Abstract: Systems and methods of improving business processes are described. These systems and methods enable service providers to improve the quality of services delivered to customers and employees by improving service execution through the optimal selection of resources (e.g., internal resources or external resources, or both) that are invoked to execute the delivered services. In one aspect, process execution data is accessed. Business process instances are classified in accordance with a quality taxonomy. A predictive model including a set of rules for scoring business process outcomes at different stages of the business process is built based upon the classified business process instances. In another aspect, process entities to be invoked at stages of an active business process instance are selected based upon the predictive model. In another aspect, a user is prompted to define a quality taxonomy for classifying outcomes of instances of a business process.

Abstract: An operations management environment is integrated with an information technology infrastructure through an adaptor, the integration occurring while the information technology infrastructure performs one or more tasks. Data from the information technology infrastructure is received through the adapter. Relationships between the artifacts included in the information technology infrastructure are modeled based on the received data. A proposed modification to the information technology infrastructure is determined based on an external change. While the information technology infrastructure performs the one or more tasks, the response of the artifacts to the proposed modification is simulated using the modeled relationships. The response of the artifacts is monitored to determine if the proposed modification implements the external change.

Abstract: A data management system includes forming a workflow data warehouse (WDW) for storing data indicative of facts specific to a workflow process. In one embodiment, the WDW is configured to categorize and store the workflow process data as generic or specific process data and as generic or specific node data. The process data are related to the execution of a sequence of workflow actions within the workflow process. The node data are related to the execution of a node within the workflow process. The WDW is formed within a workflow management system and is adapted for on-line analytical processing (OLAP). The WDW may be configured to store data associated with identifying specific behaviors within the workflow process. Moreover, the WDW is configured to enable vertical recordings of data associated with the modifications of the workflow process.

Abstract: Automatic secure application composition, in which a specification for a business process is accessed, the specification including a security annotation that defines a security intention, and a task that defines at least a portion of the business process, and that calls an external service. A security pattern associated with the security annotation is invoked, and a service provider associated with the external service that satisfies the security intention is identified based on the invoked security pattern. The business process is invoked using the identified service provider.

Abstract: A system and method comprises selecting at least one metric from an alternative representation of a database to create a request based on the at least one metric, invoking an interpreter associated with the database to return data related to the at least one metric, and displaying the data.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to a system and method for analyzing processes. Specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to identifying a node of a process that is potentially affected by an affected resource using information relating to a link between the node and the affected resource, the process having a related process instance that has an execution stage, and applying an interval prediction model corresponding to the execution stage of the process instance and the node, the interval prediction model determining a probability that the process instance will reach the node before a designated occurrence.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of monitoring business metrics, the method and apparatus providing an interface with which a user can specify what metrics to monitor, what type of visual element to use to display monitored information, and how to position the visual element on a screen.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for generating process simulation parameters. The method discloses: identifying an execution process; partitioning the process in accordance with a partitioning rule; and generating simulation parameters for each partition. The system discloses various means for effecting the method.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for analyzing quality of an electronic service (e-service), such as an Internet-based service, hosted by an e-service platform. The provider or separate administrator defines quality of e-service execution by creating quality index records stored in an e-service warehouse. The quality index records allow assigning quality indexes to e-service execution based on specified parameters related to service execution, such as parameters related to transaction duration. As e-services are executed, service data is stored in a log. The service data is processed by an extract-transfer-load (ETL) engine that transfers data from the log to the warehouse. The data is mapped to quality indexes for analysis. The data can be viewed with a reporting tool, such as a dedicated console or a commercially-available analysis tool. Using the tool, the administrator can identify patterns corresponding to poor execution quality and can attempt to resolve the problems.

Abstract: An event-based scheduling method and system for providing automatic activity synchronization and automatic data exchange between workflows and between workflows and other applications. An automatic synchronization mechanism is provided for enabling workflows to interact with other workflows or other applications to automatically synchronize activity execution. An automatic data exchange mechanism is provided for enabling workflows to exchange data with other workflows or other applications. An event processing pre-compilation architecture receives a workflow definition having at least one event node and responsive thereto generates a workflow definition without event nodes at compile time. Each event node is replaced with a translated workflow node that conforms to the syntax supported by the underlying workflow engine. The translated workflow node is also assigned to an application that can implement the desired event node semantics.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to a system and method of refreshing metrics. The method may comprise obtaining a plurality of data elements that comprise information about a process and computing a plurality of metrics from a plurality of mappings, each of the plurality of mappings relating to an operation on at least one of the plurality of data elements. Each of the plurality of metrics may have a refresh rate. Additionally, the method may comprise analyzing the refresh rate of the plurality of metrics to identify at least one shared refresh interval between groups of the plurality of metrics, identifying at least one common mapping between the plurality of metrics, and periodically refreshing the plurality of metrics, accounting for the at least one shared refresh interval and the at least one common mapping between the plurality of metrics.

Abstract: A multinode activation and termination method and system A method and system is provided for invoking multiple parallel instances of the same node. First, a multinode is defined that allows for multiple parallel activation of the node. At run time, a determination is made of the number of nodes to be activated based on an activation rule. The multinodes are then executed. Each multinode can be provided with different input data for execution, thereby allowing one to fine tune the input and attributes of each node. A termination rule is utilized to determine when the execution of the multinode is completed. When the execution of the multinode is complete, a successor node is then executed. When the execution of the multinode is not complete, processing continues on the multinode.

Abstract: An electronic services modeling tool for composite e-services and functionality, where a composite e-service is an e-service defined by composing other basic or composite e-services. Implementation of an e-service for composing e-services into a composite e-service. Characteristics of composite e-services and of their differences with respect to traditional workflow-like composition. Definition of a composition model suitable for e-services. Description of a prototype implementation, showing an approach that can be reused for implementing composition on top of any E-Services Platform. Providing composition functionality as an e-service, to be used not only by the owner of the ESP, but also by any designer-user. A specific type of e-service, meta-service, called Composition E-Service, allows the definition, execution, management, and monitoring of composite e-services. A language used for specifying the composition. Architecture and implementation of the CES to deliver the service on top of an ESP.

Abstract: A platform and method for monitoring and analyzing data is disclosed and which includes at least one measurement logic which converts service execution data having a plurality of elements into a measure, and wherein a subset of the elements of the service execution data is identified as a context; a metric which identifies an aspect of a business that a user wishes to monitor and analyze, and wherein the metric has a predetermined data type; and a meter which defines the measurement logic used to compute the measures for use with the metric and the subset of the elements within the context.

Abstract: A method of distributing workload in a workflow management system includes the step of calculating a load index for each engine of the workflow management system. The load index is calculated as an average activity execution delay attributable to the associated engine. The load indices indicate average execution latency between the start of consecutive activity nodes of a process due to engine loading exclusive of resource execution time. Workload is distributed across the plurality of engines in a load sensitive mode. In one embodiment, distribution switches from a load insensitive mode to a load sensitive mode for distributing processes when a maximum differential load index exceeds a first pre-determined threshold. Distribution switches from the load sensitive mode back to the load insensitive workload distribution mode for distributing processes when the maximum differential load index is less than a second pre-determined threshold.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system are disclosed for process evaluation. In one exemplary embodiment, a method for process evaluation includes accessing, with a computer, a set of process quality metrics; categorizing, with the computer, a set of processes based on the set of process quality metrics; and identifying, with the computer, a process from the set of processes that has a predefined set of values for the process quality metrics.

Abstract: A method of process-driven analysis of operations includes defining an abstract process, defining at least one metric over the abstract process using a metric definer and computing metric values using a metric computation engine. The method further includes building an analysis model and a prediction model using an analysis and prediction engine to provide analysis on the computed metric values and optimizing the abstract process based on the computed metric values.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to a system and a method for process discovery. Embodiments of the present invention comprise extracting process data from a data source, creating a trace using the extracted process data, wherein the trace comprises a plurality of events, and detecting a process model using the plurality of events.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to a system for simulating business processes. The system has data warehouse for storing historical execution data from executions of a first business process. The system also has a business process simulator coupled to the data warehouse and for simulating a second business process using the historical execution data as input parameters and for outputting simulated business process data.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to a system and method of refreshing metrics. The method may comprise obtaining a plurality of data elements that comprise information about a process and computing a plurality of metrics from a plurality of mappings, each of the plurality of mappings relating to an operation on at least one of the plurality of data elements. Each of the plurality of metrics may have a refresh rate. Additionally, the method may comprise analyzing the refresh rate of the plurality of metrics to identify at least one shared refresh interval between groups of the plurality of metrics, identifying at least one common mapping between the plurality of metrics, and periodically refreshing the plurality of metrics, accounting for the at least one shared refresh interval and the at least one common mapping between the plurality of metrics.