Synchronize Notifications in the Global Header and Home Page with Workflow Tasks
Users can get in-app notifications for the same workflow task in various UIs, as well as email notifications. The Synchronize Notifications in Global Header scheduled process ensures that all the in-app notification UIs reflect the latest task status.
When workflow tasks are assigned to users, they can get an email as well as a notification in the global header and in the Things to Finish section on the home page. Updates they make to tasks from the global header, for example approving them, are automatically reflected in the Things to Finish section. Same goes the other way around, too.
But, the notifications don't immediately reflect changes to the task status if users take action through email, the Worklist: Notifications and Approvals work area, or BPM Worklist. For example, after you approve a task from email, you can still see the notification in the global header and home page asking for approval. Another case like that's when a task is assigned to an approval group, and everyone in the group gets a notification. Say you approve that task from the Things to Finish section. Your notification is removed from that section and the notifications list in the global header, but the same notification is still there for everyone else in the approval group.
So, use the Synchronize Notifications in Global Header scheduled process to synchronize notifications with the latest task status for all users:
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This affects the notifications list in the global header, the Things to Finish section, and the Notifications page that shows all notifications, not just what's pending for the user.
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The process includes notifications not just for tasks that require action, but also ones that are just FYI.
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The process doesn't update the title of notifications in the global header, home page, or Notifications page. Like email subjects, the notification titles are static.
Even when notifications aren't in sync with the latest workflow task status, users can still find the latest task status in the Worklist: Notifications and Approvals work area.
Schedule the Process
In the Scheduled Processes work area, submit the Synchronize Notifications in Global Header process to run on a schedule. It's recommended that you schedule the process to run every two hours. How often you should run the process depends on the volume of approvals. For example, there might be more during month-end or year-end activities. But if you do need to run the process more frequently, don't schedule it to run more often than every 30 minutes.
How long the process takes to run also depends on the volume of approvals. If you're running the process for the first time, or it hasn't run in a very long time, then the process might take hours to finish.
You need to have the Manage Scheduled Job Definition (FND_MANAGE_SCHEDULED_JOB_DEFINITION_PRIV) privilege to run this process. Your security administrator can assign a custom job role with this privilege.
What Happens After Synchronization
One key thing that affects what users see in the notifications list, Things to Finish section, or Notifications page is whether the workflow task is pending for the user. Here's an example of what happens before and after the scheduled process runs:
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A notification is pending a user's approval.
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The user approves the task from email. The task status changes, but the notification requesting approval is still in the global header and Things to Finish section.
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After synchronization, because the task status is Completed and the task is no longer pending for the user, here's what happens to the notification:
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It's removed from the list in the global header.
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It's no longer a card in the Things to Finish section.
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On the Notifications page, it moves from the Assigned to Me tab to the All tab.
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