Viewing BPM with errors

[nasimg]

I need to check issue with the BPM (eg. errors etc) but I struggle to get "non-completed" process to show.

Its very hit and miss (more miss) when I check....is there a set way to get results, most times I just get a blank page.

Nasim

[Steve Giller]

This is caused by the search query timing out.

If you can use the BPM ID in the search box this will return the BPM as it's searching for an exact match.

[nasimg]

Where do you find the id (apart from in the above location). I normally would have the request id.....can I find it with that?

[Steve Giller]

You can search with the Request ID as well, although I've had mixed results so it's something I can only say you'd have to try it and see.

[Guest Paul Alexander]

We always have to refresh the 'Manage Executed Processes' multiple times before we get any results...which is really frustrating!

If it's caused by a timeout is there somewhere that we can increase this please? There's been many a time that I've missed a failed bpm because the timeout kicks in before I get any results!!

 

thanks

[Jeremy]

you can search for the BPM ID in the Database Direct search (admin - Home/System/Data/Database Direct) by using this SQL search:

SELECT h_bpm_id FROM h_itsm_requests WHERE h_pk_reference = 'XXXXXXXXX'

Change the X's for the request number and it should return the actual BPM ID number

[nasimg]

2 minutes ago, Jeremy said:

you can search for the BPM ID in the Database Direct search (admin - Home/System/Data/Database Direct) by using this SQL search:

SELECT h_bpm_id FROM h_itsm_requests WHERE h_pk_reference = 'XXXXXXXXX'

Change the X's for the request number and it should return the actual BPM ID number

@Jeremy this is something I was hoping for - many thanks

[Victor]

@nasimg @Jeremy any recent* workflow instances (executed processes that is) will also have an external reference which is the request reference. You can use that to filter the executed process you want to look at... not sure if the external reference is optimised for search same way the ID is though...

*recent means past several months going back in 2020 iirc...

[nasimg]

Hi @Victor, @Steve Giller

Thanks for your advice but trying to get to the failed BPM's without the having the BPM Id is almost impossible, in my experience I can sometimes find it (using the request id) but most times its blank. Why it works sometimes and mostly not is something I would urge you to look at as it should return results.

If you can fix it that would be useful to the wider community, but as @Jeremy has given us the sql query for getting the BPM Id (which seems to always work) I'll be using that from now on.

Nasim

[Guest Paul Alexander]

@nasimg

I think that the 'Manage Executed Processes' button is definitely the easy way to do this, you just have to keep refreshing the screen to get any results. 

@Victor @Steve Giller maybe the refresh rate is something which could be looked at so that it works all the time please?

thanks

[nasimg]

@Paul Alexander agree a lot easier to get the list by pressing the 'Manage Executed Processes' button, but as sometimes I get results and if I refresh I get blanks. Very frustrating.

Using the BPM id always is getting me the result I need to work on, so I'm happy. Just a bit a of pain to log in with my super user id to get the bpm id but at least it guarantees to get me what I want...

[James Ainsworth]

A trick to getting the BPM ID is to use the Custom Buttons on a request

1. Click on the Manage Custom Buttons icon at the top of the request
2. Add New
3. Select BPM ID from the list of variable
4. Copy the BPM ID from the Preview
5. Cancel the creation of the new custom button.

Take it one step further and save the Custom Button with the URL https://admin.hornbill.com/[your instance name]/app/com.hornbill.servicemanager/workflow/bpm/![[h_bpm_id]] to take you there in one click.

[Guest Paul Alexander]

Hi @James Ainsworth

That's a handy little trick that could be useful thanks.

Could the refresh time of the 'Manage Executed Processes' page be looked at though please, so that we don't have to keep refreshing before any results show?

thanks

[Steve Giller]

@nasimg @Paul Alexander There will be an enhancement in the next Admin release that will allow you to specify that the search is on BPM Id or External Reference which will resolve this.

[Guest Paul Alexander]

Thanks @Steve Giller

Could you ask if there'll be any change to the timeout on the 'Manage Executed Processes' page please?

thanks

[Steve Giller]

There won't be any change to the timeout, all queries are subject to a 30 second limit for performance reasons.

[Guest Paul Alexander]

The timeout is less than 30 seconds....more like 10 in my instance? 

[nasimg]

42 minutes ago, Steve Giller said:

@nasimg @Paul Alexander There will be an enhancement in the next Admin release that will allow you to specify that the search is on BPM Id or External Reference which will resolve this.

Sounds good - look forward to seeing it.

Nasim

[Victor]

1 hour ago, Paul Alexander said:

The timeout is less than 30 seconds....more like 10 in my instance?

@Paul Alexander how do you count the 10 seconds? By the way, is not a silly question, there is definitely a 30 sec timeout and this is why the browser shows no results but I am trying to understand if there is any other form of activity on the page that wool give the impression the search completes after 10 sec...

[Guest Paul Alexander]

@Victor 

I count out loud 

It's the same amount of time whether I initially press the 'Manage Executed Processes' button or the refresh button

So, after pressing the button (above), after 10 seconds, I then get this screen:

 

 

Pressing this button again cycles through the page (with me needing to press the refresh button)until eventually i DO get results. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nasimg]

When I press manage or refresh the process runs for 30s (stopwatch), but would recommend you try @James Ainsworth custom button trick (see above).

It opens up non-completed BPM's with one click (provided you are in the request with the issue).

Nasim

[Guest Paul Alexander]

On 6/14/2021 at 11:03 AM, Paul Alexander said:

I count out loud 

It's the same amount of time whether I initially press the 'Manage Executed Processes' button or the refresh button

@Victor - any more thoughts on this please? I often need to go to the 'Manage Executed Processes' page and it's frustratingly inconsistent for me 

thanks

[Victor]

@Paul Alexander well.. basically the list of workflows here is retrieved by an SQL query. Any SQL query in Hornbill has a timeout of 30 sec, meaning if a running query takes more than this it is automatically cancelled by the platform. The running workflows table is quite complex, and has a bit of data in it, especially when there are many running workflows (failed, completed, suspended or in progress) in an instance, therefore there is a very distinct possibility that a query on this table will take more than the 30 sec timeout resulting in the behavior you experience: an empty list. This is obviously intermittent but happens more often on larger datasets. Now if you get the "No records to display" message after 10 sec, when there was no filter applied then that's something we can look at since it is not the timeout that is causing this...

[Guest Paul Alexander]

Hi @Victor

Thanks for that...I'll log a request for it

 

[Victor]

@Paul Alexander right, after checking with our infrastructure team, I now understand that the 30 sec is the standard timeout window but this is something they can manually adjust per instance (I wasn't aware of this). Your instance currently has the timeout set to 10 seconds which explains why no result is displayed after this time. The timeout is adjusted on occasion and it can go up or down.