Description

Provide a description for the business process model. While typing the description, auto suggest help appears based on existing description of labels and fields. If you configure the language settings, the model description is translated to a preferred language. The description for the activities and models can be seen in the Process Instance Manager activity table and graphical view in the preferred language selected in user preferences. This is a mandatory field.

Namespace

A namespace is a set of rules that determine how network resources are named and identified. This field displays the namespace defined for the business process model as a complete URL. The namespace is editable. The default namespace (http://schemas.cordys.com/default) is generated by the business process. To change the default namespace to a custom namespace, edit the default namespace. The prefix of a namespace is editable. When the prefix of a namespace is changed, the change is reflected in all corresponding instances of the prefix in the message map or wherever it occurs.

Execution Priority

When you execute multiple business processes, corresponding process instances are created. If you want to specify the execution priority for these process instances, select an execution priority for the process instances at the business process level from the Execution Priority list. However, if you do not specify the execution priority, the process instances are executed in FIFO (First-In, First-Out) order. Displays the process execution priority levels of the business process model in a list, which assumes importance at runtime. You can select any one of the process execution priority levels: Highest, High, Normal, Low, and Lowest. The default priority level is Normal. At runtime, a business process model which has priority set to Highest will take precedence over other business process models that are set to lower priority levels. The logic of execution of the process instances according to priority is based on an algorithm which is set through the Business Process Management service configuration.

Execution Mode

To know when/which Execution Mode to select, see Process Execution Modes and to set the process execution mode, see The mode in which the business process model should be executed.

Use Business Calendar

If you want to associate your business calendar having specific working and non-working days with the business process model, you must select the Use Business Calendar checkbox. However, if you want to continue with the default work-week i.e. 24* 7, you need not select this checkbox. Select this checkbox to attach a business calendar to your business process model. When you select the Use Business Calendar checkbox, the Business Calendar field appears that allows you to select an available business calendar by browsing the list from the Select a Business Calendar dialog box. For more information on how to use a business calendar and its functions, see Business Calendar.

Enable Crash Recovery

Data loss situations are common in all computers due to corruption, user errors, virus infections, or system failures. All result in loss of critical data. Crash recovery is the ability to restore a process instance from the point of execution failure without having to restart it.If a business process encounters a problem due to system or processor failure, you can restore the system using the crash recovery feature at runtime. For example, a business process is scheduled to run 400 iterations, but the Business Process Management Service Container crashes after 200 iterations. In such a case, if the Business Process Management Service Container is restarted, the entire process has to begin again (i.e., from the first iteration). However, if crash recovery is enabled, the business process restarts from the point at which the process was terminated (in this case, from iteration 201). Select this checkbox to enable crash recovery for the business process model. When you enable crash recovery at the business process model level, the crash recovery feature is automatically applied to all the activities with that business process even if it is not enabled at the activity level. When the crash recovery feature is enabled only at activity level, crash recovery is applicable only for that particular activity. However, when crash recovery is enabled at both business process model and activity levels, then the property set at the model level takes precedence.

Contract

If you want to specify your own implementation for a Web service action, you must select the Contract checkbox. Select this checkbox to create a Contract. When you select the Contract checkbox, the Binding Operation field appears. Click to select a binding operation from the Select a Binding Operation dialog and click OK. When you select a binding operation, a dummy business process model is created with Start, (dummy) Activity and End events. The input message of the binding operation is added to the Start event and the output message of the binding operation is added to the End event. It is recommended that you add required implementatation to the business process model to make it executable. When you execute the Web service, the business process model is triggered.

You can configure an event listener that implements certain logic appropriate for process events. The event listener methods are invoked by the process engine during the execution of a process instance at appropriate process events.

Configure Monitoring on Process Level > Monitoring Level

Monitoring at the business process level keeps a track of process level information at run time. If monitoring is disabled, the process related information is not stored for future reference from Process Instance Manager (PIM). However, disabling monitoring improves the performance of process execution. Enable/disable monitoring for the process. For a long lived process, this option is selected by default.

• Process status: Records process basic information (status, timestamp, user information, and so on).
• Process status, input and output messages: Records process basic information (process status) and input and output messages of the business process.
• Process status, input, output messages and message- map: Records process basic information (process status), input and output messages, and the message map of the business process.
• Store complete process information only when process aborts: Records basic information, such as process status, input and output messages, and the message map of a business process only when the process aborts. If you select the Enable Crash Recovery check box on the General tab of the Business Process Model property sheet and at the Business Process Model service container level, it stores complete information of the process even if the process does not abort. 
• Store complete process information when exceptions are handled for aborted activities: Records information, such as process status, input and output messages, and the message map of a business process only when an activity within the process is aborted and after the exception is handled to continue with process execution. If this option is used, then information (such as what went wrong when the activity was aborted and how the exception was handled) is available to debug the issue.
• Store complete process information when process aborts and basic information when process completes: Records complete process information (such as status, input and output messages, and the message map) when the process aborts; records basic information (such as process and activity statuses) when the process completes.

  Note:

  • Default monitoring settings for long lived processes and page flow: Process status, input and output messages, and message-map for process monitoring.
  • Default monitoring settings for short lived processes: Process status for process monitoring.

Default Settings For All Activities > Configure Monitoring > Monitor Level

Monitoring at the activity level is done to keep track of activity level information at run time. If monitoring is disabled, the activity related information is not stored for future reference from PIM. Also, to monitor activity level data you must enable it at business process model level. However, disabling monitoring improves the performance of process execution. Enable or disable monitoring for the activity.

• Activity status: Records activity basic information (status, timestamp, and user information).

  Note: For a short lived process, if you select a single activity for monitoring, this field appears.

• Activity status, input and output messages: Records activity basic information and input and output message of activity
• Store complete activity information when activity aborts:  If the activity aborts, records activity basic information such as input and output messages.

  Tip
  If you want to configure default monitoring and crash recovery settings for all the activities in the business process, select the Default Settings For All Activities checkbox. The Configure Monitoring and Store Recovery Data check boxes are enabled.

  If you select Store Recovery Data checkbox, you can store recovery information of an activity that can be useful if the process aborts at this activity. Make sure to select Enable Crash Recovery checkbox in the General Enable Crash Recovery tab before you select Store Recovery Datacheckbox.

  Note:
  For a long lived process, when you select a single activity properties, all the above three fields appear.

  • Default monitoring settings for long lived and page flow processes: Activity status, input and output messages.
  • For short lived process, by default, no monitoring is enabled for process and its activities.

Default Settings For All Activities > Store Recovery Data

If you want to set the store recovery point for all activities in the business process model, select this option. You can set the recovery point for each individual activity by setting this property in the Recovery tab. You may either enable or disable the store recovery point for all activities at a time. However, if you also enable or disable the store recovery point at the individual activity property at the process level, only the activity level property will prevail.

Publish Business Identifier Values using

This option enables you to retrieve the business identifier values published through a Web service. To use this feature, you must provide the implementation to the PersistBusinessIdentifiersOperation operation as specified in the PersistBusinessIdentifiers WSDL. The Web service will be invoked after the execution of any activity which updates business identifiers value. It enables you to persist the changes to the business identifiers in custom repositories. Such storage will be useful if applications need to have specific queries over the business identifiers and their values.
Process engine calls the Web service asynchronously. Any error in triggering the Web service raises an alert and the details are logged in the business process engine service container log file. Errors from the Web service will not abort the execution of the process instance.
Following are the possible values and its related functionality:

• None: The engine will not trigger any request, that is, business identifier values are not published to the web service.
• Non-Transactional No-Reply: The service container that implements the Web service (PersistBusinessIdentifiers) need not be configured using queues. If the implementor service container is stopped, then the engine will only raise an alert and log the error in the log file. If the call is successful, the engine will not wait for the response.
• Transactional No-Reply: To use this option the service container that implements the Web service (PersistBusinessIdentifiers) should be configured using queue (JMS or MSMQ). When the engine calls the Web service, the SOAP request is sent to the container's queue that was configured without waiting for the response.

Defer Publish of Business Identifier Values

When this property is enabled, the publishing of business identifier values to the PIM database will be deferred until the next recovery point. This helps in reducing the number of database updates and improves performance.

Default Settings For All Activities > Configure Monitoring > Monitor Level

Monitoring at the activity level is done to keep track of activity level information at run time. If monitoring is disabled, the activity related information is not stored for future reference from the PIM. Also, to monitor activity level data, you must enable it at the business process model level. However, disabling monitoring improves the performance of process execution. Enable or disable monitoring for the activity.

• Activity status: Records activity basic information (status, timestamp, and user information).

Business Identifiers

Business (process) identifiers are specific attributes of the business process that are defined in the design time environment. The main purpose of business (process) identifiers is to use them for identification of instances of the process in the Process Instance Manager. For more information, see Creating Business Identifiers, Associating Business Identifiers to a Business Process Model and Using Business Identifiers.

1. Create a business identifier first before associating it with the business process model. Perform the following steps to associate a business process model with a business identifier:
   • Click . The Select a Business Identifier dialog box appears displaying a list of existing Business Identifiers.
   • Select required <Business Identifier> from the Select a Business Identifier dialog box.
     Note: To discard and select a different business identifier, click to browse and select required business identifier.
   • The Show in Runtime checkbox is selected by default. This helps you to view the business identifier in the PIM. However, if you do not want to view the business identifier in PIM, unselect the Show in Runtime checkbox.
     To delete a business identifier, select required business identifier and click . To move the selected row up or down, use the or as required.
     Note: It is possible to select and simultaneously open only four Business Identifiers in the PIM. This is to ensure that the performance of PIM is not impacted.

Namespaces

Displays prefixes and their corresponding namespaces that are used in the business process model in the Prefix and Namespace columns respectively.

It is optional, this is useful if Process Model designers want to store the attachments in the custom specified locations. Process designer can chose any one option mentioned below.

• Default : This is by default selected and attachment/s are stored in the default location.
• Custom : Select this option to specify the custom location and chose the location type from the select box.
  -  Static : Specify the static location.
  -  Read from message : Specify the path from the process message map.(Process instance properties or Process specific message).

Attachment Name

Name of the attachment definition.

Supported Document Types

Select the MIME type to which the attachments in the runtime must comply. If a required document type is not available in the list, select Any file type.

Annotation

Type any additional notes or comments on the business process model that you would like to use long after designing the process.