SERVICE-BASED PROCESSES USING POLICY-BASED MODEL-TO-MODEL CONVERSION AND VALIDATION TECHNIQUES

• US 20090089741A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Adam, Nabil, Paliwal, Aabhas, Shafiq, Basit, Bornhoevd, Christof
• Granted Patent: US 8,601,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

A modeling tool may be configured to generate a diagrammatic representation of a service-based process, expressed using a diagrammatic modeling language. A model converter may be configured to convert the diagrammatic representation into a formal model of the service-based process, and a model verifier configured to apply constraints to the formal model to verify an operation of the service-based process and output a verified formal model. A code generator may be configured to generate executable code therefrom for executing the service-based process therewith.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a modeling tool configured to generate a diagrammatic representation of a service-based process, expressed using a diagrammatic modeling language;

a model converter configured to convert the diagrammatic representation into a formal model of the service-based process;

a model verifier configured to apply constraints to the formal model to verify an operation of the service-based process and output a verified formal model; and

a code generator configured to generate executable code therefrom for executing the service-based process therewith.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the model verifier is configured to apply the constraints relative to credentials of a user of the service-based process, to thereby determine an extent of access of the user to one or more services of the service-based process.

3. The system of claim 1 comprising a simulator configured to simulate an operation of the verified formal model, based on credentials of a user requesting an instantiation of the service-based process, to thereby illustrate an extent of access of the user to one or more services of the service-based process.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the modeling tool is configured to generate the diagrammatic representation using a message sequence chart (MSC).

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the modeling tool is configured to generate the diagrammatic representation using a high-level message sequence chart (HSMC).

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the model converter is configured to convert the MSC-based diagrammatic representation into a colored Petri net (CPN) formal model.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the model converter is configured, for each message of the MSC, to:

map a top of the MSC to a start place of the CPN;

map a bottom of the MSC to an end place of the CPN;

create an additional place to the start place for a receive event of the MSC corresponding to receipt of a message;

create an additional place to the end place for a send event of the MSC corresponding to sending of a the message;

fuse start places of each receive event with corresponding end places of each send event; and

fuse the additional places to the start places and the end places for corresponding pairs of send and receive events.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the constraints include service policy constraints that are specific to services of the service-based process relative to credentials of potential service requestors thereof.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the constraints include composition policy constraints specifying execution characteristics of services of the service-based process.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the formal model is a colored Petri net (CPN), and wherein the model verifier is configured to represent a credential of a service requestor as either a token or a hole of a specified color, wherein the specified color is associated with one or more of the constraints that is also associated with the specified color.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the model verifier is further configured to determine access of the user to a service of the service based process, based on whether the constraints identify the specified color for the service and whether the credential of the service requestor is a token or a hole.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the code generator is configured to generate the code using Business Process Execution Language (BPEL).

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the formal model is a colored Petri net (CPN), and wherein the code generator is configured to generate the code by marking transitions of fragments of the CPN to BPEL primitives, and by mapping the CPN fragments onto corresponding BPEL structures comprising the BPEL primitives.

14. A method comprising:

generating a diagrammatic representation of a service-based process, expressed using a diagrammatic modeling language;

converting the diagrammatic representation into a formal model of the service-based process;

applying constraints to the formal model to verify an operation of the service-based process and output a verified formal model; and

generating executable code therefrom for executing the service-based process therewith.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein generating the diagrammatic representation of the service-based process comprises:

generating the diagrammatic representation as a message sequence chart (MSC).

16. The method of claim 15 wherein converting the diagrammatic representation into the formal model comprises:

converting the MSC into a colored Petri net (CPN) in which each service of the service-based process is represented as a place of the CPN, and in which each place is associated with a color set specifying constraints associated with accessing the corresponding service.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein applying constraints to the formal model comprises:

determining user credentials associated with a service requester, each user credential associated with a token or a hole having a specified color; and

matching the user credentials to the constraints by determining access of the service requester to a service for a user credential and associated color expressed as a token, and restricting access of the service requestor to the service for a user credential and associated color expressed as a hole.

18. A computer program product tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium and including executable code that, when executed, is configured to cause a data processing apparatus to:

generate a diagrammatic representation of a service-based process, expressed using a diagrammatic modeling language;

convert the diagrammatic representation into a formal model of the service-based process;

apply constraints to the formal model to verify an operation of the service-based process and output a verified formal model; and

generate executable code therefrom for executing the service-based process therewith.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the diagrammatic representation includes a message sequence chart (MSC), and wherein the diagrammatic representation is converted into the formal model by converting the MSC into a colored Petri net (CPN) in which each service of the service-based process is represented as a place of the CPN, and in which each place is associated with a color set specifying constraints associated with accessing the corresponding service.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the constraints are applied to the formal model by:

determining user credentials associated with a service requester, each user credential associated with a token or a hole having a specified color; and

matching the user credentials to the constraints by determining access of the service requestor to a service for a user credential and associated color expressed as a token, and restricting access of the service requestor to the service for a user credential and associated color expressed as a hole.