IBM FileNet P8, Version 5.2.1            

Specifying arrivals for a workflow

For each workflow definition that is used in a scenario, define one or more arrival schedules to specify when and how frequently a new workflow starts in the simulation. You can use either actual data imported from Case Analyzer, or you can define custom start and end times and frequency. In addition to the arrival schedules, you can specify initial values for data fields defined in the workflow definition.

To specify the arrivals for a workflow:

  1. Select a workflow in the Workflow area (left column).
  2. On the Arrivals tab, click Add on the Arrivals toolbar to create an arrival definition. (You can define more than one arrival for a workflow.)
  3. Replace the default name with a meaningful name for the arrival. The name must be unique among arrivals in the scenario.
  4. Under Arrival Type, select either Production Data or Custom Arrival Data.

    Production Data: Select this option to use actual data imported from Case Analyzer.

    Note: To get arrival rate from production data, the region from which the production data is retrieved and the region that the Process Simulator is logging on to must be the same.
    The workflow name used in the simulation scenario must be the same as the workflow name in the production data from the Case Analyzer.
    • Under Acquire Start Date & Time, specify the start date and time of data to be acquired from Case Analyzer.

      To edit the date and time fields, click the Calendar button to the right of the fields.

    • Under Acquire End Date & Time, specify the end date and time of data to be acquired from Case Analyzer.

      For example, if Case Analyzer has analysis data from actual running workflow spanning a period from July 1, 2000 to June 30, 2001, you might specify Acquire start and end dates of October 1, 2000 through December 31, 2000 as providing representative data of arrivals for the fourth quarter of the year to be used in the simulation.

    • Under Start Date & Time, select one of the following:
      • Use Scenario Start Date and Time to start the arrival data at the date and time specified for the start of the simulation.
      • Date/Time to enter a specific simulation date and time to start the arrivals.
    • Under Adjust Factor %, enter 0 to use the same arrival rate as the production data, no adjustment. To increase or decrease the simulated data, enter an appropriate factor. For example, if the production data has 150 arrivals for the time interval, an adjust factor of 100 results in 300 arrivals. An adjust factor of 50 results in 225 arrivals. An adjust factor of -50, results in 75 arrivals.
      Note: The adjust factor applies to the entire time interval. If the time interval is broken into a number of periods (shifts) the number of arrivals in each time period is approximate.
    Custom Arrival Data: Select this option to define custom start and end times and the quantity of arrivals over a specified time.
    • Under Start Time select one of the following:
      • Use Scenario Start Date and Time to start the arrivals at the date and time specified for the start of the simulation.
      • Date & Time to enter specific date and time different from the start of the simulation. Enter the date and time to start the arrivals. The date and time you specify must be on or after the start date and time of the simulation.
    • Under End Time select one of the following:
      • No End Time to allow the arrival to occur until the end time of the scenario is reached or the simulation run ends, whichever occurs first.
      • Date & Time to enter a specific simulation date and time to end the arrivals. Enter the date and time to end the arrivals. The date and time you specify must be on or before the end date and time of the simulation.
    • Under Occurrence, enter the number of times (Quantity) this workflow will arrive, then specify one of the following:
      • For Each Interval, specify how often the workflow will arrive. For example, if you specify 12 (quantity) each hour, the simulation will start twelve workflows at the start of each hour; shifts (defined under Scenario Properties) have no effect on arrivals. Once the workflows start arriving, they continue at the specified interval until the quantity is reached or the simulation is ended.
      • For Distributed Over, specify an amount of time over which the specified quantity of arrivals will occur. The arrival interval for the quantity will be distributed over that time. For example, if you specify 12 (quantity) distributed over 1 hour, the simulation starts one workflow every 5 minutes.
    Attention: (This option does not apply for arrivals of Production Data.)

    To use specific values in workflow data fields, you can specify initial values as part of the arrival schedule for the workflow definition. When the simulation runs, each workflow will arrive with the specific values for the data fields. In addition, at any step where values are assigned to a field in a pre- or post-assignment, the Simulation Engine will perform the assignment. Field values will be saved in the analytical information for subsequent use in Case Analyzer.

    Using the Expression Builder, you can set initial values for fields with primitive data type, such as string, integer, time, float, and Boolean. The expression you enter will be validated when you click Validate. You cannot set initial values for attachments, workflow groups, and array field types.

    To use the simulated data field values in Case Analyzer, do the following actions for the data fields:
    • Create the corresponding database fields on the event log.
    • Create the corresponding dimensions or measures for the various cubes by using Process Task Manager. These corresponding dimensions are sometimes called exposed fields. For more information, see the Process Task Manager online Help.

    For information about the effects on initial data values, see Replace workflow.

    Note that field values have no effect on routing in the simulation.

    To specify initial values for data fields in a workflow definition:
    • On the Arrivals tab under User Defined Fields, enter a value for a field.


Last updated: October 2015
properties_arrivals.htm

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