Preface

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Contents

Intended Audience

Welcome to Release 2.6.4 of the Oracle Workflow API Reference.

This guide assumes you have a working knowledge of the following:

The principles and customary practices of your business area.
Oracle Workflow.

If you have never used Oracle Workflow, Oracle suggests you attend training classes available through Oracle University.
The Oracle Applications graphical user interface.

To learn more about the Oracle Applications graphical user interface, read the Oracle Applications User's Guide.
Operating system concepts.
Oracle Database, Oracle Application Server, and PL/SQL technology.

If you have never used these products, Oracle suggests you attend training classes available through Oracle University.

See Related Documents for more Oracle Applications product information.

TTY Access to Oracle Support Services

Oracle provides dedicated Text Telephone (TTY) access to Oracle Support Services within the United States of America 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For TTY support, call 800.446.2398.

Documentation Accessibility

Our goal is to make Oracle products, services, and supporting documentation accessible, with good usability, to the disabled community. To that end, our documentation includes features that make information available to users of assistive technology. This documentation is available in HTML format, and contains markup to facilitate access by the disabled community. Accessibility standards will continue to evolve over time, and Oracle is actively engaged with other market-leading technology vendors to address technical obstacles so that our documentation can be accessible to all of our customers. For more information, visit the Oracle Accessibility Program Web site at http://www.oracle.com/accessibility/ .

Accessibility of Code Examples in Documentation

Screen readers may not always correctly read the code examples in this document. The conventions for writing code require that closing braces should appear on an otherwise empty line; however, some screen readers may not always read a line of text that consists solely of a bracket or brace.

Accessibility of Links to External Web Sites in Documentation

This documentation may contain links to Web sites of other companies or organizations that Oracle does not own or control. Oracle neither evaluates nor makes any representations regarding the accessibility of these Web sites.

Structure

1 Overview of Oracle Workflow

This chapter introduces you to the concept of a workflow process and to the major features of Oracle Workflow.

2 Workflow Engine APIs

This chapter describes the APIs for the Workflow Engine. The APIs consist of views and PL/SQL and Java functions and procedures that you can use to access the Workflow Engine, the Workflow Monitor, and workflow data.

3 Directory Service APIs

This chapter describes the APIs for the Oracle Workflow directory service. The APIs consist of PL/SQL functions and procedures that you can use to access the directory service.

4 Notification System APIs

This chapter describes the APIs for the Oracle Workflow Notification System. The APIs consist of PL/SQL and Java functions and procedures that you can use to access the Notification System.

5 Business Event System APIs

This chapter describes the APIs for the Oracle Workflow Business Event System. The APIs consist of datatypes and PL/SQL functions and procedures that you can use to access the Business Event System.

6 Workflow Queue APIs

This chapter describes the APIs for Oracle Workflow Advanced Queues processing. The APIs consist of PL/SQL functions and procedures to handle workflow Advanced Queues processing. Although these APIs will continue to be supported for backward compatibility, customers using Oracle Workflow Release 2.6 and higher should use the Business Event System rather than the queue APIs to integrate with Oracle Advanced Queuing.

7 Document Management APIs

This chapter describes the APIs for Oracle Workflow document management. The APIs consist of PL/SQL functions and procedures to integrate with document management systems. Document management functionality is reserved for future use. This description of Oracle Workflow document management APIs is provided for reference only.

Glossary

Related Documents

You can choose from many sources of information, including online documentation, training, and support services, to increase your knowledge and understanding of Oracle Workflow.

If this guide refers you to other Oracle Applications documentation, use only the Release 11i versions of those guides.

Online Documentation

If you are using the version of Oracle Workflow embedded in Oracle Applications, note that all Oracle Applications documentation is available online (HTML or PDF).

PDF Documentation - See the Oracle Applications Documentation Library CD for current PDF documentation for your product with each release. The Oracle Applications Documentation Library is also available on OracleMetaLink and is updated frequently.
Online Help - Online help patches (HTML) are available on OracleMetaLink.
About Documents - Refer to the About document for the mini-pack or family pack that you have installed to learn about feature updates, installation information, and new documentation or documentation patches that you can download. About documents are available on OracleMetaLink.

If you are using the standalone version of Oracle Workflow, note that this guide is available online in HTML format. The HTML documentation is available from a URL provided by your system administrator or from the help icon in the Oracle Workflow Web pages.

Related Guides

You may want to refer to other Oracle Workflow guides and Oracle Applications implementation documentation when you set up and use Oracle Workflow. Additionally, Oracle Workflow is used by other Oracle Applications products to provide embedded workflows and business events. Therefore, if you are using the version of Oracle Workflow embedded in Oracle Applications, you may want to refer to other products' guides to learn more about the workflows and business events they include.

You can read the guides online by choosing Library from the expandable menu on your Oracle Applications HTML help window, by reading from the Oracle Applications Documentation Library CD included in your media pack, or by using a Web browser with a URL that your system administrator provides.

If you require printed guides, you can purchase them from the Oracle Store at http://oraclestore.oracle.com.

Guides Related to All Products

Oracle Applications User's Guide

This guide explains how to enter data, query, run reports, and navigate using the graphical user interface (GUI) available with this release of Oracle Workflow (and any other Oracle Applications products). This guide also includes information on setting user profiles, as well as running and reviewing reports and concurrent processes.

You can access this user's guide online by choosing ”Getting Started with Oracle Applications” from any Oracle Applications help file.

Oracle Workflow Documentation Set

Oracle Workflow Administrator's Guide

This guide explains how to complete the setup steps necessary for any product that includes workflow-enabled processes, as well as how to monitor the progress of runtime workflow processes

Oracle Workflow Developer's Guide

This guide explains how to define new workflow business processes and customize existing Oracle Applications-embedded workflow processes. It also describes how to define and customize business events and event subscriptions.

Oracle Workflow User's Guide

This guide describes how users can view and respond to workflow notifications and monitor the progress of their workflow processes.

Guides Related to This Product

Oracle Assets User Guide

In Oracle Assets, you can post capital project costs to become depreciable fixed assets. Refer to this guide to learn how to query mass additions imported from other products to Oracle Assets and to review asset information.

Oracle General Ledger User Guide

Use this manual when you plan and define your chart of accounts, accounting period types and accounting calendar, functional currency, and set of books. The manual also describes how to define journal entry sources and categories so you can create journal entries for your general ledger. If you use multiple currencies, use this manual when you define additional rate types, and enter daily rates. This manual also includes complete information on implementing Budgetary Control.

Oracle HRMS Documentation Set

This set of guides explains how to define your employees, so you can give them operating unit and job assignments. It also explains how to set up an organization (operating unit). Even if you do not install Oracle HRMS, you can set up employees and organizations using Oracle HRMS windows. Specifically, the following manuals will help you set up employees and operating units:

Using Oracle HRMS - The Fundamentals

This user guide explains how to set up and use enterprise modeling, organization management, and cost analysis.
Managing People Using Oracle HRMS

Use this guide to learn about entering employees.

Oracle Payables User Guide

Refer to this manual to learn how to use Invoice Import to create invoices in Oracle Payables from expense reports data in the Oracle Payables interface tables. This manual also explains how to define suppliers, and how to specify supplier and employee numbering schemes for invoices.

Oracle Projects Implementation Guide

Use this manual as a guide for implementing Oracle Projects. This manual also includes appendixes covering function security, menus and responsibilities, and profile options.

Oracle Purchasing User Guide

Use this guide to learn about entering and managing the requisitions and purchase orders that relate to your projects. This manual also explains how to create purchase orders from project-related requisitions in the AutoCreate Documents window.

Oracle Receivables User Guide

Use this manual to learn more about Oracle Receivables invoice processing and invoice formatting, defining customers, importing transactions using AutoInvoice, and defining automatic accounting in Oracle Receivables.

Oracle Business Intelligence System Implementation Guide

This guide provides information about implementing Oracle Business Intelligence (BIS) in your environment

BIS 11i User Guide Online Help

This guide is provided as online help only from the BIS application and includes information about intelligence reports, Discoverer workbooks, and the Performance Management Framework.

Using Oracle Time Management

This guide provides information about capturing work patterns such as shift hours so that this information can be used by other applications such as Oracle General Ledger.

Installation and System Administration

Oracle Applications Concepts

This guide provides an introduction to the concepts, features, technology stack, architecture, and terminology for Oracle Applications Release 11i. It provides a useful first book to read before installing Oracle Applications.

Installing Oracle Applications

This guide provides instructions for managing the installation of Oracle Applications products. In Release 11i, much of the installation process is handled using Oracle Rapid Install, which minimizes the time to install Oracle Applications and the Oracle technology stack by automating many of the required steps. This guide contains instructions for using Oracle Rapid Install and lists the tasks you need to perform to finish your installation. You should use this guide in conjunction with individual product user's guides and implementation guides.

Upgrading Oracle Applications

Refer to this guide if you are upgrading your Oracle Applications Release 10.7 or Release 11.0 products to Release 11i. This guide describes the upgrade process and lists database and product-specific upgrade tasks. You must be either at Release 10.7 (NCA, SmartClient, or character mode) or Release 11.0 to upgrade to Release 11i. You cannot upgrade to Release 11i directly from releases prior to 10.7.

Maintaining Oracle Applications

Use this guide to help you run the various AD utilities, such as AutoUpgrade, AutoPatch, AD Administration, AD Controller, AD Relink, License Manager, and others. It contains how-to steps, screenshots, and other information that you need to run the AD utilities. This guide also provides information on maintaining the Oracle Applications file system and database.

Oracle Applications System Administrator's Guide

This guide provides planning and reference information for the Oracle Applications system administrator. It contains information on how to define security, customize menus and online help, and manage concurrent processing.

Oracle Alert User's Guide

This guide explains how to define periodic and event alerts to monitor the status of your Oracle Applications data.

Training and Support

Training

Oracle offers a complete set of training courses to help you and your staff master Oracle Workflow and reach full productivity quickly. These courses are organized into functional learning paths, so you take only those courses appropriate to your job or area of responsibility.

You have a choice of educational environments. You can attend courses offered by Oracle University at any one of our many Education Centers, you can arrange for our trainers to teach at your facility, or you can use Oracle Learning Network (OLN), Oracle University's online education utility. In addition, Oracle training professionals can tailor standard courses or develop custom courses to meet your needs. For example, you may want to use your organization's structure, terminology, and data as examples in a customized training session delivered at your own facility.

Support

From on-site support to central support, our team of experienced professionals provides the help and information you need to keep Oracle Workflow working for you. This team includes your Technical Representative, Account Manager, and Oracle's large staff of consultants and support specialists, with expertise in your business area, managing an Oracle Database, and your hardware and software environment.

Do Not Use Database Tools to Modify Oracle Applications Data

Oracle STRONGLY RECOMMENDS that you never use SQL*Plus, Oracle Data Browser, database triggers, or any other tool to modify Oracle Applications data unless otherwise instructed.

Oracle provides powerful tools you can use to create, store, change, retrieve, and maintain information in an Oracle database. But if you use Oracle tools such as SQL*Plus to modify Oracle Applications data, you risk destroying the integrity of your data and you lose the ability to audit changes to your data.

Because Oracle Applications tables are interrelated, any change you make using an Oracle Applications form can update many tables at once. But when you modify Oracle Applications data using anything other than Oracle Applications, you may change a row in one table without making corresponding changes in related tables. If your tables get out of synchronization with each other, you risk retrieving erroneous information and you risk unpredictable results throughout Oracle Applications.

When you use Oracle Applications to modify your data, Oracle Applications automatically checks that your changes are valid. Oracle Applications also keeps track of who changes information. If you enter information into database tables using database tools, you may store invalid information. You also lose the ability to track who has changed your information because SQL*Plus and other database tools do not keep a record of changes.