Description
Workflow: Roll back approvals
ServiceNow approval workflow
In many business process definitions, approvals are requested before work can be performed. However, approvals can also be requested as work is progressing. In the event that subsequent approvals are rejected or tests or tasks fail, the Workflow Editor offers the Rollback To Activity. This Activity allows the process designer to return to an earlier place in a process and restart. The Rollback To Activity will adjust the state of User Approvals and Tasks that are part of a rolled back set of activities.
Notice that this workflow is on the Change Request Table. Change Request is a Task table. Because this workflow is based on a Task table, there are more approval options that can be included in the workflow. Notice also that this workflow is configured to run only when the Priority field is set to 4 – Low.
3. Close the Workflow Properties window using the X in the upper right hand corner of the form.
4. Expand the Approvals Categoryin the Activities Tree.
The new Approval Activities appear in the Activity Tree for Task tables because they rely on columns in the Task table for their execution.
5. Select the Gear Menu > Check Out. The Workflow is now checked out to you and is ready to edit.
6. Click the Rollback To Activity in the Approvals folder.
8. Fill out the form as shown: Name: Approvals Rolled Back
9. Click the Submit button.
10. Select the Gear Menu > Expand Transitions.
11. On the Reject Approval Two Log Message Activity, select the transition from the Always node on and draw a transition to Rollback To Activity.
12. On the Rollback To Activity, select the Always node and draw a transition to the Approval One Activity.
13. Arrange the activities so all the transition lines are clear.
About the rollback to approval records
The Rollback To Activity will walk back through the executed transitions until it finds the Workflow Activity that the Rollback To transition arrow is pointing to. As the Rollback To Activity is walking back through the model, if it encounters an Approval it will set that approval state to Not Yet Requested if it is not the Workflow Activity that the Rollback To transition is pointing to. Once the approval value is reset, the Rollback To Activity will continue back along the transition path until it finds the Activity it is pointing to. If that activity is also an Approval, then that Approval will be set to Requested. These changes of approval state are made directly to the User Approval record in the database.
Rollback to and the executing records
If a Rollback To is transitioning, all the activities encountered in the Rollback To transition have all executed and are stored as Finished in the Activity History Related List of the Workflow Context. As the Rollback To Activity encounters activities, their state in the Activity History Related List of the Workflow Context is set to restarted.
1. Return to the Main tab of the ServiceNow instance.
2. Change > Create New.
3. Right click in the form header and Select Save.
4. With tabs active, scroll down the form and find the Approvals Related List.
5. Right-Click > Approve.
Notice that a second Approval, K14-Approver Two, appears in the list. This is the Approval that transitions to the Rollback To Activity. Let’s verify this.
6. Select Show Workflow from the Related Links list.
The green Activity is the current Activity. Notice the Reject Condition transitions to the Rollback To.
7. Close the browser tab of the Workflow Context view.
8. Find the Requested Approval for the K14 Approver Two in the Related List of the Change Request.
9. Right Click > Reject.
QUESTION: Why is the state of K14-Approver Two not Rejected?
QUESTION: Why is the state of K14-Approver Two not Requested?
QUESTION: Why is the state of K14-Approver One Requested?
10. Select Workflow Context from the Related Links list.
11. Select the Workflow Activity History Related List.
Notice the State of some of the Activities is Restarted. These restarted Activities are the Activities that were in the transition path between the Rollback To Activity and the Approval One Activity. To verify this, select Show Workflow link from the Related Links list on the Workflow Context form.
Your workflow should look like this:
12. Hover your mouse over the Approval Two Activity.
Notice that the hover status reflects both that the Approval was Restarted and the Rejected status of the Approval Activity.
13. Close the Workflow Context browser tab.
14. Scroll to the top of the Workflow Context form.
15. Find the ID field and select the Form Icon.
16. Scroll down to the Approvals Related List.
17. Right Click > Approve the Requested K14 Approval One.
18. Right Click > Reject the Requested K14 Approval Two.
19. Select the Workflow Context in the Related Links list.
20. In the Activities History list, right click on a Restarted Activity.
All the activities that were part of a single Rollback To execution will be colored together. Notice there is another set of Restarted Activities. These were part of a different Rollback To execution. This coloring is useful when debugging large workflows with multiple rollback paths. If you click on another Restarted Activity, the related records will highlight in another color.
22. Scroll to the top of the Workflow Context form.
23. Find the ID field and select the Form Icon.
24. Scroll down to the Approvals Related List.
25. Right Click > Approve the Requested K14 Approval One.
26. Right Click > Approve the Requested K14 Approval Two.
27. Select the Show Workflow from the Related Links list.
28. Hover over the Log Message Reject Approval Two.
Notice that the Log Message is Restarted. This is because the final State of Approval Two went down the Approved path so the Log Message Reject Approval Two was not re-executed.
29. Hover over the Log Message Reject Approval Two.
Notice that its state is Finished. The Workflow Context Diagram reflects the most recent state of an Activity, even if it has multiple states in the Activity History.
Use the timeline view
1. Close the browser tab of the Workflow Context.
2. Select the Workflow Context from the Related Links list.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the Workflow Context.
4. Select the Show Timeline.
In this view, it is possible to see all the occurrences of the Reject of Approval Two.
Summary