Unraveling the Execution Dance: A Deep Dive into BMC Remedy Workflow Order

In the intricate world of IT Service Management (ITSM), particularly within platforms like BMC Remedy AR System, the ability to automate processes and respond intelligently to user actions and system events is paramount. At the heart of this automation lies “workflow” – a meticulously defined sequence of operations designed to streamline business processes. But just defining a workflow isn’t enough; understanding how and when these workflows execute is critical for troubleshooting, optimization, and robust system design. This article dives deep into the fascinating realm of workflow execution order in BMC Remedy, demystifying the roles of Active Links, Filters, and Escalations, and exploring the nuances that govern their behavior.

What Exactly is Workflow in BMC Remedy?

Think of a workflow as the automated choreographer of your company’s operations. It’s a set of predefined processes that, when triggered, automate specific tasks. In BMC Remedy AR System, this automation is primarily powered by three key components: Active Links, Filters, and Escalations. These components are designed to act as intelligent triggers, initiating actions in response to specific execution options you define. Essentially, workflow refers to the operations that these components initiate.

To grasp the concept better, let’s break down these core components:

The Core Workflow Components:

• Forms (Schema): These are the foundational building blocks, acting as tables in your database to represent and store data.
• Active Links: These are dynamic objects that spring into action based on user interactions or information present on the current screen. They can perform a variety of operations, such as displaying messages, changing field label colors, or, most importantly, pushing, inserting, or fetching data to/from other forms.
• Filters: These work at the server level, meticulously checking form transactions as they undergo server processing. They are triggered by interactions or operations happening with data records or transactions within a form, such as submitting, modifying, or deleting a record.
• Escalations: Similar to filters, escalations are server-level workflow objects. However, their trigger is time-based. At predetermined intervals, escalations scan the database for requests that meet specific criteria and act upon them.

Let’s explore each of these in more detail, focusing on their triggers and operational scope:

Active Links: The User’s Interactive Companion

Active Links are all about the user experience and client-side interactions. They are triggered by a user performing an operation directly within the application interface. This could be anything from clicking a button, changing a field’s value, or even just navigating to a different part of the screen. Crucially, Active Links cannot be invoked programmatically through an API; they are strictly tied to direct user actions.

• Execution Location: Client-side, specifically within the current form window.
• Trigger: User operations (e.g., pressing a key, clicking a button, changing a field).
• Key Characteristics:
  • They execute based on client operations or information on the current screen.
  • They are *not* triggered via API programs.
  • If you try to create an Active Link with the same name as an existing one, the system automatically appends “_c” to the new name.
  • An Active Link must have at least one action defined to be functional.
  • When you “Save As” a form, its associated Active Links are *not* copied by default. However, if you rename the form, all its Active Links are automatically associated.

Practical Example: Imagine a form for submitting a new IT ticket. An Active Link could be configured to display a help text tooltip when a user hovers over a specific field, or to automatically populate a “Requestor Email” field when the “Requestor Name” field is filled by the user.

Filters: The Server-Side Gatekeepers

Filters operate at a deeper level – the server. They are the unsung heroes that intercept and process data transactions *before* they are committed to the database. Filters are designed to enforce business logic, perform data validations, and orchestrate data transfers between forms. They “filter” data as it flows through the AR System server.

• Execution Location: AR System server.
• Trigger: Form transactions (Submit, Modify, Delete, Get Entry, Merge).
• Key Characteristics:
  • They are workflow objects triggered at the server level.
  • They interact directly with the database to retrieve or modify data.
  • Filters run in response to specific operations on a request, but only if that request meets a defined qualification.
  • They execute with administrator permissions, giving them broad access.
  • Execution is typically form-level.
  • Filters have a predefined execution order, with a default of 500. This is crucial for determining their sequence when multiple filters are triggered by the same event.

Understanding Filter Execution Options: Filters can be triggered by several events:

Practical Example: When a user submits a new change request, a filter might check if the requested change date conflicts with any existing approved changes. If a conflict is found, the filter could prevent the submission and display an error message to the user.

Escalations: The Time-Sensitive Watchdogs

Escalations are the time-based cousins of filters. While filters react to immediate form transactions, escalations patrol your database at regular intervals, looking for records that meet specific, time-bound criteria. They are indispensable for automating tasks that need to happen after a certain period has elapsed or at scheduled times.

• Execution Location: AR System server.
• Trigger: Predetermined time intervals or specific scheduled times.
• Key Characteristics:
  • They are workflow objects triggered at the server level.
  • They interact with the database to retrieve data.
  • Unlike filters that act on the *current* request matching a qualification, escalations find and act on *all* requests that meet a qualification within their scan.
  • Escalations are executed by a dedicated user, typically ar_escalator.
  • They run at specific times or after defined intervals.

Practical Example: An escalation could be configured to automatically reassign tickets that have been open for more than 48 hours and have not been touched by an assignee, ensuring that no ticket falls through the cracks. Another could be to send a reminder email to a user three days before a scheduled maintenance window.

The Crucial Element: Execution Order

Now that we understand the individual players, the real magic happens when we consider their execution order. When a single event triggers multiple workflow objects, AR System follows a specific hierarchy and order to process them. This is where things can get complex, and a misunderstanding can lead to unexpected behavior.

General Execution Flow:

While the exact order can be influenced by various factors, here’s a general understanding:

1. Active Links: Generally execute first, responding to client-side user interactions.
2. Filters: Once user actions are complete and data is ready for server processing, filters step in. They are processed based on their assigned execution order (default 500). Filters with lower execution order numbers run before those with higher numbers.
3. Escalations: These run independently on a schedule, but when their time comes, they also operate at the server level, similar to filters, but with their own triggering mechanism.

Understanding Workflow Actions: A Versatile Toolkit

Active Links, Filters, and Escalations don’t just exist; they perform actions. BMC Remedy provides a rich set of actions that can be utilized across these workflow types, although some actions are exclusive to certain types.

Here’s a look at common workflow actions and where they can be used:

Actions Unique to Specific Workflow Types:

• Only in Active Links:
  • DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange): Facilitates data exchange between client and server applications.
  • Change Field: Modifies properties of fields on the client.
  • Close Window: Closes the current application window.
  • Commit Changes: Works with dialog boxes to capture data without immediate database save, or applies changes to regular forms and submits data.
  • OLE Automation: Enables interaction with OLE objects.
  • Open Window: Opens a new window (e.g., a dialog box).
  • Run Macro: Executes a macro defined in BMC Remedy User.
  • Wait: Pauses workflow execution.
• In Filters & Escalations, but not Active Links:
  • Notify: Sends notifications (though Active Links can also perform notifications via other actions like Message).
• In Filters, but not Escalations (or vice versa, context-dependent):
  • Call Guide, Go to Guide Label, Goto: These actions are primarily for controlling the flow of execution within guides or directly between workflow objects, and their availability might be more nuanced.
  • Log to File: While available in all, its primary use is often in server-side operations for debugging.

Key Actions Explained in Detail:

The Power of ‘Goto’ and ‘Goto Guide Label’:

These actions are game-changers for controlling the sequence of your workflow. They allow you to deviate from the standard execution order, enabling complex conditional logic or repetitive execution of workflow segments. You can even use them to jump to specific points within a guide.

‘Direct SQL’: Use with Caution!

The Direct SQL action allows you to submit raw SQL commands to non-AR System databases. While powerful for integrations, BMC explicitly advises against using it to modify AR System’s own database tables. Doing so can lead to data corruption and is unsupported. Its primary use case is for pushing data *out* to external systems.

‘Run Process’: The External Connector

The Run Process action is a versatile tool that allows your AR System workflow to invoke external programs or scripts on either the client or server. This is how you can integrate with faxing services, external logging utilities, or custom applications.

‘Service’ Action: The API of Workflows

The Service action is particularly interesting. It can trigger filters with an ‘Execute On’ condition of ‘Service’. This allows Active Links or even other Filters to invoke specific Filter logic, passing input parameters and receiving output. It’s a way to create reusable workflow services.

‘Commit Changes’ vs. ‘Run Process PERFORM-ACTION-APPLY’:

This is a common point of confusion for developers. Both actions, when used in a modify operation, will save the request. However, Commit Changes is directly logged as an action. Run Process with PERFORM-ACTION-APPLY is more dynamic. If you need runtime flexibility to determine the action based on field values, Run Process is often preferred. For direct logging and explicit action, Commit Changes is clearer.

Understanding Cache Modes: Production vs. Development

The way AR System handles its internal cache can significantly impact workflow execution, especially for administrative operations versus user operations. This is particularly relevant for Escalations and other background processes.

• Production Cache Mode (Default): Designed for high-volume user environments. Administrative operations (like cache reloads triggered by arsignal) will create a separate copy of the cache, allowing users to continue their work seamlessly on the shared cache.
• Development Cache Mode: In this mode, administrative operations can lock the shared cache, potentially delaying or blocking other users. Long-running tasks like Escalations, BMC Atrium Integration Engine jobs, or complex queries are incompatible with admin thread changes in this mode and can lead to significant delays.

The arsignal Utility: Forcing Workflow Reloads

The arsignal utility is a powerful command-line tool used to force the AR System server to reload specific information. This is often necessary after making changes to workflow definitions, configuration files, or user permissions. Different flags control what gets reloaded:

• -a: Update internal Alert user information.
• -b: Recache and reload archive definitions.
• -c: Reload configuration file (ar.conf or ar.cfg).
• -d: Transfer signal to a DSO (Distributed Server Option) process.
• -e: Recache and reload escalation definitions. This is crucial after modifying escalations.
• -g: Reload group and data dictionary information.
• -l: Reload license information.
• -m: Reload computed group information.
• -p: Transfer signal to an application process.
• -r: Recache definitions from the database (this is a general reload).
• -u: Reload user information.

For example, to force escalations to reload, you would use arsignal -e serverName[:port].

Troubleshooting Workflow Execution Order

Workflow misbehavior is often rooted in execution order issues. Here’s a systematic approach to troubleshooting:

1. Enable Workflow Logging: The first and most important step is to enable detailed logging for workflow execution. You can do this in the AR System Administration Console. Look for options related to Active Links, Filters, and Escalations logging. This will generate logs showing which workflow objects are triggered, in what order, and what actions they perform.
2. Examine the Execution Order Numbers: For filters, the execution order number (default 500) is paramount. If two filters are triggered by the same event, the one with the lower number will execute first. Ensure these are set logically.
3. Trace the Flow: Use the logs to trace the execution path. If an Active Link is supposed to set a field value that a Filter then uses, ensure the Active Link executes and completes successfully *before* the Filter runs.
4. Understand Action Dependencies: Some actions depend on others. For instance, a Push Fields action relies on the source fields having values. If a preceding workflow object fails to populate those fields, the Push Fields action will fail.
5. Check for Infinite Loops: Be wary of workflows that might repeatedly trigger themselves, especially with Goto actions or recursive filter calls. This can lead to system unresponsiveness.
6. Review Cache Modes: If you’re seeing delays with escalations or administrative tasks, check your AR System server’s cache mode. For production, Production Cache Mode is generally recommended.
7. Test Systematically: Make one change at a time and test thoroughly. Avoid making multiple workflow modifications simultaneously, as this makes isolating the cause of an issue very difficult.
8. Use the AR System Workflow Analyzer (if available): Newer versions of AR System may offer tools to visualize and analyze workflow execution paths, which can be invaluable for complex scenarios.

Interview Relevance

Understanding workflow execution order is a fundamental skill for any BMC Remedy developer or administrator. In interviews, expect questions like:

• “Describe the difference between an Active Link and a Filter and when you would use each.”
• “How does AR System determine the order of Filter execution when multiple filters are triggered by the same event?”
• “Explain the purpose of an Escalation and how its execution differs from a Filter.”
• “What are some common workflow actions, and can you provide an example of their use?”
• “You’re experiencing unexpected behavior with a ticket update. How would you go about diagnosing the issue?”
• “When would you use a ‘Goto’ action, and what are the potential pitfalls?”
• “What is the role of cache modes in workflow execution?”

Being able to articulate these concepts clearly, provide practical examples, and demonstrate a methodical approach to troubleshooting will significantly impress an interviewer.

Conclusion

The execution order of workflow in BMC Remedy AR System is not a mere technicality; it’s the very engine that drives automation and business process integrity. By mastering the distinct roles of Active Links, Filters, and Escalations, understanding their available actions, and appreciating the nuances of execution order and cache modes, you gain the power to build robust, efficient, and intelligent solutions. Remember to always prioritize clear logging, systematic testing, and a deep understanding of the AR System architecture to navigate the complexities and unlock the full potential of your workflow designs.