HP SM Process Designer Overview

What is the HP SM Process Designer?

• The Process Designer is a brand new tool designed to control workflow, release in Service Manager 9.30

• Currently, there are two SM modules that support the process designer – Knowledge Management – Change Management

What About the Other Modules? • HP will be releasing the workflow engine for the rest of

the SM Modules • Even Modules like Incident Management that do not

have ‘workflow’ can use the Process Designer to manage their rule sets

• It will be possible to add workflows to Incident!

How Do I Get It? • The Process Designer is included in SM 9.30 • Knowledge Management is included in SM 9.30 • Change Management ‘content pack’ is on HP’s Live

Network: • https://hpln.hp.com/group/process-designer-content-

packs-service-manager

What’s a Content Pack and How Do I Install that?

• Content Packs can now be installed via the ‘Application Patch Manager’ (APM)

• The APM keeps track of which content packs are installed

• The APM allows you to install the Content Packs and merge code, etc. like a mini upgrade!

Here’s Where Content Packs Are Installed:

So I Apply the Content Pack for Change…Then What?

• OK, let’s first go over the benefits of using the Process Designer, then let’s talk about what you’ll do once you install it.

What’s in the Process Designer? • There are two main parts to the Process Designer

– Workflows (Graphical Process Workflow Editor) – Rule Sets (Workflow Rules)

Workflows… • Control the lifecycle of a ticket (i.e. A Change Workflow,

A Change Task Workflow) • Are the ‘glue’ that hold everything together • Define transitions, either automatic or manual

between Phases • Allow you to apply Rule Sets to manage workflow rules

throughout the ticket life cycle

I am a Workflow!

Rule Sets • Allow you to create Workflow Rules via a graphically driven

rules engine • Rules Sets can be applied to Workflows independently of

each other (no more worrying about whether or not a rule applies to a Change Scenario)

• Rule Sets can be re-used across multiple Workflows (as long as they are in the same Module)

Rules Sets Replace Functionality in: • Format Controls (calculations, queries, validations,

subroutines) • Triggers (after successful update) • Process Records • Display Screens • Display Options (buttons, more options)

Rule Sets Replace Functionality…? • Yes, the Rules Engine now has the capability to perform

many of the same things that other parts of SM can do • They can still work together. The Rules Sets fire first,

then the it goes through the normal processing of FC’s, Triggers, etc.

So How Should I Go About Implementing This Thing?

• Rule Sets and Graphical Workflow can be used in addition to existing rules defined in Format Controls, triggers etc.

• However, the existing code cannot be uncoupled from new workflows, so eventually you will probably end up moving all your rules to the new Rule Set functionality

That Sounds Like a Lot of Work! • Well, some of it will happen automatically. Phases and

transitions are added to the graphical Workflow Editor automatically.

• Some of it you will have to do manually. For example, you will probably want to add your validations to rule sets to apply to workflows. (And remove them from Format Controls and Datadict)

But It Will Be Worth It! • Long term maintenance of the workflow and rule sets

will greatly simplify finding and changing rules and workflows.

• How many times have you looked for something that is happening in SM and looked through 7 or 8 different objects for that snippet of code?

Central Point to Locate Workflow Rules • Now you will have one central point to look for workflow rules. • If something happens on ‘save’, you just check the ‘update’ or

‘after successful save’ tabs in Workflow. • If there’s a button that does something and you want to change

it, no more looking up the Button ID, then following it through the Object and State records to find the Action it is performing, it is simply an ‘action’ on the phase you see the button in!

OK-so show me what this thing can do!

• Alrighty. I was going to just show the functionality in a live demo, but I have put much of the info in this slide deck so that you can reference it after this webinar and won’t have to snap screen shots of everything I do.

Workflow Editor Main points • You cannot edit an ‘HP Workflow’. HP Workflows are

built on best practices and cannot be modified. If you want to modify an HP Workflow. You must copy it, then modify it.

• Workflows have two main features: – Phases – Transitions

A Phase

Phase Details • Name, Display Name,

Table Name • Form Edit condition (who

has access to edit record) • Phase Active? • Make First Phase • Make Default Phase

Phase Forms • What Format that this

phase should use.

Phase Rule Sets • On Enter-Phase Starts • On Enter-Phase Exits • Initialization-Same as FC init • On Display-Same as FC dis • On Update-Same as FC upd • After Successful Update-Will

Only run if update is successful

Phase Actions

• ID (name) • Action (Choose from a drop-down of actions • Location: Button, Tray, ‘More’ Options menu • Option # (button Id) • Action Condition • Action when Complete (Add, Save, Delete) • Requires a Lock (true, false)

Phase Approvals • Reset Condition • Recalculate Condition • List of Approvals (pulled

from existing Approval Table)

Phase Alerts • Place to put Alerts

(these are the same alerts you are currently working with)

• Reset Condition • Recalculate

Condition

A Transition

Transition Details • Transition Type:

– Manual (Button) – Automatic (Workflow) – Default (Will fire if no other automatic

workflow conditions are met) • Command Name (if button) • Command Location: Tray, More

Options, Button • Condition (When it’s available) • Rule Sets—Rules applied to the

transition

Transition Example

Condition Editor • The Condition editor is used in multiple places

throughout the Process Designer • It allows you to tell the Process Designer WHEN

something should be done • It simplifies the creation of conditional logic by using a

Wizard-driven interface • Found everywhere you can apply a condition

Condition Editor Object Access • The Condition Editor allows you to

access these Objects within SM: – CurrentRecord ($L.file) – Object (Record’s Object Record – RAD Expression-allows you to type

or re-use from somewhere else RAD logic

– Saved Record ($file0 or oldRecord) – Security—This ties to the NEW

Change management Security profiles

– Variable—allows you to access a variable available to the thread

Condition Editor • Using the Current Record • Select ‘Actual Downtime

End’ • >= • Value • Pick Date • Choose Time

Condition Editor • Combine Expressions by

using Conditions

Condition Editor Groups • Group Expressions

together using the ‘Group’ selection

• This is basically writing the () for you

Condition Editor Finished Product • Once you complete the

wizard, the condition is placed in the ‘condition’ section of where ever you are working in.

Rule Sets • Rule Sets are groups of business rules that you write using

the Rule editor • You can group rules together or create a rule set with a

single rule • Rule sets are then applied to the Workflow engine at either

the Phase or the Transition level

Rule Sets • Once Rule Sets are applied to Phases or Transitions, you

only need to change to Rule Set to affect everywhere it’s tied to.

• This way, you can group business rules together and create different rule sets for different workflows

• You can also create Rule Sets that are used across multiple workflows, i.e. a Rule Set that contains all of the ‘must have’ validation rules for every Change Workflow

Rule Set Screen Shot

What can we do with these Rules? • Start or Stop Clock • Set Field (calculations) • Set Field from number

(counter field) • Validate Date (against Date

Range) • Validate against List (Global

or defined list)

• Validate Text/Number (against text or number range)

• Validate against table (use table lookup to validate data)

What can we do with these Rules? • Launch a URL • Run a Macro (HP SM macro) • Call a Process (HP SM

Process records) • Run a Wizard (HP SM

Wizard Records) • Clear Fields • Run Javascript

• Set Mandatory Fields (validations)

• Set Mandatory Variables (validations)

• Send Notifications • Launch a Script (HP SM Scripts) • Send HTML Email

That’s a lot of functionality! • Yes-you can reuse existing Javascript libraries, wizards,

scripts, macros, Process records, etc. and now add them to Rule Sets and use them in the Process Designer!

• You can also come up with new Rules that will replace older functionality, like Validations

Set Mandatory Fields • Modify the Description • Create a Condition using

the Condition Editor • Choose your mandatory

fields from the Drop-down

Rule is Added to Rule Set

Rule Set Change is Applied • The Rule Set Change is applied to all Phases and

Transitions that use that Rule Set

Questions