Once your workflow implementation is up and running, there are a few key transactions that will help find out what happened in workflow(s). New to workflow ? This is an effective way to learn what workflow is about. First of all, the workflow log is very important. The following main reporting transactions will bring you to respective workflow logs:
- Transaction SWI1 Selection report for work items - reports on (all) recently started workflows. The status of the workflow (or task) is not relevant, so not only the tasks in end user inboxes will be reported. Make sure you use the selection fields for status (e.g. not equal COMPLETED) and the task number (including TS or WS) wisely.
- Transaction SWI5 Workload analysis - reports the inbox of a user (or position or job or other organisational unit). Do note: items under "Not reserved by an agent" are not yet executed, so these items are in the user's inbox, but potentially in other users's inboxes as well. Leave the fields Type and ID blank to get the overview of all inbox entries in the whole system. Reported items are about dialog tasks that are still being processed.
- Transaction SWI6 Display workflows: select an object - which works out which flows have been triggered on a given Business Object. E.g. with a PO number and the fact that SAP's business object for the PO is BUS2012, all flows for this PO can be listed in SWI6.
So: there is only 3 main routes to remember, from timing point of view, from inbox point of view or from business object(e.g. PO) point of view.
In workflow country there are many tables that hold information about ongoing flows. Tables about the definitions of tasks and flows, as well as tables about instances of flows. In general, these tables are too complicated to be useful for use via transaction SE16 (or SE17). Do have a look at one table though: SWW_WI2OBJ - Workflow Runtime: Relation of Work Item to Object can help you find the workflow ID's for a selection of objects (field INSTID) (e.g. PO's). It's also possible to select on the task number (WI_RH_TASK) and the business object type (TYPEID) The resulting records will have ID's (WI_ID or TOP_WI_ID can then be fed into e.g. transaction SWI1. Also, the main base table behind workflow instances (the one SWI1 reports on is SWWWIHEAD "Workflow Runtime: Header Table for All Work Item Types", Which could also come in handy.