How to Configure Multi-Instance Markers

Adding Delays, Deadlines, and Time Based Cycles to Your Process 18-5 To configure a deadline for an activity: 1. Locate the activity in your process for which you want to configure a deadline.

2. From the Component Palette, from the Catch Events section, select Timer.

3. Drop the timer event over the activity. The timer event becomes a boundary event. A sequence flow coming out from the boundary timer catch event appears. 4. Place the cursor over an end event and click to drop the sequence flow there. 5. If you want the deadline to happen on a specific date, then you must configure the boundary timer catch event as time date. If you want the deadline to happen after a certain period, then you must configure the boundary timer catch event as cycle. See Section 18.7.1, How to Configure a Timer Event To Use a Specific Date and Time for more information on how to configure a timer event as time date. See Section 18.7.3, How to Configure a Timer Event to Use an Interval for more information on how to configure a timer event as cycle.

6. In the Implementation tab, in the Timer Properties dialog, select Interrupting

Event .

18.4.2 What Happens When You Configure a Deadline for an Activity

If the activity is still running when the timer event fires, then the token quits the activity and move to a different point in the process. The timer event fires because a certain date arrives or because the specified period passes, depending on how you configured the timer event.

18.5 Configuring a Deadline for a BPMN Process

You can configure a process deadline for your process using an event subprocess that starts with an interrupting timer start. After a certain time passes or a date arrives, the timer event fires. If the token is still in the process then it moves to the event subprocess. The timer event is only active while the token remains in the process. You can configure the deadline to happen on a specific date, or after the token spends a certain time in the activity. In both cases you can specify a fixed date or interval or an expression that calculates the corresponding date or interval. For example, in a purchase order process, you can configure the process so that if the token stays in the process for more than three months, then it automatically ends the process. You might want to use an error end event in the event subprocess, so that the process does not finish running successfully. 18-6 Modeling and Implementation Guide for Oracle Business Process Management Figure 18–4 Process Deadline This diagram shows a process that contains a process deadline. If the token stays in the process longer than the timer start event in the event subprocess specifies, then the timer start event in the event subprocess fires. When the timer start event in the subprocess fires, the token moves to the event-sub process.

18.5.1 How to Configure a Deadline for a BPMN Process

You can configure a deadline for a BPMN process. You can choose to terminate the process flow or to run a group of flow object when the deadline expires. To configure a deadline for a BPMN process: 1. Open the BPMN process.

2. From the Component Palette, from the Activities section, select Event Subprocess.

3. Drop the event subprocess in the process. 4. Configure the start event in the event subprocess to be a timer event: 1. Right-click the start event in the event subprocess.

2. Select Properties.

3. Click the Implementation tab.

4. From the Implementation Type list, select Timer.

5. Select Interrupting Event.

6. If you want the deadline to happen on a specific date, then you must configure the timer event as time date. If you want the deadline to happen after a certain period, then you must configure the timer event as cycle. See Section 18.7.1, How to Configure a Timer Event To Use a Specific Date and Time for more information on how to configure a timer event as time date. See Section 18.7.3, How to Configure a Timer Event to Use an Interval for more information on how to configure a timer event as cycle. Adding Delays, Deadlines, and Time Based Cycles to Your Process 18-7

18.5.2 What Happens When You Configure a Deadline for a BPMN Process

If the token stays in the process longer than specified by the interrupting timer event, then the timer event fires. When the timer start event in the event subprocess fires the token leaves the process and moves to the event subprocess.

18.6 Running Additional Activities

While running an activity or a process you can run additional activities based on a time condition. You can choose to trigger the additional activities periodically or on a certain date. Typically you run additional activities when the activity you are currently running takes a long time to finish. For example, if you run a service that takes twenty hours to update a database, then you might want to send an e-mail to inform progress of the update to the interested parties. The timer event is only active while the token remains in the activity. You can also run additional activities while a process is running. These activities run in parallel to the main process flow. Figure 18–5 Running Additional Activities While an Activity is Running This diagram shows a process that contains an activity that runs additional activities while it is running. If the token is still in the activity when the non-interrupting timer event fires, then the BPMN Service Engine creates a copy of the token and routes it through the process flow the timer event defines. Figure 18–6 This diagram shows a process that runs activities in parallel to the main process flow. The timer start event in the event subprocess may fire multiple times while the process