Process Orchestrator
Lifecycle and versions
Save drafts, publish numbered versions, activate or roll back a version, and delete processes safely.
A business process changes over time, but the instances already running must not change under people’s feet. Process Orchestrator separates the two with versions: you edit a draft, publish it as a numbered version that cannot change, and activate the version new instances should use. Running instances stay on the version they started with.
Version states
Section titled “Version states”| State | Can you edit it? | Can instances run on it? |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Yes, in the process designer. There is at most one draft per process. | No |
| Published (version 1, 2, 3 …) | No. Its definition is fixed. | Yes, once it is activated or while existing instances use it. |
| Active | No. “Active” is not a separate state: the process’s Active Version points at one published version. | New instances start on it. |
Versions are Process Version records related to the business process.
Edit and publish a version
Section titled “Edit and publish a version”- Open the business process and select Process Designer. The designer opens the draft. If there is no draft, a new one is created from the active version.
- Make your changes and save. A draft can still have problems; the problems list shows what is left to do.
- Open the draft Process Version record and use the Flowon BPM menu on the command bar (also available on the versions grid and subgrid).
- Select Publish or Publish & Activate.
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Publish | Only for a draft. Fully validates the process and fails on any problem (see Validation messages). Gives the version the next whole number (1, 2, 3 …) and creates a new Draft from it, so you can keep working. |
| Publish & Activate | Publishes as above and makes the new version the active one. |
| Activate | Only for a published version. Makes it the active version. |
Publishing without activating is useful when someone should review the published version, or when you want to activate it at a quiet time.
Roll back
Section titled “Roll back”There is no “deactivate” action. Once a process has an active version, you replace it by activating another one. To roll back, open the earlier published version and select Activate. New instances use it immediately; instances already running are not affected.
How changes reach instances
Section titled “How changes reach instances”- A running instance keeps the version it started on until it finishes, even if you activate a newer version.
- New instances always start on the active version.
- To fix a fault in running instances, publish and activate a corrected version for future instances, then start the process again on the affected records if needed.
Delete a version or a process
Section titled “Delete a version or a process”- Published versions cannot be deleted, and their definition cannot be changed.
- A business process cannot be deleted while it is in use by another business process (in any version), a logic flow or a logic recipe. The delete is refused with “Business process is in use by another business process, logic flow or logic recipe. Remove all dependencies before deleting.” Remove the references, then delete it.
Published versions record what they use: logic flows, logic blocks, configuration values, localized resources and other business processes. This is what makes the in-use check possible.