Integration of WebFlow Functions (SAP Library - Product Designer for Controlling Engineering Processes)

Integration of WebFlow Functions

Use

WebFlow functions let you execute workflows on the intranet or Internet. An Internet Transaction Server (ITS) is used as a fallback server. This means that employees can perform workflow tasks in early engineering, even if they have no knowledge of the SAP system, or no access to an SAP GUI (graphical user interface).

Predefined Web scenarios are available in the SAP system. A number of workflow templates enable processing of iPPE objects and documents. You can copy these templates to define company-specific workflows.

Integration

The interface between the product designer and workflow is implemented using the object technology of the Business Object Repository (BOR). Workflow templates are defined for the following object types:

· BUS1176 Structure nodes in Integrated Product and Process Engineering (iPPE)

· BUS1197 Generic engineering nodes in Integrated Product and Process Engineering (iPPE)
(Copies of node type S_GEN, for the definition of requirement nodes, for example)

· BUS1176001 Variants in Integrated Product and Process Engineering (iPPE)

· DRAW Documents in document management

See Development Objects for WebFlow in the Product Designer

Prerequisites

You can execute all WebFlow functions using a Web browser, if the following prerequisites are fulfilled:

· You have defined company-specific workflows.

· You have implemented BAdI PLM_PDN_WUI (Product Designer Web UI) according to company-specific processes.

· You have assigned the users or organizational units responsible as the processor of a workflow.

· In the settings for the Web user interface, you have set the Workflow Active indicator.

Features

Team members who evaluate the iPPE objects on the Web user interface of the product designer can use the WebFlow functions for various editing processes. The following overview describes how to execute the processes from different starting points for navigation.

Starting Point for Navigation

Editing Process

Initial page:

Workflow inbox of the Business Workplace

Once the employee has logged on to the SAP system via the Internet or intranet, he or she can display his or her worklist on the initial page of the product designer. The list contains work items for which the user must perform activities.

· This list of work items it identical to the inbox of the Business Workplace that the employee would see if logging on to the SAP system directly.

· The list is created with reference to a user, not with reference to any other attributes (such as object type). Business Add-In PLM_PDN_WUI (Product Designer Web UI) lets you restrict the list. For example, you can display only the work items that refer to engineering nodes, for a user.

Recommendation

Since you are usually dealing with large volumes of data, which can seriously impede system performance, we recommend that you use the implementation of this BAdI to restrict the amount of data that is processed. In this situation, the implementation acts as a filter.

· From the worklist, the user can display a listed work item.
See Processing a Work Item in the Workflow Inbox of a User

Object-specific page:

Workflow (n) view

The user uses the Web user interface of the product designer to navigate to the structure of an iPPE object. The user then displays the Workflow (n) view.

· This list contains all the work items that have been created for the selected iPPE object. The number of work items is shown by the attribute (n).

Note

In the iPPE workbench, you can start workflows manually in the Services for Object. These workflows, which have no import parameters, are also displayed in this list.

· The list of work items is created with reference to an iPPE object, not with reference to any other attributes (such as processing status or creation date).
Business Add-In PLM_PDN_WUI (Product Designer Web UI) lets you restrict the list. For example, you can display only the work items that have a specific processing status.

Recommendation

Since you are usually dealing with large volumes of data, which can seriously impede system performance, we recommend that you use the implementation of BAdI PLM_PDN_WUI (Product Designer Web UI) to restrict the amount of data that is processed. In this situation, the implementation acts as a filter.

· From the list, you can execute the following functions:

- Displaying a listed work item
See Processing a Work Item for an iPPE Object

- Starting a new workflow for the object
See Starting a New Workflow