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Language:
English
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Language:
English
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Chapter 13. Rules in case management
Cases are data-driven, rather than following a sequential flow. The steps required to resolve a case rely on data, which is provided by people involved in the case, or the system can be configured to trigger further actions based on the data available. In the latter case, you can use business rules to decide what further actions are required for the case to continue or reach a resolution.
Data can be inserted into the case file at any point during the case. The process engine constantly monitors case file data, meaning that rules react to data that is contained in the case file. Using rules to monitor and respond to changes in the case file data provides a level of automation that drives cases forward.
13.1. Using rules to drive cases
Refer to the the case management IT_Orders sample project in Business Central.
Suppose that the particular hardware specification provided by the supplier is incorrect or invalid. The supplier needs to provide a new, valid order so that the case can continue. Rather than wait for the manager to reject the invalid specification and create a new request for the supplier, you can create a business rule that will react immediately when the case data indicates that the provided specification is invalid. It can then create a new hardware specification request for the supplier.
The following procedure demonstrates how to create and use a business rule to execute the described scenario.
Prerequisites
- The IT_Orders sample project is open in Business Central, but it is not deployed to the Process Server.
The
ServiceRegistry
is part of thejbpm-services-api
module, and must be available on the class path.NoteIf building the project outside of Business Central, the following dependencies must be added to the project:
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org.jbpm:jbpm-services-api
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org.jbpm:jbpm-case-mgmt-api
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Procedure
Create the following business rule file called
validate-document.drl
:package defaultPackage; import java.util.Map; import java.util.HashMap; import org.jbpm.casemgmt.api.CaseService; import org.jbpm.casemgmt.api.model.instance.CaseFileInstance; import org.jbpm.document.Document; import org.jbpm.services.api.service.ServiceRegistry; rule "Invalid document name - reupload" when $caseData : CaseFileInstance() Document(name == "invalid.pdf") from $caseData.getData("hwSpec") then System.out.println("Hardware specification is invalid"); $caseData.remove("hwSpec"); update($caseData); CaseService caseService = (CaseService) ServiceRegistry.get().service(ServiceRegistry.CASE_SERVICE); caseService.triggerAdHocFragment($caseData.getCaseId(), "Prepare hardware spec", null); end
This business rule detects when a file named
invalid.pdf
is uploaded to the case file. It then removes theinvalid.pdf
document and creates a new instance of thePrepare hardware spec
user task.- Click Build, then click Deploy to deploy the IT_Orders project.
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Create a file called
invalid.pdf
and save it locally. - Create a file called `valid-spec.pdf`and save it locally.
- In Business Central, go to Menu → Projects → IT_Orders to open the IT_Orders project.
- Click Import Asset in the upper-right corner of the page.
Upload the
validate-document.drl
file to thedefault
package (src/main/resources
).The
validate-document.drl
rule is shown in the rule editor. Click Save or close to exit the rule editor.-
Open the Showcase application by either clicking the Apps launcher (if it is installed), or go to
http://localhost:8080/rhpam-case-mgmt-showcase/jbpm-cm.html
. Start a new case for the IT_Orders project.
In this example, Aimee is the case
owner
, Katy is themanager
, and the supplier group issupplier
.-
Log out of Business Central, and log back in as a user that belongs to the
supplier
group. - Go to Menu → Track → Task Inbox.
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Open the
Prepare hardware spec
task and click Claim. This assigns the task to the logged in user. Click Start and click to locate the
invalid.pdf
hardware specification file. Click to upload the file.Click Complete.
The value in the Task Inbox for the
Prepare hardware spec
isReady
.In Showcase, click Refresh in the upper-right corner. Notice that a
Prepare hardware task
message appears in the Completed column and another appears in the In Progress column.This is because the first
Prepare hardware spec
task has been completed with the specification fileinvalid.pdf
. As a result, the business rule causes the task and file to be discarded, and a new user task created.-
In the Business Central Task Inbox, repeat steps 12 and 13, but upload the
valid-spec.pdf
file instead ofinvalid.pdf
. -
Log out of Business Central and log back in again as
Katy
. -
Go to Menu → Track → Task Inbox. There are two
Manager approval
tasks for Katy, one with theinvalid.pdf
hardware specification file, the other with thevalid-spec.pdf
file. Open, claim, and complete each task:
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Check the
approve
box for the task that includes thevalid-spec.pdf
file, then click Complete. -
Do not check the
approve
box on the task with theinvalid.pdf
file, then click Complete.
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Check the
- Go to Menu → Manage → Process Instances and open the Order for IT hardware process instance.
Open the Diagram tab. The
Order rejected
andPlace order
processes are now marked as Completed.Similarly, the case details page in Showcase lists two
Manager approval
tasks in the Completed column.