SAP Workflow Troubleshooting Guide

This article focuses on practical techniques used to assist in the debugging and resolving workflow issues during the development and production support phases of SAP implementations. The SAP Workflow application incorporates the use of several components, i.e. graphical editing tool (workflow builder), some object orientated concepts (use of the Business Object Repository), ABAP, and a hook/trigger mechanism into one of the SAP application modules (FI, CO, MM, etc). As business requirements are mapped into a workflow process definition and prototyping starts, debugging becomes an essential tool to expedite the implementation of workflow process.

We will concentrate on using debugging techniques to resolve real world workflow implementation and production support issues. Before we begin let’s list some preliminary assumptions and guidelines:

• The workflow engine has been enabled
• We are working with SAP Release 46C. There are significant changes and enhancement in release 6.1/6.2 SAP workflow technology
• The user should be familiar with basic workflow configuration and development, e.g. the workflow type ‘TS’ is a single step task and type ‘WS’ is a multi-step task.

Since workflow has many different elements, starting the debugger is not as straight forward as with a stand alone ABAP program. To illustrate the best way to step in and resolve issues by debugging we will start by looking at a COPY of the standard SAP workflow template for the overall release of MM purchase requisitions.

The debugging principles applied may be used with any workflow templates (customer defined or standard). A custom workflow template (WS) is being used to illustrate the use of debugging concepts on background tasks. A new custom single step task (TS) has been created for notifying the creator of the purchase requisition release and replaces the DIALOG FOREGROUND TASK that requests the creator manually confirm a work item.

Download the manual which will teach you about Event debugging, Agent Resolution Debugging and Workflow task(method) debugging.

View/Download the SAP Workflow troubleshooting manual (3354).

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