© SAP AG 1999
R/3 System
Release: 4.6 C
November 2000
Material number: 5004 2078
© SAP AG 1999
Some software products marketed by SAP AG and its distributors contain proprietary software components of other software vendors. Microsoft®, WINDOWS®, WINDOWS®, NT®, EXCEL®, Word® and SQL Server® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. IBM®, DB2®, OS/2®, DB2/6000®, Parallel Sysplex®, MVS/ESA®, RS/6000®, AIX®, S/390®, AS/400®, OS/390®, and OS/400® are registered trademarks of IBM Corporation. ORACLE® is a registered trademark of ORACLE Corporation, California, USA. INFORMIX®-OnLine INFORMIX®-OnLine for SAP and a nd Informix® Dynamic ServerTM are registered trademarks of Informix Software Incorporated. UNIX®, X/Open®, OSF/1®, and Motif® are registered trademarks of The Open Group. HTML, DHTML, XML, XHTML are trademarks or registered trademarks of W3C®, World Wi de Web Consortium, Laboratory for Computer Science NE43-358, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 545 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139. JAVA® is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Microsystems, Inc. , 901 San Antonio Antonio Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303 USA. JAVASCRIPT® JAVASCRIPT® is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc., used under license for technology invented and implemented by Netscape. SAP, SAP Logo, mySAP.com, mySAP.com Marketplace, mySAP.com Workplace, mySAP.com Business Scenarios, mySAP.com Application Hosting, WebFlow, R/2, R/3, RIVA, ABAP™, SAP Business Workflow, SAP EarlyWatch, SAP ArchiveLink, BAPI, SAPPHIRE, Management Cockpit, SEM, are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries all over the world. All other products mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Design: SAP Communications Media
© SAP AG 1999
Some software products marketed by SAP AG and its distributors contain proprietary software components of other software vendors. Microsoft®, WINDOWS®, WINDOWS®, NT®, EXCEL®, Word® and SQL Server® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. IBM®, DB2®, OS/2®, DB2/6000®, Parallel Sysplex®, MVS/ESA®, RS/6000®, AIX®, S/390®, AS/400®, OS/390®, and OS/400® are registered trademarks of IBM Corporation. ORACLE® is a registered trademark of ORACLE Corporation, California, USA. INFORMIX®-OnLine INFORMIX®-OnLine for SAP and a nd Informix® Dynamic ServerTM are registered trademarks of Informix Software Incorporated. UNIX®, X/Open®, OSF/1®, and Motif® are registered trademarks of The Open Group. HTML, DHTML, XML, XHTML are trademarks or registered trademarks of W3C®, World Wi de Web Consortium, Laboratory for Computer Science NE43-358, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 545 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139. JAVA® is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Microsystems, Inc. , 901 San Antonio Antonio Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303 USA. JAVASCRIPT® JAVASCRIPT® is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc., used under license for technology invented and implemented by Netscape. SAP, SAP Logo, mySAP.com, mySAP.com Marketplace, mySAP.com Workplace, mySAP.com Business Scenarios, mySAP.com Application Hosting, WebFlow, R/2, R/3, RIVA, ABAP™, SAP Business Workflow, SAP EarlyWatch, SAP ArchiveLink, BAPI, SAPPHIRE, Management Cockpit, SEM, are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries all over the world. All other products mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Design: SAP Communications Media
2 days SAP Business Workflow - Introduction
5 days SAP Business Workflow Build and Use
3 days Workflow
SAP Business Workflow - Programming
3 days SAP ArchiveLink
2 days 3 days
Data Archiving
ADK - Retrieval programming
Archiving 2 days
Data Archiving Retention Tool (DART)
2 days SAP Business Connector
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Web connection
3 days Application Link Enabling (ALE) Technology 2 days SAP IDoc Interface Technology 4 days
3 days Business Integration Technology
1 day SAP IDoc Interface Development
EDI Interface
5 days Data Transfer 5 days Programming with BAPIs in Visual Basic 5 days R/3 Interface and BAPI Programming in C++ © SAP AG 1999
2 days Communication Interfaces in ABAP 5 days Programming with BAPIs in JAVA
© SAP AG 1999
© SAP AG 1999
© SAP AG 1999
© SAP AG 1999 © SAP AG
© SAP AG
BC601
1-1
© SAP AG 1999
© SAP AG
BC601
1-2
© SAP AG 1999
© SAP AG
BC601
1-3
Unit 1
Unit 8
Unit 2
Unit 9
Unit 3
Unit 10
Unit 4
Unit 11
Unit 5
Unit 12
Unit 6
Unit 13
Unit 7
© SAP AG 1999
© SAP AG
BC601
1-4
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BC601
1-5
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BC601
1-6
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© SAP AG
BC601
2-1
© SAP AG 1999
This unit is a short review of BC600 SAP Business Workflow - Introduction
© SAP AG
BC601
2-2
© SAP AG 1999
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BC601
2-3
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BC601
2-4
© SAP AG 1999
You can use the SAP Business Workflow system to support your enterprise processes in R/3.
The SAP Business Workflow system is able to combine steps from different applications into one process.
The SAP Business Workflow system supplies the end user with all the information required for the next step.
You can change the SAP workflows provided, or you ca n build your own workflow definitions.
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BC601
2-5
Customer
Material
Vendor
Order
Purchase order
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Workflows can either be started by events, explicitly in start transactions, or by using external forms, (for example on the Internet).
A workflow can start another workflow by tri ggering an event.
The individual steps of a workflow are represented by tasks (TS). The tasks are based on methods of business objects that are defined i n the Business Object Repository, and refer to entities and relations in the R/3 data model.
Steps of a workflow can also be controlling steps, for example, "waiting for an event", "container operation", "loop", ...
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BC601
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© SAP AG 1999
On the level of the SAP business object type, all services are provided in the form of executable methods. •
Methods can be realized as BAPIs. You can then call them from outside the system. BAPIs have an established static interface.
•
Methods are related to functions from applications in the SAP R/3 System. The tool for maintaining business object types is the BOR (Business Object Repository).
The process level describes the business process in a sequence of individual steps. All the steps together form the workflow definition. •
An individual step can refer to a method in the BOR, but can also serve to control the process, for example to allow loop processes or carry out container operations.
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The tool for maintaining the process level is the Workflow Builder.
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The Workflow Management System evaluates the process level at runtime.
The organizational level provides the link to the organizational chart. •
Each task that can be executed within a workflow has a group fo possible agents,
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By making further entries, this group can be reduced to the agent in the workflow step. The selected agents receive a work item (= representative of the task at runtime) in their Business Workplace at runtime.
If the work item is executed, the corresponding method of the business object type is started.
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BC601
2-7
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When you have identified a process in your enterprise that you want to structure using a workflow, first clarify whether SAP delivers a template for this process. How to find a template and how to adapt it for execution are covered in the course BC600.
The course BC600 also covers the changes that are possible within a configuration, without copying the standard template.
If you find a template, the process logic must be suitable. You then require the knowledge from this course. You can use the template as an example after you have created a copy.
Only if you do not find a suitable template, do you have to plan and implement the workflow from beginning to end.
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BC601
2-8
Workflow Definition
Task
Object Type
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You have selected a business process and divided it into individual steps that can be executed in a workflow.
Find the suitable object types in the Business Object Repository. Check that all required methods, attributes and events are available. If not, you need to enhance the object type.
Check whether there are already tasks in the system for your desired steps. If not, you need to define new tasks.
Organizational level agent assignment: You have determined organizational responsibilities and found the corresponding entries in your organizational plan. An agent can be an SAP user, an organizational unit, position, job, or activity. You may need to create the specific workflow units additionally in your organizational plan, or, using the organizational management, you may need to create links to existing units.
Agent assignment: In the definition of the tasks you have to enter the largest possible agent group (= agents). In the workflow step used by the task, you reduce the possible agents according to demand. The intersection between the possible agents and those recognized in the workflow step forms the agents.
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BC601
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Event
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For each step you should ask yourself: •
What work has to be done?
•
Who is doing the work? (only for dialog steps)
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Which message text do you want to send?
For each event you should ask yourself: •
When is this event generated?
•
Which SAP application generates this event?
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BC601
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© SAP AG 1999
During the workflow design, it is recommeneded that you write the answers to the questions on the last slide next to the box. The answers will guide you towards the workflow definition requirements: 1. A triggering event: •
request created
2. Three tasks based on methods of object type •
Approve request
•
Change request
•
Delete request
3. A task based on a method of object type •
Send mail
4. A user decision 5. A loop, which will be controlled by a loop-flag.
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BC601
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If the agents of the individual workflow steps are determined using the customer-specific organizational diagram, your agent assignment remains flexible to change.
You have different options to connect your workflows to the SAP organizational plan.
:
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There is only one chart for the whole company.
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All workflows have to be connected to organizational objects from this structure.
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Using this option there are no specific structures just for the workflow.
: •
HR administrates the general structure for all employees in the enterprise.
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For the business process, there is a small specific structure for supporting the workflow.
: •
There is not (yet) a general HR structure for all employees.
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To support the workflows there will be one small structure for each process.
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BC601
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© SAP AG 1999
The maintenance of SAP organizational management is available as a Basis component. Path: SAP EASY ACCESS - Tools - Business Workflow - Development - Environment Organizational Management - Simple maintenance.
You work with a main window and three main functions. Each function is determined for a particular group of maintenance activities.
The "Create Organizational Unit" icon allows you to create and maintain the organizational structure for your organizational plan.
The symbol "Create position" allows you to create the positions from new as an element of your organizational plan. The Tasks function allows you to create, maintain and view task profiles for jobs, positions, and users.
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BC601
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A task can be assigned to one or more jobs. Jobs are general activity descriptions.
Jobs are not designed to be held by employees. It is the positions in your enterprise that are held by individual people.
If a position is assigned to a job, the position inherits the tasks of the job, but can also have additional tasks related to duties performed specifically by that position.
One position may also be shared by several employees each working less than full time. For example, two employees can occupy 60% and 40% of a position. The workflow regards both employees as valid agents and ignores the percentage division of the job.
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BC601
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