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Oracle® Identity Manager Tools Reference
Release 9.1.0

Part Number E10366-02
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4 About Process Task Adapters

This chapter describes the process task adapters. It contains the following topics:

Introduction to Processes and Process Tasks

A process task adapter is Java code created through the adapter factory. It enables the Oracle Identity Manager to automatically execute process tasks in provisioning processes.

Each process and process task has a status, which indicates the stage of its completion. The statuses for a process or process task are listed in the following table in the order of importance.

Note:

The UT, UCR, and XLR statuses are not mentioned in the following table. Do not use these status values because they have been deprecated and will be removed in a future release of Oracle Identity Manager.
Task Status Description
C Completed: This process/process task has been completed successfully.
MC Manually Completed: This process task has been completed successfully by an Oracle Identity Manager user (that is, manually).
P Pending: This process/process task is in the process of being completed. All preceding tasks and processes, respectively, have been completed.
PX Pending Cancellation: This process task will be canceled, but this task has to be completed first before it can be canceled.
R Rejected: This process/process task has not been completed successfully or has not been approved. The status of rejected process tasks can only be changed to Canceled or Unsuccessfully Completed.
S Suspended: This process/process task has been put on hold temporarily.
UC Unsuccessfully Completed: This process task has been set to Completed. However, it had been rejected before.
W Waiting: This process/process task cannot be completed until all preceding process tasks or processes are completed.
X This process/process task has been stopped. Its status cannot change anymore

The status level of a process represents the most important status level of its process tasks, which must be completed for the process to be completed. Suppose a process has three process tasks, each process task has a different status level (Completed, Waiting, and Rejected), and all three process tasks must be completed for the process to be completed. Because the highest task status level is Rejected, the status level of the process is also Rejected.

A process task can be managed in one of the following ways:

The Java code that enables Oracle Identity Manager to automatically execute a process task is referred to as a process task adapter. The Oracle Identity Manager tool that allows developers to create and manage process task adapters is known as the Adapter Factory.

Note:

For more information about handling process tasks manually, refer to the Oracle Identity Manager Administrative and User Console Guide.

How a Process Task Adapter Works

After you create a process task adapter, you attach it to the appropriate process task by using the Integration tab of the Process Definition form. From this tab, you can also map any variables of the adapter to their proper locations, which were designated as either Resolve at Run time or as an adapter return variable.For example, the adapter named adpSOLARISPASSWORDUPDATED is connected to the Password Updated task of the Solaris process.After you attach an adapter to a process task, for the adapter to be functional, it might need data from fields of other forms. For this example, the adpSOLARISPASSWORDUPDATED adapter cannot work unless it obtains the following information:

Therefore, it must get this information from the UserID, Passwd, SolarisUserID, SolarisUserPasswd, and ServerAddress adapter variables respectively. These five variables are created by using the Adapter Factory form. The "Y" that precedes each adapter variable signifies that it has been mapped correctly.The form that enables you to create process-specific fields, which will be used by a process to obtain the information it needs, is called the Form Designer. When you create these fields, Oracle Identity Manager stores them into a table. Then, by associating this table with a process (through the Table Name lookup field of the Process Definition form), the adapter, which you attach to a task of this process, will use the table to retrieve the appropriate data.If you want to modify this table, you can do so through the Form Designer form.The UD_SOLARIS table contains two fields: UD_SOLARIS_USERID and UD_SOLARIS_PASSWD. By accessing this record of the Form Designer form, you can edit the fields of the table.

Note:

For more information about using the Form Designer form to create and modify process-specific fields, refer to the Oracle Identity Manager Administrative and User Console Guide.

Once you attach the process task adapter to a dependent process task, and the status of this process task is Pending (the status of the previous process task is Completed), Oracle Identity Manager will trigger the adapter automatically. When the process task is an independent task, Oracle Identity Manager will execute the adapter as soon as the process is requested.The result of the adapter being executed represents the state of the process task. When the adapter is finished successfully, the process task to which this adapter is attached will have a status of Completed.On the other hand, if the adapter cannot perform its designated function, the process task to which this adapter is attached will have a status of Rejected. By discovering the cause of the error, you can modify the process task and/or adapter so it can run successfully.

Note:

To determine why a process task might have failed:

Find the process task. When the process task has not yet been provisioned to the target user or organization, it is located in the To Do List or Pending Approvals. To find the task:

  1. Log in as the user.

  2. Select the To Do List link or the Pending Approvals links in the left side of the window.

Attaching Process Task Adapters to Process Tasks

In the previous chapter, you learned how to create a process task adapter. You must attach it to a process task to execute that process task automatically.To connect an adapter to a process task, access the Integration tab (from the Process Definition form). From this tab, you can also map any adapter variables to their proper locations.The following procedure shows you how to attach a process task adapter to a process task:

  1. Open the Process Definition form, which is located in the Process Management folder.

    In the Oracle Identity Manager Workspace, the Process Definition form appears.

  2. Select the process, which contains a task to which you want to attach an adapter. The selected process, along with its tasks, appears in the Process Definition form. For this example, the Solaris process has been selected.

  3. Double-click the row header of the task to which you want to attach an adapter. The Editing Task window appears, containing information about the task (for example, the Password Updated process task).

  4. Click the Integration tab.

  5. Click Add.

    The Handler Selection window appears.

  6. To access Oracle Identity Manager adapters, click the Adapter option.

    The adapters appear, which you can attach to the process task.

  7. From this region, select the adapter that you want to attach to the process task, for example, the adpSOLARISPASSWORDUPDATED adapter.

    Tip:

    For classification purposes, the first three letters of each adapter's name are adp. For classification purposes, the first three letters of each adapter's name are adp.
  8. From the Handler Selection window's toolbar, click Save.

    A dialog box appears, stating that the adapter was successfully added to the process task.

  9. Click OK.

    The dialog box disappears, and the Integration tab is now active. This tab now displays the following:

    • The name of the adapter that is attached to the process task;

    • The status of the adapter; and

    • The names, descriptions, and mapping statuses of the adapter's variables.

    Note:

    An adapter can have one of three mapping statuses:

    Ready. This adapter has been successfully compiled, and all of its variables have been mapped correctly.

    Mapping Incomplete. This adapter has been successfully compiled, but at least one of its variables have not been mapped correctly.

    Adapter Unavailable. After this adapter had been compiled successfully, it was modified, and recompiled.

    Note:

    If an adapter does not have any mappable variables, the Adapter Variables region is empty. In addition, the Status field will display either Ready or Adapter Unavailable, depending on whether the adapter has to be recompiled.

    Note:

    A mappable adapter variable either has been designated as Resolve at Run time or it is an adapter return variable.

    Note:

    Once you attach the adapter to the process task, any responses that you defined for the adapter appear in the Responses tab of the Editing Task window.
  10. Set the mappings for each variable that appears in the Adapter Variables region of the Integration tab. To do so, double-click the row header of the variable you want to map (for example, SolarisUserID).

    The Data Mapping for Variable window is displayed.

    Table 4-1 describes the fields of the Data Mapping for Variable window.

    Table 4-1 Fields of the Data Mapping for Variable WIndow

    Field Name Description

    Variable Name

    This field displays the name of the adapter variable for which you are setting a mapping (for example, SolarisUserID).

    Data Type

    This field shows the data type of the adapter variable (for example, String is the data type for the SolarisUserID variable).

    Map To

    This field contains the types of mappings that you can set for the adapter variable (for example, IT Resources).When you map the adapter variable to a location or a contact, Oracle Identity Manager enables the adjacent combo box. From this combo box, select the specific type of location or contact to which you are mapping the adapter variable. In addition, if you map the adapter variable to a custom process form, and this form contains child table(s), Oracle Identity Manager enables the adjacent combo box. From this combo box, select the child table to which you are mapping the adapter variable. If you are not mapping the adapter variable to a location, contact, or child table of a custom process form, this combo box is grayed out.

    Qualifier

    This field contains the qualifiers for the mapping you selected in the Map to combo box (for example, IT Asset).

    IT Asset Type

    This field enables you to select a specific IT Resource (for example, Solaris) when you map an adapter variable to an IT Resource, and this variable's data type is String.

    If you are not mapping the adapter variable to an IT Resource, or the variable's data type is not String, this field does not appear.

    IT Asset Property

    This field enables you to select a specific field that will receive the results of the mapping (for example, User Name), when you map an adapter variable to an IT Resource, and this variable's data type is String.

    If you are not mapping the adapter variable to an IT Resource, or the variable's data type is not String, this field does not appear.

    Important: The IT Asset Type and IT Asset Property fields are included within this window for backward compatibility. The preferred way is to create an adapter variable with a data type of IT Resource, in which case these fields will not appear.

    Literal Value

    When you map the adapter variable to a literal, use this field to specify the specific literal value.

    If you are not mapping the adapter variable to a literal, this field does not appear.

    Old Value

    By selecting this check box, you map the adapter variable to the value that was originally in the selected Qualifier field before modification.

    Process task adapters associated with process tasks are conditionally triggered when some field on the process form gets changed. If you click the Old Value option, and the process task is marked Conditional, then the value that is passed to the adapter is the previous value of the field, before it got modified. This is useful in cases of fields that accept passwords. For example, if you want to disallow setting the password to the same value, you can use the old value for comparison.

    If you are not mapping the adapter variable to a field that belongs to a child table of a custom process form, this check box is grayed out.


  11. Complete the Map To, Qualifier, IT Asset Type, IT Asset Property, Literal Value, and Old Value fields.

    Note:

    For more information about which mappings to select, refer to the "Adapter Variable Mapping" section in Oracle Identity Manager Reference
  12. On the toolbar, click Save. Then, click Close.

    The Data Mapping for Variable window disappears. The Integration tab is active again.

  13. On the Editing Task window toolbar, click Save.

    The contents in the Status field change from Mapping Incomplete to Ready. In addition, the mapping statuses for the adapter's variables change from No (N) to Yes (Y).

  14. On the toolbar, click Close.

    The Editing Task window disappears, and the main screen is active once again. The adapter you added to the Password Updated task (adpSOLARISPASSWORDUPDATED) appears in the Process Definition form.This signifies that the adpSOLARISPASSWORDUPDATED process task adapter was attached to the Password Updated process task.

    Tip:

    Once you attach a process task adapter to a process task, a quick way to see the process and task to which it is connected is by accessing the Usage Lookup tab of the Adapter Factory form.

Removing Process Task Adapters from Process Tasks

If a process task adapter is no longer necessary for Oracle Identity Manager to complete the process task automatically, or when you wish to attach a different adapter to a process task, you must first remove the adapter that is attached to the process task.This procedure will show you how to remove a process task adapter from a process task.

To Remove a Process Task Adapter from a Process Task

  1. Open the Process Definition form.

    In the Design Console workspace, the Process Definition form appears.

  2. Select the process, which contains a task from which you want to remove an adapter (for example, the Solaris process).

    The selected process, along with its tasks, appears in the Process Definition form.

  3. Double-click the row header of the process task from which you want to remove the adapter (for example, the Password Updated task).

    The Editing Task window appears, containing information about the process task. Click the Integration tab.

  4. Click the Integration tab.

    The Integration tab displays information about the adapter that is attached to the process task.

  5. Click Remove.

    A dialog box appears, asking if you want to remove the adapter from the process task.

  6. Click OK.

    A dialog box appears, signifying that the adapter has been removed from the process task.

  7. Click OK.

    The contents of the adapter no longer appear in the Integration tab.

  8. On the toolbar, click Close.

    The Editing Task window disappears, and the main screen is active once again. The adapter that was once linked to the Password Updated task (adpSOLARISPASSWORDUPDATED) no longer appears in the child table of the Process Definition form.

    This signifies that you have removed the adapter from the process task.