De Rigueur - Adding Process to Your Business Analytics Environment Diane Hatcher, SAS Institute Inc, Cary, NC Falko Schulz, SAS Institute Australia., Brisbane, Australia Steve Sparano, SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC

Agenda  Introduction  Overview SAS Workflow Studio  SAS Batch Processing  Custom Developed SAS Portlet  Live Demo  Behind the scenes  Conclusion

SAS Workflow Studio

SAS Workflow Components and Roles  Generalized Workflow services for SAS Solutions and Products  SAS Workflow Technology Components  SAS Workflow Studio  SAS Workflow Service  SAS Workflow Administrator  SAS Middle Tier Services  Common Services SAS Workflow Service Notifications Authentication Workflow Repository Content Services Alerts System Administrator Process Designer SAS Workflow Administrator Metadata Scheduling SAS Workflow Studio

SAS Middle Tier Architecture – WF Services SAS Workflow Service SAS Workflow Studio HTTP  SAS Workflow is a suite of services in the Web Infrastructure Platform (WIP)  Workflow reuses other services including Notifications, Web Services, Scheduling, Content  SAS Metadata support  Provides flexible integration through web services and SAS Code execution

Typical BPM Personas  Process Designer  Process Improvement  Process Design  Process Administrator  IT Support/Engineering  Workflow Administrator  Process Manager  Workflow Participant  Business areas/End User  Report Builder  Process Metrics through APIs  BI User

Workflow Lifecycle  SAS Workflow Studio documents workflow templates in xml format that can be opened from or saved to a local file system  Workflow Studio supports persistence and versioning of the workflow templates using SAS Content Services  Users can activate the workflow templates (upload the specified version as a formal workflow definition) via the SAS Workflow Services for instantiation by end-user client applications

SAS Workflow Interaction Approaches Example SAS Solution Automated Task Automated Task Final Task Final Task End Manual Task Manual Task Begin Process Begin Process Step 1 Step 1 Step 2 Step 2 Decision SAS Workflow Service 2. Signal-Driven Launch External Event Signal 1. User-Application Launch 3 rd -Party Application 3. Services- Driven Launch

SAS Workflow Studio 1.Process Tree 2.Diagram Editor 3.Menus 4.Toolbars Studio consists of two main content panes and various navigation tools:

SAS Workflow Studio  Supports flexible and modular processes - sub-process support - control flow  Process modifications and extensions - graphical design with drag and drop - reusable process designs

Report Approval Process  Process: ReportApprovalWorkflow  Designed for SAS Web Report Studio Reports  SAS Workflow Studio  Data Objects, Swimlanes Control Flow  Customizable within WF Studio

The Portlet – Sample  Folder view: In Development  Actions:  Route for approval  Approve report  Reject report  Approval Task Routing  Metadata driven

The Portlet – Sample  Dynamic Actions  Driven by Process Design  Separate from Portlet Design

SAS Batch Processing

Calling the SAS program  Report Approval Workflow

Invoke SAS Code Policy

How to “Move” a Report Copy Approved Report Paste Report in ProductionDelete Old Report

Exporting the Report C:\Progra~1\SASHome\SASPlatformObjectFramework\9.3\ExportPackage -profile "SASAdmin" -package "D:\MyDemo\WorkflowPortlet\PromoteReports.spk" -objects " /WorkflowPortlet/Development/Copy of Class Sample Report.srx(Report)" -types Report -log "D:\MyDemo\WorkflowPortlet\batchexport.log C:\Progra~1\SASHome\SASPlatformObjectFramework\9.3\ExportPackage -profile "SASAdmin" -package "D:\MyDemo\WorkflowPortlet\PromoteReports.spk" -objects " /WorkflowPortlet/Development/Copy of Class Sample Report.srx(Report)" -types Report -log "D:\MyDemo\WorkflowPortlet\batchexport.log

Importing the Report C:\Progra~1\SASHome\SASPlatformObjectFramework\9.3\ImportPackage -profile "SASAdmin" –package "D:\MyDemo\WorkflowPortlet\PromoteReports.spk" -target "/WorkflowPortlet/Production" -types Report -log "D:\MyDemo\WorkflowPortlet\batchimport.log" C:\Progra~1\SASHome\SASPlatformObjectFramework\9.3\ImportPackage -profile "SASAdmin" –package "D:\MyDemo\WorkflowPortlet\PromoteReports.spk" -target "/WorkflowPortlet/Production" -types Report -log "D:\MyDemo\WorkflowPortlet\batchimport.log"

Delete Report Metadata

Delete Report Definition

How to “Move” a Report Copy Approved Report Paste Report in ProductionDelete Old Report

Custom-Developed Portlet

Report Approval User Interface  In order to demonstrate the report approval process, a Portlet application was written and made available through the SAS® Portal.  This application provides the user interface to interact with the underlying SAS Workflow Engine.  The Portlet is used for both the report builder (RB) as well as the report approver (RA). Depended on their role in the organization, they can monitor and track the report development until production.

Report Approval User Interface  Communicates with SAS Workflow services to register a new workflow instance and perform task actions  WorkflowDefinitionService  WorkflowTaskService  Embedded in SAS Information Delivery Portal  Integrates with SAS Metadata

Report Approval Portlet Register ( WorkflowDefinitionService->startWorkflowbyId ) Register ( WorkflowDefinitionService->startWorkflowbyId ) Cancel ( WorkflowTaskService->stop ) Cancel ( WorkflowTaskService->stop ) Perform ( WorkflowTaskService->perform ) Perform ( WorkflowTaskService->perform ) SAS® Workflow Engine Metadata Perform Task Perform Task SAS Batch Promote Report Read User Profile Read Report Folders Task Actions

1. Register a new report

2. Request Approval

3. Report Approval

Live Demo

Conclusion  In SAS 9.3, SAS introduced some underlying technologies to help add more structured process management into business analytics as a whole.  Leveraging these workflow services enables you to add process management back into the report creation process, and do it in a way that can be automated, rather than falling back to a central group to manage.  Workflow services are designed to work within your current organizational dynamics while adding rigor around your decision-making process.

Diane Hatcher, SAS Institute Inc, Cary, NC Falko Schulz, SAS Institute Australia, Steve Sparano, SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC Q&A