Integration of process and workflows into a business application framework

• US 7,818,714 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ryan, Sean P., Noll, Jerald K., Anonsen, Steven P., Brookins, Timothy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yigdall; Michael J
• Application Number:
  US11/227,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20070061776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,860 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques

Abstract

Process is integrated into a business application framework on which the process is built. The same programming model used by the framework is used for managing data operated on by the process and for interacting with and controlling the process.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of selectively activating a computer-implemented process, comprising:

defining the process in metadata in a metadata store of an application development framework, the metadata including a process contract, a set of activity steps, and a set of workflows, the set of workflows providing a sequence for the set of activity steps to achieve a business goal, the process contract defining initial and interim inputs and outputs to the process and data properties for the process, the application development framework including common building blocks, tools, and services to create business applications, the application development framework having a data programming model for managing data in the business applications built on the application development framework and a business logic programming model for interacting with business logic in the business applications built on the application development framework, the data programming model managing data utilizing entities, the business logic programming model interacting with the business logic utilizing operations, the process being defined utilizing the entities and the operations such that the process and the application development framework are fully integrated, wherein defining the process in metadata comprises;

configuring the metadata to define management of data in the process using the data programming model of the application development framework; and

configuring the metadata to define interactions with business logic in the process using the business logic programming model of the application development framework;

receiving an operation call within the application development framework, wherein the framework utilizes a computer processor that is a component of a computing device to access and evaluate the metadata in the metadata store so as to make a determination as to whether the received operation call is linked by association to the process defined in the metadata;

if it is determined that the operation call is linked by association to the process defined in the metadata, then creating and starting an instance of the process by generating a group of the entities that are necessary for the process and activating a mechanism necessary to control the process; and

if it is determined that the operation call is not linked by association to the process or any other process defined in the metadata, then calling a collection of developer'"'"'s code as necessary to support processing of the operation call outside of the process.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the operation call received within the application development framework comprises a function call to the business logic programming model, and wherein each of the operations includes two portions, a first one of the two portions including a message and a definition of the message, a second one of the two portions including a message processor that processes the message.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the operation call received within the application development framework comprises a message to the business logic programming model, the message including a data payload, and wherein the process contract defines the initial and the interim inputs utilizing incomes, the incomes providing defined entry points into the process while it is running, the incomes requiring and consuming business data as inputs, the process contract defining initial and interim outputs utilizing outcomes, the outcomes providing defined exit points from the process while it is running, the outcomes defining and producing business data as outputs.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein configuring the metadata to define interactions with business logic in the process comprises:

defining messages that are consumed and generated by the process in conjunction with the business logic programming model; and

wherein defining the messages comprises;

defining an activation message for activating the process using the business logic programming model; and

defining incomes to the process and outcomes from the process using the business logic programming model.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein selectively activating the process comprises choosing and initiating one of the workflows in the set of workflows.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein configuring the metadata to define management of data in the process comprises:

representing visible properties of the process using the data programming model, the visible properties indicating whether the process is running or whether the process has concluded.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein configuring the metadata to define management of data in the process comprises:

representing an instance of the process using the data programming model, the instance of the process corresponding one-to-one with an entity type instance.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the entities provide entity persistence and are saved to and retrieved from the metadata store of the application development framework.

9. The method of claim 1 and further comprising:

interacting with the process using services provided by the application development framework, the services including persistence storage, query capabilities, analytics, and customization.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein interacting with the process comprises:

storing the process using the persistence storage service of the application development framework; and

querying data associated with the process using the query capabilities service provided by the application development framework.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein interacting with the process comprises:

querying data associated with the process for work items assigned to a user of the query capabilities service provided by the application development framework.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein interacting with the process comprises:

customizing the process using the customization service provided by the application development framework, the process customization including a milestone operation call.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein interacting with the process comprises:

performing analytics on the process using the analytics service provided by the application development framework.

14. A method of controlling a computer-implemented process, comprising:

receiving a call at an application framework, the call being of a form used in a business logic programming model that is used by the application framework to interact with business logic;

accessing a metadata store in the application framework that stores one or more model definitions, each of the one or more model definitions defining a process, each of the processes managing data and executing business logic utilizing entities and operations, the entities and the operations also being utilized by the application framework on which the one or more model definitions is built, each of the process definitions including a metadata structure stored in the metadata store in the application framework, each of the metadata structures including a contract, activity steps, and workflows, each of the contracts including properties and activations, each of the activity steps including logic, a work item, a milestone, and a subprocess, each of the one or more model definitions generated by modifying a tree structure in the metadata store, each of the tree structures having a plurality of nodes and subnodes, wherein the contract, the activity steps, and the workflows are arranged in subnodes of the node associated with the corresponding model definition;

utilizing a computer processor that is a component of a computing device to compare the call to a collection of information in the metadata store so as to determine whether the collection of information indicates a link by association between the received call and an activation to a process;

if the determination indicates that the collection of information does indicate said link by association between the received call and the activation to the process, then;

responding to the determination by activating the activation thereby creating an activated instance of the process;

interacting with the activated instance of the process using the business logic programming model and a data programming model used by the application framework to manage data in applications built on the application framework; and

if the determination indicates that the collection of information does not indicate said link by association between the received call and the activation to the process, then calling a collection of developer'"'"'s code as necessary to support processing of the call outside of the process.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein interacting with the activated instance of the process comprises:

sending incomes to the process and receiving outcomes from the process using the business logic programming model, the incomes being operations that provide defined entry points into the process when it is running, and the outcomes representing defined exit points from the process when it is running.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein interacting with the activated instance of the process comprises:

managing visible properties of the process using the data programming model; and

indirectly interacting with the activated instance of the process utilizing developer'"'"'s code by calling the operations and changing the entities.

17. A computer-implemented application development framework, comprising:

a service component that provides services to an application developed within the application development framework, the application development framework being a business framework that includes building blocks, tools, and services to create business applications, the building blocks including security tools and a web service interface, the application development framework utilizing entities to manage data, to provide entity persistence, and to interact with a process, the entities being saved to and retrieved from a database through the business framework, the services provided by the framework also including query, analyzing, and customizing services, the framework further providing operations that interact with and control a process, each of the operations including two portions, a first one of the portions including a message and a definition of a message, a second one of the portions including a message processor that processes the message;

a metadata store including metadata defining the process, wherein the process is controlled and accessed utilizing the operations that are part of the development framework, the process including activations that initiate a workflow associated with the process, the activations having input parameters that specify data, the input parameters being passed to one of the operations as a payload income to the process;

wherein the service component receives a call to the application framework and, based on a status of the call reflected in a collection of information in the metadata store, either activates or does not activate the process; and

a computer processor that is a functional component of a computing device, the computer processor being utilized by the service component to facilitate a determination of said status of the call.

18. The application development framework of claim 17 wherein the application development framework comprises a data management programming model and a business logic programming model that are both utilized to execute the process when the process is activated, and wherein the process includes a plurality of activity steps, the plurality of activity steps representing units of work that are arranged in the workflow, the plurality of activity steps including a business logic operation call, a work item operation call, a subprocess call, and a milestone operation call.