Executing business processes using persistent variables

• US 8,478,602 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2002
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Racca, Felix G., Gabeiras, Emilio L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vig, Naresh
• Application Number:
  US10/114,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20080306746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,110 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/1.1, 700/1, 709/201, 709/202, 717/100
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis

Abstract

Executing a business process includes initiating an instance of a business process comprising activities, where the instance has an instance variable. A first activity of the business process is executed, and a value corresponding to the instance variable is received. The instance variable and the value is recorded in an object, and the object is stored in a data repository. A second activity of the business process is executed, and the object is retrieved from the data repository for use with the second activity.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for executing a process, said method comprising:

constructing a business process definition stored in a repository, wherein said business process definition includes one or more activities represented by graphical icons, said one or more activities being coupled by transitions, and wherein each activity includes one or more tasks that one executed complete that activity;

generating a graphical interface used to create a customized compensation task and constructing the compensation task based on instructions received on said graphical interface, wherein the graphical interface includes an activity properties interface that can be used to associate, for each activity, the customized compensation task with at least one of the activities tasks, and wherein the customized compensation task executes when the tasks fail, and wherein the compensation task includes a repetition factor rendered on the graphical interface, which when selected, causes the customized compensation task to be repeated a specified number of times, and

wherein a plurality of customized compensation tasks and an associated task is stored in a task table in the repository;

storing the business process definition into the repository;

wherein, upon executing the business process by a process execution engine, the process execution engine

initiates an instance of the business process definition stored in the repository,

executes the one or more activities of the instance of the business process definition,

determines that execution of a particular task has failed,

determines whether the particular task that failed was associated with one of the plurality of customized compensation task as defined in the task table,

determines whether the repetition factor has been selected, and

executes the customized compensation task associated with the particular task that failed to compensate for the failed task, wherein when it is determined that the repetition factor been selected, the customized compensation task is executed the specified number of times, and wherein the execution of the customized compensation task achieves steady and consistent state of the instance of the process before the at least one of the series of tasks that has failed in execution is retried by the process execution engine; and

wherein the execution of the customized compensation task causes the execution of the business process instance to continue to the next task uninterrupted by the failure of the particular task.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the instance has a plurality of instance variables, and further comprising:

receiving a plurality of values, each value corresponding to an instance variable;

recording each instance variable and corresponding value in objects;

serializing the objects; and

storing the serialized objects in the data repository.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the objects comprises a Java object.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a value from a second process instance associated with an argument variable of the process instance; and

mapping an instance variable of the second process instance to the argument variable of the process instance.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said component comprises a modular software routine that has been compiled and that can be used with other components or programs.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein an instance variable of the process instance maintains the activity where the instance is at a given moment in time during a lifecycle of the instance of said process.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the activity of said instance connects said process to a second process instance.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

instantiating a polymorphic sub-process that generates instances in two or more different child processes sharing a same interface depending on variables embedded in a parent process, such that the instance of said process is routed to the correct child process according to said variables.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

interrupting said instance of the process by a different instance by transmitting a notification from said different instance, wherein said instance of the process is automatically taken to a notification wait activity upon receiving said notification, regardless where the instance is in the process.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the compensation task further includes a repeatable box rendered on the graphical interface, wherein the repeatable box, when selected, causes the task associated with the compensation task to be repeated a specified number of times, wherein the compensation task attains steady and consistent state before the execution of the task is repeated.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein if the failed task includes transmitting an electronic mail message to at least two recipients and if the task fails in transmitting said electronic mail message to at least one of said two recipients, then the compensation task includes a disregarding electronic mail message to the other of said two recipients.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a set of instructions executed by one or more processors to perform a sequence of steps comprising:

constructing a business process definition stored in a repository, wherein said business process definition includes one or more activities represented by graphical icons, said one or more activities being coupled by transitions, and wherein each activity includes one or more tasks that one executed complete that activity;

generating a graphical interface used to create a customized compensation task and constructing the compensation task based on instructions received on said graphical interface, wherein the graphical interface includes an activity properties interface that can be used to associate, for each activity, the customized compensation task with at least one of the activities tasks, and wherein the customized compensation task executes when the tasks fail, and wherein the compensation task includes a repetition factor rendered on the graphical interface, which when selected causes the customized compensation task to be repeated a specified number of times, and

wherein a plurality of customized compensation tasks and an associated task is stored in a task table in the repository;

storing the business process definition into the repository;

wherein upon executing the business process by a process execution engine, the process execution engine

initiates an instance of the business process definition stored in the repository,

executes the one or more activities of the instance of the business process definition,

determines that execution of a particular task has failed,

determines whether the particular task that failed was associated with one of the plurality of customized compensation task as defined in the task table,

determines whether the repetition factor has been selected, and

executes the customized compensation task associated with the particular task that failed to compensate for the failed task wherein when it is determined that the repetition factor been selected the customized compensation task is executed the specified number of times, and wherein the execution of the customized compensation task achieves steady and consistent state of the instance of the process before the at least one of the series of tasks that has failed in execution is retried by the process execution engine; and

wherein the execution of the customized compensation task causes the execution of the business process instance to continue to the next task uninterrupted by the failure of the particular task.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein:

the instance has a plurality of instance variables;

when executed by the computer, the software is operable to;

receive a plurality of values, each value corresponding to an instance variable;

record each instance variable and corresponding value in objects;

serialize the objects; and

store the serialized objects in the data repository.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein each of the objects comprises a Java object

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, operable to:

receive a value from a second process instance associated with an argument variable of the process instance; and

map an instance variable of the second process instance to the argument variable of the process instance.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the compensation task further includes a repeatable box rendered on the graphical interface, wherein the repeatable box, when selected, causes the task associated with the compensation task to be repeated a specified number of times, wherein the compensation task attains steady and consistent state before the execution of the task is repeated.

17. A system for executing a business process that compensates for failure of tasks therein, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a process execution engine that initiates an instance of a business process, wherein the process execution engine uses the one or more processors to

define a business process using a graphical user interface (GUI), wherein the business process includes one or more activities coupled by transitions, and wherein each activity includes one or more tasks that when executed complete that activity;

associate, for each activity, a customized compensation task with at least one of the activities tasks, wherein the customized compensation task executes when the tasks fail, and wherein the customized compensation task includes a repetition factor, which when selected, causes the customized compensation task to be repeated a specified number of times;

record a plurality of customized compensation tasks and an associated task in a task table;

wherein, upon executing the business process by the process execution engine, the process execution engine

initiates the instance of the business process,

executes the one or more activities of the instance of the business process,

determines that execution of a particular task has failed,

determines whether the particular task that failed was associated with one of the plurality of customized compensation tasks as defined in the task table,

determines whether the repetition factor has been selected, and

executes the customized compensation task associated with the particular task that failed to compensate for the failed task, wherein when it is determined that the repetition factor has been selected, the customized compensation task is executed the specified number of times; and

wherein the execution of the customized compensation task causes the execution of the business process instance to continue to the next task uninterrupted by the failure of the particular task.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the activity properties interface includes an activity tasks section and a set of available tasks section used to define the one or more tasks and the plurality of customized compensation tasks.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the activity tasks section includes windows and boxes used to define the one or more tasks and the plurality of customized compensation tasks, and wherein the set of available tasks section is used to select available tasks and customized compensation tasks for a particular activity.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein a customized compensation task is defined by

inserting a name of a particular customized compensation task in a customized compensation task name window, and

indicating whether the particular customized compensation task is repeated a specified number of times by selecting a repetition factor.