Towards Workflow Pattern Support ofEvent-Driven Process Chains (EPC)

Jan Mendling, Gustaf NeumannDept. of IS and New Media, WU Wien, Austria

Markus NüttgensChair of ISHWP Hamburg, Germany

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Agenda

1. Introduction

2. Supported Patterns by EPCs

3. yEPC extensions to cover the remaining Patterns

4. Representation in EPML

5. Conclusion and Future Work

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Agenda

Introduction

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Who knows this?

OR-Join in Notation of YAWL

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Workflow Patterns and YAWL

• Workflow Patterns

• Research by van der Aalst, ter Hofstede, Kiepuszewski, and Barros

• Analysis of various workflow systems

• 20 control flow patterns

• YAWL

• Petri nets and other languages capture subset

• New language needed

• Yet Another Workflow Language (YAWL)

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Agenda

Supported Patterns by EPCs

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WP 1: Sequence

A B

Function Event

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WP 2 + 3: Parallel Split and Synchronization

(b)(a)

A

B

C

D

B

C

D

E

AND Split AND Join

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(b)(a)

A

B

C

D

B

C

D

E

WP 4 + 5: Exclusive Choice and Simple Merge

XOR Split XOR Join

EPC XOR Join != YAWL XOR Join

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(b)(a)

A

B

C

D

B

C

D

E

WP 6 + 7: Multiple Choice and Synchronizing Merge

OR Split OR Join

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WP 10 + 11: Arbitrary Cycles and Implicit Termination

A

B

C

D End 3

End 2

End 1

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Supported Patterns by EPCs

1. Sequence

2. Parallel Split

3. Synchronization

4. Exclusive Choice

5. Simple Merge NOT supported

6. Multiple Choice

7. Synchronizing Merge

1. Arbitrary Cycles

2. Implicit Termination

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Agenda

yEPC extensions to cover the remaining Patterns

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WP 16 + 5: Deferred Choice and Simple Merge

(a) (b)

B

A

D

C

B

C

D

E

Empty Split Empty Join

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WP 17: Interleaved Parallel Routing

B

A mutex

C

E

pre-C

pre-B post-B

post-C

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WP 18: Milestone

AMile-stone

B

DC E

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WP 19 + 20: Termination of Activity / Case

A B

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WP 9: Discriminator

B

C

D

E

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WP 12: Multiple Instances without Synch

(b) [min, max, required, creation](a)

A B

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WP 13-15: Multiple Instances with Synch

(a)

A

(b)[min, max, required, creation] [min, max, required, creation]

B

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Agenda

Representation in EPML

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yEPCs in EPML

<epml>...<epc epcId='1' name='example'> <function id='1'> <multiple minimum='3' maximum='6' required='4' creation='static'/> </function> <arc> <flow source='1' target='2'/> </arc> <empty id='2'/> <function id='3'> <cancel id='1'/> <cancel id='3'/> <cancel id='6'/> </function> ...</epc></epml>

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Agenda

Conclusion and Future Work

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Conclusions and Future Work

• EPCs and Petri nets

• Both missed multiple instantiation and cancellation patterns

• EPCs missed state-based patterns

• Petri nets missed complex routing

• Approaching YAWL semantics from EPCs

• Introduction of empty connector

• Inclusion of cancellation concept

• Inclusion of multiple instantiation concept

• Future Work

• Formal definition and tool support

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Further information

Thank you for your attention!

Jan Mendling, Gustaf Neumann

Dept. Of IS and New MediaWU Wien, Austria{jan.mendling | neumann}@wu-

wien.ac.at

Markus Nüttgens HWP Hamburg, Germanynuettgens@hwp-hamburg.de