Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Software Engineering Company, Ltd.

Toshiaki Sakaguchi

Shunsuke Akifuji

Hiroshi Tsuji

Hiroyuki Okuda

Masato Tamaki

Atsushi Aoki

Yoshiki Matsuda

Yoko Seki

Michiaki Kimura

Osamu Tosaka

Shigeki Ishihara

A processing node is selected from an actual workflow definition composed of the corresponding processing nodes to an actual service flow according to the purpose of use of a client. A virtual workflow definition composed of the virtual node corresponding to the selected processing node is created by a server and displayed on a screen of the client. A link is set for indicating correspondence between the virtual node of the virtual workflow and the processing node of the actual workflow. When an inquiry about the progressing state of the virtual workflow is given from a client, the server searches the processing node being current executed from the actual workflow. If the processing node does not have any link, the server tracks back the processing nodes on the actual workflow for searching the processing node having the link and an access right given from the client and then reply the progressing state of the processing node as the progress information of the virtual workflow to the client.

Virtual work flow management method

In a workflow system capable of simultaneously executing a plurality of business processes, an exception handling unit extracts an exception condition from a business status definition table and transfers the exception condition to a status watcher, the status watcher refers to data contained in an application data base and, when there is a change meeting a predetermined exception condition, transfers the change to a user retrieval unit, the user retrieval unit refers to a working data base to retrieve a user and gives information to the computer of the related user, whereby, when one of interdependent business processes is discontinued, information that the business process is discontinued is given to the computers executing the other interdependent business processes.

Workflow system, workflow control method and storage medium

In a workflow management system, a mail instance can be easily registered as a workflow instance and workflow definitions, and a workflow instance can be replaced at any process stage by other workflow definitions including present workflow definitions. A mail flow pattern is extracted from a mail transmission audit data storage unit, and a flow definition comparison part compares the mail flow pattern with the flow definitions stored in a workflow definition storage unit. A definition registration part and an instance registration part register the mail flow pattern information as instance information of designated workflow definitions and as new workflow definitions. In accordance with predefined workflow definitions, intersectional workflow definitions and extended workflow definitions corresponding to a mail flow are selected and displayed. The mail flow pattern is registered in the workflow definition storage unit as flow definitions based upon the flow definitions selected from among the displayed workflow definitions.

Method for managing workflow based on electronic mail system

An interoperable workflow management system controls an information disclosing range of a workflow case to prevent transmission delay even when the communication path has a small transmission capacity such that cancellation of the case is guaranteed and the status of processing of the case in its destination can be immediately known. To implement the system, workflow irrelevant data or pointer information indicating the data is selectively transmitted to the destination in accordance with the workflow management system thereof. At cancellation of the case, the irrelevant data is replaced with canceling data. When a request including pointer information for the workflow irrelevant data is received from the destination system, it is assumed that the workflow case is in process.

Interoperable workflow management system

A cursor form is created for linking parts of a displayed image with corresponding entries of a table. When setting a link by designating a cursor on the display screen, a cursor for designating the location where a link is to be set surely and quickly is provided. Table data of the table (for example, a residents information table) consisting of image data (for example, a map) and a plurality of entries for setting links to this image data are displayed on the output device, and a mark which is the same as that of a predetermined item in the entry selected to set a link from the display table is designated by the cursor on a display image. When obtaining the location information on said designated image having the same mark, the data of a predetermined item among the entry data selected from the table is converted to image data, and the cursor form data is constituted. Thereafter, a cursor having this form is displayed on the display image, and a user sets a link between the image data and table data using this cursor.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Toshiaki Sakaguchi