Learn dynamic processing basics

Using an emergency room example, let’s explore the entire dynamic process development life cycle—from creating a dynamic process, modeling its activities and properties, activating it on the server, and using it in runtime as a knowledge worker.

• Create a Dynamic Process

• Add Human Task Activities and Stages

• Create Web Form Presentations for the Dynamic Process

• Set the Process Start

• Set Presentations for the Human Task Activities

• Configure Data Association for the Human Task Activities

• Test Activate the Application

• Try Out the Dynamic Process Application in Runtime

Create a Dynamic Process

First, let’s create a process application (Emergency) to house your dynamic process, then create the dynamic process itself.

1. On the Oracle Integration Home page, click Processes in the navigation pane.
2. Select Process Applications from the Processes navigation pane. On the Process Applications page, click Create.
3. In the Create Process Applications page, select Create an Application, and then click Create.
4. Enter Emergency in the Name field, select a space from the Space drop-down list, leave Open Immediately selected, and click Create.
   The Application Home tab opens, with application components shown in the navigation pane.
5. In the Application Home page, click Create a Dynamic Process and then click Start from scratch.

   Optionally, click Create, and then select New Dynamic Process.

6. In the Create Dynamic Process dialog box, enter Emergency Process in the Name field, give a suitable description in the Description field, leave the Open Immediately check box selected, and click Create.
   A tab for your Emergency Process opens and the dynamic process introduction page appears.

Add Human Task Activities and Stages

A process features activities that humans perform, such as completing and submitting information or approving documents.

Let’s start by adding some human tasks that people typically perform in an emergency room. For simplicity, we’ll keep this example brief. But keep in mind that a dynamic process can accommodate the complex scenarios of a real world situation such as an emergency room.

1. Add a human task activity.

   In the Add Activity field, enter Treat Patient and click Add . You’ll see your new activity in the central editing canvas.

   
   Description of the illustration er-example-human-task.png

   Notice the icons:

   • The green icon indicates a human task.

   • The Required icon displays when the activity is required.

   • The warning icon displays when there are validation issues.

     The number in the icon indicates how many validation issues were found. These validation issues are useful as you get immediate feedback while configuring and you can fix the issues inline.

     For now, you can ignore these issues and proceed to the next activity.

2. Add three more human task activities and name them Screen Patient, Discharge Patient, and Surgery.
3. Add two stages.

   In the Add Stage field, enter Screening and click Add . Enter Treatment and click Add. The two stages open on the central canvas.

   Stages enable you to organize activities into phases of a process. (This example is kept simple, but you can include many possible activities in each stage.) Stages can run at the same time or one after another.

4. Drag and drop the screen activity into the Screening stage and the treat activity into the Treatment stage. Leave the discharge and surgery activities where they are.

   The two stages are currently set to become available at the same time in runtime. By default, all stages and activities (referred to as plan items) become available at the same time in runtime. The other two activities aren’t in stages, which means they are available at any point.

Description of the illustration er-example-stages.png

Notice the validation icon next to Emergency Process. It shows the total number of validation issues in the process. Because you just started to create your dynamic process, and your dynamic process isn't complete, ignore these issues. To hide the validation issues, click Edit Configuration and change the settings for the inline validations.

Important points about human tasks:

• A human task can be a submit or an approval activity.

• Each human task activity must be associated with a form. The form provides the interface for the task.

• Each human task activity needs an assignee, which could be a user, role, or group.

• Each human task activity has data values that flow in and out of it, referred to as its input and output. For example, a human task’s form might display with some fields completed and its output might contain additional or changed fields.

Create Web Form Presentations for the Dynamic Process

Let’s create one form with multiple presentations to apply to the human tasks.

1. Create a web form.
   1. In the Application navigation pane, click Forms.
   2. In the Application Home page, click Create a Form. Optionally, click Create and then select New Web Form.
   3. In the Create New Web Form dialog box, enter PatientForm in the Name field, leave the Open Immediately check box selected, and click Create.
2. Create a Start presentation to capture patient name fields.
   1. Change the name of the default Main presentation to Start. In the Properties pane, click Presentation and change the Name field to Start.
   2. Drag and drop two Input Text controls from the Basic Palette onto the form’s central canvas side by side. Select the first one and change its Name field to FirstName and its Label field to First Name on the General tab. Select the second control and change its Name field to LastName and its Label field to Last Name.

   
   Description of the illustration er-example-form-presentation.png

3. Create a Screening presentation.
   1. Click outside a form control, and select the Form tab on the Properties pane. Notice how the Properties palette tabs change depending on whether you’ve selected the form or a form control.
   2. Click Add in the Presentations table. In the Select Presentation Type dialog box, select Clone.
   3. In the Create Presentation dialog box, choose Start in the Select from Previous Presentation field, and enter Screening in the Name field. Leave the Switch to this presentation check box selected, and click Create.

      
      Description of the illustration er-example-presentation.png

   4. Drag and drop a Text Area control to the form canvas. Select the control, and change its Name and Label fields to Symptoms.

   
   Description of the illustration er-example-form-presentation2.png

4. Create a Treatment presentation.
   1. Click outside a form control, and select the Form tab.
   2. Click Add in the Presentations table. In the Select Presentation Type dialog box, select Clone.
   3. In the Create Presentation dialog box, choose Screening in the Select from Previous Presentation field, and enter Treatment in the Name field. Leave the Switch to this presentation check box selected, and click Create.
   4. Drag and drop a Text Area control to the form canvas. Select the control, and change its Name and Label fields to Treatment.
5. Create a Surgery presentation.
   1. Repeat the substeps from the previous step to clone a presentation, but this time name the presentation Surgery and base it on the Start presentation.
   2. Drag and drop a Checkbox control to the form canvas. Select the control, and enter Surgery in its Name field. In its Label field, enter Patient consents to surgery.
6. Create a Discharge presentation.
   1. Repeat the substeps from the previous step to clone a presentation, but this time name the presentation Discharge and base it on the Start presentation.
   2. Drag and drop a Checkbox control to the form canvas. Select the control, and enter Discharge in its Name field. In its Label field, enter Patient is ready for discharge.

   
   Description of the illustration er-example-form-presentation3.png

7. Click Save.

Want to learn more about creating web forms? See Ready to create a web form?.

Set the Process Start

Each dynamic process starts with form or data input. Let’s configure form and presentation input for the dynamic process.

1. Click the Emergency Process tab to display the dynamic process.
2. Click Process Input next to the process name at the top of the dynamic process editor.
   Note that the similar icons apply to input on one side and output on the other side. The icons at the top of the page apply to the entire process.
3. Complete settings in the Start the Dynamic Process dialog box.
   1. Select With Form Only.
   2. In the Form Title field, enter Start and enter patient info.
   3. In the Form field, leave the form you created (PatientForm) selected. Select Start in the Presentation field, and click Define.
   
   Description of the illustration er-example-set-start.png

   Notice formArg listed under Interface Argument. It refers to data objects automatically created for the form.

4. Click Save.

Set Presentations for the Human Task Activities

Next you’ll implement each human task activity with a form presentation.

1. On the Emergency Process tab, select the Screen Patient activity and click Edit Properties .
   The activity’s properties pane opens at the side.
2. In the activity's properties pane, click General under implementation options.
   The properties pane expands.
3. Complete the General implementation fields.

   • By default, the title has the same name as the human task activity. Optionally, enter meaningful text in the Title and Task Summary fields. Entries you specify appear at the top of the form in runtime. You can enter literal values or expressions. See Create Simple Expressions.

   • In the Form field, select PatientForm. In the Presentation field, select Screening.

4. Click Close.

   
   Description of the illustration er-example-set-presentation.png

5. Select the Treat Patient activity and implement the form and Treatment presentation.
   Click General, select PatientForm again in the Form field, but select Treatment this time in the Presentation field. Click Close.
6. Select the Discharge Patient activity and implement the form and Discharge presentation, then click Close.
7. Select the Surgery activity and implement the form and Surgery presentation, then click Close.

Configure Data Association for the Human Task Activities

Each human task activity needs data input and output defined through data association. Data associations define the information passed between flow elements.

1. Click Data Objects. In the Data Objects section, expand Input, then formArg.

   Notice the data objects for the form controls you added. These data objects were automatically added as you created the web form.

2. Select the Screen Patient activity, click Menu , then Data Association, and then Input.

   The Data Association editor opens with the Input tab selected.

3. In the Data Association editor, click Auto Mapping .

   Notice that formArg and PatientForm mapping automatically appears. This mapping indicates that values from the form (formArg) get passed to the PatientForm objects.

4. Click the Output tab, and then click Auto Mapping .

   Notice that the same PatientForm and formArg mapping appears, but switched. This mapping allows the data values to change if the user enters or changes values in the human task’s web form before submitting.

5. Click Apply.
6. Select the Treat Patient activity and repeat the steps to auto map the human task’s data association. Be sure to auto map on both Input and Output tabs, and click Apply.
7. Select the Discharge Patient activity and repeat the steps to auto map the human task’s data association.
8. Select the Surgery activity and repeat the steps to auto map the human task’s data association.

Auto mapping is making a best guess on data values to map, based on names and data types, and works well for this simple example. Keep in mind that you can map and even transform values, including arrays, during data association in complex ways. You can also map and use the outcome of an approval task to drive or affect the process. See Configure Data Association.

Test Activate the Application

Test activating validates and deploys the application, and then makes it available in runtime test mode. You don’t activate the application to the production environment until it’s ready.

Before test activating the application, check one last time for any validation issues in your process. Use the configuration panel to display the validation issues. If you see any issues, click the validation icon to view details about the issue. Click Fix to open the properties panel related to the issue and easily fix the issue.

With your basic dynamic process configured, it’s time now to validate, activate, and make the application available in runtime test mode.

1. Click Test.
   A Test Application tab opens. The upper portion indicates application validation results.

   • If the validation was successful, proceed to the next step.

   • If one or more validation issues are listed, click the Emergency Process tab to return to the dynamic process to correct the issues before clicking Test again.

2. On the Test Application tab, click Activate.
3. In the Activate to Test dialog box, leave Add Me to All Roles selected, and click Activate. A message displays that the application activated successfully.

4. Click Try in Test Mode.

   
   Description of the illustration er-example-test.png

   A new test mode browser tab opens and the My Tasks navigation pane now displays runtime options. You can tell you’re in test mode: there’s an indicator set to On at the top of the screen.

Try Out the Dynamic Process Application in Runtime

The last step in creating a basic dynamic process is to try out its activated process application by starting and running the dynamic process in runtime.

Now that you have created a simple dynamic process, and activated its process application, let's try the process as a knowledge worker would.

1. If needed, click My Apps from the runtime options in the navigation pane.

   The My Apps page displays automatically after you test activate your application. See Test Activate the Application.

   Your activated application appears, showing its icon (with EP for emergency process), along with its revision number and the dynamic process name and start form text you entered during design time.

   
   Description of the illustration er-example-start-application.png

2. Click the dynamic process application.

   The start form you specified for the dynamic process (Start presentation) opens.

3. Complete the first and last name fields with sample values and click Submit.

   
   Description of the illustration er-example-start-application2.png

   A message briefly appears to let you know that an instance was created.

4. In the My Tasks navigation pane, click Dynamic Processes.

   The instance you just created is listed.

   
   Description of the illustration er-example-start-application3.png

5. Click to open your Emergency Process instance.

   The dynamic process runtime page opens. Take a moment to explore.

   • The activities you created are available under Activities, and show the same green human task icon as in design time. The surgery and discharge activities that aren’t part of a stage are listed first and have no stage listed. An asterisk indicates required activities.

   • On the adjacent Details pane, the Data tab is selected. The start form includes the values you entered when you started the dynamic process.

   • The top bar lets you switch the instance progress view between milestones and stages. You can see that the instance started today. To view the two stages, click the Stage icon. Click a stage to see its number of available, active, and completed activities.

   • Notice the other tabs. The Documents tab displays documents related to the process instance. Oracle Integration must be integrated with Oracle Content Management to work with documents. Your assigned role’s document permissions control the actions you can perform with documents.

   • The Audit tab lists what’s happened to the process instance so far. Notice that all plan items (stages and activities) started.

   • The Roles tab lists roles defined for the process instance, and provides an option to override the assigned role.

   
   Description of the illustration er-example-start-application4.png

6. Select, complete, and submit the Screen Patient activity.
   1. Under Activities, select the activity to work on it (click its title or select Open) from its actions. The Activity Details tab opens and the screening presentation appears.
   2. Enter a sample value in the Symptoms field and click Submit. Notice that the Screening stage at the top turned green, indicating its completion.
7. Select, complete, and submit the Treat Patient activity.

   Notice the Force Complete option that knowledge workers can access by clicking Menu . Selecting this option acts as a cancel for the activity. It withdraws the activity from the Activities list, but doesn’t complete the human task or process. A doctor or nurse might force complete an activity that turns out not to be needed.

   Also notice that the text you entered in the Symptom field doesn’t appear in the Treatment activity. That’s because all of the activities started at the same time with the same form values (payload) available.

8. Select, complete, and submit the Surgery and Discharge Patient activities.

   After you complete the last activity, a message displays that no activities are available to act on. Because all required activities of the process are complete, the process is completed, and a Close option appears at the top.

9. Click Close and confirm to close the dynamic process and return to the dynamic processes list.

   You can't reopen a closed instance. However, you can reopen completed instances to access any remaining open (non-required) activities.

10. Search for the dynamic process you just closed.
    1. In the Search field, enter the first or last name you entered when starting the application.
    2. Click Filter . In the Filter dialog box, select Closed in the State field and click OK. The instance you just closed is listed, but now shows a Closed icon rather than an Active one. You can open it and view its details on the Audit tab.
    3. On the Dynamic Processes page, click Clear to clear the search filter.
       The searching and filtering options enable knowledge workers to locate and return to instances at any time by entering identifiable information such as name or ID.