Start Process
You can define the start condition of a process chain by using a start process.
The background control options are available to schedule the start process directly. You can start the process chain immediately (when activating the process chain), at a specified time, or after a particular event. When you activate the process chain the start process is scheduled in the background, as defined in your selections.
If there are not sufficient options available, you can trigger the start of the process chain using API. You use function module RSPC_API_CHAIN_START here. The SAP Scheduling Framework can be used to start the chain using the API and has more extensive scheduling options.
You can also trigger the start of a process chain using a metachain. If the process chain that you set this start condition for is integrated into another process chain, this is called a metachain. The process chain is started directly by this metachain.
If you start the start process using a metachain, it is not scheduled after you have activated the related process chain. The process is only started once the metachain that it is integrated into is running.
You can use the process types process chain local and process chain remote, in order to connect a process chain to a metachain.
All other processes in a chain are scheduled to wait for an event.
The start process has the following special features:
- Only the start process can be scheduled without a predecessor process.
- The start process cannot be a successor of another process.
- Only one start process is allowed for each process chain.
- A start process can only be used in a single process chain.
If you want to define more than one start condition to execute a process chain or part of a process chain, use the interrupt process and the start process.