XML Process Definition Language Research Articles

Mapping Timer Event from Business Process Model on Windows Workflow Foundation

A method to mapping timer event in business process model into Activity in Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) was proposed. This method can work with general business process because the model is designed in Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) 1.1 and it uses XML Process Definition Language (XPDL) 2.1 version as the file format. Experiment result showed that timer event could be directly mapped to flowchart model in Windows Workflow Foundation and the mapped flowchart model satisfied the functionality of timer event.

RESTFul based heterogeneous Geoprocessing workflow interoperation for Sensor Web Service

Advanced sensors on board satellites offer detailed Earth observations. A workflow is one approach for designing, implementing and constructing a flexible and live link between these sensors' resources and users. It can coordinate, organize and aggregate the distributed sensor Web services to meet the requirement of a complex Earth observation scenario.A RESTFul based workflow interoperation method is proposed to integrate heterogeneous workflows into an interoperable unit. The Atom protocols are applied to describe and manage workflow resources. The XML Process Definition Language (XPDL) and Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) workflow standards are applied to structure a workflow that accesses sensor information and one that processes it separately. Then, a scenario for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from a volcanic eruption is used to investigate the feasibility of the proposed method. The RESTFul based workflows interoperation system can describe, publish, discover, access and coordinate heterogeneous Geoprocessing workflows.

Implementation of workflow engine technology to deliver basic clinical decision support functionality

BackgroundWorkflow engine technology represents a new class of software with the ability to graphically model step-based knowledge. We present application of this novel technology to the domain of clinical decision support. Successful implementation of decision support within an electronic health record (EHR) remains an unsolved research challenge. Previous research efforts were mostly based on healthcare-specific representation standards and execution engines and did not reach wide adoption. We focus on two challenges in decision support systems: the ability to test decision logic on retrospective data prior prospective deployment and the challenge of user-friendly representation of clinical logic.ResultsWe present our implementation of a workflow engine technology that addresses the two above-described challenges in delivering clinical decision support. Our system is based on a cross-industry standard of XML (extensible markup language) process definition language (XPDL). The core components of the system are a workflow editor for modeling clinical scenarios and a workflow engine for execution of those scenarios. We demonstrate, with an open-source and publicly available workflow suite, that clinical decision support logic can be executed on retrospective data. The same flowchart-based representation can also function in a prospective mode where the system can be integrated with an EHR system and respond to real-time clinical events. We limit the scope of our implementation to decision support content generation (which can be EHR system vendor independent). We do not focus on supporting complex decision support content delivery mechanisms due to lack of standardization of EHR systems in this area. We present results of our evaluation of the flowchart-based graphical notation as well as architectural evaluation of our implementation using an established evaluation framework for clinical decision support architecture.ConclusionsWe describe an implementation of a free workflow technology software suite (available at http://code.google.com/p/healthflow) and its application in the domain of clinical decision support. Our implementation seamlessly supports clinical logic testing on retrospective data and offers a user-friendly knowledge representation paradigm. With the presented software implementation, we demonstrate that workflow engine technology can provide a decision support platform which evaluates well against an established clinical decision support architecture evaluation framework. Due to cross-industry usage of workflow engine technology, we can expect significant future functionality enhancements that will further improve the technology's capacity to serve as a clinical decision support platform.

PS1-21: Evaluation of Commercial Workflow Engine for Modeling Clinical Processes in Quality Improvement and Decision Support

Vojtech Huser, MD, PhD, Peggy L Peissig, MBA, Carl A Christensen, MS and Justin B Starren, MD, PhD Vojtech Huser, MD, PhD, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation (Biomedical Informatics Research Center); Peggy L Peissig, MBA, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation (Biomedical Informatics Research Center); Carl A Christensen, MS, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation (Biomedical Informatics Research Center); Justin B Starren, MD, PhD, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation (Biomedical Informatics Research Center)

Towards the Mapping of Multidimensional BPMN Models to Process Definition Standards

Business Process Management (BPM) community has accepted Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) as de facto business process modeling standard. In this research BPMN is chosen as the notation for representation of multidimensional business processes, as it uses the set of graphical elements that can be refined with specific attributes, allowing to describe every important aspect of the business process, which can be regarded as the modeling dimension. However, BPMN is only graphical notation and does not support the essence of BPM – full business process lifecycle support: from documenting and modeling to execution and monitoring. To accelerate the adoption of BPM, industry has come forward with two BPMN complementing standards – Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) and XML Process Definition Language (XPDL). These two standards are used for different purposes – BPEL is process execution language and XPDL is process exchange language. The problem of mapping BPMN models to BPEL and XPDL is covered in various sources. This paper addresses the issue of mapping BPMN process models in different dimensions to BPEL and XPDL and explores how the structure of BPEL and XPDL is affected after the process is transformed to another dimension. The findings during experiments accomplished in this research can contribute to the creation of the guidelines of how BPMN model in different dimensions can be executed using BPEL or interchanged between different modelling tools.

Transformation in QVT of Software Development Process based on SPEM to Workflows

This work provides a solution to automate the software development processes specified by the software process engineering metamodel (SPEM). To achieve this automation, the software development activities specified in SPEM are transformed in a subprocess specification of the Business Process Modeling notation (BPMN) defined by object management group (OMG), this transformation is done by Relations language which belongs to Query/Views/ Transformations (QVT). The obtained BPMN subprocess definition is turned into a specification in a standard language to put in action the workflow processes, such as Business process execution language for Web services (BPEL4WS) o XML Process definition language (XPDL). Therefore, in this way, the specification for the language to be implemented will be the input to a Workflow engine. Not only is the automation of the transformation achieved by this specification, but also, and basically, the automation of any software development process specified by SPEM through its transformation into BPMN subprocesses.

Model-based evolution of collaborative agent-based systems

Abstract As demands for behaviorally sophisticated software grow, agent-based systems are increasingly being employed. Software agents are frequently applied to large, complex systems that involve interdisciplinary development teams. These complex systems have proved to be challenging to develop and evolve, even for the most competent software engineers. Taking lessons learned in other engineering disciplines such as computer and architectural engineering we investigated a model-based engineering approach called Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) to automate, whenever possible, the development and evolution of agent-based applications. In our investigation, we use the Cognitive Agent Architecture (Cougaar); one of the most mature and sophisticated collaborative agent-based architectures. MDA and Cougaar served as the primary components and implementation platform for our research. In this paper we present our approach and demonstrate how MDA is effective for producing sophisticated agent-based systems. A key challenge was found in designing a flexible meta-model framework that would accommodate both top-down domain information and bottom-up platform specific constructs, as well as the transformations and mappings between them. We employed a General Domain Application Model (GDAM) as the platform-independent model layer and General Cougaar Application Model (GCAM) layer as the platform specific model respectively. Domain-level requirements are formulated using a XML Process Definition Language (XPDL) based graphical editor and are the refined through a series of model transformations (via the underlying metamodel) to systematically generate the agent-based software system. Through an illustrative case-study, we report on the feasibility, strengths and limitations of the model-based approach as it was investigated with the Cougaar.

Towards Software Process Enactment Based on the SPEM2XPDL Model Transformation

SPEM (software process engineering metamodel) is the standard metamodel put forward by OMG (object management group) and widely accepted in industry. However, its model enactment is still at the early stage. In this paper, software process is viewed as a specialization of the more general kind of process known as workflow. SPEM2XPDL is presented as a software process enactment approach based on the model transformation. The well-defined mapping rules from SPEM to XPDL (XML process definition language) metamodels are provided and the corresponding transformation algorithm and engine are developed. This approach is implemented in the SoftPM project. After transformed to XPDL format, the SPEM models are successfully enacted by Shark, a famous XPDL

The application of UML to the design of processes supporting product configuration management

Product configuration management (PCM) is an important issue for complex products with long life cycles. In this paper a unified-modelling-language (UML)-based approach is introduced to define a PCM process model developed, as part of the Framework V DIECoM project, for use in the aerospace and automotive industries. This paper presents an integrated modelling methodology that extends the semantics of UML to support the automated generation of workflow management coalition (WfMC) XML process definition language (XPDL) workflow templates from XML metadata interchange (XMI) definitions. As a result workflow definition is achieved by transforming the XMI file, representing the serialized UML model, into XPDL by the application of a customized extensible stylesheet language (XSL) stylesheet. The modelling methodology is illustrated using the change configuration management process. The process model is defined using Rational Rose and transformed into XPDL for workflow enactment using ENOVIA LCA.

Achieving Agile Enterprise Through Integrated Process Management

Project management tools are used to manage projects from time as well as from resource leveling perspectives. Workflow management systems guide users through processes by driving the processes based on formal process definitions also called workflow types. This paper describes an integrated process management system that will integrate project management, business process modeling, simulation, and workflow technologies in order to support scheduled workflow execution. The target will be achieved by utilizing a tool for modeling work processes that can semi-automatically generate workflow processes based on a scheduling tool and then export it to a workflow engine via Web services using XML process definition language (XPDL). Addition of simulation capability allows testing workflows before deployment.