Technical terms used in vwtool

BLOb

Binary Large Object. A binary field that is stored in the workflow database tables. Process Engine uses BLObs to store such items as class definitions, instruction sheets, workspaces, and roles.

CDL file

An ASCII text file that contains both user-defined and system class definitions, as well as certain isolated region-level configuration information. The default file extension is .CDL.

A CDL (Class Description Language) file contains an embedded grammar that acts as a bridge between Process Engine and CDL-compatible Business Process Reengineering (BPR) tools. The Visual WorkFlo/Composer program can read from and write to a CDL file, as can compatible BRP tools. The Visual WorkFlo/Conductor program can transfer the data in a CDL file to the workflow database.

instruction sheet

A graphical representation of one or more sequences of steps needed to complete a business process. An instruction sheet is defined in a work class and can be user-defined or FileNet-provided. In most cases, an instruction sheet corresponds to a workflow map.

On an instruction sheet, each step is represented by an instruction; lines representing the direction in which work flows connect the instructions. Execution of the instruction sheet starts with the instruction in the top left corner and proceeds according to the logic defined by the instructions.

object ID

The ID assigned to the objects stored in the Object Service. The objects include work classes, work performer classes, roles, instruction sheets, and other data.

Object Service

The Object Service handles the storage, update and retrieval of Object IDs. These object IDs could be for work classes, work performer classes, roles, instruction sheets, and other data.

work class

A template that describes the attributes of a work item, such as data fields, a security configuration, and event logging options. In most cases, a work class corresponds to a workflow roster.

All work items belong to a work class; work items belonging to the same work class have the same attributes. A work class also contains instruction sheets that specify the processing for work items belonging to the class.

work object ID

A user-defined value that uniquely identifies a work item. The value can be a string, integer, float, Boolean, or time. The work object ID is not stored in the database. When work items are instantiated, the work object ID is converted to a work object tag and stored in the database.

work object name

A human-readable string form of a work object tag. The work object name is not stored in the database; instead, the system software derives the work object name by converting the work object tag.

work object number

A system-assigned, 16-byte binary number that uniquely identifies a work item. The work object number displays as a 32-byte hexadecimal string.

work object tag

A machine-readable string form of a work object ID. The values of a work object tag and the corresponding work object name are equivalent if the work object ID is a string value.

work performer class

A template that defines the characteristics and requirements common to a group of operations. In most cases, a work performer class corresponds to a queue. Typically, the operations in a work performer class have common functionality and were created in the same development environment. In addition, operations in the same class share requirements for event logging, security, and the retrieval of work objects for processing. An automated business process can include many different work performer classes; each class contains one or more operations.

workspace

A collection of work classes and work performer classes that together form the environment of a work item. Many workspaces can exist in a single system, and each workspace is a set of classes that are used by one or more work items. A work item is associated with only one workspace.