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Parallel Activities Race Scenario
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Here is the process that I have: I want to start two activities: one activity is to do something, like "write an quote response document"; the other activity is to "monitor customer status". When either of these activities is complete, I want the other activity to be cancelled. In this situation, the completing of the quote response document will terminate that activity, as well as cancelling the monitoring activity. OR, the monitoring activity may be assigned to someone who figures that the quote response is no longer needed, and makes the choice to completing the monitor document, and this in tern cancels the activity.
Basically, I don't want the monitor activity hanging around after the quote is completed. Similarly, I don't want the activity for making the quote hanging around, once the monitor activity has determined to cancel the request.
In short, I am starting two activities in a parallel race: the first one to complete wins, has the effect of stopping both activities. How do I make a process that does this?
Can I use a compound activity? Can I create a compound activity (container) with the two activities within it. When the container is started, the two internal activities would be started. Then, the choice arrows on the activities go to end nodes (inside the container). Does that cause the container to be completed, and the other activity cancelled? It is not clear to me whether the container can be completed by the first action.Author: null
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Hello Alisa,
You can use the subprocess node to accomplish this. One solution would be to define the two activities within a subprocess node. Set that subprocess node into your parent process definition. Then, when the subprocess node is activated, one task will be generated for each activity. By completing either task, it will force workflow to proceed and remove the second task. From there, workflow will exit the subprocess and re-enter the parent process definition.
Let me know if this helps.
Regards,
MarcAuthor: Marc Bui
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You can use either a subprocess, or a compound node. The advantage of using a compound node is that it does not require a complete process instance (with all UDA variables) to be created. Within a compound node, the activities have access to all of the same UDA variables that all the other activities in the process have.
The compound node can have any number of activities in it: 2 as suggested or more. They can be wired together serial, parallel, or any combination. But as soon as the exit node inside the compound node is reached, all other activities that were running will be terminated.
So this is a perfect fit for your "race scenario": Two nodes are created in parallel, and the first one to complete causes both to be ended.Author: Keith Swenson
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