specify an approval workflow. This workflow defines the users who must approve a project before the project is deployed to Oracle BPM run time.

To deploy a project using approval workflow:

  1. From the main menu select Deploy Project.

    Business Process Composer validates the project. If there are no errors in the project, the project appear in the Approval Workflow browser.

    Based on the type approval workflow defined for the project, required approvers must approve the deployment using Process Workspace. See the Oracle Fusion Middleware Business Process Management User's Guide for more information.

    You can monitor the approval status and progress using the Approval Workflow browser.

  2. After the deployment has been approved open the Approval Workflow browser, then click Deploy.

7.5.4 How to Edit a Deployed Project

You can use Business Process Composer to open deployed Oracle BPM projects. Opening a deployed project enables you to edit the Oracle Business Rules contained in the project and deploy your changes back to Oracle BPM run time.

Note:

In order to edit a deployed project, you must be granted the SOA Designer role.

See Section 8.4, "Editing Oracle Business Rules at Run Time" for more information on editing Oracle Business Rules at run time.

To open a deployed project:

  1. Launch Business Process Composer.

  2. From the main menu, select Open a Deployed Project.

  3. Select a project from the Project navigator.

  4. Click Refresh to ensure you see the latest contents of the Oracle BPM repository.

  5. Click OK.

7.5.5 How to Generate a Project SAR File

You can generate a project as a SAR file from Business Process Composer. Your system administrator can use this file to deploy a project using the Oracle Enterprise Manager administration console.

To generate a project SAR file:

  1. From the main menu, select Deployment, then select Generate Project SAR file.

    Business Process Composer validates the project. If the project contains errors, these are displayed in the project validation tab.

  2. Select the project version you want to use to generate the SAR file. This can be the current version of the project or a project snapshot.

  3. Enter a revision ID.

  4. If required, select the following options:

    • Override the default deployment version

    • Add MDS database connection for the oramds protocol: Select to enable a connection to a database using the oramds protocol. This is sometimes required when connecting to the database used for the Oracle BPM repository.

  5. Click OK.

  6. If the project contains no errors, click OK to save the SAR file to your local file system.

7.5.6 How to Generate a Deployment Plan

A deployment plan is an XML configuration file that is used when deploying a BPM project from Oracle BPM Studio. Business Process Composer will generate any unexpected errors when generating the XML file of the deployment plan.

Note:

You should validate your project before creating a deployment plan. Business Process Composer does not perform any validation when generating the deployment plan.

To generate a deployment plan:

  1. From the main menu, select Deployment.

  2. Select Generate Deployment Plan

  3. Select a location on your local file system, then click OK.