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Workflow Management Systems : Functions, architecture, and products.

Eindhoven University of Technology Faculty of Technology Management Department of Information and Technology P.O. Box 513 5600 MB Eindhoven The Netherlands w.m.p.v.d.aalst@tm.tue.nl. Workflow Management Systems : Functions, architecture, and products. Wil van der Aalst.

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Workflow Management Systems : Functions, architecture, and products.

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  1. Eindhoven University of Technology Faculty of Technology Management Department of Information and Technology P.O. Box 513 5600 MB Eindhoven The Netherlands w.m.p.v.d.aalst@tm.tue.nl Workflow Management Systems: Functions, architecture, and products. Wil van der Aalst

  2. Focus on "classical" workflow management systems, but ... Four types of "workflow-like" systems: • Information systems with hard-coded workflows (process& organization specific). • Custom-made information systems with generic workflow support (organization specific). • Generic softwarewith embedded workflow functionality (e.g., the workflow components of ERP, CRM, PDM, etc. systems). • Generic softwarefocusing onworkflow functionality (e.g., Staffware, MQSeries Workflow, FLOWer, COSA, Oracle BPEL, Filenet, etc.).

  3. Basic idea workflow management system • Separation of control and execution. control (process logistics) execution (task oriented) application

  4. WfMC Reference model

  5. Data inside a WFS

  6. Interfaces Weak! Demo’s Published in Handbook

  7. server client workflow engine in-basket (worklist) DBMS applications Potential problem

  8. The ACID-properties, known from transaction processing, should hold. • Atomicity(atomic, "everything or nothing", rollback if necessary) • Consistency(a completed task results in a proper state of the system) • Isolation(tasks do not affected each other, even if they are executed in parallel) • Durability(the result of a completed task may not get lost; commit tasks)

  9. Users of a WFS

  10. Examples of systems • COSA (demo) • Staffware • FLOWer • …

  11. Staffware • Leading workflow management system (typically 25 percent of the global “pure” workflow market). • Staffware PLC is headquartered in Maidenhead UK and has offices in 19 countries. • Focus on performance and reliability rather than functionality (e.g., infinite scalability, fault tolerance, etc.) • In the remainder, we present a small case study that is used to: • introduce the design tool and modeling language of Staffware, • show the management/administrator tools of Staffware, • demonstrate the end-user’s view of Staffware, and • show the need for analysis.

  12. WfMC reference model (1) (2) (3)

  13. checkA pay register checkB reject A small case study: Double Check (DC) • Processing of insurance claims involving registration, two checks, and a payment of rejection • Five tasks: • register (register insurance claim) • checkA (check insurance policy) • checkB (check damage reported) • pay (pay for the damage) • reject (inform customer about rejection) • Registration is followed by two checks which can be handled in parallel. • Each of the checks results in “OK” or “not OK”. • If both are OK, pay otherwise reject. • Three roles: register (for task register), checks (for both checks), and pay/reject (for final tasks).

  14. Staffware: The designer’s view

  15. Building blocks start stop step (i.e., task) wait (i.e., AND-join) event step condition (i.e., XOR-split) complex router (OR-join/AND-split) automatic step

  16. Basic semantics of a step AND-split OR-join Same for complex routers, conditions (input: OR, output: each branch is AND), other types of steps, etc.

  17. Advanced semantics withdraw construct time-out construct

  18. Defining the process Double Check (DC)

  19. Adding a step

  20. Defining a step

  21. Defining a step (2)

  22. Defining forms and case variables

  23. Building a sequence

  24. Another step definition

  25. Another form definition

  26. Adding a set in parallel

  27. Another step definition

  28. Synchronizing two flows

  29. Another step definition

  30. Defining conditions

  31. The alternative route

  32. Another step definition

  33. Staffware: The manager/administrator’s view Monitoring and managing processes and cases Managing users/groups

  34. Managing users

  35. Managing groups

  36. Making backups

  37. Managing Staffware tables

  38. Managing processes and cases

  39. Monitoring individual cases

  40. Managing Staffware lists

  41. Managing nodes

  42. Releasing changes

  43. The end-user’s view

  44. Selecting and executing the first step

  45. Executing one of the two parallel steps

  46. Executing the other one

  47. Executing the final step

  48. Audit trail

  49. Analysis of Staffware processes 6 runs (8 sequences) are possible!

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