IBM Enterprise Records, Version 5.1.+            

Designing and customizing Records Manager processes

You can customize Records Manager (RM) processes by modifying the associated workflows, which define a sequence of activities to be accomplished for a business process. RM workflows provide a representation of business processes and are developed using the existing PE features. RM workflows are designed in such a manner that you can customize them by the addition of new steps or removal of existing steps to fulfill varying records management requirements. You can use various types of RM workflows, such as Disposition, Vital Record Review, Create Record Folder, and Physical Record Management. Disposition workflows include Screening, Export, Two Step Transfer, Interim Transfer, Cutoff, and Destroy.

Each RM workflow includes a workflow definition, which is a processing template that the Process Engine uses each time a workflow runs, routing the work to participants, along with data, attachments, and other information required to complete activities. Each workflow definition can include the following types of steps:
General step
Represents an activity that will be processed by a workflow participant or sent to a work queue for processing by participants or by an automated process. When a participant opens a work item, the general step displays the instructions, the attachments stored in Object Stores or File Stores, current field values, response options, or other resources necessary to allow the participant to process the step.
System step
Represents a built-in function that will be performed by the system. The built-in system functions perform logic-control and other functionality in the workflow, such as setting the time limits for specific activities in the workflow.
Component step
Is used for executing methods to perform a step in a workflow. It consists of two types of component queues: RM_Operations and RM_Workflow_Util. RM_Operations contains general methods that are used by third parties to create a new workflow, while RM_Workflow_Util contains only those methods that are used by RM workflows.

Launching RM Workflows

RM workflows can be launched by calling the appropriate method from the existing set of launch interfaces with defined input parameters. Separate launch interfaces have been defined to cater to different types of RM workflows. For example, the Cutoff workflow is launched through the DisposalSweep utility, which is configured to execute at a scheduled time. However, if the isScreeningRequired value of the disposition schedule is set to true, the Screening workflow will be launched first before Cutoff workflow. Other workflows such as Destroy, Transfer, Interim Transfer, and Export are launched using the Initiate Disposition link in the UI. However, if the isScreeningRequired value of a phase is set to true, the Screening workflow will be launched first before the workflow associated with the phase. For launching disposition workflows, the RM API sets three parameters: GUID, ObjectStoreID, and Reviewer. These parameters are described in the following table:

Parameter Description
GUID Refers to the GUID of entities that are to be shown in a workflow. This contains all the entities sent in one batch.
ObjectStoreID Refers to the object store ID.
Reviewer Refers to the user who will review the entities in the Review step.


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Last updated: August 2011


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