Managing Process Definition

Introduction

A process definition consists of the following elements:

• Start event
• Task
• Gateway
• Connection Tools
• End event

Prerequisite

The Process definition workflow feature is applicable to partners and clients for whom the Remediation and Automation bundle and IT Workflow Automation Management add-on are enabled.

Enabling remediation and automation bundles

A partner can enable remediation and automation bundles for clients.

To enable a bundle for a client:

1. Select a client from the All Clients list.
2. From the workspace drop-down menu, go to Setup > Account Management and click Clients.
3. From the CLIENTS page, click Add to create a client.
4. From the Product Package section, select Remediation and Automation and click Next.
5. From the Add Ons section, select IT Workflow Automation.
6. Click Finish. The selected product package and add on are enabled for the client.

Creating process definition

Before creating a process definition, plan a scenario to build and accordingly identify the elements to use.

To build a process definition:

1. Decide the scenario.
2. Decide the steps.
3. Based on the steps decided, select the elements.
4. Review the properties of the selected element.

After reviewing the properties of elements, create a process definition workflow.

To create a process definition:

1. Click All Clients and from the displayed list, select a client.
2. Go to Automation > Process Definitions.
3. From the Process Definitions page, click + to add.
4. Provide a Name and Description for the workflow.
5. Drag and drop the Create StartEvent icon on the canvas.
6. Click the settings icon and then select either Signal Start Event or Timer Start Event.
7. Configure the start event properties.
8. Drag and drop the required elements on to the canvas and configure the respective properties.
9. End the process with an end event.

   

10. Click Save.

The process definition is created and added to the Process Definitions list.

Deploying process definition

Deploy the created process definition.

To deploy the workflow:

1. From the Process Definitions page, click the Deploy icon against the required process name.
2. Click Yes on the confirmation window. The process definition workflow is successfully deployed and the deploy icon grays out.

   Note

   A process definition workflow can be deployed only if the workflow is enabled.

With the deployment, the process definition is mapped to a version. When you modify an existing process definition and deploy again, the version number is updated. As a result, a process definition can have multiple versions.

Editing process definition

To edit a process definition, from the Process Definitions page:

1. Click the process name.
2. Edit the details.
3. Click Save.

Creating copies of a process definition

The create copy option simplifies the process of creating new process definitions and should reduce the time required for creating each process definition from the scratch.

For example, an organization has multiple VMs which are being monitored by various teams. The notification channels are different for each VM, but the monitoring conditions may be common for most of the VMs. For example, memory high, disk high. Adding the common conditions for each process definition can be a tedious task. Using the Create copy option saves the time and effort in adding the common conditions consistently across all the process definitions.

To create a copy:

1. From the Process Definitions page, select the desired process name.
2. Click the Create copy icon.
   The process definition page appears with the name of the original process definition represented as Copy-*.
   

   

3. Rename the process definition and edit the details as required.

   

4. Click Save.
   The process definition is created and appears on the Process Definitions List page. A new process definition UUID is generated for the copied process.

Deleting process definition

To delete a process definition:

1. From the Process Definitions page, select the required process name.
2. Click the Delete icon.

Monitoring processes

Monitoring the process definition allows you to debug and troubleshoot the task sequence as those are executed.

You can view the details of process definitions using the following options:

• Process instance view
• Process definition view

Viewing list of process definitions and process instances

To view the list of process definitions and process instances:

1. Click All Clients and select a client.
2. Go to Automation > Process Definitions.
3. On the Process Definitions page, select the desired option from the Process Definitions drop-down:
   • Running Process Instances: Select to display the in-progress process instances that were started in a specific time period.
   • Recently Completed Process Instances: Select to display the recently completed process instances.
     The list displays the related process instances in the selected category.
4. To view the details of a process instance, clicke of the following fields:
   • Process Instance ID: Click the required instance ID for an overview of the instance of a particular process version.
   • Process Name: Click the required name to view the details of a deployed process definition.
     

Process instance view

Using Process Instance ID, you can view the details of a process instance deployed at a particular version. The following details are displayed:

Deployed Process definition view

A Deployed Process Definition refers to the process definition that is deployed, mapped to a version, and available as a Process Name in the Process Instance list. To view the Deployed Process Definition of a given process instance, click the name of a process in the Process Instance list. The view displays information about the process diagram, instance count, and the Process Instances tab of the version.

The following details are displayed: