build filenet bpm applications using ibm ecm widgets, part 2

Build FileNet BPM applications using IBM ECMWidgets, Part 2: Constructing a business processmanagement solutionSkill Level: Intermediate

Shao Hong Xu ([email protected])Software EngineerIBM

Xin Yu Zhou ([email protected])Software EngineerIBM

12 Nov 2009

IBM Enterprise Content Management Widgets (ECM Widgets) is a new Web 2.0application based on mashup technology. ECM Widgets is an important componentof the IBM Agile ECM FileNet® portfolio. It provides a set of widgets for businessdesigners, analysts, IT specialists, and end users. The ECM Widgets application ishighly flexible, easy to use, and convenient to expand. A user can quickly construct aFileNet business process management (BPM) solution by dragging and droppingwidgets to easily configure the solution. ECM Widgets can significantly reduce thecost of implementation for enterprise business process management. This articlefocuses on how to construct a BPM solution using ECM Widgets 4.5.1 from abusiness designer's perspective and from a business analyst's perspective.

Introduction

ECM Widgets is a set of widgets that enables users to build IBM enterprise contentmanagement (ECM) and business process management (BPM) applications morerapidly and efficiently. Ideal for both business and IT users, ECM Widgets provides aset of out-of-the-box user interface components that enables a business user toquickly build applications just by dragging-and-dropping, without additionalprogramming. The application also enables an IT user to create custom widgets that

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can be integrated with existing ECM widgets.

Other articles in the series

• Part 1: Introducing IBM Enterprise Content ManagementWidgets

• Part 3: Integrating a BPM solution with third-party widgets

ECM Widgets provides a set of standard ECM and BPM widgets based on theiWidget specification. You can easily assemble these widgets using event wiring tocreate different applications.

The ECM Widgets application:

• Enables rapid development of BPM user interfaces.

• Is easy to use. A business analyst can build applications by dragging anddropping.

• Decreases the cost and effort required to develop applications.

• Meets the usability expectations of Web 2.0.

• Provides good scalability and easy customization.

This second article in the series describes how to build a BPM solution using ECMWidgets 4.5.1.

Designing a FileNet BPM 4.5.1 solution

Three participants have distinct roles in completing a BPM solution based on ECMWidgets:

A business analystThe business analyst mainly uses the Process Designer to design theworkflow, in-basket, and roles. The business analyst also creates mashuppages using ECM Widgets.

An end userThe end user mainly uses mashup pages composed of ECM widgets.

A developerThe developer mainly engages in developing and integrating with third-partywidgets.

The business analyst first designs and creates a BPM solution based on FileNet and

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ECM Widgets according to specified business requirements. The business analystthen passes the solution to the end user. The end user can directly use the solutionin the real online system. The developer integrates and develops any third-partywidgets for the end-user to solve more complex business problems and to gain morebusiness value. Figure 1 shows the described workflow.

Figure 1. Workflow overview

For example, imagine a company called XYZ needs a business process to recruitand manage candidates. The business analyst must first understand how to run thebusiness process on the online system. Second, he breaks down the businessprocess into some key factors, identifying such factors as the people involved in theprocess, the steps needed, the data store, and so on. Figure 2 shows the examplebusiness process for XYZ's recruitment.

Figure 2. XYZ personnel recruitment process

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There are three people involved in this example business process:

ClerkCollects the candidates' information and dispatches resumes to appropriatereviewers

ReviewerReviews the candidates' resumes and determines which candidates torecommend to the manager

ManagerMakes final decision on which candidates to interview

There are three corresponding steps involved in this example business process:

IndexThe clerk collects and screens candidates' resumes. If a resume meets the jobrequirements, the resume is dispatched to the reviewer. Otherwise, the resumeis archived into the human resources database.

ReviewThe reviewer evaluates the candidates' resumes that the clerk has alreadyidentifies as meeting the job requirements. For the candidates that the reviewer




determines to be strong candidates for the job, the reviewer submits interviewrequests to the manager. The resumes for the weaker candidates are archivedinto the human resources database.

ManagerApproveThe manager makes the final decision on which candidates should be invitedfor an interview. For interview candidates, the resumes are archived into thehuman resources database in order to set up interviews.

Modeling the business process

Next, the business analyst needs to accurately translate the XYZ personnelrecruitment process into terms the FileNet Process Designer can recognize. Thisphase is called modeling the business process. FileNet 4.5.1 simplifies using theProcess Designer to accelerate modeling the business process. The businessanalyst does no programming, but instead uses a graphical interface to complete thesteps. In this example scenario, the XYZ personnel recruitment process is modeledusing the following factors:

• Queue

• Workflow definition

• In-basket

• Application space

• Role

The queue holds the work items waiting to be processed. Each work item includesthe data field values that record the necessary information about XYZ personnelcandidates, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Queue




The workflow definition is a graphical representation of the actions required tocomplete a business process. Figure 4 shows the workflow definition in ProcessDesigner for the XYZ personnel recruitment business process.

Figure 4. Workflow definition




In-basket is a new feature in the IBM FileNet 4.5.1 release. It is located on the lasttab of a view on the Queue Properties window. The business analyst can definemultiple in-baskets within the same queue, while each in-basket shows itscorresponding work items. For the example, there are three in-baskets: Index,Review, and ManagerApprove, which correspond to the steps defined in XYZpersonnel recruitment process, as shown in Figure 4. Each in-basket containsdifferent data fields of XYZ personnel recruitment candidates and different workitems.

Figure 5. In-basket




The Index in-basket has three tabs:

Create Columns and LabelsThis tab enables the business analyst to specify the fields of the XYZ personnelcandidates that he wants to see for each item in the in-basket.

Create filtersThis tab specifies one or more filters that the business analyst can use todisplay selected items in the in-basket.

Define ContentThis tab enables the business analyst to create a filter that determines whichwork items to display. This filter cannot be changed during runtime.

The application space helps to organize the resources, including roles, members,and in-baskets for ECM widgets, as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6. Application Space




A role is created at design-time. An administrator assigns LDAP users and groups tothe role, and he associates one or more In-baskets with the role. There are threeroles in the XYZ personnel recruitment process: clerk, reviewer, and manager, asshown in Figure 7.

Figure 7. Roles

Designing mashup pages using the Business Space product

Creating a mashup page is much simpler and more flexible. You can use the ECM




Widgets application to create IBM FileNet BPM applications. A mashup page iscomprised of a set of ECM widgets laid out with their configurations and an eventflow between the widgets. A business space is a collection of mashup pagesorganized into tabs. Figure 8 shows a sample mashup page created in a businessspace.

Figure 8. Mashup page

Business Space powered by WebSphere® is a Web 2.0-based mashupenvironment. It enables business users to create an integrated and customized userexperience. It includes a set of out-of-the-box templates that provide pre-integratedprocess capabilities for an enhanced user experience.

For the example scenario, Figure 9 shows how to create a step processor using anECM Widgets template in Business Space. The space is made up of four pages.The launch page launches work items. It provides the user interface for thebeginning steps in the XYZ personnel recruitment process. Other pages handle workitems for the Index, Review, and ManagerApprove steps in the example.

Figure 9. Business space




Business analysts use business spaces to create step processor pages. End-usersalso use business spaces in which the pages contain in-baskets to process work.The business analyst's step pages can be opened dynamically in the end-user'sspaces. All step pages must contain only one step-completion widget.

Associating work flow steps with mashup pages

After you have modeled business processes and created mashup pages based onthe XYZ personnel recruitment process example, the next step is to create therelationships among them. The section describes how to make the connectionsamong them by associating workflow steps with mashup pages. Once theconnections are made, the work items can be handled in different steps by openingdifferent mashup pages.

To create a connection:

1. Obtain the URL of the page by clicking the Show Link button.

2. Extract the string as a page ID, such asspaceId=3a5dacf01db411deacdea2912246421f&pageid=1238477078625_0a8abf749acd4d91b619f330a2195dbb.

3. Create a step processor in the Process Designer window and paste thepage ID into the step processor location, as shown in Figure 10. Note thatthe launch page must match the launch type, and the step page mustmatch the step type.

Figure 10. Register the mashup page




Configuring ECM Widgets

ECM Widgets renders the user interface according to the configuration data. Forexample, you can select different roles to control the In-basket widget to showdifferent in-baskets. The configuration data is stored in the widget's Edit window.You can easily configure widgets according to the configuration items' descriptions.Configuring the Work Data eForm widget and the Content List widget often requiresadditional steps.

Work Data eForm widget

The Work Data eForm widget is a new widget in the 4.5.1 release. The Work DataeForm widget displays a FileNet eForm user interface to enter data for a new workitem. In order to use the widget:

1. Create the form using the eForm Designer.

2. Check the form into the Workplace XT by using the eForm template class.Figure 11 shows the graphical user interface of the eForm template.




Figure 11. Designing an eForm template in Workplace XT

3. Click Show Hyperlink to obtain the URL of the eForm template, asshown in Figure 12.

Figure 12. Obtain the eForm template URL

4. Copy the URL of the eForm template, and paste it into the configurationwindow of the Work Data eForm widget, as shown in Figure 13.

Figure 13. Configure the Work Data eForm widget




The Work Data eForm widget displays the content according to the template URL,as shown in Figure 14.

Figure 14. Render the Work Data eForm widget

Content List widget

The Content List widget is a new widget in the 4.5.1 release. The Content List widgetshows a list of documents retrieved from a Workplace XT stored search. In order touse the widget:




1. Create a stored search using Search Designer in the Workplace XT, asshown in Figure 15.

Figure 15. Design a storeSearch in Workplace XT

2. Click Show Hyperlink to obtain the URL of the store search, as shown inFigure 16.

Figure 16. Copy the storeSearch URL

3. Copy the store search URL and paste it into the configuration window inthe Content List widget, as shown in Figure 17.

Figure 17. Configure the Content List widget




The Content List widget displays the documents that are retrieved by the storesearch, as shown in Figure 18.

Figure 18. Render Content List widget

The Content List widget enables a user to change the search condition dynamicallyafter it is connected to the in-basket widget or the step completion widget. For theexample scenario, assume that the initial search condition is AccountNumber > 100and the Address is IBM. When you click a work item in the In-basket widget in whichthe AccountNumber is 200 and the Address is ABC, the condition is updated toAccountNumber > 200, and the Address is updated to ABC. The Content List widgetrenders the new work items according to the new search condition.

Sharing work and step processor spaces

A business analyst can run the entire XYZ personnel recruitment BPM solution withECM widgets. After verification, the mashup pages are delivered to end users bysharing business spaces.

When you share a page, you can designate users as viewers or editors. Usersdesignated as viewers cannot edit the page or the widget. Users designated aseditors have the privilege level required to edit both the page and the widget. You




can also designate users as viewers or editors at the page level.

Figure 19. Sharing a business space

Troubleshooting

During the design and implementation process, you might encounter unexpectedresults at times. This section describes some typical troubleshooting approaches tofinding a design error. If you receive an error message, do the following:

• Make sure the process configuration console in the Workplace XT canconnect the PE connection point.

• Make sure the stored search that the Content List widget uses canproperly search the correct data in the Workplace XT.

• Make sure perest:filenet.pe.bootstrap.ceuri and perest:connection.pointare correct in theWorkplaceXT_Deployed_Folder/WEB-INF/P8BPMRESTConfig.xml.

You can also collect the necessary logs related to the ECM widgets by followingthese steps:

1. Copy ECMWigets_Installation_Home/ContentList/log4j.properties intoWorkplaceXT_Deployed_Folder/WEB-INF.

2. Restart the Workplace XT application in the WebSphere® ApplicationServer console to enable the ECM Widgets CE REST log. The log file isgenerated and stored in C:\\ecmwdgt.log.

3. Install Firebug into the Mozilla Firefox browser to collect the browser's logmessages.




Conclusion

Part 2 of this series discussed how to construct an IBM FileNet BPM solution from abusiness analyst's perspective. By following the example of the XYZ personnelrecruitment scenario, you should have an understanding of the ECM Widgetsapplication, Business Space, and the IBM FileNet. With that understanding, you noware ready to start integrating the widgets. Part 3 will describe how to expand ECMwidgets using third-party widgets.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to following people for reviewing this article:

• Lauren Mayes, the architect of ECM Widgets

• Ming Liang Guo, team lead of the ECM Widgets development team

• Simon Chu, IBM Master Inventor




Resources

Learn

• Use an RSS feed to request notification for the upcoming articles in this series.(Find out more about RSS feeds of developerWorks content.)

• Get more details from the IBM ECM Widgets online documentation.

• Learn more about Information Management at the developerWorks InformationManagement zone. Find technical documentation, how-to articles, education,downloads, product information, and more.

• Stay current with developerWorks technical events and webcasts.

Discuss

• Check out the developerWorks blogs and get involved in the developerWorkscommunity.

About the authors

Shao Hong XuShao Hong Xu is a software engineer in IBM China Software Development Lab(CSDL). He has rich experience in designing IBM FileNet solutions, in developingJavascript based on Dojo, and in tuning Web client performance.

Xin Yu ZhouXin Yu Zhou is a software engineer in IBM China Software Development Lab (CSDL).He works on IBM FileNet products development in IBM Information Management.



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