Setting Up the Transaction Registry

Use the Register Transactions component to register an approval transaction. The transaction definition is the metadata that describes the transaction setup to the Approval Framework.

Note: Oracle PeopleSoft delivers Notification Composer framework to manage the setup and administration of all notifications in one central location. Once you have adopted the Notification Composer feature, you must use it to create new notifications and manage your existing notifications. For more information about Notification Composer, see Understanding Notification Composer.

Page Name

Definition Name

Usage

Register Transactions Page

EOAW_TXN

Register the approval transaction.

Use the Register Transactions page (EOAW_TXN) to register the approval transaction.

Navigation:

Enterprise Components > Approvals > Approvals > Transaction Registry

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Register Transactions page (1 of 3). You can find definitions for the fields and controls later on this page.

Register Transactions page

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Register Transactions page (2 of 3). You can find definitions for the fields and controls later on this page.

Register Transactions page (2 of 3)

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Register Transactions page (3 of 3). You can find definitions for the fields and controls later on this page.

Register Transactions page (3 of 3)

Application developers use this page to register a PeopleSoft application, such as eProcurement or job offer, with the Approval Framework. Using this page, you can define how the system interacts with portions of the application that you have defined for approvals. The transaction definition is the metadata which describes the transaction make up to the approval framework. In some cases, you might add a transaction to enhance an existing transaction or make changes to a transaction.

Use this page to define:

  • Worklist approvals.

  • Approval event handler class.

  • Transaction approval levels.

  • Email notifications.

  • Ad hoc approver class logic.

Field or Control

Description

Process ID

Enter a name the system uses to track this Approval Framework process for a transaction. You can also enter a description for the approval process.

Object Owner ID

Select the PeopleSoft application to which this object belongs.

Cross Reference Table

Select the table used to manage application specific transaction records and associate them with the approval process run time instances. Each time a request launches an approval process, the system tracks the process by the header and line-level records of the application. To relate the approval process instance to the transaction instance, the cross-reference table holds the correspondence.

For a given application transaction record, this cross-reference information helps you determine the pending Approval Framework process and to define to the application which transaction is being approved or denied.

Application developers must create a record containing the applications keys, and include the Approval Framework-supplied subrecord EOAW_XREF_SBR. Developers must also build the underlying table.

Worklist Prefix

Enter a prefix to identify the worklist to a specific application. Every application using the Approval Framework shares the same business process and activities, which can cause a problem identifying specific worklist instances. This prefix will allow worklists to be sorted by application. The prefix should be used:

  • If Enterprise Portal is used and users have worklist items from multiple applications. For example Expenses and HCM in the same portal.

  • If the application creates dashboards, the dashboard needs to be able to differentiate between the different application’s approvals.

Notification Name

Select the Notification Name from the available options.

The Notification Name maps the notification preferences like the notification channels and personalization configured at the PeopleTools level. For more information on configuring notification names, see product documentation for PeopleTools: Creating Push Notification Events

Note: The notification name defined in the event level overrides the PeopleTools notification name given in the approval transaction level.

Note: This field is not visible when you adopt the Notification Composer feature. For more information on Notification Composer, see Understanding Notification Composer

Notification Options

Identify the notification option or the combination of notification options you will be using.

Field or Control

Description

Enable Notifications

Select the Worklist check box to use the worklist notification.

Notification Strategy

It allows the email to be processed immediately (Online Processing) or offline (Offline Processing) through NEM (Notification and Escalation Manager).

Note: Offline Processing does not work for Email approvals.

Use Email Approvals

Defines that you are going to use email approvals with workflow.

Form Generator Package Root

This package root reads the threads provided by the Form Generator Class, and creates a form from an existing email collaboration definition.

Form Generator Class Path

Calls the From Generator Class which receives a list of threads to be approved and a language code. This class returns a runtime class, which will add the appropriate recipients and send the emails.

Internal URL Definition

Use this section to define the internal URL to identify the URL base, portal and node. Internal URL is used to send email to a user either in batch or Integration Broker process. When the process is run online, the built-in properties %Portal and %Node are used.

External URL Definition

Use this section to define the external URL to identify the URL base, portal and node. External URL is used to notify any step that has a been set to External.

Default Approval Component

Identifies the default component that users should go to when selecting a worklist entry.

Field or Control

Description

Menu Name

Select the menu name that contains the component you want to register for the Worklist.

Approval Component

Select the component on which the approval is going to be based.

Approval Event Handler Class

Use this section to define the application class used to monitor events for this transaction. Each time an event occurs, the Approval Framework notifies the application. For applications to receive the notifications, application developers must extend the event handler class, ApprovalEventHandler.

When a transaction results in an action from the Approval Framework, the event handler class you specify how to proceed with the transaction.

The event handler base class defines the handler methods that you can override by extending classes. The extending class must have a no-argument constructor, since the system instantiates the class with no arguments.

This table explains some of the various event handler methods for which the system passes arguments to provide the specific context for each event, and gives examples of how an application, in this case PeopleSoft eProcurement, may act:

Event

Parameters

Possible Application Actions

PROCESS_LAUNCHED

  1. Header record

  2. Approval Process Instance

  • Disable edits of the application transaction.

  • Display status information.

HEADER_DENIED

Header record

  • Delete transaction.

  • Disable resubmission.

  • Log the event on the transaction, possibly highlighting previous denial if the system allows resubmission.

LINE_DENIED

Line-level record

Deduct the line amount from the header, and delete or otherwise deactivate the line item.

HEADER_APPROVED

Header record

  • Source the transaction if it’s a requisition.

  • Reimburse the employee if it’s an expense report.

LINE_APPROVED

Line level record

Source the line item if it's configured for sourcing.

PROCESS_TERMINATED

Header record

Log the event on the application, possibly highlighting changes since the previous submission. This might be useful for approvers who acted on the previous submission of this request.

ALL_LINES_PROCESSED

Header record

Note: The system calls this method only if the last stage is at the line-level, and the analyst has configured the process to trigger LINE_APPROVED end calls as individual lines are approved.

The action the system takes depends on how the application developer defines the line sourcing. If the lines are sourced as they are approved, then nothing has to be done when all the lines are processed. This event is distinct from HEADER_APPROVED, and having a distinct notification simplifies the process.

Field or Control

Description

Root Package ID

Select the parent application class through which events are exposed. This defines the action to take based on events.

Path

Select a path that uses a specific class within the root package.

See PeopleTools: PeopleCode Developer's Guide

See Understanding Approval Framework Base Classes.

Approval Status Monitor

Use this section to control how the system processes ad hoc approvers. Any approver can add or remove ad hoc approvers.

Field or Control

Description

Adhoc Package

Select the ad hoc application class package that you want to use for ad hoc approvals.

Adhoc Class

Select the ad hoc application class path. Adding approvers and reviewers is handled by the class you define here. If no class is specified, then the system default class is used. If the transaction has further restrictions an application developer needs to create a class that will be defined here.

Thread Package

The package here defines how the transaction details are displayed in the system in the status monitor. Behind the scene approvals are defined with a sequence number, this allows for a user friends display.

Important! Leave this field blank if the transaction is set up on the Configure Transactions page to send notifications to participants with a URL pointing to an alternate page other than the default destination (as specified in the Events section). For example, you might configure the transaction to generate a URL within each notification that takes an approver to the default component page to approve or deny any given request, and generate another URL for other participants to access a separate page (as specified for that group of users in the Notifications section) and perform other actions pertaining to the request. To ensure that the URLs are created correctly for all approval participants, do not enter a thread package.

Thread Class

Enter the specific class within the thread description package and the worklist description that sets the display details.

Transaction Approval Levels

Use this section to define if the transaction is to be approved at the header or line level and what level the application supports.

Field or Control

Description

Level

Select Header or Line, which determines the levels that are enabled by the application for approvals. The first row will always be the header level.

Record (Table) Name

Select the database table that represents this transaction level.

Level Record Key Field Label IDs

Use this section to identify the label IDs that are used when viewing the Monitor Approvals page. All key field names appear for each record (table) name that is listed.