Building and Configuring Workflows

Workflows consist of programs that can carry out complex activities, respond to events and data changes, and write values back out to the data models or through external connectors.

You can define a process or workflow, which is normally comprised of a number of steps with a logical execution path. Each step can involve manual interaction with a user or can be automated with your equipment. This software enables your process to follow and record the outcome of the execution.

Workflows are configured collections of subprocesses, activities, reference data, and functional resources that are used to complete the defined process from start to finish.

Workflow Foundations provides you with general information about workflows, from information you need to develop them to running them.

The Task Management display shows task and task step information related to the corresponding Equipment, Personnel, or Proficy System Computers as selected in the navigator.

The workflow configuration panel in the Workflow Editor allows you to configure task details, properties, parameters, variables, events, namespaces, and data sources for workflows.

A subprocess is part of a user-defined process in a workflow. For a workflow to run, all subprocesses must be valid (contain no errors) and enabled (active).

Global subprocesses allow you to develop and store standard and frequently used subprocesses. These subprocesses can be reused in various workflows. They are preconfigured and then are available in the Global Subprocesses list where you are creating your workflow.

When a global subprocess is inserted into a workflow, you can change it to a local subprocess. Then, you can configure the subprocess to meet the specific needs of the currently selected workflow.

Activities comprise the main building blocks or steps that perform the actions in a subprocess or workflow.

Schedules are used to run a workflow when an event occurs and provide more configuration options for specific workflows; however, they are created and executed separately from workflows.

Faults are errors or failures that occur within a workflow while it is running.

You can test and review workflows before they become part of your production environment by performing basic tests and verifying instance control.

The debugging function allows you to locate and isolate an error in your workflow in order to fix it before the workflow is used in a production environment.

The Tracking Configuration tab allows you to track subprocess or workflow level data and local variables while a workflow is running.

The Web Services Service Provider extends Workflow capabilities by allowing you to use SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) web services that provide WSDL(Web Services Description Language) metadata.

Workflow publishes a web service, IWorkflowWebService, that allows schedule operations. You can browse all configured workflow schedules and start one or more of them, as well as get information on running workflow instances.

Categories allow you to organize the resources associated with your workflows.

Completion codes indicate how a subprocess finishes, and may change depending on the outcome of the subprocess execution.

Resource actuals show the as-performed actual values for a resource during a production cycle. A resource actual is associated with a resource specification, making it easy to compare actual and specified values for properties.

The Workflow Task List can be integrated into other GE HMI applications.

Service interfaces allow you to access one or more call methods that you can use when developing your workflow.

eSOP (Electronic Standard Operating Procedures) offers a simplified solution for managing and developing workflows. It increases the efficiency of your development process by utilizing differing skill levels to develop the final workflow product.

You can use the REST APIs to interact with the Workflow application over the Internet.