Saving Workflow log to a Z table

Hi,

Can you please explain why you are writing the workflow log to a Z table? Why store the same information in two places - inconsistencies between them are inevitable.

I'm sure there'a good reason.. but I can't think of one right now.🤪

cheers

Paul

I would also question why are you trying to store the workflow log into a Z-table? There should be a really good reason for this, and even then it is most probably wrong.

1) Why do you need to have same data in two places?

2) Depending on the implemented workflow processes, the workflow log table(s) can be really big. Why would you want to replicate even part of this data? Many times the question of deleting & archiving the work items (and the log data) appears sooner or later.

Clearly the place of the custom code is not right, if it does not store correct data into the Z-table. Did you debug this? Are you getting right data in your enhancement spot?

Once you explain the background of this requirement, someone might give you a better solution, and you could forget the whole enhancement spot solution altogether.

Kind regards,

Karri

I Agree with Paul and Karri - 101%

Please do let us know the "complex" business requirement to do this... maybe, there is an easier alternate! Maybe Program exits can help you to track only the 'required' workitems and not ALL! Maybe we are over engineering! Look at the future - people maintaining this 'Z' development will always be pulling off their hair!

But then, Maybe, there is some requirement which we cannot think of and which lead you to this design!

Regards,

Modak

@ Paul, Karri, Modak - I can think of a scenario (correct me if I'm wrong)

Scenario - You have a web form (lets say Webdynpro based) where you are handling user decision.

User one - He can approve, reject

User two - He can acknowledge

User three - He can approve, reject, cancel, rework, escalate

For all the 3 scenarios, same task is used, (changing parameters on task to method binding to vary web from dynamically). The task has just one outcome. From the web form, at a button click (approve, rej etc) we are completing the WI using FM and passing the user decision to a WF container. This container value is checked to determine the next path of WF.

In case like this, the user decision will not be captured in standard log because the activity has just one outcome always i.e. 'Processing complete'.

@ Ramesh - I'll go with Paul, Karri and Modak on this. Avoid Ztable for WF log. If you have a scenario like I wrote above, here's what you can do.

Create events in your BO or ABAP class which are related to user decision (one for every button on web form). Link all the events as terminating events for your task.

Now where ever you use this task (for user 1, 2 and 3 as per above example), only activate the required outcomes on the activity step.

Plus in case you are using ABAP class I would suggest to go for an async task in case you are using webdynpro.

Thanks,

Aniket

Workflow logs are already stored in tables. You access them with SAP_WAPI fms.

Problem solved!

Hi,

What is the functional /business reasoning behind this requirement?

What usually happens in workflow is that there is an additional requirement to store specific data in a log. Mostly related to approvals and previews and agents and such.

Yours is weird and I can't see what the added value is of this development.

If you want to keep following this path then make sure that the tables that you are using are incorporated in archiving object WORKITEM the logging tables can be huge and if not maintained properly it will mess up the system.

Kind regards, Rob Dielemans

Hello Friends,

I am sorry took a little while to reply.. Stuck in hefty pacific snow outburst on NE coast and have been driving me crazy since last night...

Actually I joined the team late by that time the entire design was out and everything was in place to read the logs from Z table log. Just a pending task was assigned to me to update the table via enhancement spot.

The reason of Z table is, There is already a report program specifically designed to our customer needs to display the approval workflow log based on every status it is changed reading data via standard SAP tables SWW_WI2OBJ ( key field - GUID ) and then call FM - SWP_WORKFLOW_LOG_READ.

There is some thing called CR's that are created and that are linked to work items from MDG and then they flow to ECC .. Like creating of Material in MDG and then that flows to ECC..So workflow exists at both MDG and ECC sides.

While we use this Z report - using standard SAP workflow tables for logs (mentioned above).. there is huge performance issue and it is getting timed out if we read the data for more than 2 months..

1) I suggested to run the report in back ground but was denied as the end user may not have access to spool and SM37 etc...

2) I suggested to email the spool to respective user .. but the spool size is ove 25 MB to 50 MB which makes impossible to attach the same in mail.

Hence they create a z table with multiple primary keys, then access becomes easy and they do not have to hit the standard SAP tables every time the report is run. Several selections screens are provided to extract the report.

Structure of Key fields of the Z tables - so querying will be easy..

Hope this clarifies.

Also logging to Z tables only for certain type os of workflow ending 13, 17, 21 .

Workflow type = W/F.

Please let me know if this makes sense.

Thanks you guys for your help on this finally, we wrote the logic to update the Z table in Program Exits in the workflow.

That worked very well and users are trilled to see the new report performance..

Thank you.