You fixed a notification issue in your model workflow.
The change is tested. Everything looks good.
Now comes the real question:
What happens when this workflow moves to production?
Many administrators assume that activating a new workflow revision immediately affects every model in the system.
It doesn't.
To understand why, you need to understand four concepts:
- Workflow Definitions
- Workflow Revisions
- Workflow Templates
- Running Workflow Instances
This article focuses on the relationship between those concepts and how they affect workflow upgrades.
What Is a Workflow Revision?
Every time you modify and activate a workflow definition, SAS Workflow Manager creates a new revision.
Imagine your workflow currently looks like this:
Revision 4: Current production workflow
Revision 5: Notification updates added
Revision 6: Approval process refined
Each revision represents a point in time for the workflow definition.
Stop and Think
If Revision 6 exists, should every model automatically begin using Revision 6?
Answer:
No.
Existing workflow instances continue using the workflow process that was active when they started.
New workflow instances use the latest activated workflow definition.
The Development vs. Production Trap
Many administrators assume revision numbers should match between environments.
Let's test that assumption.
Development Environment
|
Production Environment
|
Model Workflow - Revision 21
|
Model Workflow - Revision 4
|
What do you conclude?
- A. Production is missing workflow updates.
- B. Something failed during promotion.
- C. Nothing can be concluded from revision numbers alone.
Answer:
C. Nothing can be concluded from revision numbers alone.
When workflow definitions are promoted between environments, they often start a fresh revision history.
A workflow that reached Revision 21 in Development may appear as Revision 1 after being imported into Production.
Revision numbers are environment-specific and do not necessarily indicate functionality differences.
Understanding What Is Actually Running
Workflow information appears in three different places:
- Workflow Definition
- Workflow Template
- Running Workflow Instance
Understanding the relationship between them is critical when troubleshooting workflow promotions and workflow updates.
Workflow Definition (SAS Workflow Manager)
The workflow definition is the source of truth.
It contains:
- Tasks
- Approvals
- Routing logic
- Notifications
- Status transitions
This is where workflow behavior is defined.
When reviewing a workflow upgrade, ask yourself:
- Which revision is currently active?
- When was it activated?
- What changed in the latest revision?
When determining what workflow version is available for new workflow instances, SAS Workflow Manager is the authoritative source.
Workflow Template (SAS Model Risk Management)
The workflow template acts as a bridge between business objects and workflow definitions.
Models do not connect directly to workflow definitions.
Instead, the relationship looks like this:
Model
↓
Workflow Template
↓
Workflow Definition
The workflow template helps determine which workflow definition is available to the object and provides the workflow diagram displayed to users.
Ask yourself:
- Which workflow definition does the template reference?
- Which workflow definition revision is displayed?
- Does the displayed revision match the currently activated definition?
In some situations, the workflow template may display a different revision than the currently activated workflow definition.
This often creates confusion during upgrades even when everything is functioning correctly.
Running Workflow Instances
The most important operational question is often:
Which workflow revision is this model actually using?
A running workflow instance does not automatically switch to a newer workflow revision when a revision is activated.
Each model continues running under the workflow process that created it.
Workflow Definition
Revision 1 ← Existing instances
Revision 2 ← Active revision
Model A → Running Revision 1
Model B → Running Revision 1
Model C → Running Revision 2
Activating Revision 2 affects future workflow starts.
Existing workflow instances continue using the process that originally created them.
Workflow Definitions vs. Workflow Templates
Suppose your workflow template displays:
Workflow Definition Revision = 5
Meanwhile, SAS Workflow Manager shows:
Workflow Definition Revision = 6
Status = Active
Which revision is used when a user starts a new workflow?
- A. Revision 5
- B. Revision 6
- C. Both revisions run simultaneously
Answer:
B. Revision 6
Workflow execution is controlled by the activated workflow definition.
The workflow template primarily provides the workflow diagram and links the object to the workflow definition.
For more information about workflow templates, read this article:
How Workflows Work in SAS Model Risk Management.
Key Point
Workflow Template
= What users see
Active Workflow Definition
= What runs
Why This Matters
This distinction often creates confusion during workflow promotions.
Administrators may notice that a workflow template displays a different revision number than the currently activated workflow definition and assume something is broken.
In many cases, everything is working correctly.
The important question is not:
Do the revision numbers match?
The important question is:
Which workflow definition is currently activated?
A Quick Note on Workflow Migration
Imagine you activate a new workflow revision to fix a notification issue.
New workflow instances immediately begin using the updated workflow definition.
Existing workflow instances do not.
For organizations with hundreds or thousands of active models, this raises an important operational question:
Should active workflow instances remain on the original process, or should they be migrated to the newer revision?
That answer depends on the nature of the workflow change and the organization's governance requirements.
Migration planning, workflow restart strategies, automation, and large-scale upgrades deserve their own discussion and will be covered in a future article.
Administrator Checklist
When reviewing workflow revisions, ask yourself:
- What workflow definition is active?
- Which workflow definition does the workflow template reference?
- Which workflow revision does the template display?
- Are new workflow instances behaving as expected?
- Are existing workflow instances still running older workflow revisions?
Final Takeaway
The most important lesson is this:
| Workflow Templates |
Help users select and visualize workflows |
| Workflow Definitions |
Define workflow behavior |
| Activated Revisions |
Determine what new workflow instances run |
| Running Workflow Instances |
Continue using the process that created them |
Once you understand the relationship between those four concepts, workflow promotion and revision management become much easier to understand.
In the next article, we'll examine the operational side of workflow upgrades, including what happens when hundreds or thousands of active workflow instances need to be migrated to a newer workflow revision.
Find more articles from SAS Global Enablement and Learning here.
