First off...I'm new to Workflow and what we currently have in place was
written for us by consultants. The existing WorkFlow process gets a
messages, wait x seconds and releases the message. This new process will be
very different.

I'm looking at tutorials etc but not finding anything that helps with this
task. All of the examples I've read so far at some point have a user go into
the client and complete a process.

Any help would be great

Version: WebSphere MQ WorkFlow 3.5
Platform: Windows 2000
Database: DB2
IT Staff training: Minimal (Had one class 4yrs ago then didn't get to use
anything from it)

Here are the details of my dilemma....

We are starting a new project that will allow a new customer to create an
account and place an order at the same time. Two things happen at this point
1) An order XML message is sent via MQ to Workflow. It needs held in
workflow for an unknown time period. The order contacts a key field of the
orderId (user_id) <- the final key is still being debated by the design
team.
2) The account is created in Siebel via WBI. Some specific fields are not
completed and have to be done manually by customer service in Siebel. The
order can not complete processing through the backend systems until the
account is completed.

Once the account is complete another XML (with a different format that
order) will be sent via a queue to WorkFlow. This second XML message also
has an orderId.

Here is where it gets even more difficult (from my perspective).

Workflow now needs to somehow link the correct held order to the account
based on the orderId. If it has a match (order orderId = account orderId) it
will then need to map some fields from the account message to the order
message and output an XML to a queue for the backend to pick up and process.

It sounds simple BUT this have to have NO human intervention in WorkFlow.
There is no known/set wait time for the order.

I'm really at a loss on how to even approach this using WorkFlow. We need to
get answers to mgmt and project sponsors soon and I've been charged with the
task of figuring this out and starting design and development ASAP.

Thanks,

Cat Miller
OCLC
Senior Software Engineer


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Cat,

bad conditions for a successful MQWF project!
All experies tell that workflow projects will fail if designed by
unskilled persons.

I can't provide you with the required skill, I can only give you
references where to
look for further information. It definitely helps to use the MQWF
terminology so that
all persons are talking about the same things.

This is what I would translate from your business requirements into MQWF
terminology:
- You have persons (customers) that need to create an start an instance
(new order) of your new process template (project).
This can be done in a (C, C++, Java, COBOL) client program via API calls
or via the MQWF XML interface.
Either case allows you to pass data (orderID/userID) to the process.
I guess your existing project does it via the XML interface - not
because the data that are passed to the
process instance are in XML format, but because the XML interface does
not require an MQWF account.

- Your process needs to start activities automatically (Siebel backend)
and pass correlationIDs (customer business data) to it.
This can be done by automatic UPES activities. Basically the program
logic of an UPES it is up to you. MQWF provides the
framework for message handling and container (data) passing and
returning.
UPES activities are based on XML messages, too.

In my statements above I used all the keywords, you should use for further
investigations:
MQWF XML client interface, automatic activities, UPES framework
(SupportPac in 3.5, part of the product in 3.6),
process context (correlationID).

Use the MQWF Programming Guide, Redbooks and the SupportPacs available for
information retrieving.
You may also contact workflow@de.ibm.com for specific questions how things
work.

Good Luck!

Volker Hoss
IBM WebSphere WPS Development