Versions of a Workflow
The system manages several versions of a workflow. One of the versions of a workflow is the active version.
The import and export parameters of the workflow container (the interfaces parameter) are not subject to any versioning.
The information area displays the version you are processing and whether an active version is involved. To display an overview of all versions, choose
in the Workflow Builder. An overview of all versions of the workflow definition can be found on the tab page
Version overview in the version-dependent basic data.
A running workflow always refers to the version of the workflow active at the time it is started.
Even if subsequently a new version of the workflow becomes the active version, workflows still running continue to refer to the version active when they were started.
Start of the Workflow Builder
When the Workflow Builder is started, the last processed workflow in the last processed version is displayed as standard. For more information, see Calling the Workflow Builder.
Saving and activating workflow definitions
When a workflow definition is saved, the old version is overwritten automatically. After being saved, the workflow definition has the status revised.
To set the workflow definition to status
active, you select
. The workflow definition is first subjected to a syntax check. Any errors and warnings discovered are displayed in the message area of the Workflow Builder. Only if errors are found, is the workflow definition not activated. If no errors are found (no red traffic lights in the message area), the workflow definition is saved and activated.
If you save and activate a workflow definition, current workflows that refer to this version of the workflow definition may no longer be executable.
Generating a runtime version of a workflow definition
You can generate a runtime version without activating the workflow definition. To do this, choose
Workflow 
Activate Generate Runtime Version 
.
New version of a workflow definition
To generate a new version, you choose
Workflow Generate Version . The workflow definition is set to status
new, saved.
In order not to increase the memory space requirements for workflow definitions excessively, you should only generate a new version under the following circumstances:
-
If you have made incompatible changes
-
If there are productive workflows running that refer to the current version.
As long as you are still in the test and development phase, you do not usually have to create new versions.
Transporting a workflow definition
If a workflow definition is transported into another system, only the active version is transported. If the workflow definition exists in the target system with the same version number, it is overwritten by the transported version if it has no workflows running. Otherwise, the transported workflow definition is saved with a free version number. The transported workflow definition becomes the active workflow definition in the target system.