Business Process Optimization

• US 20130138473A1
• Filed: 11/28/2011
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Balko, Soeren, Dreiling, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US13/305,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20130138473A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202

Abstract

The present disclosure involves systems, software, and computer implemented methods for optimizing business processes. One process includes identifying a set of information technology (IT) characteristics associated with execution of a process model, identifying at least one optimization goal associated with the process model, identifying a set of at least one optimization technique based on the identified set of IT characteristics and identified optimization goals associated with the process model, and compiling the process model, where compiling the process model includes applying the set of the at least one optimization technique during compiling operations. The set of IT characteristics associated with the execution of the process model can include a landscape type of a target system in which the process model is to be deployed, a probable deployment option of the process model, a probable usage type associated with the process model, and performance factors associated with the target system.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by one or more processors for optimizing process models, the method comprising:

identifying a set of information technology (IT) characteristics associated with execution of a process model;

identifying at least one optimization goal associated with the process model;

identifying a set of at least one optimization technique based on the identified set of IT characteristics and identified optimization goals associated with the process model; and

compiling the process model, where compiling the process model includes applying the set of the at least one optimization technique during compiling operations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of IT characteristics associated with the execution of the process model includes:

information defining a landscape type of a target system in which the process model is to be deployed;

at least one probable deployment option of the process model;

a probable usage type associated with the process model; and

at least one identified performance factor associated with the target system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the type of the target system landscape includes one of the following:

a development system, a quality assurance system, and a production system.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one probable deployment option of the process model includes at least one of a local, an on-premise, or a cloud-based deployment.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the probable usage type associated with the process model includes at least one of a human-driven process interaction or a system-centric process interaction.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one identified performance factor associated with the target system includes at least one of the following;

an average CPU load on business process modeling suite nodes associated with the target system; and

an average CPU load on database nodes associated with the target system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the at least one optimization goal associated with the process model includes comparing at least a portion of the set of identified IT characteristics to a predefined set of optimization goals, where particular optimization goals correspond to particular IT characteristics.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the optimization goals include at least one of the following:

improved turnaround time;

improved process throughput;

assurance of fair progress and execution among concurrent processes;

improved size and complexity of a process binary generated by compiling the process model;

improved resource consumption of the compiled process instance at runtime;

improved transaction load associated with the executing compiled process model; and

a decreased frequency of resource contentions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the set of at least one optimization technique based on the identified set of IT characteristics and identified optimization goals associated with the process model includes determining an order in which to apply the set of the at least one optimization technique.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein compiling the process model is performed by an adaptive compiler, the adaptive compiler comprising a set of logically distinct modules including a front-end process model analyzer, a logical optimizer, a compiler code generation phase transformer, a physical optimizer, and a compiler back-end.

11. A computer program product encoded on a non-transitory, tangible storage medium, the product comprising computer readable instructions for causing one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

identifying a set of information technology (IT) characteristics associated with execution of a process model;

identifying at least one optimization goal associated with the process model;

identifying a set of at least one optimization technique based on the identified set of IT characteristics and identified optimization goals associated with the process model; and

compiling the process model, where compiling the process model includes applying the set of the at least one optimization technique during compiling operations.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the set of IT characteristics associated with the execution of the process model includes:

information defining a landscape type of a target system in which the process model is to be deployed;

at least one probable deployment option of the process model;

a probable usage type associated with the process model; and

at least one identified performance factor associated with the target system.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the type of the target system landscape includes one of the following:

a development system, a quality assurance system, and a production system.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the at least one probable deployment option of the process model includes at least one of a local, an on-premise, or a cloud-based deployment.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the probable usage type associated with the process model includes at least one of a human-driven process interaction or a system-centric process interaction.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the at least one identified performance factor associated with the target system includes at least one of the following;

an average CPU load on business process modeling suite nodes associated with the target system; and

an average CPU load on database nodes associated with the target system.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein identifying the at least one optimization goal associated with the process model includes comparing at least a portion of the set of identified IT characteristics to a predefined set of optimization goals, where particular optimization goals correspond to particular IT characteristics.

18. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the optimization goals include at least one of the following:

improved turnaround time;

improved process throughput;

assurance of fair progress and execution among concurrent processes;

improved size and complexity of a process binary generated by compiling the process model;

improved resource consumption of the compiled process instance at runtime;

improved transaction load associated with the executing compiled process model; and

a decreased frequency of resource contentions.

19. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein identifying the set of at least one optimization technique based on the identified set of IT characteristics and identified optimization goals associated with the process model includes determining an order in which to apply the set of the at least one optimization technique.

20. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein compiling the process model is performed by an adaptive compiler, the adaptive compiler comprising a set of logically distinct modules including a front-end process model analyzer, a logical optimizer, a compiler code generation phase transformer, a physical optimizer, and a compiler back-end.

21. A system, comprising:

one or more computers; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more computers having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

identifying a set of information technology (IT) characteristics associated with execution of a process model;

identifying at least one optimization goal associated with the process model;

identifying a set of at least one optimization technique based on the identified set of IT characteristics and identified optimization goals associated with the process model; and

compiling the process model, where compiling the process model includes applying the set of the at least one optimization technique during compiling operations.