Working with Data Objects :: SAS(R) Workflow Studio 1.2: User's Guide

Overview

Data objects are similar to variables in a computer program and they hold business data required by the process. You can add global data objects that are available for use by the entire process or as local data at the activity level, which is accessible only for use by the parent activity.

Note: Do not replicate application data structures in the data objects. Instead, define only the data required to evaluate decision points or for use in policies. This practice results in more efficient process definitions with less coupling, which minimizes impact from potential application data model changes.

Note: The number of data types supported in SAS 9.3 has been reduced and strong typing is now enforced. Workflow templates from SAS 9.2 are migrated when they are opened in SAS Workflow Studio and you are prompted to verify the migration and replace data objects as needed to support the new explicit types. Workflow services will evaluate older object definitions to determine the data type at run time, but this function will be deprecated in a future release, so you should migrate all data types accordingly.

Adding Data Objects

To define a new data object, follow these steps:

In the process tree, right-click the top-level or local data object folder in the process tree and then select Add Data Object.

Alternatively, right-click an activity in the diagram editor and then select the New Data Object menu option.
In the New Data Object dialog box, specify a label for the object in the Data Object Label field.

Select one of the following values for Type:

Date

E-mail

Item List

Long Text (unlimited length)

Short Text (4000 bytes or less and searchable)

Number

URL

XML Object

Specify the relevant values in the Properties fields based on the type selected.
(Optional) Add a description for the data object in the Description field.
(Optional) Add localized versions of the label and description.

For more information, see Text Localization.
(Optional) Add custom attributes.

For more information, see Custom Attributes.
For Scope, check Make visible in entire subtree for global data objects.
Select OK to save the data object definition.

Editing Data Objects

To edit an existing data object, follow these steps:

In the process tree, open the Data Objects folder.
Right-click on the desired data object node and then select Edit.
In the Edit Data Object dialog box, make the desired changes.
Select OK to save the data object definition.

Deleting Data Objects

To completely remove a data object from the workflow, follow these steps:

Right-click on the target data object in the process tree and then select Delete.

Alternatively, select the data object directly in the process tree and press the Delete key or CTRL+X.
Select Yes in the confirmation dialog box to permanently remove the selected data object.

Assigning Data Objects

To assign a data object to an activity, drag the data object from the process tree to the relevant activity in the diagram editor.

Alternatively, copy (reuse the global definition) or drag (demote it to a local definition) the data element into the Data Objects folder for the target activity in the process tree.