Oracle Workflows Access Protection Concepts

a) Access protection. b) Unsupported customizations. c) Customization preservation during an upgrade.  Access Protection Oracle Workflow uses a feature called access protection to control modification of workflow definitions As a workflow developer, you can use access protection to allow or discourage “customers” of your workflows from modifying your “seed data” workflow definitions. As a customer of predefined workflows provided by Oracle, you can use access protection to preserve valid customizations you have made to a predefined workflow during a workflow definition upgrade. All workflow objects except lookup codes, function attributes, and message attributes contain an Access tab in their property pages.  Lookup codes, function attributes, and message attributes inherit their access settings from their parent lookup type, function, or message, respectively. The Access tab lets you define whether: •Future customizations to the object are preserved during a workflow definition upgrade. •The object can be edited by users operating at a higher access level. ACCESS LEVELS Each user of Oracle Workflow Builder operates the system at a certain access level. The access levels are defined as follows: ü       0-9: Reserved for Oracle Workflow ü       10-19: Reserved for Oracle Application Object Library ü       20-99: Reserved for Oracle E-Business Suite ü       100-999: Reserved for customer organizations ü       1000: Public Protection Levels •If you protect an object against customization, you effectively assign the object a protection level equal to your current access level. •Objects protected against customizations are considered “seed data.” •Only users operating at an access level equal to or lower than the protection level of the object can modify the object. •Users operating at an access level greater than the protection level of the object will see a small lock on the icon for the object in the navigator tree, indicating that the object is read-only. Customization Levels •If you set an object to be customizable, its protection level is set to 1000. •The customization level of an object is set to the access level of the initial user who customizes the object. •A customized object is locked from further modification except from users with access levels equal to the customization level of the object. •The customization level is relevant only with respect to unprotected workflow objects. •If an object is protected at a certain level, it shouldn’t be modified at all except by an access level equal to or less than the protected level of the object. You can change your access level in the “About Oracle Workflow Builder” dialog box available from the Help menu. Enter an integer value in the Access Level field and click OK. Access Level Field If you change your access level to a value other than 100, your access level setting will be maintained by the Workflow Builder. Reinstalling Oracle Workflow Builder will not modify the access level at which you previously operated. “Allow Modifications of Customized Objects” Check Box This option also appears in the “About Oracle Workflow Builder” dialog box. Usually you do not need to change this setting. •Unchecked: The Workflow Builder saves edits only to protected objects that you have access to change and does not overwrite previously customized objects (equivalent to Workflow Definitions Loader Upgrade mode). This option is recommended. •Checked:  The Workflow Builder saves your edits, overwriting protected objects that you have access to modify as well as any previously customized objects (equivalent to Workflow Definitions Loader Upload mode). Setting Protection and Customization Levels Select the Access tab for an object in Oracle Workflow Builder to display the Access property page. ü       The indicator bar provides a visual range of access levels that can edit the object. ü       The Levels region shows the customization, access, and protection levels of the object based on the settings in the Options region. ü       Use the Options region to set the protection and customization levels of an object. Ø       Preserve Customizations Ø       Lock at this Access Level The indicator bar provides a visual range of access levels that can edit the object- ü       Black vertical line: Current access level ü       White range: Cannot edit the object ü       Solid green: Can edit the object ü       Cross-hatch green: Usually cannot modify the object because it has been customized, but can now do so because Oracle Workflow Builder is set to Upload mode so that customized objects can be modified •The Levels region shows the Customization, Access, and Protection levels of the object based on how you set the check boxes in the Options region. •Use the Options region to set the protection and customization levels of an object. -Preserve Customizations: Prevents customized objects from being overwritten during a workflow definition upgrade -Lock at this Access Level: Protects the object at the current access level and does not allow the object to be customized by higher access levels •Oracle E-Business Suite customers should select both the Preserve Customizations and Lock at this Access Level check boxes to protect your workflow objects during upgrades. Protection and Customization Levels Assuming an access level of 100, these protection and customization levels result when the following check boxes are selected in the Access properties region: ü       None: Object can be updated at any time by any access level. ü       Preserve Customizations: Disallows customized objects from being overwritten during a workflow upgrade. -Object may be updated by access levels 100-1000. -If the Allow modifications of customized objects check box is selected, customized objects can also be updated by access levels 0-99 as represented by green crosshatches in the indicator bar. ü       Lock at this Access Level: Protects the object at the current access level and does not allow the object to be customized, except by access levels 0-100. ü       Both: Object can only be updated by the access level at which the object is protected. Ø       Object may only be updated by access level 100. Ø       If the Allow Modifications of Customized Objects check box is selected, customized objects can also be updated by access levels 0-99 as represented by green crosshatches in the indicator bar. UNSUPPORTED CUSTOMIZATIONS The following types of customizations are NOT supported: ü       Modifying a workflow object that has a protection level less than 100 ü       Altering a workflow object’s protection level if its original protection level is less than 100 ü       Changing access level to an unauthorized level of less than 100 for the purpose of modifying workflow objects that are protected at levels less than 100 PRESERVING CUSTOMIZATIONS To ensure that your customizations are preserved during an upgrade of Oracle Workflow: •Check your access level before you make your modifications to the predefined workflow process. –Oracle E-Business Suite: 100 –Standalone Oracle Workflow: 100 or higher •Set the appropriate options in the Access property page for any object that you modify. –Oracle E-Business Suite: Select both the Preserve Customizations and Lock at this Access Level options. –Standalone Oracle Workflow: Select the Preserve Customizations option. Optionally select the Lock at this Access Level option. During an Oracle Workflow seed data upgrade, the Workflow Definitions Loader is always run in Upgrade mode at an access level less than 100. As a result, the upgrade will not overwrite any object with a customization level of 100 or higher

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