ACT_RU_EXECUTION create multiple rows after the flow starts

[piyush_kumher]

I had a workflow with activiti: 5.18.0 which when started, creates a single row in ACT_RU_EXECUTION. 

I decided to create a new flow and migrate existing instances to the new flow. For which I tried with activiti version 6x, 5.22.0 and even 5.18.0. New flow creates multiple row (2 rows) in ACT_RU_EXECUTION table for every new instance.

Now if I work on migrated flow it throws an exception:

(Note: when tried with 6x, i also used v5 compatibility jars).

The exception comes because old execution have only single row per instance. while all the new flow have 2 rows (could be more):

old flow data: 

ID_  | REV_ |  PROC_INST_ID_ | BUSINESS_KEY_  | PARENT_ID_ |  PROC_DEF_ID_ | SUPER_EXEC_ | ACT_ID_ | IS_ACTIVE_ |  IS_CONCURRENT_  | IS_SCOPE_  | IS_EVENT_SCOPE_ | SUSPENSION_STATE_  | CACHED_ENT_STATE_  | TENANT_ID_  | NAME_  | LOCK_TIME_
38575005 | 3  | 38575005 |  NULL | NULL | selfSignup:4:38575004 | NULL | registration | 1  | 0  | 1 | 0 | 1 |  2 |  | NULL | NULL

new flow data: (first row has parent id)

29 | 1 | 5 | NULL | 5  | selfSignup:1:4 | NULL | categoryInputTask | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |  | NULL | NULL
5  | 1  | 5 | f81b6787db8d4769 | NULL |  selfSignup:1:4 | NULL | NULL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |  | NULL | NULL

Note: I do not have any subprocess in the new flow. All I introduced new is the timers but before it reaches timer, it fails.

(following line execution fails for old flows:

propagatingExecution = (InterpretableExecution) execution.getParent();

from AtomicOperationTransitionDestroyScope class )

java.lang.NullPointerException: null

at org.activiti.engine.impl.pvm.runtime.AtomicOperationTransitionDestroyScope.execute(AtomicOperationTransitionDestroyScope.java:95)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.interceptor.CommandContext.performOperation(CommandContext.java:95)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.persistence.entity.ExecutionEntity.performOperationSync(ExecutionEntity.java:661)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.persistence.entity.ExecutionEntity.performOperation(ExecutionEntity.java:654)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.pvm.runtime.AtomicOperationTransitionNotifyListenerEnd.eventNotificationsCompleted(AtomicOperationTransitionNotifyListenerEnd.java:34)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.pvm.runtime.AbstractEventAtomicOperation.execute(AbstractEventAtomicOperation.java:55)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.interceptor.CommandContext.performOperation(CommandContext.java:95)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.persistence.entity.ExecutionEntity.performOperationSync(ExecutionEntity.java:661)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.persistence.entity.ExecutionEntity.performOperation(ExecutionEntity.java:654)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.pvm.runtime.AbstractEventAtomicOperation.execute(AbstractEventAtomicOperation.java:48)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.interceptor.CommandContext.performOperation(CommandContext.java:95)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.persistence.entity.ExecutionEntity.performOperationSync(ExecutionEntity.java:661)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.persistence.entity.ExecutionEntity.performOperation(ExecutionEntity.java:654)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.persistence.entity.ExecutionEntity.take(ExecutionEntity.java:468)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.persistence.entity.ExecutionEntity.take(ExecutionEntity.java:446)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.bpmn.behavior.BpmnActivityBehavior.performOutgoingBehavior(BpmnActivityBehavior.java:139)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.bpmn.behavior.BpmnActivityBehavior.performDefaultOutgoingBehavior(BpmnActivityBehavior.java:63)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.bpmn.behavior.FlowNodeActivityBehavior.leave(FlowNodeActivityBehavior.java:42)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.bpmn.behavior.AbstractBpmnActivityBehavior.leave(AbstractBpmnActivityBehavior.java:43)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.bpmn.behavior.UserTaskActivityBehavior.signal(UserTaskActivityBehavior.java:231)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.persistence.entity.ExecutionEntity.signal(ExecutionEntity.java:424)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.persistence.entity.TaskEntity.complete(TaskEntity.java:207)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.cmd.CompleteTaskCmd.execute(CompleteTaskCmd.java:64)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.cmd.CompleteTaskCmd.execute(CompleteTaskCmd.java:23)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.cmd.NeedsActiveTaskCmd.execute(NeedsActiveTaskCmd.java:58)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.interceptor.CommandInvoker.execute(CommandInvoker.java:24)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.interceptor.CommandContextInterceptor.execute(CommandContextInterceptor.java:58)

at org.activiti.spring.SpringTransactionInterceptor$1.doInTransaction(SpringTransactionInterceptor.java:47)

at org.springframework.transaction.support.TransactionTemplate.execute(TransactionTemplate.java:133)

at org.activiti.spring.SpringTransactionInterceptor.execute(SpringTransactionInterceptor.java:45)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.interceptor.LogInterceptor.execute(LogInterceptor.java:29)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.cfg.CommandExecutorImpl.execute(CommandExecutorImpl.java:51)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.cfg.CommandExecutorImpl.execute(CommandExecutorImpl.java:46)

at org.activiti.engine.impl.TaskServiceImpl.complete(TaskServiceImpl.java:189)

[cjose]

Please provide the xml. The execution count depends on your model. If you have added a timer ( a waiting task), it is expected to have more than one execution for that process instance.

[piyush_kumher]

I have figured out the issue. It is happening because of timer only as you said.

To migrate older flow I have manually added a second row in db for every old instance and changed few fields here and there in some tables.

Thanks for pointing out the issue.