Synchronization of runtime and application state via batching of workflow transactions

• US 20060136279A1
• Filed: 12/22/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Somasekaran, Anandhi, Thatte, Satish R., Maybee, Paul E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,665,093 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Workflow management for maintaining consistency of persisted state across communicating components via batching of uncommitted work. A workflow component defines a workflow containing work items to be performed by service provider components. The workflow component assigns the work items to the service provider components, and the service provider components acknowledge the assigned work items. The workflow component appends the assigned work items to a work batch. The workflow component creates a transaction containing the batched work items. The workflow component commits to the workflow by requesting the service provider components to perform the work items. The workflow component checks the state of the execution of the work items and stores the state in a persistent storage.

Claims

1. A method for managing state in a workflow, said method comprising:

defining one or more work items to be executed;

assigning said one or more defined work items to one or more service provider components for execution;

batching said one or more assigned work items to said one or more service provider components at a later time;

persisting a state of said one or more batched work items; and

committing the one or more service provider components to execute the one or more batched work items, wherein said one or more service provider components execute the one or more committed work items.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein committing comprises at least one of the following:

creating a transaction; and

appending the one or more batched work items to a transaction.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein appending comprises segmenting the one or more appended work items in the transaction as a function of the one or more defined work items.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the one or more service provider components are part of one or more of the following:

one or more host environments and one or more host environments that are remote with respect to said one or more defined work items, and

wherein the one or more work items include at least one or more of the following;

messaging, instance, transaction, persistence, threading, timer, roles, and tracking.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending a message by the one or more service provider components upon failure to execute the one or more committed work items.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein persisting comprises saving the state of said one or more batched work items in a computer-readable medium, wherein the state of said one or more assigned work items includes at least one of the following:

completed, executing, and abandoned.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 1.

8. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable components for managing state in a workflow, said components comprising:

a workflow component for assigning one or more work items to be executed, wherein said workflow component defines the one or more work items, wherein said workflow component batches one or more assigned work items at a later time; and

one or more service provider components for committing to execute the one or more batched work items.

9. The computer-readable media of claim 8 further comprising a memory for storing a persistent state of the one or more batched work items, wherein said persistent state of the one or more batched work items includes at least one of the following:

completed, executing, and abandoned.

10. The computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein the workflow component creates a transaction, said transaction includes the one or more batched work items.

11. The computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein the workflow component further comprising segmenting the one or more assigned work items in the transaction as a function of the one or more defined work items.

12. The computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein the one or more service provider components are part of one or more host environments.

13. The computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein the workflow component assigns said one or more defined work items to one or more service provider components for execution, said one or more service provider components are part of one or more host environments that are remote with respect to said one or more defined work items.

14. The computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein the one or more service provider components notify the workflow component upon failure to execute the one or more committed work items.

15. A method for managing workflow of one or more work items executable by a first host environment, said method comprising:

receiving, at the first host environment, an assignment to execute one or more work items;

appending the one or more assigned work items to a batch, wherein appending indicates said one or more assigned work items to be executed by the first host environment at a later time;

receiving, at the first host environment, a request to execute the one or more assigned work items; and

executing, at the first host environment, the one or more requested work items.

16. The method of claim 15,

wherein the assignment includes one or more defined work items,

wherein the transaction comprises defining an atomic transaction boundary for the one or more work items in the transaction as a function of the one or more defined work items, and

wherein the one or more work items are executable in a second host environment.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising saving the state of the one or more batched work items in the transaction according to the defined atomic transaction boundary of the one or more work items.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising saving the state of the one or more batched work items in a computer-readable medium, wherein the state of the one or more batched work items includes at least one of the following:

completed, executing, and abandoned.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising appending the batch to a transaction.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising sending a message by the first host environment upon failure to execute the one or more committed work items.