Getting started with HCL Universal Orchestrator: end-to-end automation

About this task

This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough to create, deploy, and monitor a simple end-to-end automation process using HCL Universal Orchestrator.

The business scenario: daily order processing

In this scenario, a company must ensure that two actions happen in a specific order every day:

  • Check inventory: The system verifies stock levels.
  • Process orders: After the inventory check is complete and successful, the system processes new customer orders.

Implement this logic using the Graphical Designer to visualize the flow and the Orchestration Monitor to verify the results.

Procedure

  1. Design the automation.

    The Graphical Designer is the central hub for defining automation processes. It enables you to drag and drop items onto a canvas to create workflows.

    1. Log in to the HCL Universal Orchestrator UI.
    2. From the Welcome page or the navigation menu, click Design to open the Graphical Designer.
    3. Create a workspace.
      Workspaces enable you to organize different projects and design sessions without cluttering the database immediately.
      1. On the My workspaces page, click New workspace.
      2. Name the workspace (for example, My_First_Project) and open it.
    4. Create the workflow.
      A workflow is a container that holds individual tasks and defines the processing order.
      1. On the left palette, click the Blocks tab.
      2. Drag a Workflow block onto the canvas.
      3. In the properties panel on the right, define the general information:
        • Name: DAILY_ORDER_WORKFLOW
        • Folder: Select a folder, for example /orders).
        • Workstation: Select the workstation where the process runs (for example, a cloud task launcher or a local agent such as WS_AGT_0).
    5. Add embedded tasks.
      Embedded tasks are defined directly inside the workflow, which is ideal for specific, single-use logic.
      1. Create Task 1 (Check inventory):
        • From the Blocks tab, locate the Task category.
        • Drag a Native (Executable) task inside the workflow.
        • In the properties panel, set Name to CHECK_INVENTORY.
        • Select Inline script. In the command field, type: echo "Inventory Checked".
        • Ensure the correct workstation is selected.
      2. Create Task 2 (Process orders):
        • Drag a second Native (Executable) task into the same workflow.
        • In the properties panel, set Name to PROCESS_ORDERS.
        • Select Inline script. In the command field, type: echo "Orders Processed".
    6. Define dependencies.
      Ensure PROCESS_ORDERS only runs after CHECK_INVENTORY completes.
      1. Hover over the CHECK_INVENTORY task block to view the connection points.
      2. Click and drag a line from CHECK_INVENTORY to PROCESS_ORDERS.
  2. Deploy the automation.
    Designing the workflow occurs on the canvas, but you must deploy it to make it active in the plan.
    1. Click Deploy in the Graphical Designer.
  3. Monitor the process.
    Switch to the monitoring view to verify the automation runs as expected.
    1. Click the Orchestration Monitor tab in the main menu to access the monitoring page.
    2. Locate the workflow.
      Search for DAILY_ORDER_WORKFLOW using the Orchestration Query Language query: name = 'DAILY_ORDER_WORKFLOW'
    3. Verify the results.
      1. Select DAILY_ORDER_WORKFLOW in the results table.
      2. Click Tasks to view task details.
      3. Verify that the status of CHECK_INVENTORY changes to SUCC.
      4. Verify that PROCESS_ORDERS transitions from HOLD to SUCC.

What to do next

You have successfully designed, deployed, and verified a sequential business workflow. HCL Universal Orchestrator manages dependencies automatically, ensuring business rules are followed without manual intervention.