International Business Machines Corporation

Hewlett-Packard Company

Dieter Helmut Roller

Frank Leymann

Matthias Kloppmann

Andreas Arning

Rakesh Agrawal

Thomas Schaeck

Juergen Schaeck

Markus Reichart

Claudia Zentner

Robert Junghuber

Christoph Lingenfelder

Friedemann Schwenkreis

Gerhard Pfau

Andreas Maier

Martin Keller

Dimitrios Gunopulos

Dieter Koenig

Andreas Schmitz

Gregor Meyer

Gunnar Wilmsmann

Swen Wohland

Method and system for serializing access to datasets, suitable for use in a workflow management system which executes multiple business processes, wherein a single process instance is enabled to invoke web services which may update datasets of different storages holding redundant information. Business Process Execution Language for Web Services allows defining business processes that make use of web services and business processes that externalize their functionality as web services. As the business process has no knowledge about data that is accessed by invoked web services, concurrent process instances may update the same pieces of information within a database. Unless access to the data is carried out as a transaction, parallel execution of the process instances may cause data inconsistencies, which may be avoided by serializing the execution of process instances based on correlation information associated with messages consumed by the process instances.

Apparatus and method for serializing process instance access to information stored redundantly in at least two datastores

A method for automated process distribution includes selecting a process definition; identifying a first process portion and at least one second process portion in the process definition; generating a first further process definition for the first process portion; generating a second further process definition for each the second process portion; generating a corresponding service definition for each the second further process definition. In the method, generating the first further process definition includes generating a process definition element configured to invoke at least one service of the service definitions, and generating the second further process definition includes generating a process definition element configured to offer a service of the service definition corresponding to that second further process definition.

Method and system for automated process distribution

The present invention relates to a technique for controlling the creation of process instances within an execution environment such as a Workflow Management System. Upon receiving a request to create a process instance and corresponding input data to be processed by the process instance, a process instance identifier is first constructed for the process instance to be created based on the provided input. Next, the create request is executed, but only if no process instance exists or existed with the same process instance identifier. In the case where a process instance already exists or existed with the same process instance identifier, the present invention permits a user-defined action to be carried out to avoid an identifier conflict.

Controlling the creation of process instances in workflow management systems

Method and system for serializing access to datasets, suitable for use in a workflow management system which executes multiple business processes, wherein a single process instance is enabled to invoke web services which may update datasets of different storages holding redundant information. Business Process Execution Language for Web Services allows defining business processes that make use of web services and business processes that externalize their functionality as web services. As the business process has no knowledge about data that is accessed by invoked web services, concurrent process instances may update the same pieces of information within a database. Unless access to the data is carried out as a transaction, parallel execution of the process instances may cause data inconsistencies, which may be avoided by serializing the execution of process in stances based on correlation information associated with messages consumed by the process instances.

Process instance serialization

The current invention relates to a technology for processing of compensation scopes comprised within atomic scopes of a process model by a Workflow Management System or a computer system with comparable functionality (WFMS). The method comprises a step of checking whether the atomic scope of the process instance of that process model has been aborted abnormally. If this is the case, in a further step it is analyzed if in the process model the compensation scope has been associated with a specific atomic scope behavior specification, defining a specific abort handling for the compensation scope in the particular case that the compensation scope is comprised within an atomic scope and the atomic scope has been aborted. In a final step the compensation scope is processed according to the specific atomic scope behavior specification.

Processing of compensation scopes in workflow management systems

For a software component to be installed on a target computer system a product dependency graph is determined which identifies additional software components required by the to-be-installed software component as prerequisite or corequisite software components. For each of these software components a corresponding installation facility is determined. Then a process model is generated being executable by a Workflow Management System (WFMS). The WFMS process model comprises a directed graph of activities, wherein each software component of the product dependency graph is associated with an activity such that when the activity is executed the installation facility corresponding to each of the software components is performed. Moreover, the WFMS process model is generated in a way that the sequence of activities in the directed graph is not violating the dependencies of the software components in the product dependency graph. Finally the WFMS process model is inserted in the WFMS as the provisioning process.

Provisioning of software components via workflow management systems

The present invention provides a Dynamic Portal Assembly for Portals which provides the function to manipulate whole topology tree of a Portal at runtime. Topology Fragments, that are partial topology trees, are computed by software components called Adapters and are merged with existing trees at run time. The Adapters themselves can base the computation on the states of External Systems, e.g. Workflow Systems. The introduction of an Independent Adapter Interface allows for easy deployment of new Adapters into the Portal. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the Dynamic Portal Assembly is adapted to integrate Workflow into Portal without giving awareness to the Portal user.

Dynamic portal assembly

A system for improved scheduling of resources within a Workflow-Management-System or a computer system with comparable functionality (WFMS). Based on a new resource specification comprised within a process model and associated with an activity, the WFMS determines the resources required for execution of said activity. The invention further schedules a request for allocation of said resources on behalf and in advance of starting execution of said activity. This approach reduces the execution time of the activity as all resources required by the activity will be available when execution of the activity begins; the activity does not have to wait for these resources. Moreover, a WFMS knowing the required resources of the activities it is administrating is able to schedule resource requests to avoid resource conflicts between the activities.

Resource scheduling in workflow management systems

A Dynamic Portal Assembly for Portals for manipulating a topology tree of a Portal at runtime. Topology Fragments, that are partial topology trees, are computed by Adapters and are merged with existing trees at run time. The Adapters base the computation on the states of External Systems, e.g., Workflow Systems. An Independent Adapter Interface allows for easy deployment of new Adapters into the Portal. The Dynamic Portal Assembly is adapted to integrate workflow into a Portal without giving awareness to a Portal user.

A technique for improving staff queries within a process model of a workflow is provided. A workflow management system selects a set of individuals of a staff or resources to perform an activity of the process model based on a staff query. The members of the set act as candidates for executing the activity. The staff query takes into account the requirements needed to successfully execute the particular activity. The particular activity is then executed by one or more resources from the selected set or execution fails. Execution failure means that the assignment to the individual or resource was incorrect due to deficiencies in the staff query. Success or failure of execution is logged in an audit trail. Following execution failure, an improved staff query is generated for the given activity based on the information logged in the audit trail. This avoids subsequent suboptimal assignments of the activity to the individuals or resources. Improving the staff query makes explicit use of data mining techniques on the data maintained in the audit trail.

Technique for improving staff queries in a workflow management system

The current invention relates to a definition of a process model in a Workflow Management System or a computer system with comparable functionality (WFMS) wherein said process model is modeling at least one hyper-edge said hyper-edge representing a boundary within said process model. According to the current invention the process model is realized by defining said hyper-edge by one or a multitude of additional hyper-edge nodes being part of said process model.

Growing community of inventors

Schoenaich, Germany

Dieter Helmut Roller