Creating Process Chains

Prerequisites
If you want to include a load process in the process chain, you need to have already created an InfoPackage.
You cannot load fat fle data from a client workstation in the background. Therefore, you must store your data on an
application server.
Creating Process Chains
You can either create a process chain directly in the process chain maintenance screen, or by using a maintenance dialog
for a process
Creating a Process Chain Directly in the Process Chain Maintenance Screen
In the !" #dministrator "orkbench
$. %hoose the Process %hain &aintenance icon from the #"! toolbar.
The Process %hain 'election dialog bo( appears.
). %hoose %reate.
*. +nter the technical name and a description of the chain, and confrm your entry.
The #dd 'tart Process dialog bo( appears.
,. %reate a variant for a start process.
a. -n the &aintain 'tart Process screen, choose whether you want to schedule the chain directly or whether you want
to start it using a metachain.
b. If you choose to schedule the chain directly, enter the start date value for the chain under %hange 'elections and
save your entries.
The &aintain 'tart Process screen appears again.
c. 'ave your entries, go back to the previous screen and confrm your entries in the #dd 'tart Process dialog bo(.
The Plan .iew of the process chain maintenance screen appears.
In the left/hand area of the screen, a navigation area is displayed. In the right/hand area of the screen, the process
chain is displayed.
0. 1se 2rag32rop or double/click to add the relevant processes to your process chain.
%hoose Process Types to select the processes. This sorts the process types according to di4erent categories. You
can also call up InfoPackages and processes for the data target from the separate Info'ources and 2ata
Targets navigation trees.
If you insert a process into the chain that is linked to additional processes by default, the respective process variants are
generated and automatically inserted into the process chain. These variants are suggestions and can be changed, replaced
or removed from the chain as re5uired. .ariant maintenance is called when the change run performs automatic insert.
You can turn this system response o4 using 'ettings 6 2efault %hains.
7or more information, see Plan and %heck .iew 7unctions.
Creating a Process Chain Using the Maintenance Dialog for a Process
In the maintenance dialog of a process that you want to include in a process chain
$. %hoose the Process %hain &aintenance pushbutton and create a process variant.
). 'ave the variant and go back to the previous screen.
# dialog bo( appears in which you enter a technical name and a description of the chain that you want to create.
*. %onfrm your entries.
The #dd 'tart Process dialog bo( appears.
,. %reate a variant for a start process.
a. -n the &aintain 'tart Process screen, choose whether you want to schedule the chain directly or whether you want
to start it using a metachain.
b. If you choose to schedule the chain directly, enter the start date value for the chain under %hange 'elections and
save your entries.
The &aintain 'tart Process screen appears again.
c. 'ave your entries, go back to the previous screen and confrm your entries in the #dd 'tart Process dialog bo(.
The Plan .iew of the process chain maintenance screen appears.
The various process categories, the application processes, and collection processes are displayed in the left/hand area
of the screen. In the right/hand area of the screen, the process chain is displayed.
If the process that you used to create a chain is linked to additional processes by default, the respective process variants
are generated and inserted into the process chain automatically. These variants are suggestions and can be changed,
replaced or removed from the chain as re5uired. .ariant maintenance is called when the change run performs automatic
insert.
You can turn this system response o4 using 'ettings 6 2efault %hains.
7or more information, see Plan and %heck .iew 7unctions.
0. 1se 2rag32rop or a double/click to insert any additional relevant processes into your process chain.
%hoose Process Types to select the processes. This sorts the process types according to di4erent categories. You
can also call up InfoPackages and processes for the data target from the separate Info'ources and 2ata
Targets navigation trees.
Additional Steps for Creating a Process Chain
8. "hen you add a process, you need to select a process variant or create a new variant. 7or collection processes, the
system uni5uely determines the variants.
.arious functions for editing the process are available from the conte(t menu
Context Menu
Entry for a
Process
Function Information
&aintain variants "ith the e(ception of the variants in the collection processes -9 and +:-9, you can use
this function to change all process variants.
+(change
variants
You can e(change the variants for an e(isting variant or a variant that is to be created.
;ink with< You can use this function to link a process to a successor process. You can choose from
the processes that are not yet linked to the current process. They are grouped according
to process type in submenus.
2isplay
scheduled =obs
-nce the process chain is active, you can use this function to display the =obs that have
been scheduled.
2isplay all =obs #fter at least one process chain run, you can display all of the scheduled =obs for a specifc
process and all of the =obs with which this process was run. The >ob -verview appears and
you can call the relevant =ob log.
%reate message You can also send messages to an application process of the chain, depending on the
success or failure of the process.
$. To do this, using the conte(t menu for a process, create another process variant of
type 'end &essage.
). If you maintain a message, frst specify whether you want the message to be sent
when the process has been completed successfully or unsuccessfully. Then choose?e(t.
*. # dialog bo( appears, in which you can select an e(isting process variant or create a
new one.
,. If you create a new process variant, edit the document that is going to be sent and
maintain a list of recipients.
0. 'ave your process variant and go back.
The message process variant is now assigned to your application process. "hen the
message is sent, the status information and the process log are also sent.
2ebug loop
-nly use this function to debug a process run.
'pecify how long @in secondsA you want the delay to be between one event being
triggered and the ne(t process starting.
You can capture the process in the debugger by using transaction '&*B @>ob -verviewA or
'&0C @Process -verviewA.
9emove process You use this function to remove a process from a process chain.
&anage data
target
You use this function to call the data target administration for the following types of
process variants
D %onstruct inde(
D 2elete inde(
D %onstruct database statistics
D 9oll up flled aggregates
D %ompress Info%ube
D #ctivate 2ata'tore ob=ect data

B. Eold down the left mouse button to connect the processes with events.
!efore you do this, select the process underneath the process type row, and position the cursor over the
re5uired process. "hen you select the process type row, the whole process is moved into the plan view.
7rom the conte(t menu of a link, you can display the event or remove the link. To do this, select the link
and right/click with the mouse.
F. If necessary, specify whether you want the event to be triggered after the previous process has been completed
successfully or unsuccessfully, or whether you want the event to be triggered independently of the outcome of the
process that precedes it. If the process that triggers the event has more than one option, choose the option after
which the successor process is to be run @see process type 2ecisionsA.
G. #ssign a display component to the process chain using #ttributes 6 2isplay %omponents.
$C. &aintain additional process chain attributes if necessary.
$$. %heck your process chain in the %heck .iew and make any necessary corrections.
The ;egend e(plains the meaning of the di4erent colors used to display the processes and links.
7rom the conte(t menu for a process, you can display the messages resulting from the check.
2uring the check, the system calculates the number of parallel processes according to the structure of the chain
@subchains are recursively taken into account hereA. The result is compared with the number of background processes
on the chosen server @or the total of all available servers if no server is specifed in the attributes of the process
chainA. If the number of parallel processes is greater than the number of available background processes, the system
highlights every level of the process chain where the number of processes is too high. The system produces a warning
for these levels.
$). 'ave your process chain if it does not contain any errors.
esult
You can activate and schedule your process chain. #fter scheduling, the chain starts in accordance with the start process
selections. 7or e(ample, if you scheduled the start process directly and chose Immediately as the start date value, the
chain run starts immediately after scheduling. In the ;og .iew, you can display the reports for the chain runs.