Troubleshooting Workflow Mailer Errors in Oracle E-Business Suite

Troubleshooting Workflow Mailer Errors in Oracle E-Business Suite

 

The Workflow Mailer in Oracle E-Business Suite is a critical component for sending notifications and driving business processes. When it fails silently, approvals stall, alerts are missed, and operations can be disrupted.

To handle such issues effectively—especially before raising a Service Request (SR) with Oracle Support—you need a structured, repeatable troubleshooting approach. This guide walks you through practical steps to diagnose and analyze Workflow Mailer problems in depth.

 

Step 1: Test the Workflow Mailer from OAM

Start with a basic functionality check using Oracle Applications Manager (OAM).

1. Log in to EBS as SYSADMIN.

2. Navigate to Workflow Manager.

3. Locate the Notification Mailer and click View Details.

4. Click the Test Mailer icon.

5. Important:

   • Do not use SYSADMIN  as the recipient.

   • Instead, use the user or role associated with a known failed notification to see if the issue is user-specific.

If this test succeeds, it confirms:

• The mailer is up and running

• Basic configuration and connectivity are working

If it fails, note the error message—it will guide your next steps.

 

Step 2: Use  wfmlrdbg.sql for Deep-Dive Analysis

Oracle provides a powerful diagnostic script, wfmlrdbg.sql , to troubleshoot specific notifications in detail.

1. Log in to the application tier server.

2. Source the EBS environment file (e.g. . ./APPS<sid>_<hostname>.env).

3. Execute the diagnostic script:

    

    
   $FND_TOP/sql/wfmlrdbg.sql

4. When prompted, enter the NOTIFICATION_ID of a failed notification.

The script generates a detailed trace of the notification’s lifecycle, including:

• Status transitions

• Internal processing steps

• The full XML payload sent to the Mailer

Carefully review the output for:

• Parsing errors

• Template or data issues

• Mail server-related failures

This step is especially useful when the problem is tied to specific notifications rather than the entire Mailer service.

 

Step 3: Review Workflow Mailer Concurrent Log Files

The most granular error details often reside in the concurrent log files related to the Workflow Mailer.

1. Go to the concurrent log directory on the apps tier:

   cd $APPLCSF/$APPLLOG/

    

2. First, verify that the relevant log files exist:

   ls -l FNDCPGSC*.txt

    

3. Then, search for key error patterns and redirect the findings to separate files for easier analysis:

    

   grep -i “ERROR:” FNDCPGSC*.txt > mailer_errors.log grep -i “EXCEPTION:” FNDCPGSC*.txt > mailer_exceptions.log grep -i “UNEXPECTED:” FNDCPGSC*.txt > mailer_unexpected.log

    

4. Open and review: 

   • mailer_exceptions.log

   • mailer_errors.log

   • mailer_unexpected.log

Look for:

• SMTP connectivity failures

• Authentication issues

• Unexpected termination or Java exceptions

• Problems related to message formatting or attachments

 

If any of these files are empty, it means grep didn’t find matching patterns. In that case:

• Try different keywords (e.g. ORA-, SMTP, failure, warning)

• Confirm you are checking the correct time window and log files

 

Step 4: Verify Workflow Mailer Service Status in the Database

Finally, verify that the Workflow Notification Mailer service is actually running at the application component level.

You can check this via OAM, but a direct SQL query is often quicker and scriptable:

The expected value for component_status is:

• RUNNING

If it is DEACTIVATED, ABORTED, or anything else:

• Review recent changes (patches, clones, config updates)

• Check the component logs and OAM for startup errors

• Attempt to restart the component from OAM and observe the behavior

 

Conclusion

By following this structured troubleshooting approach, you can:

• Confirm whether the issue is with configuration, mail server connectivity, or specific notifications

• Collect precise logs and diagnostics (wfmlrdbg.sql, concurrent logs, service status)

• Prepare a well-documented, actionable case for Oracle Support if needed

This methodology not only speeds up problem resolution but also reduces guesswork, helping you restore Workflow Mailer functionality with minimal downtime.