Integration of workflow and rules

• US 20080126161A1
• Filed: 08/30/2006
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Willis, Jurgen A., McCrady, Donald J., Rummell, John A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,509,655 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 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management

Abstract

Various technologies for integrating workflow services are described. In accordance with one described embodiment, an integrated workflow services system includes a host process, such as a Windows® application program. The host process hosts a workflow foundation runtime engine for executing workflows and a workflow foundation library. A workflow executable by the workflow foundation runtime engine may include an activity (e.g., a policy activity) that defines a ruleset that includes a number of rules (e.g., business rules). At least one rule of the ruleset is defined directly against the workflow. Furthermore, the activity has access to a rules engine capable of evaluating rules in the ruleset.

Claims

1. An integrated workflow services system comprising:

a host process;

a workflow foundation runtime engine for executing workflows, wherein said workflow foundation runtime engine is hosted by said host process and has access to one or more runtime services available on said host process;

a rules engine integrated with said workflow foundation runtime engine, wherein said rules engine has access to one or more runtime services accessible by said workflow foundation runtime engine;

a workflow foundation library;

a workflow having a plurality of activities comprising;

an activity defining a ruleset, wherein said ruleset comprises a plurality of rules, wherein at least one of said plurality of rules is defined directly against said workflow, and wherein said activity has access to said rules engine that is able to evaluate said ruleset and to schedule one or more other activities for execution in accordance with accessed runtime information.

2. The integrated workflow services system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of runtime services, comprising;

a first runtime service that provides support for persisting the state of said workflow; and

a second runtime service that provides tracking of said workflow'"'"'s execution.

3. The integrated workflow services system of claim 2, wherein a rule of said plurality of rules has access to runtime information of said workflow, and wherein said rule can be utilized to schedule an activity to be executed within said workflow.

4. The integrated workflow services system of claim 2, wherein at least one of said plurality of rules has direct access to a runtime service of said plurality of runtime services.

5. The integrated workflow services system of claim 1, wherein said workflow foundation runtime engine serves as a communication gateway for communicating with one or more application programs external of said integrated workflow services system.

6. The integrated workflow services system of claim 1, wherein said rules engine provides forward chaining support.

7. The integrated workflow services system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of rules is defined against a property of said workflow.

8. The integrated workflow services system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of rules is defined against an activity of said workflow.

9. The integrated workflow services system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of rules is defined against a field of said workflow.

10. The integrated workflow services system of claim 1, wherein an integrated mechanism exists for simulating the existence of classes for rules authoring and for workflow authoring.

11. The integrated workflow services system of claim 1, further comprising:

an integrated dynamic update component, wherein said integrated dynamic update component enables modification of a rule of said plurality of rules on-the-fly.

12. The integrated workflow services system of claim 1, further comprising:

an integrated serializer, wherein said integrated serializer enables serialization of said plurality of rules and said plurality of activities into XML documents, and wherein said integrated serializer enables deserialization of said plurality of rules and said plurality of activities from said XML documents.

13. A method for providing an automated workflow services system, the method comprising:

running a host process;

hosting a workflow foundation runtime engine on said host process, wherein said workflow foundation runtime engine has access to one or more runtime services available on said host process;

hosting a rules engine integrated with said workflow foundation runtime engine, wherein said rules engine has access to one or more runtime services accessible by said workflow foundation runtime engine;

executing a workflow, wherein said workflow comprises a plurality of activities; and

executing an activity of said plurality of activities, wherein said activity defines a ruleset, wherein said ruleset comprises a plurality of rules, wherein at least one of said plurality of rules is defined directly against said workflow, and wherein said activity has access to a said rules engine that is able to evaluate said ruleset and to schedule one or more other activities for execution in accordance with accessed runtime information.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

accessing a custom service for retrieving a ruleset from an external repository via an activity of said plurality of activities,

retrieving said ruleset from said external repository; and

executing said retrieved ruleset against said workflow.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

changing a rule and applying said changed rule during execution of said workflow, wherein suspension, recompiling, and redeploying of said workflow is avoided; and

changing an activity and applying said changed activity during execution of said workflow, wherein suspension, recompiling, and redeploying of said workflow is avoided.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

implementing rule changes while simultaneously continuing execution of said workflow, where said rule changes comprise declarative if/then statements; and

implementing activity modification while simultaneously continuing execution of said workflow, where said activity modification comprises insertion of a new activity and/or removal of an activity of said plurality of activities.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

executing a plurality of runtime services on said host process, wherein a rule of said plurality of rules has access to a runtime service of said plurality of runtime services.

18. A computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed, implement a method comprising:

running a host process;

hosting a workflow foundation runtime engine on said host process, wherein said workflow foundation runtime engine has access to one or more runtime services available on said host process;

hosting a rules engine integrated with said workflow foundation runtime engine, wherein said rules engine has access to one or more runtime services accessible by said workflow foundation runtime engine and is able to execute one or more rule actions by evaluating one or more rule conditions;

executing a workflow, wherein said workflow comprises a plurality of activities; and

executing an activity of said plurality of activities, wherein said activity defines a ruleset, wherein said ruleset comprises a plurality of rules, wherein at least one of said plurality of rules is comprises a rule condition and a rule action defined directly against a previously executed activity of said workflow, and wherein said activity has access to a said rules engine that is able to evaluate rule conditions and execute rule actions of said ruleset, to reevaluate rule conditions of dependent rules of said ruleset based on executed rule actions of said ruleset, and to schedule one or more other activities for execution in accordance with accessed runtime information.

19. The computer-readable media of claim 18, further comprising:

dynamically changing a rule of said ruleset while said workflow continues to execute; and

dynamically modifying said plurality of activities while said workflow continues to execute.

20. The computer-readable media of claim 18, further comprising:

executing a plurality of runtime services on said host process, wherein a rule of said plurality of rules has access to a runtime service of said plurality of runtime services.