An automated task is completed by an external OSM agent or by automation plug-ins. You can create an automated task to connect to a database, transform some data, or communicate with an external system.
When you create an automated task you must also configure at least one automation plug-in to perform the intended operation. Design Studio provides several built-in automation plug-ins, or you can develop your own plug-in using a custom template. An automated task might have a single automation plug-in associated with it (for example, to interrogate the task data, perform some calculation, and update the order data), or it might have multiple automation plug-ins associated with it (one to send information to an external system; one to receive replies from the external system; and another to perform some calculation, update the order, and transition the task).
After you have created an Automated Task entity using the Automated Task wizard, you can start modeling the task and configuring the automation plug-ins.
See OSM Developer's Guide for more information about automation.
When modeling automated tasks, see the following topics:
Working with Automation Plug-Ins
When using automated tasks in a process, you must create the automation plug-ins that perform the processing for the task. Automation plug-ins enable the system integrator to extend OSM behavior by running specific business logic when events occur or by sending data to and receiving data from external systems. Design Studio supports two types of built-in automation plug-ins: Sender and Automator. See "Working with Automation Plug-Ins" for information about built-in automation types.
To add an automation plug-in to an automated task:
From the Studio menu, select Show Design Perspective.
Use the Studio Projects view.
Double-click an automated task.
Design Studio displays the corresponding automated task in the Automated Task editor.
Click the Automation tab.
In the Automation tab of the Automated Task editor, click Add.
The Add Automation dialog box is displayed.
In the Name field, enter a name for the plug-in.
The name must be unique among the plug-in entity types within the same namespace.
Select the plug-in type.
For example, select the Automator type if the plug-in receives data and performs some work. Select the Sender type if the plug-in receives data, perform some work, and then sends data to external systems.
In the Event Type field, do one of the following:
If the plug-in receives data from external systems via topics or queues, select External Event Receiver.
Automations defined as external event receivers receive incoming JMS or XML messages from external systems and can automatically convert and correlate message data. Additionally, Sender plug-ins defined as external event receivers can generate new outbound messages based on received messages.
If the plug-in receives data from the OSM order, select Internal Event Receiver.
Automations defined as internal event receivers receive messages from an internal queue to which the automation framework subscribes. Messages sent by OSM to the internal queue are triggered by internal events.
Click OK.
The newly created plug-in is displayed in the Automation list.
Select the plug-in from the list and click Properties.
The Properties view is displayed with information that varies by plug-in type (Automator or Sender) and by event receiver type (Internal or External). See "Configuring Automation Plug-In Properties" for more information.