EDIT WP5 Internet Platform for Cybertaxonomy Proposal for a Workflow Management Software Gubányi A.-Kiss, V.-Kilián, I. (Hungarian Natural History Museum)

EDIT WP5 Internet Platform for

Cybertaxonomy

Proposal for a Workflow Management SoftwareGubányi A.-Kiss, V.-Kilián, I. (Hungarian Natural History Museum)Meeting: HNHM Budapest, 7-May-07.

Workflow modelling

•The basic concepts and relationships to be modelled

•Incremental evolution with other concepts

•Inferred relationships: eg. sequence of activities can be inferred from dataflow model.

•Other business rules/constraints

analysis Business Objects

product

Actor

Activ ity

Tool

+result

+input

+operates

+performs

Workflow modelling

•The basic concepts and relationships to be modelled

•Incremental evolution with other concepts

•Inferred relationships: eg. sequence of activities can be inferred from dataflow model.

•Other business rules/constraints

analysis Business Objects

product

Actor

Activ ity

Tool

+result

+input

+operates

+performspart

Workflow modelling

•The basic concepts and relationships to be modelled

•Incremental evolution with other concepts

•Inferred relationships: eg. sequence of activities can be inferred from dataflow model.

•Other business rules/constraints

analysis Business Objects

product

Actor

Activ ity

Tool

+result

+input

+operates

+performspart

+input +output

Workflow modelling

•The basic concepts and relationships to be modelled

•Incremental evolution with other concepts

•Inferred relationships: eg. sequence of activities can be inferred from dataflow model.

•Other business rules/constraints

analysis Business Objects

product

Actor

Activ ity

Tool

Capability

Licence

+result

+input

+operates

+performspart

+input +output

Workflow modelling scheme

•The basic concepts and relationships to be modelled

•Incremental evolution with other concepts

•Inferred relationships: eg. sequence of activities can be inferred from dataflow model.

•Other business rules/constraints

analysis Business Objects

product

Actor

Activ ity

Tool

Capability

LicenceMaterial

+result

+input

+operates

+performspart

+input +output

Basic Workflow Modelling

Human Actors– tasks are passed to them electronically)

Activities– information gathering– decisions– wrappers for System Actors

System Actors– Embedded software (word processors, RDBMS)– Attached hardware (GPS, Camera, etc.)

Workflow Management Software in a Nutshell I.

Client-Server solution– Server side

maintains the workflow appoints new workers

– Client side Feeding information by forms Wrappers for common software Downloading information from external devices directly

(camera, GPS) Downloading information from Web-based electronic

services (databases)

Workflow Management Software in a Nutshell II.

Standalone solution for field work– Standalone solution running on a single (on a small

network of laptops) Reduced functionality No Internet access No huge database access

Export-import/download-upload functionality Exporting the working environment to a laptop before field

work Importing the working environment to a laptop afterwards

Workflow Management Software in a Nutshell III.

Proposal for implementation– Server-based Java programming (Java Server Pages– Thin-Fat client: functionality is embedded in client side only

when it is delivered by external software Description of workflows

– Alternatives for workflows depending on discipline– Compiled vs. interpreted solution

Compiled: workflows are hard-coded Interpreted: metamodel is hard-coded (customizable!)

– Language of workflow description UML Activity diagrams? Business Process Engineering Language BPEL UML Software Process Engineering Model SPEM

Workflow Management Software in a Nutshell IV.

Interpreted workflow description (proposal)– Metamodel is hard coded– Workflow customization/editing facilities are to be

programmed (new Use Case!!!)

Thank you for your attention!