Notification + data flow in Duet Enterprise Workflow mobile App

The Duet Enterprise Workflow capability can be used to expose SAP workflow tasks to SharePoint context. Once in SharePoint, it can be further built upon. You can extend the associated SharePoint workflow with additional workflow steps and business processing. Another option is to use the SharePoint Duet Enterprise Workflow site as integration layer to expose and handle the SAP tasks in a mobile application.

System architecture

In such system architecture, following systems/layers are present:

1. SAP backend / workflow engine: the host environment of the SAP workflows
2. SAP Gateway: general purpose SAP integration layer; here used to publish SAP workflows from backend to workflow notification subscribers
3. SharePoint Duet Enterprise Add-On: functions here as workflow notification subscriber; host of Duet Enterprise workflow instances, and task repository for the mobile application
4. Mobile view: retrieve plus display tasks, and propagate task approval decision back to the SharePoint task repository

Note that in this system architecture, the (mobile) view and SAP landscape operate disconnected; SharePoint is the glue between the backend and frontend parts.

Notification and data flow for exposing SAP task to non-SAP view

Sequence steps:

1. The SAP ERP workflow execution arives on a user decision task, that is configured for notification to Gateway (tx SPRO, Gateway workflow customization);
2. SAP Document Publisher composes a XML Payload document with task data: workitem identification plus business data. The addition of the workflow specific business data is optional in Gateway Workflow notification. If applicable, you can achieve this by extanding the workflow customization with the plug-in of a custom OutboundHandler;
3. SAP Document Publisher calls the SharePoint OBAWorkflowServer.asmx::CreateTask operation, with inputparameters the task(type) identifier, workitem identifier and XML PayLoad document;
4. SharePoint OBAWorkflowServer.asmx::CreateTask method:
   1. Queries the TaskLocator List in the Duet Enterprise Workflow rootsite, and determines on basis of tasktype and user language the Duet Enterprise Workflow subsite to which the received SAP task must be routed;
   2. Instantiates a new SharePoint workflow instance in the identified Duet Enterprise Workflow subsite, and associates this instance with the SAP workitem identifier;
   3. And uploads the received XML PayLoad document into the Workflow Business Data DocLibrary in the Workflow subsite;
5. The SharePoint Duet Enterprise Workflow contains by default only 1 step that represents the decision-making for the SAP task. It is possible to extend the SharePoint Workflow with additional steps and functionality. This will operate isolated from the SAP Workflow handling. The default approval task in the SharePoint Duet Enterprise workflow is the only connectionpoint between the SharePoint workflow and the SAP decision workflow task. Upon the Duet Enterprise Workflow arriving at the approval task, it appears in the SharePoint tasklist.
6. User opens the tasklist in the mobile application;
7. The tasklist App call SharePoint List.svc service (DataAccess Layer) to retrieve the open tasks for the logged-on user
8. SharePoint List.svc queries the SharePoint workflow tasklist, to determine and retrieve the open task items for logged-on user
9. SharePoint List.svc returns the task items in Odata format
10. The Duet Enterprise Workflow Approval Task and the XML PayLoad document are in the SharePoint Workflow administration logical associated to each other. If additional business extended properties are notified for the SAP workitem via OutboundHandler, the associated Business Data document must be opened from the SharePoint document library and its contents parsed to retrieve the additional properties.

Control and data flow for handling task decision from non-SAP mobile App to SAP workflow context

Sequence steps:

1. User makes a decision in the task management App;
2. Task management App calls SharePoint Workflow.asmx webservice to propagate the task approval decision to SharePoint task item;
3. SharePoint workflows.asmx updates the task item with approval decision;
4. The update on SharePoint taskitem triggers the TaskItemEventReceiver;
5. Triggered TaskItemEventReceiver::ItemUpdating method checks whether the SharePoint task item is completed; that is a approval decision is made. If completed, TaskItemEventReceiver calls [through SharePoint Business Connectivity Services] the Update method of External ContentType  Duet Enterprise Workflow Task;
6. SharePoint BCS calls for Duet Enterprise Workflow Task Update the wfUpdate method of SAP workflow consumer webservice; with input parameters workitem identifier, decision value and comments;
7. SAP workflow consumer webservice propagates task approval decision to the associated SAP workflow instance, and executes apply decision on the SAP workitem;
8. SAP workflow completes this workitem step, and proceeds to the next step in SAP workflow. If it was the last step in workflow, the SAP workflow is now completed;
9. TaskItemEventReceiver updates the status of SharePoint taskitem to completed. In default (generated) Duet Enterprise Workflow is this the only step/task, and the SharePoint workflow is completed. The SharePoint taskitem is removed from the users open tasks list.