lab 7 governing your bpm project with process center · 2015-07-30 · lab 9 – governance page 2...

Lab 9 – Governance Page 2

Lab 7 Governing Your BPM Project with Process Center

7.1 Overview

This lab exercise lets your experience how Process Center makes it simple to manage the lifecycle of your BPM assets.

You will acquire a clear understanding of the governance capabilities offered by Process Center and with the concepts of Process Apps, Toolkits, and Snapshots.

7.1.1 Introduction

One of the key success factors in BPM projects is the ability to effectively manage the dependencies and the various versions of your BPM artifacts.

Generally, BPM solutions are composite applications, made of different types of components, such as:

• Business Process Definitions

• Reusable Toolkits

• Integration Services

As you create newer versions of each of these components, you implicitly create a potentially intricate network of dependencies among them.

Process Center is the tool that greatly simplifies managing these dependencies, both from the perspective of development and of deployment

7.1.2 Lab Overview

This lab lets you experience some of the key aspects of BPM governance using Process Center.

We start by taking a look at the basic elements of BPM Governance. These include the concepts of Process Apps, Toolkits, Snapshots, and their relationships.


7.2 Understanding Process Apps and Toolkits

Let’s start by importing the initial version of the Mortgage Approval process application and of its dependent toolkit.

7.2.1 Import the Process Application

We have provided an initial version of the Mortgage Approval application – you should be already familiar with its structure if you have completed any of the previous labs in the Proof of Technology. Let’s import it into the Process Center.

__1. Start Process Designer (if not already started) and log in using admin for the user and password.

__2. Switch to (or remain on) the Process Center view (Alt+A)

__3. On the Process Apps tab, click Import Process Apps on the right hand side

__4. Browse to select the file C:\BPM-V8.5.5-PoT\LabWorkbook\GOVERNANCE\Mortgage_Application_Process_Governance - V1_-_Initial.twx. Click Open and then click OK:

__5. Click Import on the subsequent dialog to initiate the import operation.

__a. If this is the first time you import the Mortgage Approval Process Governance application, notice that the dialog mentions that two components will be imported (a Process App and a Toolkit).

__b. Otherwise, if you have already done other labs in this Proof-of-Technology, the dialog may indicate that the toolkit already exists, and needs not be imported again.


__6. Once the import operation is complete, you will see the Mortgage Approval process application in the list on the Process App tab:

7.2.2 Process Apps and Toolkits

Let’s now explore how Process Apps and Toolkits relate to each other.

__7. Click on the process acronym, MAPGOV. You will see at least two items on the list (Current and the V1 - Initial snapshot – there may be several other snapshots in the list, depending on previous labs you have done). The Current element refers to the actual “tip” of the process implementation – that’s the version of the application that is still being developed and that you can modify in Process Designer. The other snapshots are a “photograph” of the application – in particular, the V1 - Initial snapshot was taken right before exporting the application you just imported. We’ll discuss snapshots in more details later on.

__8. Click on the Current element on the list of snapshots. You will see the fine-grained details of the structure of the Process App. Notice that the current version of the application has dependencies on a number of Toolkits, including the Better Mortgage toolkit (v3.1):


__9. This documentation page can also be used to inspect the content of the application. Expand each of the sections, so that you can see the list of Business Process Definitions, Human Services, and Integration Services.

__10. On the right hand side, notice the links that allow you to print the documentation you are looking at, or to generate reports. You can also compare different versions (snapshots) using these tools:

__11. Click on Mortgage Application Process on the top bar.

__12. On the main menu bar, you can see three more links, besides “Snapshots”:

__13. Click on History. You will see a detailed history of the main changes that the Process App has undergone during its lifetime.

__14. Now, click Manage. You will be prompted with a screen that allows you to assign permissions as to which users or groups can perform operations on the Process App. We are going to go into more details on this topic later on.

__15. Click Governance. Notice the two items on this screen:


__16. These items correspond to governance processes that can be triggered when the application needs installing and when you want to modify the status of an application snapshot on a run-time environment. If you choose to use these processes, these administrative actions follow a sequence of steps, including verification and approvals – that can be customized based on your needs.

__17. Now, click the Toolkits tab. You can now see a list of Toolkits, including the one that the Mortgage Application Process needs as a dependency (the Better Mortgage Toolkit).

__18. Click on Better Mortgage Toolkit – Toolkits can also have snapshots, and they also have their own “tip” (the Current version that can still be modified).

__19. Now, click on the Process Apps tab, and click Open in Designer next to the Mortgage Approval Process Governance application:

__20. The Process Designer opens up. On the navigation tree on your left, notice the dependency on the Better Mortgage Toolkit, and specifically on version 3.1:

7.2.3 Leveraging Toolkits inside Process Apps

Toolkits represent a powerful way to share components across applications. Let’s take a look at how the process you imported uses components defined in a toolkit.

__1. In the navigation pane on the left, click Process and double-click Mortgage Approval Process to open it in the process editor:


__2. On the process diagram, double-click Enter Application Data to open that process activity. The human service editor opens up:

__3. Double-click the Enter Initial Application Data coach activity (the yellow-colored one). The user interface for that coach opens up. You see the definition of a coach with three tabs. Click for example on the Mortgage Information tab. You should see the following definition:

__4. Now, double-click Mortgage Request Details bar to open the coach view definition. Coach views are reusable UI definitions, generally associated with data objects.


__5. The coach view opens up. Notice that it’s called Mortgage View and that it is marked as read-only:


__6. The Mortgage View component cannot be changed here because it is defined in a toolkit. Since process applications can only reference specific snapshots of toolkits – and since snapshots are immutable – you can now understand why this component is marked as read-only. Let’s verify that it’s indeed defined in a toolkit. On the navigator view, expand the Better Mortgage Toolkit (v3.1) folder, and click User Interface and then double-click Mortgage View:

__7. Notice that this is the very same component we just inspected – still read-only. Let’s now try to make a change to it. Click Process Center:


__8. And now switch to the Toolkits tab. Click Better Mortgage Toolkit and then Manage:

__9. Make sure that Allow users to update toolkit is checked (check the checkbox if it isn’t):

__10. Now, click Snapshots to go back to the snapshots view of the toolkit:

__11. Click Open in designer on the right hand side:

__12. The designer opens up to edit the toolkit. Now, click User Interface and double-click Mortgage View.

__13. The Mortgage View component opens up, but the read-only designation is no longer there.


__14. Let’s make a change: drag and drop a Horizontal Section on the canvas, and then drag and drop the four text fields that are now in the vertical section on the horizontal section – as shown below:

__15. Remove the original vertical section, now empty, and rename the horizontal section Mortgage Request Details:


__16. Save your work (Ctrl-S).

__17. Now, in order to make it possible for a process app to use the changed screen, you need to create a new snapshot of this toolkit. Click Snapshot and call the new snapshot Horizontal. Provide a description if you like:

__18. Now, click Process Center and then switch back to the Process Apps tab.

__19. Click Open in Designer by the Mortgage Application Process Governance app.

__20. Notice that next to the Better Mortgage Toolkit entry in the library – there is an indication that there is a potential change:


__21. Click on . You are presented with a variety of options:

__22. Options include upgrading the dependency to the newer snapshot (“Horizontal”), ignoring the new version, removing the dependency altogether, or selecting another specific version. Click Upgrade dependency to Horizontal.

__23. Now, click Processes and double-click Mortgage Approval Process.

__24. Double-click the first activity of the process to open Enter Initial Application Data.

__25. Notice that the new horizontal section has taken the place of the original vertical section we had in the previous version of the process app – just by virtue of updating the toolkit dependency:


7.3 Understanding Snapshots

Let’s now make some changes to the Process Application and create a new snapshot. We also want to be able to go back to a previous snapshot, and possibly revert to a specific state in the past.

__1. Now that we have decided that we like the horizontal section for our details tab, we can create a new snapshot of the process application that will reference the newer snapshot of the toolkit, which contains the new component. Click Snapshot and give the snapshot a name and description (as indicated below):

__2. Click OK. Notice that the Revision History has captured the fact that a new snapshot was created.


__3. Snapshots are very powerful, also because they allow you to “go back in time” and take a look at how your process apps and toolkits were like at any previous stage. Let’s try it with the process app. Click on the V1 - Initial entry in the Revision History. Notice that the Process Designer – at the top – indicates that you are now looking at a past version:

__4. You should now see that the dependency on the Better Mortgage toolkit went back to v3.1, as it was back then:

__5. And if you double-click the first activity and open the coach, you should see the older layout:

__6. Notice that the component was opened in read-only mode. This shouldn’t surprise you, since you know that you are looking at a snapshot, and snapshots are immutable.

__7. Let’s now see how you can reverse the “Current” version to a prior state. Let’s do it on the toolkit itself. Click Process Center and switch to the Toolkits tab.

__8. Open the Better Mortgage Toolkit in the designer.


__9. Click on v3.1 in the Revision History to open that snapshot.

__10. As you would expect, Process Designer indicates that you are looking at a past snapshot:

__11. On the navigator view, click User Interface and double click Mortgage View. The older “vertical” view opens up – this is what we had in the original version of the toolkit.

__12. Now, click again User Interface and right-click Mortgage View. Select Revert from the context menu:


__13. Close the snapshot to return to the “Current” version:

__14. The “Current” (editable, not read-only) version has been now reversed to the original:

7.4 Team Programming With Process Center

Process Center also provides support for organizing the way members of the same development team can work together on common projects and shared artifacts.

Process Center governs concurrent access to shared artifacts, making them read-only to users that are not actively modifying them. It also allows an administrator to define who has the rights to modify (or even just view) a Process Application or Toolkit.

Finally, it must be noted that Process Center is not only about development – it also serves as a deployment dashboard. Process Center keeps a registry of deployment servers (Process Servers) – which can be connected or “off-line.” Through Process Center, you can directly deploy to a connected server, or generate a deployment package for an off-line Process Server.

This section allows you to become familiar with these capabilities.

Members of development teams need to be able to work on a set of shared artifacts within a project in a disciplined and organized fashion.

Let’s see how Process Center can help you organize your team’s development activities.


7.4.1 Defining Access Rights

In order to demonstrate how to define access rights, we have created a few extra users for you in our user registry. We are going to play with users Jane and Jack to show how teams of developers can share the same Process Center.

__1. In Process Designer, switch to the Process Center perspective, if you aren’t already there.

__2. Click Toolkits and then click the Better Mortgage Toolkit entry.

__3. Now, click Manage on the tool bar at the top. This screen allows you to view who is authorized to manipulate this toolkit. Notice that only the admin user is now on the list. Click Add Users:


__4. Type Jack and wait for the user to be retrieved and displayed. Click Add Selected when done:

__5. By default, Jack has read authority on the Toolkit. Make it so Jack has also write authority, by clicking the appropriate checkbox:

__6. Now, add Jane to the list too, but let Jane be only a reader:

__7. Click the Process Apps tab, and click Mortgage Application Process. Make both Jack and Jane writers and readers for this application.

__a. Click the Manage link, as you did before.

__b. Click Add Users and add Jack, and repeat for Jane.


__c. Check the Write checkboxes by Jack and Jane:

__8. Now, let’s authorize both Jane and Jack to use the process designer.

__a. Click the Admin tab.

__b. Click Add users/groups and add John. Then repeat for Jack. You should see something similar to the following screen shot:

__9. Close the Process Designer – we are going to use it now as Jack and Jane.

7.4.2 Experiencing Concurrent Access and Access Rights

We now want to experience how the access rights we assigned influence what the users can do on Process Apps and Toolkits. While we do that, we also want to understand how process center takes care of sequencing concurrent access to shared components.

__1. Open the Process Designer again, and this time log in as Jack (the password is password). Process Designer opens up – it should open on the Process Center perspective, Process Apps tab (if not, switch to that perspective and tab).


__2. Notice that the only app that shows up on the list is our Mortgage Approval Process Governance application. This happens because Jack and John are only authorized to work with this app. Click on Open in Designer by the Mortgage Application Process app to open the designer.

__3. Now, open the BPD – click Processes and double-click Mortgage Approval Process. The editor opens up and you can make changes to the process. This should be expected, since we just authorized Jack and Jane to be writers of that application.

__4. Now, open another instance of Process Designer (don’t close the first one you have already opened, and start Process Designer again). But this time log in as Jane (password is password).

__5. Again, open the same application in the designer, and open the same Business Process Definition in the process editor, just like Jack did.


At this point, both Jack and Jane can edit the process. Notice that – at the bottom of each Process Designer screen – there is an indication that another user is working on this process application. For example, in Jack’s Process Designer you should see the following:


__6. Of course, Jane’s screen shows that Jack is on the same process app. Click on the name of the other user to view what this user is currently working with – for example:

__7. Jack can tell that Jane is currently viewing the same Business Process. Now, let’s make a change to the business process itself. In the instance of Process Designer where you are logged in as Jack, delete the first activity from the process:

__8. Don’t save your changes yet. Switch to the Process Designer instance you opened as Jane, and click on Jack at the bottom of the screen. You see that Jack is currently editing the business process, and viewing the properties:

__9. At the top of the editor, you also see that the process has become read-only for Jane, and that Jack is editing it:


__10. Jane cannot see Jack’s changes yet, because Jack hasn’t saved them. Switch to the instance you have opened as Jack, and save your change (Ctrl-S). Switch back to Jane’s Process Designer: voila, now Jane sees the modified version (and the process is editable again)!

__11. Now, still as Jane, switch to the Process Center and click the Toolkits tab. You should see two toolkits:

__12. Click Open in Designer by the Better Mortgage Toolkit. When the designer opens up, click User Interface and double-click Mortgage View. Can you make changes to this component? Why?

__13. Switch to Jack’s Process Designer and do the same – open up the same Better Mortgage Toolkit in the Designer. Can Jack make changes to the Applicant View component? Why?

__14. Now that you understand concurrent access and access rights, you can close both Process Designer instances.


7.5 Deployment Registry in Process Center

The Process Center can also be used as the “deployment dashboard” of your BPM environment.

Once you have created and tested a process application, you can deploy it to an instance of the Process Server. Instances or Process Server can be connected to Process Center or “off-line”.

Just pushing a button can push applications down to connected instances. Also, the Process Center will know which applications and how many instances of each are running on a certain connected Process Server! In this lab environment, it is impractical to configure a number of connected instances of Process Server – we want to show you, nevertheless, how you can define an offline server and create a “deployment package” for it.

7.5.1 Defining an Off-line Process Server

For off-line Process Servers, the Process Center can create the “deployment package” that you can then install on the Process Server using scripts.

But before that happens, you must define the offline Process Server to the Process Center.

__1. Let’s use Process Center from its web browser interface (you don’t need Process Designer to access Process Center). Open a browser, and navigate to http://localhost:9080/ProcessCenter.

__2. Log in as admin (password: admin).

__3. Close the Getting Started pop-up, and click the Servers tab. The list of servers is empty. Let’s add an off-line server. On the right hand side, click Add a New Offline Server:


__4. Call it Production Server – give it a description – leave the type as Production:

__5. Click Create to complete the creation. The server now appears on the list:


__6. Switch to the Process Apps tab, and click Mortgage Application Process Governance. Notice that only snapshots can be exported or installed:

__7. Click Install by anyone of the snapshots. You are prompted to select a server to install your application. Select the Production Server:


__8. Notice that the button at the bottom changes from Install to Create installation package. This happens because the tool recognizes that this is an off-line server. Click the button. After some processing, you should see that Process Center indicates that there is a deployment package available for our Production Server:

__9. The deployment package can be retrieved using a special wsadmin command (BPMExtractOfflinePackage). Additional commands are available to install the package on the off-line Process Server cell.

7.6 Summary

You should now understand how Process Center could add value to your BPM project lifecycle by greatly simplifying all the governance activities that surround the creation and deployment of BPM artifacts and solutions.

lab 7 governing your bpm project with process center · 2015-07-30 · lab 9 – governance page 2...

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