Towards Service-based Business Process Modeling, Prototyping and Integration

Towards Service-based Business Process Modeling, Prototyping and Integration

Ang Chen, Didier Buchs

System Modeling and Verification Laboratory

University of Geneva

RISE 2005

Ang Chen, Didier Buchs

System Modeling and Verification Laboratory

University of Geneva

RISE 2005

RISE 2005RISE 2005

OutlineOutline

Business Process Management

COOPN Approach

Workflow Patterns

Prototyping & Integration

Conclusions & Future Work

Business Process Management

COOPN Approach

Workflow Patterns

Prototyping & Integration

Conclusions & Future Work

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Business Process ManagementBusiness Process Management

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Business Process ManagementBusiness Process Management

What is business process management?

What is business process?

What is the problem?

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Example: RISE WorkshopExample: RISE Workshop

Activity, Case, Participant, Process, Resource, Data

Call for papers

Submission Review Selection

Accepted? Acceptedpapers

Rejectedpapers

Registration Presentationyes

no

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Example: RISE Workshop cont.Example: RISE Workshop cont.

What to do if we want

To add/remove an activity in the process?

To change the way of “review”?

The “selection” to be automatic?

Is the process reusable? Entirely or partially?

Is the process executable?

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BPMBPM

Complexity comes from the change of

requirements

Tends to process-aware or process-oriented systems (from data-oriented)

Make the distance between design and

execution of process shorter

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BPM: solutionsBPM: solutions

Modeling Approaches

• UML activity diagram, Petri Nets, etc

• Workflow patterns, perspectives

Implementation (process enactment service)

• Centralized/Embedded workflow engine

• Service Oriented

• Standards: WfMC, BPEL, BPMI, OMG etc.

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BPM: Our solutionBPM: Our solution

Why do we propose to use a formal specification language?

More precise semantic, no ambiguity

Automatic verification and test generation

Execution via prototype generation

Enhanced reusability, modularity (Object-Orientation)

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COOPN approachCOOPN approach

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COOPNCOOPN

Concurrent Object-Oriented algebraic Petri Nets Concurrent Object-Oriented algebraic Petri Nets

Petri Nets

Algebraic - all types are defined

Object-Oriented - encapsulationConcurrent - synchronizations

counter

0

x

x+1

x==9?

inc

out

counter

0

x

x+1

x==9?

inc

out

counter

0

x

x+1

x==9?

inc

out

//0

0

0

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COOPN cont.COOPN cont.

Three types of modules– algebraic Abstract Data Type (ADT)– Class– Context

Well-defined semantic with formal foundation, graphical representation

Axiomatic behavior description, declarative– Event :: condition :: pre -> post

Inc :: n<9 :: p (n) -> p (n+1)– When event Inc occurs, if (n<9), take n from place p,

and put n+1 into place p.

Three types of modules– algebraic Abstract Data Type (ADT)– Class– Context

Well-defined semantic with formal foundation, graphical representation

Axiomatic behavior description, declarative– Event :: condition :: pre -> post

Inc :: n<9 :: p (n) -> p (n+1)– When event Inc occurs, if (n<9), take n from place p,

and put n+1 into place p.

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Basic Workflow ConstructsBasic Workflow Constructs

COOPN Workflow elements ADT Case -> <ID, LocalState> Class Activity; Objects -> Activity instances Context Process Methods Provided Services Gates Required Services Methods and Gates Input/Output Events

COOPN Workflow elements ADT Case -> <ID, LocalState> Class Activity; Objects -> Activity instances Context Process Methods Provided Services Gates Required Services Methods and Gates Input/Output Events

Required serviceOutput eventGate

PAProvided service

Input eventMethod

Brequest

response

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Basic Workflow Constructs cont.Basic Workflow Constructs cont.

Submission Review Selection

AND-SPLITMERGE + XOR SPLITMinimum 2 reviews

submission

<,>

<ID, submitted>

Reviewer 1

<,>

Reviewer 2

<,>

Reviewer 3

<,> <ID, rank>

selection

<,>

<,>

<,>

<ID, rejected>

<ID, accepted>

Send message to authors

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Workflow PatternsWorkflow Patterns

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Workflow PatternsWorkflow Patterns

Initiator: Wil Van der Aalst, Eindhoven

University of Technology, Netherlands

More than 20 patterns for control-flow

Flexible way to solve problems

Reusable

Perspectives: Control, Data, Resources etc.

Initiator: Wil Van der Aalst, Eindhoven

University of Technology, Netherlands

More than 20 patterns for control-flow

Flexible way to solve problems

Reusable

Perspectives: Control, Data, Resources etc.

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Transactional PatternsTransactional Patterns

Complement of common workflow patterns

States of process instance are transactional

in the model

More interesting with resource perspective,

e.g. dinning philosophers, resources

allocation problem

Complement of common workflow patterns

States of process instance are transactional

in the model

More interesting with resource perspective,

e.g. dinning philosophers, resources

allocation problem

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Transactional Patterns cont.Transactional Patterns cont.

F1*

take free

P2*

eat think

P1*

eatthink

F2*

takefree

////

//

//

////

//

//

P2 eat P2 think

P1 eat P1 think

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Prototyping & IntegrationPrototyping & Integration

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PrototypingPrototyping

– Automatic Java code generation– Automatic Java code generation

Embedded transition engine Embedded transition engine

– JavaBeans-liked prototype– JavaBeans-liked prototype

COOPNBuilder environment COOPNBuilder environment

Simulation before integration Simulation before integration

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IntegrationIntegration

Service-Oriented Environment

Enactment system

DBMS

ERP systems

MIS systems

Process controller

Remote system

Generated Pluggable process controller

service

s

services

Process controller

Process controller

Process controller

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Integration cont.Integration cont.

Process enactment system should guarantee the execution of process

Process enactment system should guarantee the execution of process

The responsibilities between the process controller and the enactment system should be clearly defined

The responsibilities between the process controller and the enactment system should be clearly defined

Automatic integration is possible Automatic integration is possible

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Conclusions & Future WorkConclusions & Future Work

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ConclusionsConclusions

Methodological approach Methodological approach

Technical design Technical design

Domain specific language, formal Domain specific language, formal

Reusability: black-box, white-box, patterns Reusability: black-box, white-box, patterns

Rapid process prototyping and integration Rapid process prototyping and integration

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Future worksFuture works

Develop transactional patterns Add other perspectives (dimensions) to the model

– Data, Operational, Resources

Develop transactional patterns Add other perspectives (dimensions) to the model

– Data, Operational, Resources

Verification–Define high-level pertinent properties–Use model checking and theorem proving techniques

Tools implementation–Verification–Generalized workflow engine (enactment system)–Automatic integration of prototypes–Service-based interaction with external information systems

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Thanks for your attentionThanks for your attention

Questions?Questions?