Infor LN Workflow Engine: Configuration and Automation Guide
The Infor LN workflow engine automates approval routing, notification escalation, and multi-step business processes that would otherwise require manual coordination between departments. Purchase order approvals, engineering change requests, budget exceptions, and customer credit limit overrides all benefit from workflow automation. The workflow engine is configured through the LN administration interface—no BShell programming is required for standard approval patterns—but understanding the underlying architecture is essential for designing reliable, performant workflows.
Workflow Architecture and Components
The LN workflow system consists of four components: Workflow Schemas (the blueprint defining steps, transitions, and conditions), Workflow Instances (running copies of a schema triggered by a business event), Workflow Activities (individual tasks assigned to users within an instance), and the Workflow Engine Service (the background process that evaluates conditions and advances instances through their steps). Schemas are version-controlled—you can modify a schema without affecting running instances that use the previous version.
- Define workflow schemas: navigate to Workflow Schema Maintenance (ttadv7500m000); create a schema code (e.g., WF-PO-APPROVAL for Purchase Order Approval); add steps: Start, Manager Approval, Director Approval (if > $50K), Finance Review, End
- Step types: Approval (requires user accept/reject action), Notification (informational, auto-advances), Condition (evaluates a BShell expression and branches), Subprocess (launches a nested workflow), Timer (waits a defined duration then advances or escalates)
- Transitions: connect steps with conditional transitions; use BShell expressions for conditions: 'tdsls400.amnt > 50000' routes to Director Approval, 'tdsls400.amnt <= 50000' skips to Finance Review; each transition can have a priority for deterministic evaluation order
- Assign participants: each approval step references a role or user group; use dynamic participant resolution with BShell expressions: 'get.manager(tdsls400.buyer)' returns the reporting manager of the purchase order's buyer for approval routing
- Version management: when modifying a live schema, create a new version (ttadv7500m000 > Versions tab); activate the new version and deactivate the old; running instances continue on their original version while new instances use the updated schema
Approval Routing and Escalation Rules
Approval routing determines who receives workflow tasks and in what order. LN supports serial (one approver at a time), parallel (multiple approvers simultaneously, configurable as all-must-approve or first-response-wins), and hierarchical (escalating through the organizational structure) approval patterns. Escalation rules ensure that workflow instances do not stall when an approver is unavailable—after a configurable timeout, the task either escalates to the next level or is reassigned to a delegate.
- Serial approval: each step waits for the current approver's response before advancing; use for sequential sign-off requirements (Requestor > Manager > Director > VP); configure in the step properties with Approval Mode = Sequential
- Parallel approval: multiple approvers receive the task simultaneously; configure Approval Mode = Parallel with Quorum = All (every approver must accept) or Quorum = 1 (any single approval advances the workflow); use for committee-style decisions
- Escalation configuration: in each approval step, set Escalation Timeout (e.g., 48 hours) and Escalation Action (reassign to manager's manager, reassign to delegate, auto-approve with audit log entry); configure in Workflow Step Properties > Escalation tab
- Delegation rules: users configure their own delegates in My Workflow Settings (ttadv7550m000) for planned absences; the delegate receives all workflow tasks assigned to the absent user; delegation is time-bounded with start/end dates
- Out-of-office integration: connect LN workflow delegation with the organization's calendar system; when a user sets out-of-office status, automatically activate their configured workflow delegate for the duration of the absence
Workflow Monitoring and Troubleshooting
The Workflow Monitor (ttadv7520m000) provides real-time visibility into all running workflow instances. Administrators can view the current step, assigned participant, elapsed time, and complete audit trail for every instance. When a workflow stalls, the monitor shows which step is blocking and why. Common issues include circular transitions (the workflow loops infinitely between two steps), participant resolution failures (the BShell expression returns no valid user), and condition evaluation errors (the referenced field is null).
- Monitor running instances: navigate to Workflow Monitor (ttadv7520m000); filter by schema, status (Running, Completed, Stalled, Error), or date range; drill into any instance to see the step-by-step execution history with timestamps and participant actions
- Stalled workflow diagnosis: a workflow shows 'Stalled' status when the current step cannot advance; common causes: the assigned participant does not exist (user was deactivated), the condition expression evaluates to null (a referenced field is empty), or all transitions from the current step evaluate to false (dead-end condition)
- Force-advance a stalled workflow: in the Workflow Monitor, select the stalled instance, click Actions > Force Advance; select the target step and provide an administrative reason; this creates an audit log entry and should only be used for exceptional situations
- Performance monitoring: the Workflow Engine Service processes instances in batches every 60 seconds (configurable in ttadv7500m000 > Engine Settings); if instances take hours to advance, check the engine service status and increase the batch frequency; high instance volumes (>10,000 running) may require engine service scaling
- Audit trail: every workflow action is logged in the Workflow Audit table (ttadv750) with the user, timestamp, action (approve, reject, escalate, delegate, force), and comments; this audit trail is critical for compliance and is retained for the configurable retention period (default 2 years)
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