CAPTURING INFORMATION ACCESSED, UPDATED AND CREATED BY PROCESSES AND USING THE SAME FOR VALIDATION OF CONSISTENCY

• US 20100211926A1
• Filed: 02/14/2009
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dan, Asit, Jensen, Claus T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,635,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques

Abstract

Techniques for extending a process model with specification of information consumed. A receiving operation receives specification of process information consumed by a process implementation of the process model. Another receiving operation receives specification of activity process information consumed by activities employed by the process implementation of the process model. The information consumed is information that is or needs to be used without being passed through exposed interfaces. A generating operation automatically generates an extended process model using a computer processor. The extended process model includes specification of exposed interfaces, the process information consumed by the process implementation, and the activity information consumed by the activity implementation. Further embodiments includes techniques for identifying information inconsistencies in the extended process model if the information consumed not available as called for by the extended process model.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for extending a process model, the process model including specification of an exposed process interface, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving specification of process information consumed by a process implementation of the process model, the process information consumed being information that is or needs to be utilized by the process implementation without being passed through the exposed process interface; and

automatically generating an extended process model using a computer processor, the extended process model including specification of the exposed process interface and specification of the process information consumed by the process implementation.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving specification of activity information consumed by at least one activity implementation employed by the process implementation, the activity implementation modeled by an activity model, the activity information consumed being information that is or needs to be utilized by the activity implementation of the activity model without being passed through an exposed activity interface; and

wherein the extended process model further includes specification of the exposed activity interface and specification of the activity information consumed by the activity implementation.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising identifying at least one information inconsistency in the process model if the activity information consumed by the activity model does not match the process information consumed by the extended process model.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving specification of the process information consumed by the process implementation includes providing a user interface to input the process information consumed by the process implementation by a human modeler.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the specification of the process information consumed by the process implementation of the process model includes identification of at least one information source supplying the process information consumed.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising identifying at least one information inconsistency in the process model if the process information consumed by the process model does not match at least one available information source for processing by the process implementation.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein identifying at least one information inconsistency in the process model is performed before substantial source code for the process implementation is written.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising automatically allocating an information source for processing by the process implementation of the process model based, at least in part, on the process information consumed by the process implementation.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the specification of the process information consumed by the process implementation of the process model includes non-functional process annotation.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein the non-functional process annotation includes a quality criterion for the process information consumed.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein the non-functional process annotation includes a process timing criterion for the process information consumed specifying when the process information consumed is required by the process implementation.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11, further comprising identifying at least one information inconsistency in the process model if the process information consumed by the process model is not available before the process timing criterion.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the specification of the process information consumed by the process implementation of the process model includes a consumption type, the consumption type specifying at least one of a creating the process information consumed operation, a reading the process information consumed operation, an updating the process information consumed operation, and a deleting the process information consumed operation performed by the process implementation.

14. A computer implemented method for extending an activity model, the activity model including specification of an exposed activity interface, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving specification of activity information consumed by an activity implementation of the activity model, the activity information consumed being information that is or needs to be utilized by the activity implementation of the activity model without being passed through an exposed activity interface; and

automatically generating an extended activity model using a computer processor, the extended activity model including specification of the exposed activity interface and specification of the activity information consumed by the activity implementation.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 14, wherein receiving specification of activity information consumed by the activity implementation includes:

receiving the activity implementation of the activity model; and

automatically determining the activity information consumed by the activity implementation by examination of the activity implementation.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 15, wherein automatically determining the activity information consumed by the activity implementation includes analyzing code in the activity implementation for information transfers outside the exposed activity interface.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 14, wherein receiving specification of the activity information consumed by the activity implementation includes providing a user interface to input the information consumed by the activity implementation by a human modeler.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 14, wherein the specification of the activity information consumed by the activity implementation of the activity model includes identification of at least one information source supplying the activity information consumed.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 14, wherein the specification of the activity information consumed by the activity implementation includes non-functional annotation.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 19, wherein the non-functional annotation includes a quality criterion for the activity information consumed.

21. The computer implemented method of claim 19, further comprising:

wherein the non-functional annotation includes an activity timing criterion for the activity information consumed specifying when the activity information consumed is required by the activity implementation; and

identifying at least one information inconsistency in the activity model if the activity information consumed by the activity model is not available before the activity timing criterion, the activity timing criterion being automatically derived from a process flow of a process model implementation employing the activity implementation.

22. The computer implemented method of claim 14, further comprising identifying at least one information inconsistency in the activity model if the activity information consumed by the activity model does not match at least one available information source for processing by the activity implementation.

23. The computer implemented method of claim 14, further comprising automatically allocating an information source for processing by the activity implementation of the activity model based, at least in part, on the activity information consumed by the activity implementation.

24. The computer implemented method of claim 14, wherein the specification of the activity information consumed by the activity implementation of the activity model includes a consumption type, the consumption type specifying at least one of a creating the activity information consumed operation, a reading the activity information consumed operation, an updating the activity information consumed operation, and a deleting the activity information consumed operation performed by the activity implementation.

25. A computer program product embodied in a computer usable memory comprising:

computer readable program codes coupled to the computer usable medium for extending a process model, the process model including specification of an exposed process interface, the computer readable program codes configured to cause the program to;

receive specification of process information consumed by a process implementation of the process model, the process information consumed being information that is or needs to be utilized by the process implementation without being passed through the exposed process interface;

receive specification of activity information consumed by at least one activity implementation employed by the process implementation, the activity implementation modeled by an activity model, the activity information consumed being information that is or needs to be utilized by the activity implementation of the activity model without being passed through an exposed activity interface; and

automatically generate an extended process model using a computer processor, the extended process model including specification of the exposed process interface, specification of the process information consumed by the process implementation, specification of the exposed activity interface, and specification of the activity information consumed by the activity implementation.