Understand Informatica PowerCenter Workflow Manager

  Level1 Training

In the Workflow Manager, you define a set of instructions called a workflow to execute mappings you build in the Designer. Generally, a workflow contains a session and any other task you may want to perform when you run a workflow. Tasks can include a session, email notification, or scheduling information. You connect each task with links in the workflow. You can also create a worklet in the Workflow Manager. A worklet is an object that groups a set of tasks. A worklet is similar to a workflow, but without scheduling information. You can run a batch of worklets inside a workflow.

Lets understand more about the tool by developing our first Workflow and lets do the following.

• Create database connections for sources and targets
• Learn how to use Workflow Manager.
• Create a simple Workflow
• Create a session task and start task
• Link tasks

I. Create Relational Connection

1. Select START | PROGRAMS | INFORMATICA POWERCENTER CLIENT | WORKFLOW MANAGER.
2. Connect to the repository using your user id and password.
3. Locate the project folder and open it.
   
4. Select CONNECTIONS | RELATIONAL.
5. Select the database type from the dropdown and click on New.
6. In the Connection Object Definition box, enter the name db_src_x, username, password and connection string to connect to the source database.
   
7. To create a target database connection, repeat steps 1 and 2 and in the Connection Object Definition box, enter the name db_tgt_x, username, password and connection string to connect to the target database db_tgt_x.
8. Click CLOSE to close the Relational connection Browser.

II. Create a Workflow

1. Switch to Workflow Designer. You can open the Workflow Designer.
   • Select TOOLS | WORKFLOW DESIGNER or
   • Click on the highlighted button as shown below.
     
2. Select WORKFLOWS | CREATE.
3. Enter the name of the Workflow as wf_Employee_Name_x in the Name box under the General tab.

   
4. Click on the OK button. The Start Task is added to each new workflow by default.
5. Select Repository | Save or Ctrl-S to save.

III. Edit the Start Task

1. Double Click on the Start task.
2. Click the Rename button.
3. Type Start_Employee_Name_x in the Rename Task dialog box.
   
4. Click the OK button to save the name.
5. Click the OK button to return to the Workflow Designer workspace.

IV. Create a Session Task

1. Click on TASKS | CREATE. In the Create task dialog box enter a name for the task as S_Employee_Name_x.
   
2. Associate a mapping with the task. The mapping is M_Employee_Name_x, which you just created.
   
3. Click on OK in Mappings dialog box and Done in Create Task Dialog box.
4. A Session Task appears in the Workspace. Select REPOSITORY |SAVE or Ctrl-S to save.
   

V. Edit Session Task

1. Double-click on the S_Employee_Name_x Session Task in the Workspace and click on the Mapping tab.
2. Under the Sources folder, click on the down arrow to open the Relational Connection Browser as shown in the figure below.
   
3. In the Relational Connection Browser, select the database type from the dropdown and select the source database connection just created, from the Objects box.
   
4. Similarly click on the Targets folder, click on the down arrow and repeat step 3 to select the target database connection. The Edit Tasks should finally look like the figure shown below.
   
5. Under Properties, Select Normal for the Target load type.
   
6. Click OK to close the Edit Tasks dialog box.
7. Select REPOSITORY | SAVE.

VI. Link Workflow Tasks

1. Locate the Link icon on the right side of the Task Toolbar .
2. Link the Start_Employee_Name and the S_Employee_Name_x tasks.
   
3. Toggle off the ‘link mode’ by clicking again on the Link icon or single click on one of the objects.
4. Save changes to the repository.
5. Select WORKFLOW | VALIDATE to validate the workflow.
6. Locate the save tab in the Output Window at the bottom of the Workflow Manager and view the results of the validation checks.
7. If there are any errors fix them and perform the WORKFLOW | VALIDATE command from the main menu. The results will be located in the Output Window’s Validate tab.
8. Repeat the process until the Workflow is valid.

Video Tutorial.

In this demonstration video tutorial we will see how the Workflow  is created.

Hope you enjoy this tutorial, Please let us know if you have any difficulties in trying out these exercise.

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