Archival management of business processes in a cloud environment

• US 9,424,544 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2013
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Subramanian, Vijayaganesh, Mungi, Ashish, Sivakumar, Gandhi, Viswanathan, Ram
• Primary Examiner(s): Uddin, Mohammed R
• Application Number:
  US13/910,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20140365442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 707/668, 707/665, 707/695
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A method for archival management of business processes in a cloud environment is provided. In one aspect, the method comprises archiving managed pool including one or more versions of a business process instance or business process execution in a cloud computing environment. The method further comprises a provisioning manager of the cloud computing environment that requests or tasks provisioning, deprovisioning, decommissioning or deleting the one or more versions of a business process instance or business process execution. For each of the requests or tasks, a restore manager of the cloud environment determines, if the managed pools of virtual instances contain a business process management environment or a business process archive manager environment. The restore manager further recreates a previous version of the one or more versions of the business process instance or business process execution based on the determination.

Claims

1. A method for archival management of business processes in a cloud environment, the method comprising the steps of:

archiving, by one or more computer processors, managed pools of virtual instances of a business process management program, wherein each managed pool includes one or more versions of an entire business process instance or an entire business process execution of the business process management program in the managed pools of virtual instances via a virtual process archival system of the cloud environment;

monitoring, by the one or more computer processors, an automation manager to detect requests or tasks for provisioning, deprovisioning, decommissioning or deleting the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution, wherein the managed virtual pools of the business process management program recreate or restores input data or files, referenced master data or master files, output data, and metadata for designated for the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution;

for each of the requests or tasks, determining, by the one or more computer processors, when the managed pools of virtual instances contain a business process management environment or a business process archive manager environment, of the business process management program, and wherein, altering actions to restore previous managed pools of virtual instances is based on the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution if the managed pools of virtual instances contains a business process management environment or a business process archive manager environment; and

archiving and recreating, or restoring by the one or more computer processors, a previous version of the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution based on the determination, wherein a connection between business process management environments of the business process instance and business process execution, archives of data repositories of the entire business process instance and the entire business process execution, and managed pools of virtual instances of the cloud environment is maintained by the virtual process archival system of the cloud environment and, wherein, the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution includes at least one of a process version, input data or files, referenced data or files, output data, and all associated metadata of the business process management environment or business process archive manager environment, of the business process management program.

2. The method according to claim 1, further including the steps of:

triggering, by the one or more computer processors, assignment of identifiers to at least one of the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or entire business process execution;

tagging, by the one or more computer processors, the assignment of identifiers to the at least one of the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution; and

storing, by the one or more computer processors, the assignment of identifiers of the at least one of the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business execution archived in a repository.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of one or more computers determining if the managed pools of virtual instances contains a business process management environment or a business process archive manager environment further includes the step of:

altering, by the one or more computer processors, actions to restore previous managed pools of virtual instances based on the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution if the managed pools of virtual instances contains a business process management environment or a business process archive manager environment.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cloud environment is connected to network locations which includes the managed pools of virtual instances.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a record of a business process management containing the entire business process instance or the entire business process is maintained in a repository of the cloud environment.

6. A computer system for archival management of business processes in a cloud environment, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and program instructions which are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to archive managed pools of virtual instances of a business process management program, wherein each managed pool includes one or more versions of an entire business process instance or an entire business process execution of the business process management program in the managed pools of virtual instances via a virtual process archival system of the cloud environment;

program instructions to monitor an automation manager to detect requests or tasks for provisioning, deprovisioning, decommissioning or deleting the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution, wherein the managed virtual pools of the business process management program recreate or restores input data or files, referenced master data or master files, output data, and metadata for designated for the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution;

for each of the requests or tasks, program instructions to determine when the managed pools of virtual instances contain a business process management environment or a business process archive manager environment, of the business process management program, and wherein, altering actions to restore previous managed pools of virtual instances is based on the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution if the managed pools of virtual instances contains a business process management environment or a business process archive manager environment; and

program instructions to archive and recreate, or restore a previous version of the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution based on the determination, wherein a connection between business process management environments of the business process instance and business process execution, archives of data repositories of the entire business process instance and the entire business process execution, and managed pools of virtual instances of the cloud environment is maintained by the virtual process archival system of the cloud environment and, wherein, the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution includes at least one of a process version, input data or files, referenced data or files, output data, and all associated metadata of the business process management environment or business process archive manager environment, of the business process management program.

7. The computer system according to claim 6, further includes:

program instructions to trigger assignment of identifiers to at least one of the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or entire business process execution;

program instructions to tag the assignment of identifiers to the at least one of the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution; and

program instructions to store the assignment of identifiers of the at least one of the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business execution archived in a repository.

8. The computer system according to claim 6, wherein program instructions to determine if the managed pools of virtual instances contain a business process management environment or a business process archive manager environment, further includes:

program instructions to alter actions to restore previous managed pools of virtual instances based on the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution if the managed pools of virtual instances contains a business process management environment or a business process archive manager environment.

9. The computer system according to claim 6, wherein the cloud environment is connected to network locations which includes the managed pools of virtual instances.

10. A computer program product for archival management of business processes in a cloud environment, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to archive managed pools of virtual instances of a business process management program, wherein each managed pool includes one or more versions of an entire business process instance or an entire business process execution of the business process management program in the managed pools of virtual instances via a virtual process archival system of the cloud environment;

program instructions to monitor an automation manager to detect requests or tasks for provisioning, deprovisioning, decommissioning or deleting the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution, wherein the managed virtual pools of the business process management program recreate or restores input data or files, referenced master data or master files, output data, and metadata for designated for the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution;

for each of the requests or tasks, program instructions to determine when the managed pools of virtual instances contain a business process management environment or a business process archive manager environment, of the business process management program, and wherein, altering actions to restore previous managed pools of virtual instances is based on the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution if the managed pools of virtual instances contains a business process management environment or a business process archive manager environment; and

program instructions to archive and recreate, or restore a previous version of the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution based on the determination, wherein a connection between business process management environments of the business process instance and business process execution, archives of data repositories of the entire business process instance and the entire business process execution, and managed pools of virtual instances of the cloud environment is maintained by the virtual process archival system of the cloud environment and, wherein, the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution includes at least one of a process version, input data or files, referenced data or files, output data, and all associated metadata of the business process management environment or business process archive manager environment, of the business process management program.

12. The program instructions according to claim 10, wherein program instructions to determine if the managed pools of virtual instances contains a business process management environment or a business process archive manager environment further includes:

program instructions to alter actions to restore previous managed pools of virtual instances based on the one or more versions of the business process instance or business process execution if the managed pools of virtual instances contains a business process management environment or a business process archive manager environment.

13. The program instructions according to claim 10, wherein the cloud environment is connected to network locations which includes the managed pools of virtual instances.

14. The program instructions according to claim 10, wherein a record of a business process management containing the entire business process instance or the entire business process is maintained in a repository of the cloud environment.

11. The computer program product according to 10 further includes:

program instructions to trigger assignment of identifiers to at least one of the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or entire business process execution;

program instructions to tag the assignment of identifiers to the at least one of the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business process execution; and

program instructions to store the assignment of identifiers of the at least one of the one or more versions of the entire business process instance or the entire business execution archived in a repository.