Workflow Steps

Overview

Workflow administration is the final step in setting up a Commerce Process. Workflows are made up of steps, which define the states transactions can be in, as well as document permissions and routing. Commerce Processes can have any number of workflow steps.

For example, an RFQ process could have steps like "Submitted", "Quoted", "Accepted", "Declined" and "Expired". These steps could transition a transaction from an RFQ document, to a Quote document, then to a PO document.

• Workflow Steps use profiles to define access rights, transition notification, and transaction views. The Commerce system automatically creates a default profile for each workflow step. You can customize the default profile and create additional ones to support different transaction access rights.
• Profile permissions can be granted based on user access type, user groups, or previous performers. In addition to these permissions, you can add auto-forwarding rules to workflow steps to support a collaborative sales environment, one in which multiple users can work on the same transaction.
• Auto-forwarding rules direct the system to share transactions between members of certain user groups. You can create auto-forwarding rules for each workflow step and base them on any number of criteria.

View One-Page Step Administration Example

Standard Process Workflow Steps

Administration

You can add, edit, and delete all steps, profiles, transition rules and timers from a single page. Steps and profiles are organized in a hierarchical tree structure for ease of administration. You can re-order your steps and profiles and move transition rules using drag and drop.

How it's all related

---

Creating Workflow Steps

Steps (document states) can be created individually from the Step List page. We recommend creating all of the steps in a workflow before managing profiles.

1. Navigate from the Admin Home Page > Commerce and Documents > Process Definition > Select a Commerce Process > Steps.

2. Enter a step Name and Variable Name. The name is displayed when you encounter the step. For example, Start.

   The Variable Name field populates automatically. Variable names can only contain alpha-numeric characters and underscores. The entry can be changed before saving, but after saving the value is read-only.

3. Enter a Description for the step. For example, Default Step.

4. Click Save.

   

   This displays the section where you can define forwarding rules for the step. Forwarding rules are used to give one or more user groups access to transactions during that step.
   To understand the concept of auto-forwarding rules, see the topic Forwarding Rules.
5. Specify the following in the Forward Rule section:
   • Select No Forward Rule if you do not want to add a forwarding rule. This is the default section.
   • Select Simple Forwarding Rule if you want to add a forwarding rule that doesn't require BML.
   • Select a Profile from the drop-down provided.
   • Choose All Groups if you want to link this step to all the groups or select individual group names if you want to link this step to a few selected groups. Select multiple group names using the CTRL key from the names provided in the list box.
   • Select Advanced Forward Rule if you want to add an advanced forwarding rule and click Define Function. This opens the Commerce BML Editor window.

6. Click Save. The new step appears in the right panel.

   To edit workflow steps, double-click the Step name in the right pane.
   Steps are created in an inactive, pending state. After all components of a Commerce Process have been completed, the process should be deployed. For more information, see the topic Commerce Deployment Center.

---

Notes

Related Topics

See Also