Rule Based Workflow for Business Partner

You can use the Business Rule Framework plus (BRFplus) tool to create your own rule-based workflows for master data governance for business partner. The BRFplus tool is accessed through the Customizing activity Configure Rule-Based Workflow.

SAP delivers a number of preconfigured workflows that you can use for your governance process. You can adapt these preconfigured workflows or choose to create your own with the BRFplus tool.

The following text outlines the fields and settings for the preconfigured workflow Create business partner. The other workflows use similar process patterns and steps and therefore are not explained here.

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text.

MDG-BP: Predefined Rule-Based Workflow

Structure

Decision Tables

The Create Business Partner workflow uses the following decision tables to direct the creation process:

Single Value Decision Table (DT_SINGLE_VAL_BP1P1)

This is the master workflow table for business partner creation. This table lists the workflow steps and references the other two tables when necessary.
Non-User Agent Decision Table (DT_NON_USER_AGT_GRP_BP1P1)

This decision table contains a list of system tasks. The tasks can be referenced by the DT_SINGLE_VAL_BP1P1 decision table when it requires a system action.
User Agent Decision Table (DT_USER_AGT_GRP_BP1P1)

This decision table contains a list of user assignments to workflow tasks. This information here is also referenced by the DT_SINGLE_VAL_BP1P1 decision table when it requires user action.

Fields in Decision Table DT_SINGLE_VAL_BP1P1

The table has two areas: the first area lists the expected start values leading into each step and the second area lists the actions to be taken if those values are set. The table below explains the fields:

Field	Field Type	Description
CR Previous Step	Start Value	This field links this line with a workflow step above it. The system takes the information from the New Chng. Req. Step field below and searches for values matching that in the CR Previous Step fields of workflow steps below it.
Previous Action	Start Value	Contains the code for the system or user action if there was an action. The actions are maintained in Customizing.
Chng. Req. Priority	Start Value	Contains the current priority of the change request.
Chng. Req. Reason	Start Value	Contains the reason for the change request. The reasons are maintained in Customizing.
CR Rejection Reason	Start Value	Contains the reason for rejection of a change request. The reasons for rejection are defined in Customizing.
CR Parent Step	Start Value	Parent step number (Only used in parallel processing).
Parallel Agt Grp No.	Start Value	Parallel agent group number (Only used in parallel processing)
Condition Alias	Action	References the other two tables. An entry here specifies an action for the system or a user. Every Condition Alias needs to be handled at least once by either a User Agent or a Non-User Agent activity
New Chng. Req. Step	Action	Contains the next step in the workflow.
New CR Status	Action	Displays the new status for the change request. The statuses are defined in Customizing.
Hours to Completion	Action	Expected completion time in hours
Merge Type	Action	Parallel merge type (used in parallel processing)
Merge Parameters	Action	Parallel merge parameter (used in parallel processing)
Dyn Agt Sel Service	Action	Dynamic agent selection service

Fields in Decision Table DT_NON_USER_AGT_GRP_BP1P1

This table contains a list of system tasks that is referenced by the DT_SINGLE_VAL_BP1P1 workflow table when one of the workflow steps requires a system action. The table defines the action to be taken by the system. For a list of the predefined values see Configuring Master Data Governance for Business Partner.

Field	Description
Condition Alias	This is a reference for the main workflow table. If this condition alias is set as a value in the DT_SINGLE_VAL_BP1P1 table then the system will read this line to see what actions are to be taken.
Agent Group	User agent group number
Process Pattern	This line displays the background task the system performs. These tasks are preset and cannot be changed.
Service Name	This is a filter for BAdI execution. The BAdI Rule-Based Workflow - Call System Method must be implemented for process pattern 2 to work.

Fields in Decision Table DT_USER_AGT_GRP_BP1P1

This table contains a list of agents (usually users) that is referenced by the DT_SINGLE_VAL_BP1P1 workflow table when one of the workflow steps requires user participation. For a list of the predefined values see Configuring Master Data Governance for Business Partner. You can use the following Configuration activities to define your own actions and step types:

Master Data Governance General Settings Process Modeling Workflow Define Actions for Change Request UIs
Master Data Governance General Settings Process Modeling Workflow Define Step Types and Assign Actions

Field	Description
Condition Alias	This is a reference for the main workflow table. If this condition alias is set as a value in the DT_SINGLE_VAL_BP1P1 table then the system will read this line to see what actions are to be taken.
User Agt Grp No.	Non-user agent group number.
Step Type	Defines the user interface and buttons that appear for the user when they click the workflow task they receive.
User Agent Type	Indicates the agent type, defining if it is a user, organizational unit, role, job, position, or special user.
User Agent	Defines the name of the agent to be sent this workflow task.

Example

Steps in the Create Business Partner Rule-Based Workflow

The following steps make up the pre-delivered rule-based workflow for creating a new business partner. The workflow involves two users, a business user who creates the change request, and a Master Data Steward who is tasked with reviewing and approving the change request. If a field is not mentioned in the tables below it is not relevant for the workflow step. The order of the steps below is not important as the order in which they occur is based on the field values. The intention of this workflow is to provide a simple workflow for change requests for business partner creation. The change request is sent for review, reviewed, then is either rejected, or is accepted and sent for a technical check. If the technical check is successful the business partner is created and the workflow ends, if the technical check is not successful then the change request is sent back for rework.

The following pre-delivered workflow DT_SINGLE_VAL_BP1P1 references the Change Request Type BP1P1 and shows all values for all change request types involved in creating a business partner.

Change Request Step: The system puts the new change request into the worklist of the Master Data Steward.

This is the first step in the create Business Partner workflow. The change request has been created and the step tells the system to place it in the worklist for the Master Data Steward. The settings in the user table determine the user interface to be displayed when opening the worklist item. The Master Data Steward has the choice to either approve or reject the change request.

Field	Field Value	Explanation of Field Value
CR Previous Step	00	This is the first step and no previous values exist.
Condition Alias	1	This value refers to the condition alias 1 from user table DT_USER_AGT_GRP_BP1P1. This line tells the system to put the workflow task to the master data steward.
New Chng. Req. Step	90	This tells the system to check the lines with step 90 as the value for CR Previous Step next.
New CR Status	01	This sets the change request status to value 01: To Be Considered and Approved.

Change Request Step: The Master Data Steward opens the change request and approve it. The change request is sent for technical validation.

This step is triggered when the Master Data Steward reviews the change request and approves it. The step tells the system to send the change request for technical validation where the data will be checked for validity and completeness.

Field	Field Value	Explanation of Field Value
CR Previous Step	90	Identifies this step and links it to the previous step.
Previous Action	03	Indicates that the previous action was Final Check Approved (The user chose the Approve button) and that the change request is to be activated.
Condition Alias	2	Instructs the system to check the other workflow tables for condition alias 2. In this case the master data steward chooses the Approve button and the workflow chooses the activation pattern.
New Chng. Req. Step	91	This tells the system to check the line with step 91 as the value for CR Previous Step next.
New CR Status	--	No new CR Status.

Change Request Step: The Master Data Steward opens the change request and rejects it. This step triggers the roll back for the change request and sends it back to the workflow initiator (business user) for revision.

This step is triggered if the Master Data Steward chooses to reject the change request. The step instructs the system to roll back the change request and send the change request back to the workflow initiator (business user) for revision.

Field	Field Value	Explanation of Field Value
CR Previous Step	90	Identifies this step and links it to the previous step.
Previous Action	04	Indicates that the previous action was Reject (The master data steward chose the Reject button) and that the master data steward reject change request.
Condition Alias	3	This value tells the system to refer to table DT_USER_AGT_GRP_BP1P1.
New Chng. Req. Step	95	This tells the system to check the line with step 95 as the value for CR Previous Step next.
New CR Status	10	This sets the change request status to value 10: To Revise: Perform Changes.

Change Request Step: The activation was successful and the workflow is completed.

This step is triggered following reviewer approval of the change request and a successful technical check. This step completes the workflow.

Field	Field Value	Explanation of Field Value
CR Previous Step	91	Identifies this step and links it to the previous step.
Previous Action	31	The previous action was Activation Successful.
Condition Alias	4	This value tells the system to refer to table DT_NON_USER_AGT_GRP_BP1P1. The task the value points to completes the workflow.
New Chng. Req. Step	99	This field value indicates the end of the process.
New CR Status	05	This sets the change request status to value 5: Final Check Approved.

Change Request Step: The activation failed due to data errors. The change request is sent back to the workflow initiator (business user).

This step is triggered following the Master Data Steward’s approval of the change request and a failed activation. The activation failed for technical reasons and the change request is sent back to the workflow initiator (business user) to resolve the issues.

Field	Field Value	Explanation of Field Value
CR Previous Step	91	Identifies this step and links it to the previous step
Previous Action	< > 31	Indicates that the previous action was not Activation Successful
Condition Alias	5	This value tells the system to refer to table DT_USER_AGT_GRP_BP1P1. The change request is sent back to workflow initiator (business user) to deal with the technical errors.
New Chng. Req. Step	96	This tells the system to check the line with step 96 as the value for CR Previous Step next.
New CR Status	11	Sets the status to value 11: Process Errors After Activation.

Change Request Step: The workflow initiator (business user) opens the change request and chooses the Activate button. The system activates bypass the Activation Error.

Field	Field Value	Explanation of Field Value
CR Previous Step	96	Identifies this step and links it to the previous step
Previous Action	09	Indicates that the previous action was Activation. The workflow initiator (business user) chose the Activation button.
Condition Alias	9	This value tells the system to refer to table DT_NON_USER_AGT_GRP_BP1P1. The change request will be activated even if there are activation errors (for example, a snapshot difference).
New Chng. Req. Step	91	This tells the system to check the line with step 96 as the value for CR Previous Step next.
New CR Status	--	No new CR Status

Change Request Step: The workflow initiator (business user) opens the change request and chooses the Send for Revision button. This step triggers the roll back for change request and sends it back in our example to himself for revision.

Field	Field Value	Explanation of Field Value
CR Previous Step	96	Identifies this step and links it to the previous step
Previous Action	10	Indicates that the previous action was Send for Revision. The workflow initiator (business user) chose the Send for Revision button.
Condition Alias	3	This value tells the system to refer to table DT_NON_USER_AGT_GRP_BP1P1. The change request is sent back for revision because of activation errors (for example, Snapshot Difference).
New Chng. Req. Step	95	Tells the system to check the line with step 95 as the value for CR Previous Step next.
New CR Status	10	To Revise: Perform Changes

Change Request Step: Revision processing. The workflow initiator (business user) opens the change request, makes changes, and chooses the Resubmit button.

This step is triggered after the Master Data Steward chooses Reject in the approval step or after the workflow initiator (business user) chooses Send for Revision after an activation error.

Field	Field Value	Explanation of Field Value
CR Previous Step	95	Identifies this step and links it to the previous step.
Previous Action	07	Indicates that the previous action was 07 Resubmit
Condition Alias	1	This value tells the system to refer to table DT_USER_AGT_GRP_BP1P1. After changes, the change request is sent back to the master data steward to approve the change request.
New Chng. Req. Step	90	This tells the system to check the line with step 90 as the value for CR Previous Step next.
New CR Status	01	To Be Considered and Approved

Change Request Step: Revision processing. The workflow initiator (business user) reviews the change request and decides to cancel it.

This step is triggered after the Master Data Steward chooses Reject in the approval step or after the workflow initiator (business user) chooses Send for Revision after an activation error.

Field	Field Value	Explanation of Field Value
CR Previous Step	95	Identifies this step and links it to the previous step.
Previous Action	08	Indicates that the previous action was 08 Withdraw
Condition Alias	8	This value tells the system to refer to table DT_NON_USER_AGT_GRP_BP1P1 for condition alias 8. In this case, condition alias 8 is a system task to roll back the change request.
New Chng. Req. Step	92	This tells the system to check the line with step 92 as the value for CR Previous Step.
New CR Status	--	Not applicable.

Change Request Step: The workflow initiator (business user) canceled the change request and triggered the roll back of the data and the completion of the workflow.

This step is triggered in these two situations:

The Master Data Steward rejected the change request and the workflow initiator (business user) decided to cancel the change request rather than make updates to it. This step completes the workflow.
The workflow initiator (business user) chooses Send for Revision after an activation error and the same workflow initiator (business user) decides to cancel the change request.

This step completes the workflow.

Field	Field Value	Explanation of Field Value
CR Previous Step	92	Identifies this step and links it to the previous step.
Previous Action	Blank
Condition Alias	6	Tells the system to refer to table DT_NON_USER_AGT_GRP_BP1P1. The task it points to completes the workflow.
New Chng. Req. Step	99	Indicates the end of the process.
New CR Status	06	06: Final Check Rejected.