Parallel database support for workflow management systems

• US 6,415,297 B1
• Filed: 11/01/1999
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Leymann, Frank, Roller, Dieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Debbie M
• Application Number:
  US09/431,425
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 707/8, 707/10, 707/1, 707/200, 707/201
• US Class Current: 707/608
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/954 Relational
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/966 Distributed
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

The invention suggests means for defining a portion of the system-repository of a Workflow-Management-System (WFMS) or a system with comparable functionality to be maintained in a parallel database by a Database-Management-System (DBMS). The WFMS comprises at least one process-model. Moreover, it is suggested that the definition-means for defining, which portions of the system repository is being stored in the parallel database, is comprised in said WFMS'"'"'s configuration specifications as for instance in said process-model.

Claims

1. A Workflow-Management-System (WFMS) for supporting maintenance of a system-repository associated with the WFMS in a plurality of parallel databases by a Database-Management-System (DBMS), the WFMS comprising one or more WFMS instances executed on one or more computer systems coupled to the DBMS, the WFMS comprising:

at least one table comprising the system-repository, each table including a sequence of attributes and a plurality of records each with a sequence of attribute-values for the sequence of attributes;

a WFMS definition-means for specifying at least one attribute as a partitioning-key for each table to enable partitioning of each table into the plurality of parallel databases on the basis of a particular partitioning-key and to enable the DBMS to maintain and provide parallel database access to records associated with the particular partitioning-key in a parallel database, wherein parallel and concurrent access by the WFMS instances to the system repository is enabled.

2. The WFMS according to claim 1, wherein the parallel database is an inter-partition-parallel-relational-database.

3. The WFMS according to claim 1, wherein the definition-means specifies a system identification of each WFMS instance as the partitioning-key.

4. The WFMS according to a claim 1, wherein the definition-means specifies a creation time associated with creation of the records as the partitioning-key.

5. The WFMS according to claim 1, wherein the definition-means supports assignment of a particular value to the partitioning-key.

6. The WFMS according to claim 1, wherein the definition-means further specifies a hash-function used by the DBMS to map at least one attribute-value of the at least one attribute of said partitioning-key to a set of partitioning-key-values.

7. The WFMS according to claim 1, wherein the definition-means specifies a partitioning-key for partitioning at least one table that comprises a process-model associated with the WFMS;

execution instances of the process-model;

an audit-trail of the process-model;

or work items related to the execution instances of the process-model.

8. The WFMS according to claim 1, wherein the WFMS utilizes at least one attribute-value of the at least one attribute of the partitioning-key in a WHERE clause of an SQL access to the parallel database.

9. The WFMS according to claim 1, wherein the WFMS further comprises at least one process model that includes the WFMS definition-means.