Towards Service-based Business Process Modeling, Prototyping and Integration Ang Chen, Didier Buchs System Modeling and Verification Laboratory University of Geneva RISE 2005

Outline Business Process Management COOPN Approach Workflow Patterns Prototyping & Integration Conclusions & Future Work

Business Process Management

COOPN Approach

Workflow Patterns

Prototyping & Integration

Conclusions & Future Work

Business Process Management

Business Process Management What is business process management? What is business process? What is the problem?

Example: RISE Workshop Activity, Case, Participant, Process, Resource, Data Call for papers Submission Review Selection Accepted? Accepted papers Rejected papers Registration Presentation yes no

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?

To add/remove an activity in the process?

To change the way of “review”?

The “selection” to be automatic?

BPM 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

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

BPM: 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.

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.

BPM: 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)

COOPN approach

COOPN Concurrent Object-Oriented algebraic Petri Nets Petri Nets Algebraic - all types are defined Object-Oriented - encapsulation Concurrent - 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

Concurrent Object-Oriented algebraic Petri Nets

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 .

Basic 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 Required service Output event Gate P A Provided service Input event Method B request response

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

Basic Workflow Constructs cont. AND-SPLIT MERGE + XOR SPLIT Minimum 2 reviews Submission Review Selection submission <,> <ID, submitted> Reviewer 1 <,> Reviewer 2 <,> Reviewer 3 <,> <ID, rank> selection <,> <,> <,> <ID, rejected> <ID, accepted> Send message to authors

Workflow Patterns

Workflow 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.

Transactional 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

Transactional Patterns cont. take free // // // // // // // // P2 eat P2 think P1 eat P1 think F1 * P2 * eat think P1 * eat think F2 * take free

Prototyping & Integration

Prototyping Automatic Java code generation Embedded transition engine JavaBeans-liked prototype COOPNBuilder environment Simulation before integration

Automatic Java code generation

Embedded transition engine

JavaBeans-liked prototype

COOPNBuilder environment

Simulation before integration

Integration Service-Oriented Environment Enactment system DBMS ERP systems MIS systems Process controller Remote system Generated Pluggable process controller services services Process controller Process controller Process controller

Integration cont. Process enactment system should guarantee the execution of process The responsibilities between the process controller and the enactment system should be clearly defined Automatic integration is possible

Process enactment system should guarantee the execution of process

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

Automatic integration is possible

Conclusions & Future Work

Conclusions Methodological approach Technical design Domain specific language, formal Reusability: black-box, white-box, patterns Rapid process prototyping and integration

Methodological approach

Technical design

Domain specific language, formal

Reusability: black-box, white-box, patterns

Rapid process prototyping and integration

Future works 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

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

Thanks for your attention Questions?

Questions?