Monitoring Workflows
- Stonebranch (Deactivated)
- Alec Berger
- Jeremey Laprise
Overview
Universal Controller allows you to monitor running Workflows in graphical format. As the Workflow progresses, the display provides up-to-date textual and color-coded status information for each task instance in the Workflow. You can also intervene in processing where necessary.
Monitoring a Running Workflow
Note
A Workflow already must be running in order for you to monitor its status.
Step 1 | From the Automation Center navigation pane, select Task Instances > Activity. |
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Step 2 | Click the Details icon for the Workflow you want to monitor. The Workflow Task Instance Details for that Workflow displays. |
Step 3 | Click the view workflow button to display the Workflow Monitor for that Workflow, as shown in the following example. |
Note
The name of the workflow that you are monitoring is shown:
- At the bottom right corner of the Workflow Monitor.
- By hovering over the Workflow Monitor tab at the top of the Workflow Monitor.
Workflow Monitor Modes
The Workflow Monitor has two modes. Each mode, which you select by clicking the appropriate icon in the Workflow Monitor toolbar, allows you to use one or more specific Workflow Monitor tools.
Icon | Mode | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Select | Clicking the Select icon on the Workflow Monitor toolbar places the Workflow Editor in Select mode, which allows you to use all Workflow Monitor tools except Connect and Pan. The Select mode is the default mode for the Workflow Monitor. |
| Pan | Clicking the Pan icon on the Workflow Monitor toolbar places the Workflow Monitor in Pan mode, which allows you to scroll around in the Workflow. (You also can use the Outline tool in any mode) to scroll around in the Workflow. |
Viewing Predecessors/Successors of Task Instances in a Workflow
You can view the predecessors/successors of all task instances in a workflow from the Activity Monitor, Task Instances list, and the Workflow task instance Details.
You can view the predecessors/successors of a single task instance in a workflow from the Activity Monitor, Task Instances list, and the Workflow Monitor.
(You can also view the predecessors/successors of all task instances in a workflow, or the predecessors/successors of a single task instance in a workflow.)
See Viewing Task Predecessors/Successors.
Viewing Blocking Ancestors of Task Instances in a Workflow
You can view the blocking ancestors of task instances in a Workflow task instance from:
- Activity Monitor
- Task Instances list
- Workflow Monitor
Only task instances that have not started (that is: Defined, Waiting or Held status) will qualify.
See Viewing Blocking Ancestors.
Viewing a Timeline for a Workflow Task Instance
You can display the progress of a Workflow task instance in a timeline format from:
- Activity Monitor
- Task Instances list
- Workflow Task Instance Details
- Workflow Monitor
See Viewing a Timeline for a Workflow Task Instance.
Workflow Monitor Toolbar
The Workflow Monitor toolbar, which displays above the Workflow Monitor, contains icons for every tool that you need to monitor a Workflow.
A shadowed outline around the icon in the toolbar indicates the currently selected Workflow Monitor mode.
The following example shows that the Workflow Monitor is in Select mode.
Workflow Monitor Tools
The following table describes the tools used to monitor Workflows, including the tools associated with the two Workflow Monitor modes. The tools are listed by icon, as they appear - left to right - in the Workflow Monitor toolbar.
Icon | Tool | Description |
|---|---|---|
| View Parent | If this Workflow is embedded in another Workflow, navigates to the parent. If this Workflow has more than one parent, clicking this icon displays a list of all parent Workflows; in this case, to navigate to a parent Workflow, double-click the Workflow's icon. To return to your original Workflow, click its name. (The current Workflow name displays in the lower right corner of the editor.) Note To open an embedded Workflow (sub-Workflow) from its Parent Workflow, double-click the embedded Workflow. |
| Prints the current Workflow. | |
| Select | Places the Workflow Monitor in Select mode. |
| Pan | Places the Workflow Monitor in Pan mode. |
| Undo | Click to undo the most recent change. |
| Redo | Click to redo the most recent change that you undid by clicking Undo. |
| Fit | Fits the Workflow into the display. If necessary, this shrinks the icons and size of the Workflow in order to make it fit. You can undo a Fit by clicking the Actual Size icon. |
| Zoom In | Zooms in (enlarges) the Workflow. To return the Workflow to its default size, click the Actual Size icon. |
| Zoom Out | Zooms out (diminishes) the Workflow. To return the Workflow to its default size, click the Actual Size icon. |
| Actual Size | Returns the Workflow to its default size after a Fit or Zoom. |
| Zoom | Opens a window that allows you to specify a zoom ratio. For example, to double the size of the Workflow, enter 200 and click OK. To return the Workflow to its default size, click the Actual Size icon. |
| Horizontal Layout | Reformats the Workflow into a horizontal layout. |
| Vertical Layout | Reformats the Workflow into a vertical layout. |
| Toggle Vertex Style | For running Workflows, switches the icon display between status-related icons and task-related icons (see Workflow Monitor Display Mode). This icon only appears on the icon bar when you are monitoring a running Workflow. |
| Toggle Critical Path View | Toggles between the normal view of the Workflow and the Critical Path View. Note This icon displays in the toolbar only if the Critical Path Calculations Permitted Universal Controller system property is set to true. |
| Outline | For large Workflows, the outline provides a way of positioning a specific area of the Workflow in the display, without using the Pan mode.
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| Help | Displays help documentation for Workflows. |
| Console | While a Workflow is running, you can click the Console icon to display processing messages. |
Workflow Monitor Display Mode
The default display mode for the Workflow Monitor identifies each task instance in the workflow by:
Task Name
The task name is the name given to a task when it was created (see Creating Tasks).
Task Type
The task type of each task instance is represented by an icon that displays above the task instance name.
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Note
You can change the Workflow Monitor so that the icon above each task instance name represents the current status of that task instance (see Displaying Task Status Icons).
Task Instance Status
The current status of each task instance displays below the task instance name.
The Controller assigns a default color for each status, which you can change. See Colors for a list all statuses and the default colors assigned to them, and for information on how to change any of the colors.
In the Activity or Task Instance List, you can add the Simulate field to determine if an instance is running under simulation mode. However, in the Workflow Monitor, the Status is followed by an asterisk if the instance is executed under simulation mode. For example, the instances in this workflow were executed under simulation mode:
Task Instance Details
You can display the following detailed information (including status) for any task instance by hovering your mouse over the task instance.
Note
The Next Retry Time field displays in the menu only if the task instance is in Failed status and scheduled for retry.
The Task Description field displays in the menu only if the Workflow Monitor Task Description Enabled Universal Controller system property is set to true.
The Exit Code is displayed in parenthesis only if the instance is in end state (Success, Failed, Finished).
Task Instance Actions
For each task instance in a Workflow, the Controller provides a menu of actions that you can take on that task instance. You can perform task instance actions in either Workflow Monitor mode: Select or Pan.
To display the menu of task instance actions, right-click a task instance.
Action | Description |
|---|---|
View/Edit | Allows you to view and edit the Task Instance Details for this task instance. |
View/Edit In Tab | Allows you to view and edit the Task Instance Details for this task instance in a new tab. |
View Children | For a workflow task instance only; Allows you to view a list of children task instances of this workflow task instance. |
View Tree | For a workflow task instance only; Allows you to view a tree of this workflow task instance and its tasks, including children tasks of any sub-Workflow task, and, optionally, lets you display the Details for any of those tasks. |
Commands | Allows you to run a command against the task instance. |
View Predecessors/Successors | Allows you to view all predecessors and successors of this task instance in the Workflow. |
Insert Task As Predecessor | Allows you to insert a task as a predecessor to this task instance. |
Insert Task As Successor | Allows you to insert a task as a successor to this task instance. |
Details > Show Details | Allows you to display complete database details for this task instance. |
Details > Show Variables | Allows you to display a list of all variables available to this task instance. |
Properties | Displays a menu of properties for the task instance. |
Task Instance Actions for Workflow
For a workflow task instance being monitored, the Controller provides a menu of actions that you can take on that workflow task instance. You can perform these actions in any Workflow Monitor mode.
To display the menu of workflow task instance actions, right-click anywhere in the Workflow Monitor canvas.
Action | Description |
|---|---|
View/Edit | Allows you to view and edit the Task Instance Details for this workflow task instance. |
View/Edit In Tab | Allows you to view and edit the Task Instance Details for this workflow task instance in a new tab. |
View Children | Allows you to view a list of children task instances of this workflow task instance. |
View Tree | Allows you to view a tree of this workflow task instance and its tasks, including children tasks of any sub-Workflow task, and, optionally, lets you display the Details for any of those tasks. |
Commands | Allows you to run a command against this workflow task instance. |
Show Skipped/Restore | Allows you to show any skipped tasks for this workflow task instance. |
Hide Skipped | Allows you to hide any skipped tasks for this workflow task instance. |
Find In Workflow... | Allows you to find a task instance in this workflow task instance. |
Pan To Top | Allows you to restore the displayed Workflow Monitor for this workflow task instance to its default, top-left position. |
Insert Task... | Allows you to insert a task. |
Details > Show Details | Allows you to display complete database details for this workflow task instance. |
Details > Show Variables | Allows you to display a list of all variables available to this workflow task instance. |
Task Instance Properties
One of the task actions available for any task instance in a Workflow is to display a list of properties for that task instance.
Connector Details
You can display the following detailed information for any Connector by hovering your mouse over the connector.
Connector Actions
For each connector in a Workflow, the Controller provides a menu of actions that you can take on that connector. You can perform connector actions in any Workflow Monitor mode.
To display the menu of connector actions, right-click a connector.
The following table describes each action in the menu:
Action | Description |
|---|---|
Conditions | Allows you to select a dependency condition for the connecor. |
Go To Source | Highlights the predecessor task for the connector and moves it to the center of the Workflow Editor display. |
Go To Target | Highlights the successor task for the connector and moves it to the center of the Workflow Editor display. |
Commands | Allows you to run a command (Mark as Satisfied) against the connector. |
Properties | Displays a menu of properties for the connector. |
Connector Properties
One of the connector actions available for any connector in a Workflow is to display a list of properties for that connector.
The information in the Connector properties is view-only.
Displaying Task Instance Status Icons
You can switch the Workflow Monitor display mode, which by default shows icons that represent task instance types, so that the icons represent task instance status types, as shown in the example below.
In this mode, the border colors that indicate a task instance's status are categorized as following.
| Status Type | Border Color |
|---|---|
| Not Running | Gray #808080 |
| Running | Green #008000 |
| Problem | Red #EE0000 |
| Complete | Blue #3366FF |
| Unknown | Black #000000 |
To switch display modes, click the Toggle Vertex Style icon 
.
Manually Intervening in a Workflow
You can take action on a task instance in a running workflow by right-clicking the task instance and selecting an action from the Actions menu.
You also can take action on the running workflow itself by right-clicking any white space in the Workflow Monitor canvas and selecting an action from the Actions menu.
If you select a command from either Actions menu, the Console window automatically opens and displays processing information.
Monitoring the Critical Path in a Workflow
You can instruct the Controller to calculate the Critical Path of a Workflow, which is the path of task instances in the Workflow that will take the longest time to complete.
The Controller bases the Critical Path on:
- Current historical average duration statistics for each task in the Workflow. (If no statistics exist for a task - that is, it has never been run - the Controller assigns it a run time of 1 second).
- Critical Path Duration time that you can specify in the task Details for any task in the Workflow, which will override the run-time statistics.
Note
Critical Path settings for tasks and Workflows are not exported/imported.
Critical Path Settings
To monitor the Critical Path of a Workflow, you must set the following:
- In Configuration > Properties, set the Critical Path Calculations Permitted system property to true.
- In the Workflow Details, enable the Calculate Critical Path field.
- In the Workflow Monitor toolbar, click the Toggle Critical Path View icon.
By default, any Workflow with the Calculate Critical Path field enabled will be displayed in the Workflow Monitor in Critical Path View. To toggle in and out of Critical Path View, click the Toggle Critical Path View icon.
Note
If you are using View In Workflow to open the Workflow Monitor, or the Workflow being opened has a status of Skipped, Critical Path View will be toggled off by default.
Running a Workflow Enabled for Critical Path
When you run a Workflow enabled for Critical Path, the Workflow Monitor initially displays the Critical Path based on historical average duration statistics and any CP Duration override values for any tasks in the Workflow. When a task instance completes, the Critical Path could change, based on the actual time it took the task instance to complete. For example, if you specified a Critical Path Duration of 5 minutes for a task, but the task instance completed in 30 seconds, the Controller might adjust the Critical Path to show a path that it now estimates will take the longest to complete.
Note
For a top-level Workflow that has been enabled for Critical Path, its sub-Workflows display Critical Paths only if they themselves have been enabled for Critical Path.
In Critical Path View, Task instances and connectors in the Critical Path display in the color specified by the Critical Path Color system property.
The Critical Path View is dynamic; if task instances are Skipped in a Workflow, and they longer are part of the Critical Path, they no longer display on the Workflow Monitor while it is in Critical Path View.
If you are in Critical Path View, but you want to see Skipped task instances, you can restore the standard view by clicking the Toggle Critical Path View icon in the Workflow Monitor toolbar.
Also, in Critical Path View, Show Skipped / Restore and Hide Skipped are disabled in the Workflow Monitor pop-up menu of commands and options. When the Workflow completes, the final Critical Path displays.
Critical Path Status
Activity Monitor and Task Instances List
You can monitor whether a task instance is critical (or along a critical path) in a Workflow from the Activity Monitor and Task Instances List.
The task instance Details icon for task instances that are critical (or along in a Critical Path) is tinted red.
Reports
You can enhance existing Task Instance reports or create new Task Instance reports by utilizing the Critical and Projected End Time fields. For example, you might want to report on task instances that have not completed and are on the critical path, or you might want to report on task instances that have a failure status and are on the critical path.