Digital Business Automation Ideas


This is an IBM Automation portal for Digital Business Automation products. To view all of your ideas submitted to IBM, create and manage groups of Ideas, or create an idea explicitly set to be either visible by all (public) or visible only to you and IBM (private), use the IBM Unified Ideas Portal (https://ideas.ibm.com).


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We invite you to shape the future of IBM, including product roadmaps, by submitting ideas that matter to you the most. Here's how it works:

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Start by searching and reviewing ideas and requests to enhance a product or service. Take a look at ideas others have posted, and add a comment, vote, or subscribe to updates on them if they matter to you. If you can't find what you are looking for,

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  1. Post an idea.

  2. Get feedback from the IBM team and other customers to refine your idea.

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Please use the following category to raise ideas for these offerings for all environments (traditional on premises, containers, on cloud):

  • Cloud Pak for Business Automation - including Business Automation Studio and App Designer, Business Automation Insights

  • Business Automation Workflow (BAW) - including BAW, Business Process Manager, Workstream Services, Business Performance Center, Advanced Case Management

  • Content Services - FileNet Content Manager

  • Content Services - Content Manager OnDemand

  • Content Services - Daeja Virtual Viewer

  • Content Services - Navigator

  • Content Services - Content Collector for Email, Sharepoint, Files

  • Content Services - Content Collector for SAP

  • Content Services - Enterprise Records

  • Content Services - Content Manager (CM8)

  • Datacap

  • Automation Document Processing

  • Automation Decision Services (ADS)

  • Operational Decision Manager

  • Robotic Process Automation

  • Robotic Process Automation with Automation Anywhere

  • Blueworks Live

  • Business Automation Manager Open Edition

  • IBM Process Mining


Specific links you will want to bookmark for future use

Welcome to the IBM Ideas Portal (https://www.ibm.com/ideas) - Use this site to find out additional information and details about the IBM Ideas process and statuses.

IBM Unified Ideas Portal (https://ideas.ibm.com) - Use this site to view all of your ideas, create new ideas for any IBM product, or search for ideas across all of IBM.

ideasibm@us.ibm.com - Use this email to suggest enhancements to the Ideas process or request help from IBM for submitting your Ideas.


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Status Under review
Workspace Operational Decision Manager
Created by Guest
Created on May 18, 2026

RELATED IDEAS

Enable validation of variable definitions at the time of saving Variable Sets

Product: IBM Operational Decision Manager (ODM)
Version: 9.0.0.1

Background / Problem Statement:
Currently, validation of variables defined in Variable Sets is only performed during RuleApp build. There is no validation at the time of saving or committing the Variable Set, allowing invalid or incorrectly defined variables to persist until a later stage.

This delays error detection and increases the cost of fixing issues, especially when multiple dependent artifacts are involved.

Observed Behavior:

  • Users can save Variable Sets with invalid definitions (e.g., incorrect initialization, syntax errors).

  • Validation only occurs during RuleApp build or deployment.

  • Errors are detected late in the lifecycle, often during deployment or simulation.

Expected Behavior:

  • Basic validation should occur at the time of saving or committing Variable Sets.

  • For primitive types (e.g., String, Integer, Boolean), validation should include:

    • Syntax correctness

    • Proper initialization

  • Immediate feedback should be provided to users upon saving.

Business Impact:

  • Delayed error detection leads to inefficient development cycles.

  • Increased dependency on build/deployment cycles for validation.

  • Business users face challenges identifying issues early, reducing productivity.

Requested Enhancement:
Introduce validation mechanisms at commit/save time for Variable Sets, including:

  • Immediate validation for primitive data types

  • Early error detection with clear, user-friendly messages

  • Optional advanced validation for complex types where feasible

Additional Context:
While build-time validation exists, shifting validation earlier in the lifecycle (left-shift approach) will significantly improve user experience and reduce troubleshooting overhead.

Idea priority High

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