IBM BPM - Versioning Process Applications

Introduction

Versioning provides the ability for the runtime environment to identify snapshots in the lifecycle of a process application, and to be able to concurrently run multiple snapshots on a process server.

Overview

To understand how process applications are versioned, it is important to remember that a process application is a container that holds various artifacts used in or by the process application (for example, process models or BPDs, toolkit references, services, tracks, or monitor models). Any versioning is done at this container level, not at the level of the individual artifacts. For process applications, that means that versioning happens when you take a snapshot.

You can compare snapshots to determine differences between the versions. For example, if a developer fixed a problem with a service and took a snapshot of its containing process application or toolkit at that point, and then a different developer made several additional changes to the same service and took a new snapshot, the project manager can compare the two snapshots to determine which changes were made when and by whom. If the project manager decided that the additional changes to the service were not worthwhile, the project manager can revert to the snapshot of the original fix.

You can run different versions (snapshots) of a process application concurrently on a server; when you install a new snapshot, either remove the original or leave it running.

Version context

Each snapshot has unique metadata to identify the version (referred to as version context). You assign that identifier, but IBM recommends using a three-digit numeric version system in the format <major>.<minor>.<service>. See the topics about naming conventions for a more detailed description of this versioning scheme.

IBM® Business Process Manager assigns a global namespace for each process application. The global namespace is specifically either the process application's tip or a particular process application snapshot. The version name used by the server cannot be longer than seven characters, so the assigned name is an acronym that uses characters from the snapshot name that you assigned. Snapshot acronyms are identical to their snapshot names if the snapshot names conform to the recommended IBM VRM style and are not more than seven characters. For example, a snapshot name of 1.0.0 will have an acronym of 1.0.0, and a snapshot name of 10.3.0 will have the acronym of 10.3.0. The snapshot acronym will be guaranteed to be unique within the context of the process application within the scope of the Process Center server. For that reason, you cannot edit the snapshot acronym.

Versioning considerations for process applications in multiple clusters

You can install the same version of a process application to multiple clusters within the same cell. To differentiate among these multiple installations of the same version of the process application, create a snapshot for each installation and include a cell-unique ID in the snapshot name (for example, v1.0_cell1_1 and v1.0_cell1_2). Each snapshot is a new version of the process application (from a pure lifecycle management perspective), but the content and function are the same.

When you install a process application in a cluster, an automatic synchronization of the nodes is performed.

Versioning considerations for Process Designer toolkits

Remember that process application snapshots are typically taken when you are ready to test or install. Toolkit snapshots, however, are typically taken when you are ready for that toolkit to be used by process applications. Afterward, if you want to update the toolkit, you must take another snapshot of "tip" when you are ready, and then the owners of process applications and toolkits can decide whether they want to move up to the new snapshot.

Naming conventions

A naming convention is used to differentiate the various versions of a process application as it moves through the lifecycle of updating, deploying, co-deploying, un-deploying, and archiving.

This section provides you with the conventions that are used to uniquely identify versions of a process application.

A version context is a combination of acronyms that uniquely describes a process application or toolkit. Each type of acronym has a naming convention. The acronym is limited to a maximum length of seven characters from the [A-Z0-9_] character set, except for the snapshot acronym, which can also include a period.

Ø  The process application acronym is created when the process application is created. It can be a maximum of seven characters in length.

Ø  The snapshot acronym is created automatically when the snapshot is created. It can be a maximum of seven characters in length.

If the snapshot name meets the criteria for a valid snapshot acronym, the snapshot name and acronym will be the same.

Note: When using the mediation flow component version-aware routing function, name your snapshot so that it conforms to the <version>.<release>.<modification> scheme (for example, 1.0.0). Because the snapshot acronym is limited to seven characters, the digit values are limited to a maximum of five total digits (five digits plus two periods). Therefore, care should be taken when the digit fields are incremented, because anything beyond the first seven characters is truncated.

For example, a snapshot name 11.22.33 results in a 11.22.3 snapshot acronym.

Ø  The track acronym is automatically generated from the first character of each word of the track name. For example, a new track created with the name My New Track would result in an acronym value of MNT.

The default track name and acronym are Main. Deployment to a IBM® Process Center server includes the track acronym in the versioning context if the track acronym is not Main.

A business process definition in a process application is typically identified by the process application name acronym, the snapshot acronym, and the name of the business process definition. Choose unique names for your business process definitions whenever possible. When duplicate names exist, you might encounter the following problems:

Ø  You might be unable to expose the business process definitions as web services without some form of mediation.

Ø  You might be unable to invoke a business process definition created in IBM Process Designer from a BPEL process created in IBM Integration Designer.

Naming conventions for Process Center server deployments

On the IBM® Process Center server, you can deploy a snapshot of a process application as well as a snapshot of a toolkit. In addition, you can deploy the tip of a process application or the tip of a toolkit. (A tip is the current working version of your process application or toolkit.) The version context varies, depending on the type of deployment.

For process applications, the process application tip or the specific process application snapshot is used to uniquely identify the version.

Toolkits can be deployed with one or more process applications, but the lifecycle of each toolkit is bound to the lifecycle of the process application. Each process application has its own copy of the dependent toolkit or toolkits deployed to the server. A deployed toolkit is not shared between process applications.

If the track associated with the process application is named something other than the default of Main, the track acronym is also part of the version context.

Process application snapshots

For process application snapshot deployments, the version context is a combination of the following items:

ü  Process application name acronym

ü  Process application track acronym (if a track other than Main is used)

ü  Process application snapshot acronym

Stand-alone toolkits

For toolkit snapshot deployments, the version context is a combination of the following items:

ü  Toolkit name acronym

ü  Toolkit track acronym (if a track other than Main is used)

ü  Toolkit snapshot acronym

Tips

Process application tips are used during iterative testing in Process Designer. They can be deployed to Process Center servers only.

For process application tip deployments, the version context is a combination of the following items:

ü  Process application name acronym

ü  Process application track acronym (if a track other than Main is used)

ü  "Tip"

Toolkit tips are also used during iterative testing in Process Designer. They are not deployed to a production server.

For toolkit tip deployments, the version context is a combination of the following items:

ü  Toolkit name acronym

ü  Toolkit track acronym (if a track other than Main is used)

ü  "Tip"

Examples

Resources should be uniquely named and identified externally using the version context.

ü  The following table shows an example of names that are uniquely identified. In this example, a process application tip uses the default track name (Main):

Table 1. Process application tip with default track name
Type of name	Example
Process application name	Process Application 1
Process application name acronym	PA1
Process application track	Main
Process application track acronym	"" (when the track is Main)
Process application snapshot
Process application snapshot acronym	Tip

Any SCA modules associated with this process application tip include the version context, as shown in the following table:

Table 2. SCA modules and version-aware EAR files
SCA module name	Version-aware name	Version-aware EAR/application name
M1	PA1-Tip-M1	PA1-Tip-M1.ear
M2	PA1-Tip-M2	PA1-Tip-M2.ear

ü  The following table shows an example of a process application tip that uses a non-default track name:

Table 3. Process application tip with non-default track name
Type of name	Example
Process application name	Process Application 1
Process application name acronym	PA1
Process application track	Track1
Process application track acronym	T1
Process application snapshot
Process application snapshot acronym	Tip

Any SCA modules associated with this process application tip include the version context, as shown in the following table:

Table 4. SCA modules and version-aware EAR files
SCA module name	Version-aware name	Version-aware EAR/application name
M1	PA1-T1-Tip-M1	PA1-T1-Tip-M1.ear
M2	PA1-T1-Tip-M2	PA1-T1-Tip-M2.ear

Similar naming conventions apply to advanced Toolkit tip and snapshot deployments. They also apply to advanced snapshots installed to Process Server.

ü  The following table shows an example of names that are uniquely identified. In this example, a process application snapshot uses the default track name (Main):

Table 5. Process application snapshot with default track name
Type of name	Example
Process application name	Process Application 1
Process application name acronym	PA1
Process application track	Main
Process application track acronym	"" (when the track is Main)
Process application snapshot	Process Shapshot V1
Process application snapshot acronym	PSV1

Any SCA modules associated with this process application snapshot include the version context, as shown in the following table:

Table 6. SCA modules and version-aware EAR files
SCA module name	Version-aware name	Version-aware EAR/application name
M1	PA1-PSV1-M1	PA1-PSV1-M1.ear
M2	PA1-PSV1-M2	PA1-PSV1-M2.ear

ü  The following table shows an example of a process application snapshot that uses a non-default track name:

Table 7. Process application snapshot with non-default track name
Type of name	Example
Process application name	Process Application 1
Process application name acronym	PA1
Process application track	Track1
Process application track acronym	T1
Process application snapshot	Process Snapshot V1
Process application snapshot acronym	PSV1

Any SCA modules associated with this process application snapshot include the version context, as shown in the following table:

Table 8. SCA modules and version-aware EAR files
SCA module name	Version-aware name	Version-aware EAR/application name
M1	PA1-T1-PSV1-M1	PA1-T1-PSV1-M1.ear
M2	PA1-T1-PSV1-M2	PA1-T1-PSV1-M2.ear

Naming conventions for Process Server deployments

On the Process Server, you can deploy the snapshot of a process application. The process application snapshot acronym is used to uniquely identify the version.

For process application snapshot deployments, the version context is a combination of the following items:

ü  Process application name acronym

ü  Process application snapshot acronym

Resources should be uniquely named and identified externally using the version context. The following table shows an example of names that are uniquely identified:

Table 1. Example of names and acronyms
Type of name	Example
Process application name	Process Application 1
Process application name acronym	PA1
Process application snapshot	1.0.0
Process application snapshot acronym	1.0.0

A resource, such as a module or library, has the version context as part of its identify.

The following table shows an example of two modules and how the associated EAR files include the version context:

Table 2. SCA modules and version-aware EAR files
SCA module name	Version-aware name	Version-aware EAR/application name
M1	PA1-1.0.0-M1	PA1-1.0.0-M1.ear
M2	PA1-1.0.0-M2	PA1-1.0.0-M2.ear

The following table shows an example of two process-application-scoped libraries and how the associated JAR files include the version context:

Table 3. Process-application-scoped libraries and version-aware JAR files
SCA process-application-scoped library name	Version-aware name	Version-aware JAR name
Lib1	PA1-1.0.0-Lib1	PA1-1.0.0-Lib1.jar
Lib2	PA1-1.0.0-Lib2	PA1-1.0.0-Lib2.jar

Conclusion

In this article we covered IBM Business Process Manager Versioning process applications and naming conversions which are fit for IBM Process Server and IBM Process center. I hope it will be very useful who is going to start their project where IBM BPM used.

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Getting started with IBM Process Designer

Introduction

Process Designer is an easy-to-use graphics-oriented tool that enables you to model and implement your business processes and easily demonstrate process design and functionality during development efforts. This overview describes how to begin using all of the tools that are available with Process Designer.

Overview

Here we are going to discuss on below features.

v Process Designer interface

v Concurrent editing

v Setting preferences

Process Designer Interface

Before you start to build processes with IBM® Process Designer, you must understand the tools that are available in the Process Designer interface.

The Process Designer interface provides the tools to model your processes in IBM BPM. The following image and corresponding table describe the parts of the Designer view that you interact with when modeling processes and implementing the steps in those processes.

Table 1. Description of numbered areas on the Designer interface image
Number	Area	Description
1	Main toolbar	Provides access to the Designer view and Inspector. Also provides access to Process Center and Optimizer if you open the Process Designer desktop editor. The main toolbar is also where you go to save all open editors, take a snapshot, and view web-based help.
2	Library	Provides access to the library items for the current process application. We can create and edit library items. Note: Users who have administrative access to the application control access to process applications.
3	Main canvas	Where you can graphically model and configure your process and design the layout of coaches, human services, and heritage human services.
4	Palette	Provides BPMN elements and variables that you can use to model and configure your process.
5	Property manager	Where you can set properties and configuration options for selected components in your process.

Concurrent Editing

Multiple users can simultaneously access and change process applications and library items in IBM® Process Designer. When you edit concurrently, you collaborate with other team members to create the library items that you need for your project. For example, you can communicate about your ideas and edits with instant messaging and see the results in the Designer view as they happen.

Note: Each user must be connected to the same Process Center and each user must have write access to the process application or toolkit where the library items are located. When you edit concurrently with other users, ensure that your connection status is good.

When you are working in the Designer view, you can see when other users are working in the same process application, as shown in the following screen capture:

You can also see when others are viewing or editing the same library item, as shown in the following screen capture:

When multiple users work on the same library item, such as a human service, each user can see the changes when edits are saved. To ensure that all users are aware which library items are open and what changes are being made, Process Designer provides the following notifications:

Ø  When another user opens a library item by showing a user icon. You can hover over the icon to see who that user is.

Ø  When another user is editing a library item by displaying the words Read Only next to the library item. When a user saves their work, the library item will be available to edit.

Ø  When another user has saved changes while you are editing a library item by displaying the words Read Only next to the library item. When you click Save, a Save conflict message displays to ask you either to save your changes and override the other user's changes or discard the changes and accept the other user's changes.

Ø  When multiple users start to edit a library item at the same time, before the Read Only text appears, by displaying a warning icon and message to suggest to each user that they either immediately save their changes or discard them.

Setting Preferences

To set the locale for IBM Process Center Console and Process Designer, access the Process Center Console by opening your web browser to the following location:

http://[host_name]:[port]/ProcessCenter. Click Preferences in the upper right corner and choose the language that you want from the list. When you change the locale, you must exit and then restart IBM Process Designer for the change to take effect. (When you are accessing Process Center Console from a browser, you can log out and then log back in for the change to take effect.)

The locale preference that is selected applies to the user who is logged in. Each IBM Business Process Manager interface that is started by the same user in the same environment uses this preference setting.

Procedure

1.      Select File > Preferences from the main menu.

2.      Click the IBM BPM entry to display the available options.

3.      Click the option that you want. For example, to set the user name for Blueworks Live™ process subscriptions, click the Blueworks Live option.

Option	Description
Blueworks Live	Set the Blueworks Live server URL and email address for Blueworks Live process subscriptions. Tip: Changing the email address or the URL logs you out of Blueworks Live.
Capabilities	Control the capabilities of the current user. For example, to create external activities in IBM Process Designer, you must enable IBM BPM Developer Capability and IBM BPM Advanced Features.
Coaches	Select whether to open coach views in the desktop editor or the web editor by default.
Decisions	Control the locale setting for BAL Rules.
JavaScript	Set preferences for the JavaScript editor included in IBM Process Designer. For example, you can choose whether to display JavaScript warnings.
Optimizer Settings	Set options for the Optimizer. For example, the KPI thresholds that are used by the Visualization Modes are the thresholds from the current working version of your process application or toolkit. If you want to use the KPI thresholds from the snapshot (version) of your process application or toolkit that was most recently run and tracked, change the Optimizer to the following preference setting: Use the KPI threshold values from the actual version of the Process App/Toolkit.
Passwords	Manage the passwords that are stored when running tasks from the Inspector.
Web Browser	Select the web browser to use when web pages are opened from IBM Process Designer. If you do not see a particular external web browser as an option, click New to add it.

Conclusion

In this article we covered IBM Process Designer. We will see in future article how to use these features in IBM Process Designer and we will implement the scenarios by using these features.

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