Modeling Flexible Business Processes with Business Rule Patterns

Milan Milanović1, Dragan Gašević2, Luis Rocha2

1University of Belgrade, Serbia2Athabasca University, AB, Canada

https://semtech.athabascau.ca

Motivation Modeling flexible business process

Integration of rules in processes

Motivation Modeling flexible business process

Integration of rules in processes Patterns for Rules in BPs [Graml et al., 2007]

Control flow decisions

Control flow decisions

Rule types

DR IR PrR

Control flow decisions

Decision logic abstraction + Decision node to business rule binding + Decision with flexible input data + Decision flexible output + +

Data constraints

Constraints at predefined checkpoint + Constraints at multiple checkpoints + Constraints enforced by external data context +

Dynamic BP composition

Business rule-based subprocess selection +

Business rule-based process composition + +

Rule and Processes Observations

Implementation focus primarily Development complexity Weak integration with information modeling Questionable declarative definition of rules

To what extent can a rule-enhanced

business process modeling language address the observed problems

MODELS 2009

Research Objective

Rule-enhanced BP modeling language Integrates BPMN2 and R2ML (EDOC 2009)

Improved expressivity (BuRO 2010) A rule can be associated with a flow element Advice-like types – before, after around

Models rule-enhanced Orchestrations (CASCON 2009) Choreographies (EDOC 2010)

rBPMN

Rule Modeling REWERSE I1 Rule Markup Language (R2ML)

with a UML-based graphical concrete syntax

MODELS 2009

REWERSE I1 Rule Markup Language

MODELS 2009

Extension for Rule Models

rBPMN metamodel weaving

rBPMN Example

rBPMN Example

http://code.google.com/p/rbpmneditor/

rBPMN Editor

http://code.google.com/p/rbpmneditor/wiki/Patterns

Control Flow Decisions Decision logic abstraction pattern

Data Constraints Constraints at multiple checkpoints

Data Constraints Constraints at multiple checkpoints

Data Constraints Constraints enforced by external data context

Dynamic BP Composition Business rule-based subprocess selection

Dynamic BP Composition Business rule-based subprocess selection

Book Store Case Study

Case Study – Book Store

Case Study – Book Store

Constraints at predefined checkpoint

Case Study – Book StoreDecision point abstraction pattern

Case Study – Book Store

Rules in the process Reaction rules attached to R2

Case Study – Book Store

Case Study – Book StoreDecision node to business rule binding

Case Study – Book Store

Case Study – Book StoreSub-process selection

ComparisonPattern group Pattern name Original rBPMN

DR IR PrR DR IR PR RR

Control flow decisions

Decision logic abstraction + + +

Decision node to business rule binding + + + Decision with flexible input data + + + Decision flexible output + + +

Data constraints

Constraints at predefined checkpoint + +

Constraints at multiple checkpoints + + Constraints enforced by external data context + + +

Dynamic BP composition

Business rule-based subprocess selection + +

Business rule-based process composition + + + +

Systematic rules & process modeling Same abstraction level & shared vocabularies Declaratively expressed rules Higher potential for BP flexibility

MODELS 2009

Conclusion

Formal verification of rBPMN processes Petri Nets and well-formedness

Executable rBPMN Concrete syntax

Reduction of the graphical concrete syntax Semi-structure English for rules Controlled experiments

Maintainability and usability

MODELS 2009

Future Work

Thank you!

Questions?

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