Model for business workflow processes

• US 20050234902A1
• Filed: 02/18/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Beckman, Brian, Mital, Amit, Andrews, Anthony, Meredith, Lucius G., Levy, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 7,503,033 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A methodology of reducing process algebra to a language that facilitates modeling a business workflow process is provided. A process algebra is reduced to a model for business workflow processes. The model is then reduced to a scheduling programming language to allow users to create models of business process by selecting between features of the model and conventional modeling features. The scheduling programming language can be represented as a graphical user interface program that is convertible to a schedule language written in a programmable language. The present invention provides for explicitly representing parallelism within the business workflow process by separating interdependent transactions from independent transactions. The isolation of certain transactions are relaxed, such that users can define transactional boundaries in order to increase granularity of the transaction at an action level and provide visibility of transactions at intermediate steps.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for executing a business process having a plurality of operations, comprising the steps of:

utilizing a first verb of a process algebra to represent at least one independent operation of a business process, and a second verb of the process algebra to represent a set of interdependent operations of the business process;

differentiating the at least one independent operation from the set of interdependent operations based at least in part on the first and second verbs; and

independently executing the at least one independent operation and the set of interdependent operations.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising representing the business process as constraints on synchronization of the at least one independent operation and the set of interdependent operations by distinguishing between synchronization of the at least one independent operation from synchronization of the set of interdependent operations.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising expressing synchronization constraints based on completion of the set of interdependent operations.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising relaxing transactional boundaries of the independent operation and the interdependent operations in order to increase granularity of the independent operation and the interdependent operations at an action level.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing the process algebra to a programmable language.

6. The method of claim 5, the programmable language is SLANG.

7. A system for facilitating modeling and executing business processes, comprising:

a component that reduces a business model to a two verb process algebra, a first verb of the process algebra is utilized to represent a concurrent autonomous business operation and a second verb of the process algebra is utilized to represent a concurrent interdependent business operation; and

a distinguishing component that distinguishes the concurrent autonomous business operation from the concurrent interdependent business operation, and the concurrent autonomous business operation and the concurrent interdependent business operation are independently executed.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising a transaction grouping component that groups business operations into concurrent interdependent transactions.

9. The system of claim 8, the grouping component synchronizes the concurrent interdependent transactions based at least in part on completion of the concurrent interdependent transactions.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising an action grouping component that groups business operations into concurrent interdependent actions.

11. The system of claim 10, the action grouping component synchronizes the concurrent interdependent actions based at least in part on completion of the concurrent interdependent actions.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising a boundary establishing component that defines transaction boundaries for at least one of concurrent operations and sequential operations.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a compensation component that compensates committed interdependent concurrent transactions when an interdependent concurrent transaction fails.

14. The system of claim 13, the interdependent concurrent transactions are children in a parent transaction and the compensation component is invoked by the parent transaction.

15. The system of claim 13, the compensation component calls compensation routines within the committed interdependent concurrent transactions.

16. The system of claim 15, the compensation component calls compensation routines within the failed interdependent concurrent transaction.

17. The system of claim 16, the compensation routines utilizing information within the committed interdependent concurrent transactions.

18. The system of claim 13, the compensation component calls compensation routines within the failed interdependent concurrent transaction based on information on the committed interdependent concurrent transactions stored within a database.

19. The system of claim 10, further comprising a component that defines concurrent synchronizing constraints as occurring upon completion of the autonomous operations.

20. A system for representing business processes, comprising:

means for distinguishing between synchronization of autonomous concurrent operations from interdependent concurrent operations;

means for expressing synchronization constraints on completion of autonomous concurrent operations; and

means for allowing association of transaction operations and groups of business operations.