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Event Definition
Event Definition
The event definition feature allows you to define the types of events the Business Process Manager (BPM) should monitor. For each type of event, the Event Maintenance conversation allows you to define monitoring and extract parameters, routing and notification instructions, and event management options.
WILLIAMS BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGER 5/22/95
DSP01 EVENT MAINTENANCE EVENT DETAIL
Type PO1 Desc OVERDUE PURCHASE ORDERS
Extract Name CF900CLP Extr Type PGM RPG PROGRAM
Replace Y Extr Freq Cd M/D MULTI DAILY
Extr Day Nbr Extr Freq Mn 1
Last Extract 5/22/95 10:58:53 Next Extract 5/22/95 10:59:00
Action Code 1 007 PO INQUIRY Action Code 2 006 PO MAINTENANCE
Action Code 3 011 VENDOR MASTER INQ Action Code 4 012 ITEM/VENDOR ANALYSIS
Action Code 5 008 PO RECEIPT ADMIN Action Code 6 009 PO RECEIPT QTY CTL
Action Code 7 015 MULT-LNE QTY CONTROL Action Code 8
Action Code 9 Action Code 10
Auto Action Immed Delete
Sort Sequence ASC ASCENDING
Control Value Description Balance Due Qty
Route Based on Description Receiving Co/Wh
Headings PO # Ln B Item # Dock Dt
F3=Exit F4=Prompt F10=Function Select F12=Comments
F15=Rekey Data
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Business Process Manager Event Maintenance Detail Screen.
The BPM Event Maintenance Detail screen is used to define monitoring, extract, and event
management options for BPM events.
Extract and Event Management Information
Event Extracts. Each type of BPM event has an associated extract that can be a program, a query that outputs to a file, or a query that outputs to a report. The extract is responsible for determining if a specific type of event has occurred, and if it has, for extracting the detailed information about the event occurrence that is to be routed to the specified user. Eight sample extracts have been provided with the software. Other extracts can be user-defined and created, allowing you to customize the BPM to your specific business needs. See the Creating a BPM Extract Program or Query section for more information about extracts.
The monitoring and extract parameters maintained on the Event Detail screen provide information such as the extract program name and type and the frequency with which the extract should be run.
Extract Frequency. There are four options for the extract frequency: monthly, weekly, daily, or multiple times per day. If you choose the multiple times per day frequency, you can define, in minutes, how often throughout the day the BPM should check for occurrences of the event. The monthly frequency allows you to specify the date on which the monitor should check for events, and the weekly frequency checks for the event each week on the same day of the week as you specify the first extract is to be performed. If you specify the monthly, weekly, or daily extract frequency for an event, the extract is performed at the end of the appropriate day when the BPM Asynchronous Monitor shuts down at a user-defined time. Daily events are processed first, followed by weekly events, and then monthly events.
Note: It is very important to consider performance implications when defining the extract frequency, particularly when choosing a frequency of multiple times per day. Choosing multiple times per day means that the extract will run during the day, rather than at the end of the day as is the case with the other extract frequencies. If information is being extracted from a large file during the day, system performance could be negatively impacted.
Action Codes. The event management options include a set of action codes that you can define for each event type. Action codes are user-defined in Reference File category N04. Each action code is a three-character code that is associated with a specific MAC-PAC conversation.
You can select up to ten action codes for each event type. When an event occurs, you can act on it in the Event Manager conversation by choosing one of the action codes defined for that type. When the action code is chosen, you will be taken into the associated conversation. One of the ten selected action codes can also be defined as the automatic action for the event type. When events occur, BPM users will have the option of selecting the automatic action to process all the events of a given type that are in their mailbox, rather than processing each event occurrence individually from the Event Manager Detail screen.
Note that when the action codes are displayed in the BPM Action Codes valid values window in the Event Manager conversation, they will not necessarily have the same code as the internal action code defined on Reference File category N04. For convenience, they will be renumbered 001 - 010. For example, when defining a new event type, you might select internal action codes PO1, POM, VMI, IVA, and PRA. When those conversations are listed in the valid values window in the Event Manager conversation for that event type, they will be renumbered 001, 002, 003, 004, and 005. The action codes will be renumbered in the order in which they are entered on the Event Maintenance Detail screen.
Event Key Information. Key information, or "fast path" information, for each conversation can be defined in the extract program or query for the event type. This would typically be the information entered on the Function Select screen for a specific conversation. For example if Purchase Order Maintenance is selected as one of the ten action codes for an event type, the purchase order number would be the key information that would need to be retrieved by the extract. Then, when a user processing events selects that action code, the key information will be passed to the Purchase Order Maintenance conversation so the user will not need to key in the information for the event. It is recommended that you use the Comments window in the Event Maintenance conversation to document the information you want to pass for each action code. This information can then be used by the creator of the extract program or query.
Event Headings. When event information is extracted, up to 40 characters of detail event information can be retrieved and displayed on the Event Manager Detail screen or printed on the Event Manager report (CF305A). For example, the detail event information for overdue purchase order lines might be the purchase order number, purchase order line number, buyer code, part number, and dock date.
The Headings field on the Event Maintenance Detail screen allows you to specify the field literals that will appear on the Event Manager Detail screen and Event Manager report for the event detail information for a specific event type. The headings you specify can also inform the creator of the extract program or query of the type of detail data that should be extracted and displayed or printed for the event type.
Event Control Value. You can specify a control value for each event type. The control value is used to provide summary information about the occurrences of a type of event on the Event Manager Recap screen and Event Manager report (CF305A). It is also compared with user-defined control value minimum and maximum “tolerance levels” to determine if notification information should be routed to a specific BPM mailbox. For example, the control value for overdue purchase order lines might be the balance due quantity.
On the Event Maintenance Detail screen you can specify the description of the control value, which will then appear as the control value field literal on the Event Manager Detail screen and Event Manager report for the event.
Route Based On Description. Use the Route Based On Description field to indicate the type of information that is to be used in routing the information about occurrences of the event type. For example the Route Based On Description for overdue purchase order lines might be the buyer code. This indicates that if purchase order line becomes overdue, the information about that occurrence will be routed to the buyer responsible for that purchase order line.
Replace Flag. You can use the Replace Flag to indicate if event occurrence records of a specific type that are currently in BPM mailboxes should be deleted and replaced by newly extracted information. This flag can be used to limit the number of messages that appear for frequently-extracted events and to ensure that only the most current information is displayed.
Routing and Notification Information
The Event Dispatch screen allows you to specify detailed routing and notification instructions for the event type. There are four routing elements:
· Route Based On Data
· Control Value Minimum
· Control Value Maximum
· BPM Mailbox
The Route Based On field is used to indicate the specific values to be used in routing information to BPM mailboxes. The type of information to be entered in the Route Based On field is specified in the Route Based On Description field on the Event Maintenance Detail screen. For example, if Buyer Code is specified as the type of information on which to base the routing of the event occurrence information, the specific buyer codes should be entered on the Event Dispatch screen.
The control value minimum and maximum are used as tolerance levels to determine if a specific occurrence of an event should be routed to a BPM mailbox. If the amount of the control value for a particular occurrence is between the minimum and maximum amounts defined for a mailbox, the information for that occurrence will be routed to the associated mailbox.
The BPM mailbox identifies a specific user signon or signon/workstation combination. BPM mailbox IDs are defined on Reference File category N03.
Note: If you use a TCP/IP connection to access the AS/400, your workstation ID is randomly assigned each time you sign on, making it impossible to specify a definite workstation ID for a BPM mailbox. In this case, you will need to set up a separate AS400 user profile for each user who needs a BPM mailbox. You will then be able to assign a BPM mailbox to that user profile.
Standard Routings. If several types of events need to use the same set of routings, you might consider defining a standard routing code for that group. Standard routing codes are defined in Reference File category N09. This category allows you to define the route based on information and BPM mailbox ID for each person to whom event occurrence information should be routed. While you cannot enter control value limits when defining a standard routing, this information can be coded into the extract program or query as selection criteria.
Once a standard routing is defined, you just need to enter the standard routing code on the Event Maintenance Dispatch screen, rather than each individual to whom notification information should be routed.
The following sample illustrates the Event Maintenance Dispatch screen for the event type PO1, overdue purchase order lines. The Route Based On Description is Buyer Code, and the Control Value Description is Balance Due Quantity. The table following the sample provides examples of overdue purchase order lines and how the information for each would be routed.
WILLIAMS BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGER 5/30/95
DSP01 EVENT MAINTENANCE EVENT DISPATCH
Type PO1 OVERDUE PURCHASE ORDERS
Route Code
D Route Based On Control Value Min Control Value Max Mailbox Id
*ALL 1,000.000 999,999,999,999.000 USERSUP1
BR2 100.000 999,999,999,999.000 USERB2
BR3 100.000 999,999,999,999.000 USERB3
BR2 500.000 999,999.000 USERB5
BR5 500.000 999,999,999,999.000 USERSUP2
BR3 500.000 999,999,999,999.000 USERSUP2
.000 .000
.000 .000
.000 .000
.000 .000 +
F3=Exit F4=Prompt F5=Previous Screen F12=Comments
F15=Rekey Data
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BPM Event Maintenance Dispatch Screen.
The BPM Event Maintenance Dispatch screen is used to define notification and routing information
for BPM events.
Buyer Code associated with overdue PO line
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Balance Overdue for PO line
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Event occurrence information will be routed to BPM mailbox
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BR2
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$400
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USERB2
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BR2
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$625
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USERB2, USERB5
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BR3
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$300
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USERB3
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BR3
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$715
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USERB3, USERSUP2
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BR2
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$1500
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USERB2, USERB5, USERSUP1
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BPM Event Routing Examples
This table provides examples of how event occurrence information will be routed with the
routings defined in the BPM Event Maintenance Dispatch screen sample. The buyer code
and balance overdue information is retrieved by the event extract program or query when
the overdue purchase order line is detected.
After you have defined the event in the Event Maintenance conversation, much of the information you specified can be used to create the extract program or query. See the Creating a BPM Extract or Query section for more information about creating an extract.