6.3 Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions for workflows.

Workflow Runtime

Topic	Question	Answer
Tasks and Workflow - Deadlines and Expiration	When a workflow contains a task activity with a deadline specified in the workflow and a deadline specified in the task definition, which deadline is honored?	The workflow activity deadline gets precedence over the task deadline. If there is no workflow activity deadline, the workflow uses the deadline in the task definition.
Tasks and Workflow - Deadlines and Expiration	Tasks can expire and be auto-renewed. Does this also apply to tasks created using workflow?	At runtime, if the task fails to complete by the due date, the expiration policy in the task definition activates, and the task is automatically renewed or expired accordingly. If the expiration policy in the task definition is NONE, the task still expires because it is a workflow-generated task, and cannot remain active while governed by workflow timeout. Once the task expires, control goes back to the workflow engine, and follows the timeout connection in the workflow model. If there is no timeout connection, the workflow transitions to a faulted state.
Tasks and Workflow - Deadlines and Expiration	If a task is created using workflow, can the business administrator of the task manually renew or update the due date?	No. Tasks created by a workflow can only be auto-renewed based on their expiration policy settings. The business administrator cannot manually renew or update the due date of a task because the due date is governed by the workflow timeout.
Tasks and Workflow - Errored or Canceled Tasks	What happens to the workflow if its task becomes errored or canceled?	When the initiator or business administrator cancels a task, the workflow runtime engine receives no task outcome, and continues executing the next activity in the workflow. If the next activity in the workflow is a switch based on the outcome of the task, the switch activity transitions to faulted because the task-based workflow activity has no outcome. When a task transitions to errored, control returns to the workflow, which transitions to faulted. The workflow administrator can retry a faulted workflow after fixing the underlying cause of the error.
Tasks and Workflow - Errored or Canceled Tasks	What happens when a workflow is terminated while its tasks are still active and not yet completed?	The tasks move to a Canceled state if the associated workflow is terminated.
Tasks and Workflow - Using Approval Task Outcomes in Workflow	I accidentally rejected an approval task instead of accepting it. Can the workflow administrator fix this in the associated workflow?	Yes, the workflow administrator can fix this if the workflow has a wait activity right after the approval task activity. After an approval task is rejected, the TASK_OUTCOME workflow variable value is Rejected. During the wait activity, the workflow administrator can suspend the workflow from the Admin Console Details page. The administrator can then expand the variables section on that page, click Edit next to the TASK_OUTCOME variable, and manually update the value to Approved. When this is done, the workflow administrator can resume the workflow. Note: Only workflow administrators can update workflow variables, and only when the workflow is suspended or faulted.
Workflow Subprocess	Can a workflow be used as an activity in another workflow?	This is not currently supported.
Workflow Retries	Can auto-retry be configured for workflow activities?	No. Workflow activities that transition to faulted status must be manually retried. To manually retry a workflow, the Workflow Administrator can click Retry in the Workflow Console Details Page. Retrying a workflow always re-executes the activity where the workflow faulted, and then continues the rest of the flow. There is no limit to the number of times a workflow can be manually retried.
Workflow Retries	What is the difference between Retry and Resume operations on a Workflow?	Retry is only applicable to faulted workflows, and can be performed by both the workflow administrator and the workflow owner. Resume is only applicable to suspended workflows, and can be performed by the workflow administrator.