Introduction
As we know the Universal Worklists boast's a wide range of different customization elements which can be tweaked and tailored to suit your own business preference and requirements. The backdrop to which theses "customized elements" are formed is built upon custom XML Files which are uploaded through the UWL Administration Page. Recently I've been working on different scenarios in which customers were losing these configuration files as a result of an upgrade or fallback testing and in this blog I want to address how XML's themselves are managed and how we can implement a workaround to such an occurrence.
XML's & The UWL - 2 Key Principles
- XML files in association to the UWL follow the notion of precedence. If you have a custom XML file which is based upon a SAP Standard XML this file needs to be re-uploaded into the UWL with a Priority setting of "High" in order for changes to take effect. In addition to this the UWL Cache should also be cleared and then subsequently the desired changes will come into the Interface.
- Always ensure that you backup original SAP Standard XML files if you need to make custom changes or create custom XML's using Standard files as the foundation. The reason for this is simple in that you can revert changes if required.
How do I clear the UWL Cache?
- Steps to clear the UWL cache, please go to "System Administration" "System Configuration" -> Universal Work list & Workflow -> Universal Workflow Administration -> Click on cache administration page -> Click "Clear Cache" button.
Losing Custom XML's post upgrade?
Upgrades are part & parcel of operational enhancements and fixes when it comes to the Enterprise Portal as we know. With the UWL as the reference point here it is not uncommon to notice functional changes in appearance across different versions. Let us imagine that you have performed an upgrade / SP Deployment or fallback testing e.g. AIX Cluster Resources. After doing so you noticed that all UWL Customizations (made through XML's) were reset to standard.
Why Did the Custom XML's revert to Standard?
After an upgrade standard UWL XML Files as delivered as part of the UWLJWF Component itself therefore custom XML's will not be inherited automatically. One important factor to note is that all xml files that come pre-configured with the Universal Worklist as standard include the following:
- uwl.webflow
- uwl.bpem
- uwl.standard
- uwl.collaboration
The files listed above are installed when the UWLJWF package is implemented. These configuration files will be at priority LOW on the system.
If you've experienced the behavior noted above i.e. custom XML files have been overwritten by standard files post system change the workaround resolution is to proceed to re-upload the file and follow the two principles I outlined at the beginning of the blog posting.
- How to Upload an XML file to the Universal Worklist
- https://wiki.scn.sap.com/wiki/display/BPX/How+to+Upload+an+XML+file+to+the+Universal+Worklist
Preventing Custom XML's from being overwritten ?
In terms of a means of retaining custom XML files between upgrades there is no standardized method of doing so apart from the workaround i.e. backing up the file before re-uploading.
As per standard UWL functionality during an upgrade or connector registration there is a change. At the time of the connector re-registration, the UWL issues an update in the database to delete the XML files which start by e.g. uwl.webflow.<system_alias>.
This is made like this because the re-registration must regenerate the Low priority version XML file whose name is exactly uwl.webflow. <system_alias>.
As in the given example, as the custom XML file was uploaded with name uwl.webflow.SLRCLNT200_custom, it got deleted at the time of the re-registration.
In theory in order for custom XML files not to be deleted at the time of a connector re-registration, do not use as a prefix for your XML file the string uwl.webflow. <system_alias>.
Remember overwritten Custom XML's might be an inconvenience but in true essence this is not an issue. Once a backup has been kept and maintained it is simply a case of re-uploading the file to attain the desired functionality.
- SAP Managed Tags:
