Automating your Business ProcessesUsing Oracle Workflow

Therron HofsetzLogical Apps, Inc.

thofsetz@logicalapps.com

Agenda

Oracle WorkFlowWhat is it?

The Hidden Treasure

Item Setup Example

Limitations

AppsFlow

Question and Answer

Oracle WorkFlow – What is it?

Business Process Automation for Oracle eBusiness – A structured method for defining, implementing and automating business processes within the Oracle Applications

Workflow: The Hidden Treasure

Workflow Engine is embedded in the Oracle Database……and it’s FREE!

Core modules are leveraging from the power of workflow more and more in R11i

Workflow is new to many organizations……..very little to no experience with it

Out of the Box workflows provided……..just scratching the surface of what can be done

Workflow: The Hidden Treasure

Ensures that critical business processes (best practices) are: Clearly Defined

Documented

Automatically Implemented

Followed to the Letter

Easily altered to accommodate changing business requirements

Improves visibility and efficiency to core business processes

Bottlenecks can be easily identified and resolved

Identify opportunities for streamlining and improving business processes

Streamlined Six Sigma Qualification

Oracle WorkFlow – Key Concepts

Process ComponentsDetailed process steps

Branching & conditional logic

Notifications & ApprovalsWF notifications and Email notification

Ranked, voting, polling based approvals

MetricsDetails on process steps

Time SensitivityTimeouts w/ Automatic Forwarding & Return Routing

Oracle WorkFlow – Key Concepts

Workflow BuilderDrag and Drop components

Re-use common processes, notifications, approvals

Save processes on the Database or File System

PL/SQLFlexibility and power

APIsProcess integration, parameters, resulting values

Oracle WorkFlow – 11i Examples

Business Process Automation for Oracle eBusiness

Order ManagementOrder, Line and Return Flows

Purchasing & iProcurementRequisition & PO Approval Flows

InventoryMove Item Flow

AccountingAccount Generator

Oracle WorkFlow – 11i Example

Seeded “Line Flow Generic” process

Imagine the Possibilities

If Oracle Application users could easily implement the following types of workflows to gain business process efficiencies:

Item Configuration Process

Vendor or Customer Creation Processes

Month End Close Processes

RMA Process with approval

Notification of Stuck Interface Transactions

AR & AP Transaction Approvals

Imagine the Possibilities – Item Setup

Hundreds of item attributesCritical Impact on Apps functionality

Configuration/Input from many different departments/groups

Many require manual setup

Coordination difficultiesCategories, Cross-References, Price Lists, Costs, BOMs, Routings, Supplier Sourcing Rules, etc.

Item Templates provide only a partial solution

Imagine the Possibilities – Item Setup

RESULT: Incomplete Item SetupItem transacted with no costs

Missing lead times

Missing critical item categories

Missing Price List/Discounts

Incorrect Item Attributes (orderable item not invoiceable)

Item setup in Master Org only

SOLUTION: Item Configuration via Oracle Workflow

Imagine the Possibilities – Item Setup

Clearly Identify the ProcessFunctional Areas that need to be involved

Sequence of critical setup tasks.

Systematically validate key business rules Make items should have a BOM and Routing

FG items should be enabled in Org D1 and D2 only

Timeouts insure that the item setup flow is progressing

Final Review and Approval of the Item Configuration

Notify key users when process is complete

Imagine the Possibilities – Item Setup

Sample Item Setup Flow

00.10.20.30.40.50.60.70.80.9

13-DColumn13-DColumn23-DColumn3

Why Have Oracle Users Not Embraced Workflow?

WorkFlow Builder Appears simple, but requires code under each function

Difficult API’s

PL/SQL Required

Specialized Resources

“Hard Coded” solution

Why Have Oracle Users Not Embraced Workflow?

WorkFlow Builder Appears simple, but requires code under each function

Difficult API’s

PL/SQL Required

Specialized Resources

“Hard Coded” solution

Why Have Oracle Users Not Embraced Workflow?

WorkFlow Builder Appears simple, but requires code under each function

Difficult API’s

PL/SQL Required

Specialized Resources

“Hard Coded” solution

Traditional Oracle eBusiness Solutions

Introduce a manual approval process prior to data entry

Ineffective

Inefficient

Customize Oracle’s standard workflowWorkflow Guru’s are Required

Complex Workflow API’s

Non-Flexible Solution due to hard coding

AppsFlow – A New Approach

Automate Processes via Workflow

Automate Current Manual Processes

Enforce Systematic Approvals

System Wide Notifications

Integrated with Workflow Builder

Capture & Analyze Process Metrics

Rules based, Meta-data Driven

Solutions

Solutions in Minutes, not Days or

Weeks

AppsFlow – A New Approach

AppsFlow – WorkFlow Integration

WorkFlow IntegrationExport to WorkFlow Builder

Stand alone execution

Re-use common process components

AppsFlow – WorkFlow Integration

Drag the Logical Apps Process into the WorkFlow

AppsFlow – WorkFlow Integration

Route the seeded process with the “AppsFlow Process”

Logical Apps Product Architecture

Fully integrated with Oracle Applications

Single Oracle Application sign-on

Independent of upgrades/patches

Oracle Certified

AppsFlow

AppsFlow Benefits

DRAMATICLY DECREASE DEVELOPMENT TIME! Reduce the need for PL/SQL hard coded solutions

Complex API’s are eliminated

Reduce dependence on Workflow gurus

Integrated to Workflow Builder

Process “Rules” are easily managed Activate, changed, & disable

Define your Company’s Unique Approval Groups

Process Rules can be migrated across instances

Rules Subscribe to Oracle’s Business Events

Questions?

Therron Hofsetz

thofsetz@logicalapps.com

www.logicalapps.com

949.453.9101