Programming interface for a componentized and extensible workflow model

• US 20060074736A1
• Filed: 02/23/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sagar, Akash J., Mehta, Mayank, Schmidt, Robert B., Bhandarkar, Aditya G., Shukla, Dharma K., Parasnis, Abhay Vinayak, Valegerepura, Kumarswamy P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,464,366 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis

Abstract

Building a componentized workflow model via an application programming interface. Each step of the workflow is modeled as an activity that has metadata to describe design time aspects, compile time aspects, and runtime aspects of the workflow step. A user selects and arranges the activities to create the workflow via the application programming interfaces. The metadata associated with each of the activities in the workflow is collected to create a persistent representation of the workflow. Users extend the workflow model by authoring custom activities. Users also compile the workflow via the application programming interface.

Claims

1. A computerized system for authoring a workflow, said workflow modeling a business process, said computerized system comprising:

a design application programming interface for authoring the workflow, said workflow having a plurality of activities associated therewith, wherein each of the plurality of activities has a component model associated therewith, said component model specifying properties of the activity associated therewith; and

a compilation application programming interface for compiling the workflow authored via the design application programming interface.

2. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the design application programming interface comprises means for authoring a workflow.

3. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the design application programming interface comprises means for selecting one or more of the activities to create the workflow.

4. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the compilation application programming interface comprises means for serializing the workflow.

5. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the compilation application programming interface comprises means for customizing a visual appearance of the workflow.

6. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the compilation application programming interface comprises means for compiling the workflow authored via the design application programming interface.

7. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the compilation application programming interface comprises means for validating the workflow.

8. The computerized system of claim 1, further comprising a type provider application programming interface for associating a type with each of the activities in the workflow, and wherein the type provider application programming interface comprises means for associating the type with each of the activities in the workflow.

9. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the properties comprise one or more of the following:

design time behavior, compile time behavior, and run time behavior.

10. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the design application programming interface comprises means for authoring the workflow, and wherein the compilation application programming interface comprises means for compiling the workflow.

11. A method for authoring a componentized workflow, said workflow modeling a business process, said method comprising:

providing a schedule interface for creating a schedule associated with the workflow;

providing a scope interface for creating a scope associated with the schedule;

providing an activity interface for selecting one or more activities; and

arranging the selected activities to create a workflow within the created schedule for execution within the created scope.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing a metadata interface for receiving metadata for each of the one or more activities from a component model associated therewith, said received metadata having semantics;

providing a validate interface for validating the received metadata by examining the semantics associated with the received metadata;

providing a code generator interface for generating software code associated with the received metadata as a function of said validating; and

providing a code compile interface for compiling the generated software code.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing a component model for association with each of the arranged activities, said component model defining properties of the arranged activities.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising serializing each of the arranged activities to create a persistent representation of the workflow.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising compiling the arranged activities to create an executable workflow.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising executing the created workflow according to the created schedule and within the created scope.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 11.

18. In a programmatic object model, a method for compiling a plurality of activities arranged to create a workflow, said workflow modeling a business process, said method comprising:

receiving metadata for each of a plurality of activities from a component model associated therewith via a metadata interface, said received metadata having semantics;

validating the received metadata by examining semantics associated with the received metadata via a validate interface;

generating software code associated with the received metadata via a code generator interface as a function of said validating; and

compiling the generated software code via a code compile interface.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein receiving the metadata comprises receiving properties, methods, and events for each of the plurality of activities.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 18.