Default Error Process
Oracle Workflow includes an item type designed specifically for error processing called System: Error. To view the details of this item type, choose Open from the File menu, then connect to the database and select the System: Error item type or connect to a file called wferror.wft in the Workflow 2.0 data subdirectory. The System: Error item type has a list of item type attributes and the following components associated with it:
- Default Error Process--a process that notifies a performer that an error has occurred. If you edit this process, you see that it includes two activities: Default Error Notification and End Error Process.
- End Error Process function activity--a function activity that represents the end activity of the error process.
- Reset Error--a function activity that allows you to rerun the originally errored activity again after the error process completes. This activity includes two activity attributes, COMMAND and RESULT. The possible values for COMMAND are "Retry", "Reset", or "Skip" to rerun, reset, or skip the activity, respectively. The value for RESULT is the result you want to assign to the error activity if you set COMMAND to "Skip". This activity can be added to the Default Error Process or to any custom error process. See: To Define Activity Attribute Values.
- Default Error Notification--a notification activity that sends a message called Workflow Default Error Message. The message includes the following 'Send' message attributes to provide information about the activity in error:
- Error Activity Label
(of the format <process_name>:<instance_label>)
Oracle Workflow allows you to customize the Default Error Process to handle errors in your workflow process. You can also create your own custom error processes using the activities associated with the System: Error item type. Once you define an error process, you can assign it to any process or activity. See: To Define Optional Activity Details.
Note: Rather than use the Default Error Process, you should try to handle errors due to business rule incompatibilities by modelling those situations into your workflow process definition. For example, if a function activity can potentially encounter an error because a business prerequisite is not met, you might model your process to send a notification to an appropriate role to correct that situation if it occurs, so that the workflow process can progress forward. If you do not model this situation into your workflow process, and instead rely on the error to activate the Default Error Process, the entire workflow process will have an 'Error' status and will halt until a workflow administrator handles the error.
See Also
Workflow Core APIs
