Business Rules and Workflow

Tyler GrahamSenior Program ManagerMaster Data ServicesMicrosoft Corporation Microsoft

SQL Server 2012®

®

Agenda

Introduction to Business Rules

Simple in Concept/

Internal vs External Workflow

Workflow Extender

What is a Business rule?

• Allows Data Owners to validate data without writing T-SQL

• Compiled into Stored Procedures• Uses IF..THEN Structures• Can use AND & OR Logical Operators, to

create Complex Rules up to 7 levels• Rules using OR Logical Operator can be

broken down into simpler rules• Applied to Attribute Members for it’s

validation• Can Trigger Email Notifications• Created through the MDS WEB UI

Simple in Concept

Assign attribute values

• Equals or defaults to a specific value or another attribute value

• Generated number

• Concatenation of attribute values or extracts of values combinedwith text strings

Specify validation criteria

• Mandatory (required) attributes

• Set to invalid

• Ensure uniqueness in specific attributes or attribute combinations

• Valid attribute values, ranges

• Minimum or maximum length

Supports Business Complexity

Business rules accommodate various requirements

• Connecting data sources; overrides

• Multi-level processes

• Workflow and approval – internal (Master Data Services) and external (e.g., SharePoint)

Multiple or compound business rules provide for more complex requirements

• Logical operators• AND• OR

Control priority of activation; enable/disable rules

Internal vs. External Workflow

Simple Approval workflows do not require external actions

Use internal functions to create the approval workflows

• Change Tracking Group

• Approval Columns

• Notifications

Complex Rules or cross member analysis must use external .dll or SharePoint integration.

Workflow Extender

MDSMDS WF

Listener

Service Broker Queue

SharePoint Workflow

Custom dll

Get Next Record

(Stored Procedure)

SPWF

Custom Tag

Workflow Extender

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