System Administration

Create a Workflow

Workflow is an email notification method called from within a WebApp where an email is sent upon the execution of an event. If a workflow requires a user to log in to the Stewardship Tier in order to perform a function, a link can be included in the email to navigate directly to the relevant page in the WebApp.

Workflow is used in situations where groups, users and fields outside the context of a particular page are needed, or when the decisions to manually send an email are particularly complex.

Setting up a workflow involves:

• Create a workflow view in SQL Server.
• Register the view in the Stewardship Tier
• Configure Workflow Fields
• Configure Workflow Links

Types of Workflow

Standard

To use standard workflow authentication, design the workflow view to specify an email address in the To field. Leave the WorkflowUserID field blank on the Workflow page in System Administration. The Stewardship Tier sends an email to the email address specified in the To field. The link in the email navigates through the standard Stewardship Tierauthentication process which could be anonymous, basic or integrated authentication, depending on how the site is configured.

Semi-anonymous

Using semi-anonymous is convenient for the user. When the link in the email is clicked, the user is automatically signed into their account without entering credentials. To use semi-anonymous workflow authentication, design the workflow view to use a Stewardship Tier User ID in the To field instead of an email address. The Stewardship Tier looks up the user’s email address in the user’s account in order to send the workflow email. When the recipient clicks the workflow link in the email, they are automatically logged in as the specified user. The WorkflowUserID field is ignored.

If the site parameter Support Workflow Authentication is disabled, the recipient must log into the Stewardship Tier when they click the workflow link. Refer to Parameters for more information on this field.

Anonymous

When using anonymous, the email address recipient does not have or need to have their own account to log in. To use anonymous workflow authentication, specify a WorkflowUserID on the Workflow page in System Administration. The WorkflowUserID select list is populated with only anonymous users. Make sure the anonymous user selected has permissions to the page to which it is linked. The email is sent to the email address specified in the To field of the workflow view. Upon clicking the link in the email, the user is automatically logged in as the anonymous user selected.

Register Workflow Views

Once the view is created, the view must be registered in the Stewardship Tier. Each row in this view represents one email. If this view includes two rows for a specific key from the source page, two emails are sent.

To register a workflow view:

1. Select WebApps in the Navigation pane.

2. Click Pages for a WEB APP NAME.

3. Click Events for a DESCRIPTION.

   NOTE: The DESCRIPTION is the name of the page.

   NOTE: If no records exist, the page displays in add mode. Otherwise, click Add.

   View the field descriptions for the Page Events page.

4. Select an option from the EVENT list box.

5. The ACTIVE check box is enabled by default.

6. Select an option from the EVENT PROCESS TYPE ID list box.

7. Click Save; the Vertical View displays.

8. Enter the Pre Message, Post Message and Comments for the event on the General tab.

   NOTE: It is very unlikely that a user will need to change the options in the Advanced Properties tab (step #9) when setting up a workflow. Most users can skip this step and continue with step #10.

9. Click the Advanced Properties tab.

   1. Select an option from the Transaction Method list box.

   2. Select an option from the Function list box.

   3. Select an option from the Event Level list box.

   4. Click the Public check box to enable it, allowing the event to be called via a Business Rule from a page in any WebApp.

   5. Select an option from the Page View Type list box.

10. Click Save.

11. Click Business Rules for an EVENT.

    NOTE: The business rule will run when this event is executed.

    NOTE: If no records exist, the page displays in add mode. Otherwise, click Add.

    View the field descriptions for the Page Business Rules page.

12. Enter the value in PRIORITY field.

    NOTE: If multiple business rules exist for the page, this number indicates the order in which they are run.

13. Verify ACTIVE check box is enabled.

14. Select Workflow from PROCEDURE TYPE list box.

15. Click Save; Vertical View displays.

16. Select the workflow view from the Alternate View list box.

17. Select a value from the Message Type ID list box.

18. Enter a description in Comment field.

19. Select an ID from Link User ID field.

    NOTE: The Link User ID is used for anonymous users. This list box displays all Anonymous user accounts.

20. Enter a value in Link Expire Days.

    NOTE: Link Expire Days controls the number of days the workflow link is active and therefore accessible.

21. Click Link Reuse check box.

    NOTE: Link Reuse enables the workflow link to be used multiple times until it expires. Otherwise, the user is denied access to the workflow link after one use.

22. Select an ID from Link to Page ID list box.

    NOTE: The Link to Page ID field controls the page that opens when the user clicks the link. Options in this list box display as [Component Name : Page Name], e.g., Collect : Copy Targets.

23. Click the Link To Page Restricted check box to enable it.

    NOTE:  The Link To Page Restricted restricts page access between two pages bound by key fields. Disable the check box to deactivate the option and allow a link from one page to another without restrictions. This property is used in conjunction with the Binding Field Names option.  Normally when two pages contain shared key fields (such as Orders and Order Details), restrict the link to page by binding key. Turning this option off allows the user to link from one page to another without restriction.

24. Enter field names in Binding Field Names field, if applicable.

    NOTE: Binding fields are required when the primary keys are not available or if the primary keys have different names. They are needed when the linking relationship cannot be inferred, because keys are either not defined or have different names from parent to child. Specify them here as one or more parent=child pairs, separated by commas. For example: CustomerID=CustID; or EmployeeID=EmployeeID, Department=DepartNo. (=child portion may be omitted if names are not different.)

25. Click the + next to Advanced Properties label to configure additional workflow properties.

26. Click the Run On Validate check box to execute the workflow if the corresponding validation rule returns zero records or if it returns records with a severity level less than Error.

27. Click the Run On Validate Fail check box to execute the workflow if the corresponding validation rule returns any record that fails with a severity level of Error.

28. Click the Force Foreground Execution check box to execute the workflow in the foreground.

    NOTE: If the user should be notified that a workflow is being sent, then it should be set to run in the foreground.  If the workflow will take a long time to send (e.g. emails are being sent to many users) than it might be better to run in the background.

29. Click the Workflow Fields button to configure the workflow fields. Refer to Configure Workflow Fields for more information about configuring the workflow email sent with this workflow.

30. Click the Workflow Links button to create custom workflow links. Refer to Configure Workflow Links for more information.

    NOTE: The Workflow Links button is not accessible until Save is clicked.

31. Click Save.

Configure Workflow Fields

The workflow fields determine what is displayed in the subject line, body text, and other fields of the workflow. These fields must be added to the view and aliased correctly to be utilized in the workflow.

To configure the workflow fields:

1. Select WebApps in the Navigation pane.
2. Click the Pages icon for a WEB APP NAME.
3. Click the Events icon for a DESCRIPTION.
4. Click the Business Rules icon for an EVENT.
5. Click Vertical View for a business rule with a PROCEDURE TYPE of Workflow.
6. Click Workflow Fields.
7. Click Edit.

   View the field description for the Advanced Workflow page.

8. Select a field from the From list box.

   NOTE: Displays the column name from the Alternate View that contains the sender’s email address.

9. Select a field from the To list box.

   NOTE: Displays the column name from the Alternate View that contains the email address(es) or userID(s) of the TO recipients.

10. Select a field from the CC list box.

    NOTE: Displays the column name from the Alternate View that contains the email address(es) or userID(s) of the CC recipients. If the workflow contains a link, each recipient receives a separate notification or email.

11. Select a field from the BCC list box.

    NOTE: Displays the column name from the Alternate View that contains the email address(es) or userID(s) of the BCC recipients. If the workflow contains a link, each recipient receives a separate notification or email. 

12. Select a field from the Subject list box.

    NOTE: Displays the column name from the Alternate View that contains the subject of the email.

13. Select a field from the Body list box.

    NOTE: Displays the column name from the Alternate View that contains the content of the email. If Support Workflow Authentication is enabled (on the Parameterspage), disclaimer text (to inform the email recipient that any user who clicks the workflow link is automatically authenticated based on the email recipient’s user account) appears above the Body text.

14. Select a field from the Email Attachment list box.

    NOTE: Displays the column name from the Alternate View where the paths to the file attachment(s) are specified.

15. Click Save.

    NOTE: When a workflow is executed, the WorkflowedBy and WorkflowedOn fields are updated in the page table, if the table exists.

Configure Workflow Links

A workflow can contain a link that navigates a user to a specific page to then perform a function, such as viewing data or clicking a button to trigger an event. If the recipient of a workflow is to trigger an event, such as clicking an Accept button to approve a Purchase Order, the event can be invoked from within the email or notification message. If a workflow link is clicked in an email, a new browser opens prompting the user to sign in to Stewardship Tier (if the user is not anonymous or semi-anonymous).

Before the workflow links can be configured, the required workflow fields must be populated. Refer to Configure Workflow Fields for more information.  The Workflow Links button is disabled until Workflow Fields have been configured.

To configure event links within a workflow:

1. Select Admin > WebApps in the Navigation pane.

2. Click Pages for a WEB APP NAME.

3. Click Events for a DESCRIPTION.

4. Click Business Rules for an EVENT.

5. Click Vertical View for a business rule with a PROCEDURE TYPE of Workflow.

6. Click Workflow Links button.

   NOTE: If no records exist, the page displays in add mode. Otherwise, click Add.

   View the field descriptions for the Workflow Links page

7. Enter a name in LINK field.

   NOTE: This text displays as the link name in the workflow email.

8. Select an event from Link to Event list box.

   NOTE: The values in the Link to Event list box are events registered to the page selected for the LinkToPageID column on the Page Business Rules Vertical view.

9. Enter a priority in SORT ORDER field.

   NOTE: The SORT ORDER determines the order of the links, from left to right.

10. Click Save.