Executing External Dependencies

While the workflow runs, the external dependency is displayed in different colors depending on its status:

• It is colorless before its run has reached the task that refers to the external dependency.
• Dark gray signals that the specified condition has been met.
• While waiting for the external task's end status, the box that is displayed in blue and white symbolizes the states Inactive and Skipped.

If the external task blocks within a workflow, the external dependency remains in a waiting condition (blue). If you remove this blocking condition manually, the external dependency is only fulfilled when the expected status in its properties is set either to ANY_OK_OR_UNBLOCKED or ENDED_OK_OR_UNBLOCKED. Otherwise, the external dependency remains in its waiting condition.

Important Notes

The status of an external task is retrieved via its execution data. No status is available in the following situations:

• The external task has not yet been processed.

This situation can occur if the object has just been created, duplicated, imported or transported.

• The execution data has been reorganized using the available utilities. This situation depends on the frequency with which the database is maintained.

  For example, an external dependency refers to a task which always runs at the beginning of a month. A workflow which is always processed on the 10th of a month cannot retrieve this task's status if the execution data is removed from the database every second day.

In both situations, your selection in the Check if the external task was activated with the same logical date as the workflow group does not show positive results and the Else action is applied.