An operation is a function within a step processor that performs a specific
task. In the Process Configuration Console,
you can associate an operation with a queue. Before you can do so, you
need the following details from the developer of each step processor that
will use the operation:
The name of the operation
The name of each parameter that the operation expects, and an optional
description
The data type of each parameter
How the data for each parameter passes between the operation and
the work item
Click Commit Changes
on the toolbar
to apply this change to your isolated region. You can commit the changes
immediately, or you can wait until you have finished all your changes.
You cannot delete an operation once it has been committed.
NOTE The
commit process suspends all other database transactions within the isolated region
until it finishes. We strongly recommend that you accumulate all changes and commit
them once when you're done, or that you commit changes when the isolated region
is relatively inactive. Avoid committing changes after every modification whenever
possible.
To delete an operation
If the Properties dialog box is not already displayed, select the
icon of the queue you wish to modify and click Properties
on the toolbar.
Select the Operations tab.
Select the operation you want to delete, and click Delete.
Click OK when done.
Click Commit Changes
on the toolbar
to apply this change to your isolated region. You can commit the changes
immediately, or you can wait until you have finished all your changes.
NOTE The
commit process suspends all other database transactions within the isolated region
until it finishes. We strongly recommend that you accumulate all changes and commit
them once when you're done, or that you commit changes when the isolated region
is relatively inactive. Avoid committing changes after every modification whenever
possible.
To add or delete a
parameter in an operation
If the Properties dialog box is not already displayed, select the
icon of the queue you wish to modify and click Properties
on the toolbar.
Select the Operations tab.
Select the operation whose parameters you want to change.
To add a parameter, enter the following information in the Parameters
box:
Name: The name must conform to
standard Process Engine
naming
conventions.
Type: Select the data type of
the parameter from the drop-down list.
Access: Select the direction of
the data passing between the operation and the work item:
Read: A data value that passes
from the work item to the operation.
Write: A data value that is
generated by the operation and then passed to the work item.
Read/Write: A data value that
passes from the work item to the operation, where it is processed
and then passed back to the work item.
Description: Enter an optional
description.
To remove a parameter, click Delete.
CAUTION Use
caution when deleting parameters from and re-transferring an operation
that already exists in the workflow database. If no work items have
entered queue on which the operation is defined, you can safely delete
operation parameters. However, if any work items have entered the
queue and you subsequently delete an operation parameter, the commit
action will fail.
Click OK when done.
Click Commit Changes on the toolbar
to apply this change to your isolated region. You can commit the changes
immediately, or you can wait until you have finished all your changes.
NOTE The
commit process suspends all other database transactions within the isolated region
until it finishes. We strongly recommend that you accumulate all changes and commit
them once when you're done, or that you commit changes when the isolated region
is relatively inactive. Avoid committing changes after every modification whenever
possible.
NOTE
When defining an operation and its parameters, the workflow author, workflow
administrator, and application developer typically work together to determine
its names and usage. A step processor must use the operation name when
referencing the operation. In addition, the properties you enter for each
parameter must correspond to the properties expected by a step processor
processing work items in the selected queue.
TIPIn general, operations
are defined on queues for work items that will be processed by automated programs.
Though less common, operations can also be defined on queues from which participants
process work items, including user inboxes.