Adding and modifying Decision service variables (deprecated)

To add or modify variables for a Decision service, complete the following steps:

1. Open the desktop Process Designer (deprecated).
2. Open a process application that contains a business process definition (BPD) in the Designer view.
3. Make sure you have selected the Decision service where you want to add or modify variables.
4. Click the Variables tab.
5. Existing variables are organized into three sections: Input, Output, and Private, as shown in the following example.
   Click the plus sign next to a section to see the variables in that section.

   
6. You can add a variable to the Decision service by completing one of the following steps:
   • Click Add Input to add a variable that you can use for input into a rule.
   • Click Add Output to add a variable that you can use for output from the rule.
   • Click Add Private to add a variable that applied only to the current Decision service.
   The following information applies to variables:

   • Variables are mapped to the IN, OUT or IN-OUT parameter directions automatically, depending on how the variable is used in the rule. For example, a variable that is referenced in a rule but is not updated at run time is identified as an IN variable. For more information about parameters, refer to the related topic "Adding variable types and business objects to a Decision service."
   • The input or output designation for variables might affect the way the Decision service runs, but the designation is not significant when you are authoring BAL rules because input, output and private variables are all referenced identically in a BAL rule.
   • If you create an input and an output variable that have the same name, only one variable is actually created. The variable is used for both input and output at the Decision service level.
   • Exposed Process Variables (EPVs) are managed at the process application level, and allow the IBM Business Automation Workflow administrator to specify designated users who can set or alter variable values using the Process Admin Console while instances of a process are running. The Decision service can pick up an EPV variable that has been created in a process application and use the variable in a rule to affect the way that the Decision service runs. For more information about EPVs, refer to the related topic "Creating exposed process values."
7. You can modify or view the properties of an existing variable.
   Click to highlight the variable name, then modify the variable properties under the Details section, or view the Default Value of the variable if a default value has been defined, as shown in the following example:

   
8. Select an existing Variable Type, or define a new variable type.
   1. Click Select to set or modify the current variable type.
   2. Click New to define a new variable type.
      For more information about defining a new variable type using the Business Object editor, refer to the related topic "Adding variable types and business objects to a Decision service."