Transformation of yEPC Business Process Models to YAWL

Jan Mendling Vienna University of EconomicsMichael Moser Vienna University of EconomicsGustaf Neumann Vienna University of Economics

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 2

Agenda

1. What is the Motivation of this transformation?

2. What EPC extensions do yEPCs introduce?

3. Differences between yEPCs and YAWL

4. Conclusion and Future Research

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 3

Agenda

What is the motivation of this transformation?

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 4

Business Process and Workflow Modeling

Business Process Modeling

Workflow Modeling

Customer inquiries

about products

Customer inquiry

processing

Document to be created from sales

activity

XOR

V

XOR

Quotation to be created from inquiry

Inquiry items are rejected

Customer inquiry is

transmitted

Inquiry is created EPCs

YAWL

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 5

Motivation of yEPCs to YAWL transformation

• Lots of business process models are available as EPCs

• YAWL is a workflow language with

• Execution semantics and

• Verification tools

• Transformation provides formal semantics of YAWL for yEPCs

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 6

yEPC symbols

Event

Function

Hierarchical Function

ProcessInterface

OR-Connector

XOR-Connector

AND-Connector

EmptyConnector

[min, max, required, creation]Multiple instantiation parameters

Cancellation area

AtomicTask

Condition

InputCondition

OutputCondition

AND-SplitTask

AND-JoinTask

OR-SplitTask

OR-JoinTask

XOR-SplitTask

XOR-JoinTask

CompositeTask

Cancellation

MultipleInstanceAtomicTask

MultipleInstance

CompositeTask

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 7

EPC example from the SAP reference model

Customer inquiries

about products

Customer inquiry

processing

Document to be created from sales

activity

XOR

V

XOR

Quotation to be created from inquiry

Inquiry items are rejected

Customer inquiry is

transmitted

Inquiry is created

Function

Events

Connector

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 8

YAWL Notation

AtomicTask

Condition

InputCondition

OutputCondition

AND-SplitTask

AND-JoinTask

OR-SplitTask

OR-JoinTask

XOR-SplitTask

XOR-JoinTask

CompositeTask

Cancellation

MultipleInstanceAtomicTask

MultipleInstance

CompositeTask

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 9

YAWL Model for Customer Inquiry

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 10

Application of the transformation

V

V

V

SAP Reference Model

EPC to YAWL

Generated YAWL Models

Model Analyzer

WofYAWL <warning>Task or (ahvi) may not forward control to task xor (aho7)</warning><warning>Task or (ahvi) may not forward control to task and (ahql)</warning>...

WofYAWL Analysis Output

<model><treenr>Asset Accounting</treenr><modelnr>1</modelnr><modeltype>MT_EEPC</modeltype><level>5</level><name>Index Series</name><events>0</events><andsplits>0</andsplits><arcs>2</arcs><hasCycles>false</hasCycles>...

Model Characteristics Table Generator

# # # # # ## ## # # # # ## ## # # # # ## ## # # # # ## ## # # # # ## ## # # # # ## #

Analysis Table

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 11

Agenda

What EPC extensions do yEPCs introduce?

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 12

Workflow Patterns Support of EPCs

• 20 Workflow Patterns as benchmark

• EPCs cannot express:

• Deferred choice

• Multiple instantiation

• State-based patterns

• Cancellation patterns

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 13

yEPC symbols

Event

Function

Hierarchical Function

ProcessInterface

OR-Connector

XOR-Connector

AND-Connector

EmptyConnector

[min, max, required, creation]Multiple instantiation parameters

Cancellation area

AtomicTask

Condition

InputCondition

OutputCondition

AND-SplitTask

AND-JoinTask

OR-SplitTask

OR-JoinTask

XOR-SplitTask

XOR-JoinTask

CompositeTask

Cancellation

MultipleInstanceAtomicTask

MultipleInstance

CompositeTask

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 14

Interleaved Parallel Routing

B

A mutex

C

E

pre-C

pre-B post-B

post-C

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 15

Agenda

What are the differences between yEPC and YAWL?

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 16

Differences yEPC and YAWL

START A START B

Function 2Function 1

Event 1

Event 2 Event 3

Function 3 Function 4 Function 5 Function 6

END BEND A

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 17

Multiple Start and End Events

e1 e2

e1 e2

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 18

Connector Chains

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 19

Events and State Representation

Function 1

Event 1

Function 3 Function 4

Function 1

Function 3 Function 4

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 20

Agenda

Conclusion and Future Work

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 21

Conclusion

Conclusion

• yEPC-based modelling of all workflow patterns

• yEPC execution semantics via mapping to YAWL

• Verification of EPCs using YAWL analysis tools

ACM SAC - Model Transformation TrackFolie 22

Application of the transformation

V

V

V

SAP Reference Model

EPC to YAWL

Generated YAWL Models

Model Analyzer

WofYAWL <warning>Task or (ahvi) may not forward control to task xor (aho7)</warning><warning>Task or (ahvi) may not forward control to task and (ahql)</warning>...

WofYAWL Analysis Output

<model><treenr>Asset Accounting</treenr><modelnr>1</modelnr><modeltype>MT_EEPC</modeltype><level>5</level><name>Index Series</name><events>0</events><andsplits>0</andsplits><arcs>2</arcs><hasCycles>false</hasCycles>...

Model Characteristics Table Generator

# # # # # ## ## # # # # ## ## # # # # ## ## # # # # ## ## # # # # ## ## # # # # ## #

Analysis Table

34 of 603 EPC models had formal errors (deadlock, lifelock, etc.)