1. Workflow Best Practices
April 3, 2018
Gayla Jenner – Everett Public Schools

2. Agenda
Troubleshooting Tools Working with Workflow Database Tables What’s New in Store ADODB Connection Info on Server

3. Troubleshooting Tools
Use the Internal Data to evaluate all the tables, fields and values being supplied to your workflow model

4. Troubleshooting Tools
Attach to your instance that generated an error, and execute the activities individually

5. Troubleshooting Tools
For scheduled models, you might need to send it through again so that your variables and other data values are refreshed

6. Model Ending Activities
No Transition – necessary when you have conditional transitions
Error – necessary for everything
Not Accepted/Rejection – necessary when there are approval activities in the model
The only one necessary for ALL models is ERROR HANDLER

7. Workflow Database Tables
WF_MODEL
Stores primary model information
WF_SCHEDULE
Stores schedule information for scheduled models
WF_QUEUE
Queues instances triggered by database updates
WF_INSTANCE
Tracks instances being processed by the workflow engine
WF_QUEUE – All instances start in the wf_queue table before being submitted to the workflow processing engine.
WF_INSTANCE – Tracks each instance as it is processed through the workflow model. Based on the status and wf_next date will determine when it is processed next in the workflow engine.
WF_INSTANCE_VAR – Tracks model variables for each instance, depending on when or if your model uses variables.
WF_HISTORY – Tracks each activity processed by the workflow engine.
WF_INSTANCE_VAR
Tracks variable info for each instance, when applicable
WF_HISTORY
Tracks activities processed by the workflow engine

8. Refreshing TEST after a DB Update
Find all (A)ctive models, excluding standard models required to run jobs, rebuild security and build attachments; set status to (I)nactive
Wf_model
Deactivate all scheduled models; set status to (I)nactive
Wf_schedule
Remove all instances associated to inactivate models from the workflow engine; update status to (H)old
Wf_instance
Remove all instances from the workflow task list; update to approved status (Y)
Wf_history
Optional
Clear NUUPUS addresses by either removing or replacing with default address
Us_usno_mstr

9. Cleaning Up
Recent addition to find out how large workflow tables are growing
If deciding to delete old data, go back one page and delete data from tables from step 4 to step 1
Recent contribution to Slack - to find out how large workflow tables are growing

10. Get to Know DBCustom.xml
Examples:
FA – Fixed Assets
fa_idnt
por_rec_dtl
poi_item_dtl
HR – Employee Master
hr_empmstr
hr_emppay
hr_pcntble
HR – EO Transactions
hr_trnsreq
Joins additional tables, relationships and fields that can be used in each model instance. If there are no relationships built in the dbcustom file, then the data fields from your selected table object is the only data you will have in your model.
Also used to define fields used in webforms.

11. New in 7.9.10 - Send Emails to a Group
No longer need to “hard code” recipient names as Text/Lists

12. New in 7.9.10 - Send HTML Emails
Study up on your HTML coding!

13. Optimal Workflow Settings – prior to 7.9.10
Splitting models to multiple workflow servers is applicable in versions BELOW

14. Optimal Workflow Settings – beginning 7.9.10
In version, workflow runs on 1 server only. MaxThreads give you more processing threads, 11 is default giving you 5 processing threads, go to 16 to get 10 processing threads.  For SleepMinutes the lowest is 5 minutes and that determines how often it looks for responses. 

15. Multi-Threaded Workflow in 7.9.10
The five dedicated threads have a specific job to perform for each type of job listed below:
The processing queue is just an internal list of instances/records that the remaining five [Default, 15 MAX] threads will work on. Each of these threads will pick a record from the list/queue and process it to its end. The thread will then return to pick the next record (if any) to process. This cycle will continue until there are no more records left in the “Processing Queue”. Then the thread will sleep for the set interval. After wake up, each of these threads will check if there are any records in the “Processing Queue”. If none, then the thread will go back to sleep. As each thread takes different amounts of time to finish its assigned [fixed or dynamic] task, they will be done with their task at different times and will sleep at different times. In other words, after a few minutes, not all threads will be sleeping or working at the same time. As each thread takes different amounts of time to finish its assigned [fixed or dynamic] task, they will be done with their task at different times and will sleep at different times. In other words, after a few minutes, not all threads will be sleeping or working at the same time.

16. DBCustom.xml File Recognition Changes
When you make a dbcustom.xml change a data processing restart is not required any more. Go to workflow designer – tools – import file settings which populates the dbcustom file in the database and if you run the SQL Query above from the Admin Console you can click View Data under the data column to view the updated XML file it uses. 
(NOTE: This does require one of the earlier patches for it to work, does not work with the base installer; need to load on all workstations running workflow)

17. Store ADODB Connection Info on Server
Store your application server name and connection information in one place on your workflow server

18. Store ADODB Connection Info on Server
Sample WF Model to collect server information for script activities