Method and system for automatically generating executable processes from inter-organizational workflows

• US 20070118563A1
• Filed: 11/22/2005
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Haller, Jochen, Weber, Ingo
• Granted Patent: US 8,136,099 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management

Abstract

A method and system to automatically translate a definition of a choreography workflow process to an executable process are provided. The method includes processing a collaboration element from the definition, mapping the collaboration element to an executable element based on a knowledge database system that contains the collaboration element and the corresponding executable element and mapping the collaboration element to the executable element statically if the corresponding executable element is unavailable in the knowledge database system.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for automatically translating a collaboration definition of a workflow process to an executable program, the method comprising:

processing a collaboration element from the collaboration definition;

mapping the collaboration element to an executable element based on a knowledge database system, the knowledge database system containing the collaboration element and the corresponding executable element;

mapping the collaboration element to the executable element statically if the corresponding executable element is unavailable in the knowledge database system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the collaboration element comprises a high-level description of the workflow process relating to user roles, user interactions and activities of the workflow process.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein mapping the collaboration element to the executable element comprises identifying participants corresponding to the user roles as specified in the collaboration element.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the participants providing the knowledge database system with the executable elements and the corresponding collaborative element.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein mapping the collaboration element to the executable element comprises determining types of information being exchanged among participants, control flow of the information being exchanged and relationships of the participants, corresponding to the user interactions as specified in the collaboration element.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the executable element represents an internal operational process of the participants.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping the collaboration element to the executable element statically comprises a human manually generating the executable element that corresponds to the collaboration element.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising storing the manually generated executable element and the corresponding collaboration element in the knowledge database system.

9. A system for automatically translating a collaboration definition of a workflow process to an executable program, the system comprising

a conversion engine for mapping a collaboration element from the collaboration definition to an executable element;

and

a knowledge database system containing the collaboration element and the corresponding executable element.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the conversion engine contains an automatic mapping module and a static mapping module.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the automatic mapping module comprises mapping the collaboration element to an executable element based on a knowledge database system

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the static mapping module comprises a human manually generating the executable element that corresponds to the collaboration element in response to the corresponding executable element being unavailable in the knowledge database system

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising the knowledge database system updated with the manually generated executable element and the corresponding collaboration element.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the collaboration element comprises a high-level description of the workflow process relating to user roles, user interactions and activities of the workflow process.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein mapping the collaboration element to the executable element comprises identifying participants corresponding to the user roles as specified in the collaboration element.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein mapping the collaboration element to the executable element comprises determining types of information being exchanged among participants, control flow of the information being exchanged and relationships of the participants, corresponding to the user interactions as specified in the collaboration element.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the executable element represents an internal operational process of the participants.

18. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to automatically translate a collaboration definition of a workflow process to an executable program, the method comprising:

processing a collaboration element from the collaboration definition;

mapping the collaboration element to an executable element based on a knowledge database system, the knowledge database system containing the collaboration element and the corresponding executable element;

mapping the collaboration element to the executable element statically if the corresponding executable element is unavailable in the knowledge database system.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the collaboration element comprises a high-level description of the workflow process relating to user roles, user interactions and activities of the workflow process.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein mapping the collaboration element to the executable element comprises identifying participants corresponding to the user roles as specified in the collaboration element.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, further comprising the participants providing the knowledge database system with the executable elements and the corresponding collaborative element.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein mapping the collaboration element to the executable element comprises determining types of information being exchanged among participants, control flow of the information being exchanged and relationships of the participants, corresponding to the user interactions as specified in the collaboration element.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the executable element represents an internal operational process of the participants.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein mapping the collaboration element to the executable element statically comprises a human manually generating the executable element that corresponds to the collaboration element.

25. The machine-readable medium of claim 24, further comprising storing the manually generated executable element and the corresponding collaboration element in the knowledge database system.