Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences

Process modeling and rule modeling languages are both used to document organizational policies and procedures. To date, their synergies and overlap are under-researched. Understanding the relationship between the two modeling types would allow organizations to maximize synergies, avoid content duplication, and thus reduce their overall modeling effort. In this paper we use the Bunge-Wand-Weber (BWW) representation theory to compare the representation capabilities of process and rule modeling languages. We perform a representational analysis of four rule modeling specifications: The Simple Rule Markup Language (SRML), the Semantic Web Rules Language (SWRL), the Production Rule Representation (PRR) and the Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Business Rules (SBVR) specification. We compare their BWW representation capabilities with those of four popular conceptual process modeling languages. In our analysis we focus on the aspects of maximum ontological completeness and minimum ontological overlap. The outcome of this study shows that no single language is internally complete with respect to the BWW representation model. We also show that a combination of two languages, in particular SRML and BPMN, appears to be better suited for combined process and rule modeling than any of these modeling languages used independently.

Modeling Languages for Business Processes and Business Rules: A Representational Analysis

Modeling languages for business processes and business rules: A representational analysis

A workflow model is described In one example of the workflow model, a first workflow is associated with a first party, and a first workflow view is used to represent an abstraction of the first workflow Similarly, a second workflow is associated with a second party, and a second workflow view is used to represent an abstraction of the second workflow Then, a coalition workflow view referencing the first workflow view and the second workflow view provides a collaborative workflow that specifies tasks that the first party and the second party are required to perform In this way, multiple parties may easily partner with one another to accomplish a business objective, while maintaining a level of confidentiality of their workflow processes

Workflow management architecture

Process-based composition of Web services has recently gained significant momentum for the implementation of inter-organizational business collaborations. In this approach, individual Web services are choreographed into composite Web services whose integration logics are expressed as composition schema. In this paper, we present a goal-directed composition framework to support on-demand business processes. Composition schemas are generated incrementally by a rule inference mechanism based on a set of domain-specific business rules enriched with contextual information. In situations where multiple composition schemas can achieve the same goal, we must first select the best composition schema, wherein the best schema is selected based on the combination of its estimated execution quality and schema quality. By coupling the dynamic schema creation and quality-driven selection strategy in one single framework, we ensure that the generated composite service comply with business rules when being adapted and optimized.

Dynamic composition and optimization of Web services

In the competitive global marketplace, business organizations often need to team up and operate as a virtual enterprise to achieve common business goals. Since the business environment of a virtual enterprise is highly dynamic, it is necessary to develop a workflow technology that is capable of handling dynamic workflows across enterprise boundaries. The paper describes a dynamic workflow model and a dynamic workflow management system for modeling and controlling the execution of inter-organizational business processes. The model extends the underlying model of WfMC's WPDL by adding connectors, events, triggers and rules as its modeling constructs, encapsulating activity definitions, and allowing e-service requests as a part of the activity specification. The workflow management system makes use of an event and rule server to trigger business rules during the enactment of workflow processes to enforce business constraints and policies and/or to modify the process model at run-time. It also provides a mechanism to dynamically bind e-service requests to e-services.

A. Helal

Papers

Achieving dynamic inter-organizational workflow management by integrating business processes, events and rules