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Background documentationRegistering the Provider Systems Locate this document in the navigation structure

 

Following the steps below, you can define the connections to systems as item providers for Universal Worklist.

Prerequisites

  • A user with the corresponding roles is configured in the back-end system.

  • The SAP_BC_UWL_SERVICE role is assigned to this user.

Procedure

Configuring an RFC Destination

In order to retrieve tasks from a backend system, you need to do an Remote Function Call (RFC) destination configuration for the WebFlowConnector, AlertConnector and GenericAbapConnector connector types.

  1. Log in the portal as administrator (http://<host>:<httpport>/nwa)

  2. Navigate to   System Management   Configuration   Destinations  .

    The list with the available destinations is displayed.

  3. To create a new RFC destination, choose the New pushbutton. In the dialog that appears, enter:

    • A valid name for the destination with the portal system alias and the type of connector <SYSTEM ALIAS>$<UWL CONNECTOR TYPE>, for example BXJCLNT001$WebFlowConnector.

    • In the Destination Type field enter RFC.

  4. Fill in the following details for the RFC destination:

    • System ID, for example BXJ

    • Load balancing – select the Yes radio button

    • Message Server – enter the message server host

    • Logon Group – for example PUBLIC

    • Language – for example EN

    • Authentication type – for example Logon ticket

    • Client – for example 000

    • UserName

    • Passwaord

    Note Note

    The other fields have default values.

    End of the note.

  5. Choose the Save pushbutton. To test the RFC destination, choose the Test pushbutton.

Registering a Back-End Connection

Each UWL iView can retrieve work items from multiple Business Workflow back end systems. Register each back-end connection to be used with the following procedure:

  1. Log in the portal as administrator (http://<host>:<httpport>/irj).

  2. Navigate to   System Administration   System Configuration   Universal Worklist and Workflow   Universal Worklist Administration  .

    The Universal Worklist Systems list appears. Here you can define connectors and systems as item providers for the Universal Worklist.

  3. To add a new entry, choose New. To edit existing information, select (highlight) the row and choose Edit.

  4. To save the current system registration, choose Ok.

  5. Multiple system connections are defined by repeating the above steps 1 to 3.

Parameter

Description and Use

System Alias

The name of the alias for the back end system, as defined in the system landscape. The length cannot exceed 25 characters.

Note Note

If Web Dynpro applications are configured on a SAP NetWeaver Application Server which is different from the SAP NetWeaver Application Server of the system alias, then specify that system alias as a Web Dynpro system.

End of the note.

Connector Type

This is the identifier with which the connector is registered. It indicates the type of items retrieved through the connection. For example: WebFlowConnector. For more information, see Connectors.

Note Note

For connector types WebFlowConnector or AlertConnector item types have to be registered with the UWL service after defining a new system connection.

End of the note.

Web Dynpro Launch System

Enter the Web Dynpro system name if the SAP NetWeaver Application Server for the system is not the same as that running the Web Dynpro.

Leave empty otherwise.

For more information see, SAPWebDynproLauncher .

User Roles

Restricts who can get work items via the user role. For example, you can assign a portal role here, such as buyer. Only users with the role buyer will see items from the provider system in UWL.

You can have multiple user roles separated by semi-colon.

For more information, see User Roles below.

Configuration Groups

Leave this blank, when working with the default UWL iView.

You can add a number of configuration groups separated by commas but only one configuration group per iView.

For more information see section Configuring a Large System Landscape below.

Delta Pull Channel Refresh Period (in Seconds)

For information see, Enabling Delta Pull Mechanism.

Delta Pull Channel Snapshot Refresh Period (in Seconds)

For information see, Enabling Delta Pull Mechanism.

The above registration procedure is usually sufficient to use a UWL iView. Item type retrieval and registration requires a connection to the systems and may take a couple of minutes.

For each system, they are generated as the configuration named uwl.webflow.<system_alias> or uwl.alert.<system_alias>.

Note Note

After configuration changes in the back end system, you must re-register the system. For example, if you use the transaction SWFVISU to change the visualization, then you must register the item types again.

For more information, see Register Work Item Types.

End of the note.
Activating / Deactivating Connections

For a registered system, you can activate or deactivate a connection to the back end systems using the respective buttons listed under the column Connections.

You may have multiple system aliases connecting to the same back end system.

Example Example

For example, if you have two system aliases QUA and QUA1 connecting to the same back end system, then for the second system alias there is no option for activating or deactivating connections. A new column (Connected Through System Alias) shows the entry is now visible which shows the system alias (QUA) that refers to the same back end system.

End of the example.
User Roles

By specifying user roles for the portal users, it can be restricted as to who gets the work items in UWL. For example, you can assign a portal role to a user, such as buyer. Only users with the role buyer will see items from a system, for example, B7QCLNT000 in UWL.

Note Note

User roles and Configuration Groups are not mutually exclusive.

End of the note.
Example Scenario

The following description and figure illustrate the purpose of the Universal Worklist Systems list registration. It shows the case where two UWL iViews have been defined.

The following figure illustrates the connections and access rights for the two types of users:

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text.

Suppose you have three back end servers: A, B, and C. Each server has a Business Workflow application running.

Users with role 1 are given access to servers A and B, but not C.

But only, users with role 2 have access to C.

User 1 with role 1, logs onto the default UWL iView and must be connected to back end servers A and B. User 2 with role 2, logs onto the UWL iView and must be connected to back end servers B and C.

To achieve this scenario, the Universal Worklist System Systems list can be configured as shown in the following table.

Roles

Connector

System Alias

Role 1

WebFlowConnector

A

Role 1, Role 2

WebFlowConnector

B

Role 2

WebFlowConnector

C
Configuring a Large System Landscape

Note Note

This feature is for backward compatibility only. The recommended way is to use user roles for connections.

End of the note.

When UWL is first installed, one UWL iView is defined. The System Configuration Group property for that iView is empty (blank). This means that no System Configuration Group is named, but in effect there is only a single group. The default behavior for the blank setting is this: when any user logs onto the UWL iView, UWL tries to log that user onto all registered back end systems.

There is a limitation with the blank setting. When a large number of systems are accessed during log on, the overall portal load is increased. Also, the user receives error messages from those back end systems that have no user account for the particular UWL user.

For large system landscapes do the following:

  1. Partition back end systems into groups. This is accomplished by creating additional UWL iView instances, each of which refers to a specific group of back end systems.

    The group is defined, using the System Configuration Group iView property.

  2. Then use the value of the System Configuration Group property when registering back end systems by placing it in parameter Configuration Group, when you register the SAP system.

Example Scenario

The following description and figure illustrate the purpose of the Universal Worklist Systems list registration. It shows the case where two UWL iViews have been defined.

Suppose you have three back end servers: A, B, and C. Each server has a Business Workflow application running.

Regular users are given access to servers A and B, but not C. Only managers have access to C. Managers also access B in the course of their work.

Two UWL iViews are configured:

  • The default iView with the System Configuration Group property set to the value regular.

  • An added iView with the System Configuration Group property set to the value restricted.

The following figure illustrates the connections and access rights for the two types of users.

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text.

User 1 logs onto the default UWL iView and must be connected to back end servers A and B. User 2 logs onto the Manager UWL iView and must be connected to back end servers B and C.

To achieve this scenario, the Universal Worklist System Systems list can be configured as shown in the following table.

Name

Configuration Group

Connector

System Alias

1

Regular

WebFlowConnector

A

2

Regular, Restricted

WebFlowConnector

B

3

Restricted

WebFlowConnector

C