Copyright 2007, Workflow Management Coalition

Standards Standards OverviewOverview

Keith SwensonTechnical Committee Chairman WfMCVice President of R&D Fujitsu Computer Systems

Standards Landscape

Collaboration AgreementCollaboration Agreement

Process Model DiagramProcess Model Diagram

UML Activity Diagrams

BPMN 1.0

Repository & DiscoveryRepository & Discovery

UDDI

AssuranceAssurance

WS-Security SAML

Process Model Definition/Storage FormatsProcess Model Definition/Storage Formats

ebXML BPSSebXML

CPA/CPP

Transport ReliabilityTransport Reliability

ebXML-RM WS-RM ...

Transport LayerTransport Layer

HTTP JMS ...

EncodingEncoding

SOAP / AttachmentsWS-Addressing

Data DefinitionData Definition

XML-Schema

Service End Point DefinitionService End Point Definition

WSDL

Service Orchestration

Service Orchestration

Choreography DefinitionChoreography Definition

WS-CDLBPEL

Monitoring & AuditMonitoring & Audit

WfMC IF5 1.0 (CWAD)

Runtime InteractionRuntime Interaction

Wf-XML 1.0 WfMCWAPI

PresentationPresentation

XForms

Service/Human

Interaction

Service/Human

Interaction

BPEL4People

Near Completion

Stable

Under Development

Ideation Stage

BPMN 1.1

Process Model SemanticsProcess Model Semantics

BPDM 1.0

Proprietary (e.g. MQSeries)

Wf-XML 2.0

WfMC IF5 2.0

(XWAD)BPRI

BPMN 2.0 (BPDM 2)

JSF WS-RP

XPDL 2.1

RosettaNet PIPs

Standards Landscape

discuss today XPDL 2.1

BPELWf-XML

1.0Wf-XML

2.0

BPMN1.0

BPMN 1.1

Workflow / BPM Reference Model

Design &Deploy

Workflow / BPM Reference Model

BPMN

XPDL

BPEL

StandardApplicationIntegration

SOAP

REST

BPMN: Business Process Modeling Notation

• Defines the way the process LOOKS

• Provides a dictionary of standard shapes with particular meanings

• Consistent use of shape/meaning benefits everyone:• reduces the learning curve,• training on shapes is useful for multiple products

XPDL: XML Process Definition Language

• The FILE FORMAT for a process definition• Exchange process definitions between

– Different BPM/Workflow Products– Process Modelling/ Simulation tools and

BPM/Workflow Products– Supported by more than 70 commercial BPA/ BPM

products and interoperability demonstrated; use of tools that support the standard ensures that you are not locked in to any particular vendor

• Full support for BPMN

BPEL: Business Process Execution Language

• Powerful programming language for Web service orchestration and XML manipulation

• Oriented toward building composite applications, not necessarily BPM

• Inflated expectations in media to be universal process language; now disillusioned

• No support for human activities– Look to BPEL4People effort to add this

• No sub-processes– Look to BPEL Subprocess effort to add this

• No on-the-fly process modifications

Process Design Ecosystem

Vendor FVendor E

SOA DesignWorkflow Design

Vendor C Vendor DVendor BVendor A

Process Discovery Process Simulation

Process Execution

Process Modeling

Process Model Repository

Process Optimization

Process Execution

Executable Model Repository (e.g. XPDL)

Executable Model Repository (e.g. BPEL)

◄ Wf-XML ►

X

Discovery Ownership/Issue

Resources/Time

Goals/Strategies

Tool- specific Capabilities

User Needs

Process Structure is shared by all tools

Execution environments have different strengths, no model exchange at this level

PeopleIntegratio

n

Limited Portability

BPMN BPMN BPMN BPMN

Workflow / BPM Reference Model

BPMN

XPDL

SOAP

BPEL

REST

Process Distribution & Federation

Wf-XMLBPAF

Workcast

Wf-XML: Runtime Integration

• Sales Process on Server A

Draft AproveLegal

ReviewClose

ContractSpecialist

TortSpecialist

ExecAnalyst

Legal Review Process on Server B

Wf-XMLbased on SOAP or REST

Standard Protocol between process engines allows oneprocess to reuse anotheracross technologies.

Consider BLOG Based Conversations

Keith’s Blog Sandy’s Blog Bruce’s Blog

conversation

thread

Individual blog posts

Implications

• Each blog is on a different server

• References are made between server

• Conversation threads knit servers together.

• No security problem (each person guards their own servers and their own posts.)

• Cost of system born by poster

• Style of post controlled by poster

• Scalability: extremely huge!

Distributed Federated Workflow / BPM

Accounting Server

DevelopmentServer

ManagementServer

Process Instances

subprocess

Implications

• Process Fragements on different servers

• Wf-XML links knit servers together.

• No security problem (people start process fragments only on own server.)

• Cost of system born by people wanting and implementing a process fragment.

• Process definition controlled by owner

• Scalability: extremely huge!

Large Scale Federated Workflow

BusinessProcess

IntelligenceWarehouse

BPMSServers

WorklistUsers

BPAFWf-XMLWorkCast

Business Process Analytics Format

BusinessProcess

IntelligenceWarehouse

BPMSServers

BPAF

• Standardized Event Format– XML Syntax– Defined Attribute

Semantics

• Process State Model• Activity State Model• Transfer

– As a stream– On demand

Workcast Protocol

BPMSServers

WorklistUsers

WorkCast

• Based on RSS & Atom Feed– Aggregates– Syndicates

• Extended with– Due Date– Priority– Activity State– Assignee– Etc.

Consistent Global ID is critical: OpenID

BusinessProcess

IntelligenceWarehouse

BPMSServers

WorklistUsers

BPAFWf-XMLWorkCast

OpenID

OpenID

OpenID

OpenID

OpenID

Delegation & Authentication: OAuth

BPMSServers

WorklistUsers

Wf-XML

OpenID

OpenID

OpenID

• Server1 access Server2 on user’s behalf

• OAuth protocol• Secure API

Authentication

Large Scale Federated Workflow Summary

• Multiple Servers, Federated Processes

• Collecting WorkItems (Workcast)

• Collecting History (BPAF)

• Consistent Identity (OpenID)

• Security (OAuth)

• Scalability: Incredibly Huge!

BPAFWf-XMLWorkCast

Workflow / BPM Reference Model

BPMN

XPDL

SOAP

BPEL

REST

Wf-XMLBPAF

Workcast

BPM In Practice: A Primer for BPM & Workflow Standards

• All of this and more is covered in this new book from Keith Swenson and Robert Shapiro available at:

http://www.lulu.com/content/2244958

• See the related blog at:

http://kswenson.wordpress.com/books

Process Thought Leadership