This article only describes the errors that occur during the execution of business processes. You can read about modeling errors in these articles: Publish a business process and Validate process logic.
When an error appears on a certain process step, it is displayed on the process instance page. There, you can decide how to handle the error: either skip this step or repeat it. If necessary you can also interrupt the process.
Critical and non-critical errors
All execution errors can be classified as critical or non-critical. In case of a critical error, the process is interrupted, and the users included in the Administrators group receive a message that the process was interrupted due to a critical error. In case of a non-critical error, the process continues, but the users included in the Administrators group are also notified about the error that occurred during the execution of the process.
Critical errors include:
- An error while executing Create app item. For example, such an error might occur if an app type variable was deleted from the context. To avoid this error, make sure that the app item is correctly specified in the Create app item activity.
- Error when starting a synchronous subprocess. When starting a synchronous sub-process, the execution of the parent business process is suspended. If an error occurs in such a sub-process, the parent process will be interrupted and you will see the message “Failed to start the subprocess”.
- Error in the timer intermediate event. You will see the warning “Failed to set up timer”, for example, if the context variable storing timer expiration value is not found or the system cannot calculate the time according to the business calendar.
Non-critical errors are:
- Error when assigning status. For example, if this status was deleted from the app. To avoid this error, make sure that all the valid app statuses are specified in the settings of the Manage status activity.
- Error when determining variable value. You will see the warning “Failed to change the value of the context variable”. This error might occur, for example, if in the settings of the connector that goes out of a gateway the right operand variable is not determined.
- Error when starting an asynchronous subprocess. When starting an asynchronous process, the execution of the parent business process does not stop. If an error occurs in such a sub-process, the parent process will not be interrupted, and you will see the warning “Failed to start the subprocess”.
- Error in notification. You will see the warning “Failed to send the notification” if, for example, the variable that stores the recipient is not determined. Check the Notification settings. The organizational chart item selected as the recipient might have been deleted by the moment the process started. Make sure that in the notification settings only existing employees, user groups, and organizational chart items are selected as recipients.
- Error when assigning a user task. This error might occur, for example, if the system fails to calculate task deadline according to the business calendar. You will see the message “Failed to calculate the task completion time”. In order to avoid this error, check task deadline settings. The system may fail to provide access to the context object, and consequently, assign the task to a user. In this case, you will receive the message “Failed to grant permissions”.
Interrupt a looped business process
A business process might get stuck at some step. For example, if an exclusive gateway has an outgoing default connector that targets the same gateway and another connector that targets an end event but has no specified condition. In this case, the process will repeat the same step over and over again, leaving the gateway and returning back to it.
To prevent a process from looping, the system counts how many times each step has been performed. If an operation repeats 100 times, the process is automatically interrupted, and the corresponding notification is sent to the company owner.
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