Abstract: A technique for improving staff queries within a process model of a workflow is provided. A workflow management system selects a set of individuals of a staff or resources to perform an activity of the process model based on a staff query. The members of the set act as candidates for executing the activity. The staff query takes into account the requirements needed to successfully execute the particular activity. The particular activity is then executed by one or more resources from the selected set or execution fails. Execution failure means that the assignment to the individual or resource was incorrect due to deficiencies in the staff query. Success or failure of execution is logged in an audit trail. Following execution failure, an improved staff query is generated for the given activity based on the information logged in the audit trail. This avoids subsequent suboptimal assignments of the activity to the individuals or resources.

Abstract: For a software component to be installed on a target computer system a product dependency graph is determined which identifies additional software components required by the to-be-installed software component as prerequisite or corequisite software components. For each of these software components a corresponding installation facility is determined. Then a process model is generated being executable by a Workflow Management System (WFMS). The WFMS process model comprises a directed graph of activities, wherein each software component of the product dependency graph is associated with an activity such that when the activity is executed the installation facility corresponding to each of the software components is performed. Moreover, the WFMS process model is generated in a way that the sequence of activities in the directed graph is not violating the dependencies of the software components in the product dependency graph. Finally the WFMS process model is inserted in the WFMS as the provisioning process.

Abstract: For a software component to be installed on a target computer system a product dependency graph is determined which identifies additional software components required by the to-be-installed software component as prerequisite or corequisite software components. For each of these software components a corresponding installation facility is determined. Then a process model is generated being executable by a Workflow Management System (WFMS). The WFMS process model comprises a directed graph of activities, wherein each software component of the product dependency graph is associated with an activity such that when the activity is executed the installation facility corresponding to each of the software components is performed. Moreover, the WFMS process model is generated in a way that the sequence of activities in the directed graph is not violating the dependencies of the software components in the product dependency graph. Finally the WFMS process model is inserted in the WFMS as the provisioning process.

Abstract: The current invention relates to a definition of a process model in a Workflow Management System or a computer system with comparable functionality (WFMS) wherein said process model is modeling at least one hyper-edge said hyper-edge representing a boundary within said process model. According to the current invention the process model is realized by defining said hyper-edge by one or a multitude of additional hyper-edge nodes being part of said process model.

Abstract: A system for improved scheduling of resources within a Workflow-Management-System or a computer system with comparable functionality (WFMS). Based on a new resource specification comprised within a process model and associated with an activity, the WFMS determines the resources required for execution of said activity. The invention further schedules a request for allocation of said resources on behalf and in advance of starting execution of said activity. This approach reduces the execution time of the activity as all resources required by the activity will be available when execution of the activity begins; the activity does not have to wait for these resources. Moreover, a WFMS knowing the required resources of the activities it is administrating is able to schedule resource requests to avoid resource conflicts between the activities.

Abstract: Transactions within a process model are determined by grouping a set of individual process activities into a single transaction. This effectively reduces the processing overhead, and, therefore, improves the overall throughput and latency of the execution of the process model. The transaction is determined by performing an optimization procedure that takes into account the structure of the process model as well as various properties of the single process activities of the process model. Analysis of the properties of the process activities as well as application of the optimization procedure is performed dynamically during execution of the process model by a workflow engine.

Abstract: The present invention proposes a computerized method and means for providing an improved handling of messages directed to an user of an electronic messaging system. The suggested method comprises a first step of determining user characteristics capable of identifying the user as an addressee of a message. The method further comprises a second step of analyzing a certain message and determining its message characteristics exploiting the information contained in one or a multitude of message fields. The method finally comprises a third step of applying at least one deduction rule of a potential set of deduction rules to said certain message. The deduction rule assigns based on the user characteristics and the message characteristics a role of said user to said certain message. The role is capable of revealing said user's relationship to said certain message.

Abstract: A method for automated process distribution includes selecting a process definition; identifying a first process portion and at least one second process portion in the process definition; generating a first further process definition for the first process portion; generating a second further process definition for each the second process portion; generating a corresponding service definition for each the second further process definition. In the method, generating the first, further process definition includes generating a process definition element configured to invoke at least one service of the service definitions, and generating the second further process definition includes generating a process definition element configured to offer a service of the service definition corresponding to that second further process definition.

Abstract: A system and method determine numerical representations for categorical data fields by taking advantage of the redundancy of the data records to allow automatic discovery of an order of the categories. A categorical data field is recoded by creating separate tables for each numerical data field occurring in the data records. The separate tables are sorted according to the numerical values of the respective data fields. The recoding of the categories is performed based on the average sort order of occurrences of the category in a specific sorted table. The standard deviation of the numerical codes provided by the categories is calculated for each of the separate recoding tables. The recoding table with the maximum standard deviation is selected as the recoding table to perform the recoding of the categories contained in the respective categorical data field of the data records.

Abstract: In a computer system of a sender, means is generated for a message. The means represents a reward offer for a receiver of the message for acting on the message. The message and means are sent to at least one receiver. The message and means associated with the message are received in a receiver computer system. It is checked whether the message is acted on in accordance with the reward offer in the receiver computer system. Realization of the reward offer is initiated in response to the message being acted on in accordance with the reward offer.

Abstract: Method and system for serializing access to datasets, suitable for use in a workflow management system which executes multiple business processes, wherein a single process instance is enabled to invoke web services which may update datasets of different storages holding redundant information. Business Process Execution Language for Web Services allows defining business processes that make use of web services and business processes that externalize their functionality as web services. As the business process has no knowledge about data that is accessed by invoked web services, concurrent process instances may update the same pieces of information within a database. Unless access to the data is carried out as a transaction, parallel execution of the process instances may cause data inconsistencies, which may be avoided by serializing tile execution of process in stances based on correlation information associated with messages consumed by the process instances.

Abstract: To improve a compressor for refrigerant, comprising an outer casing, a scroll compressor disposed in the outer casing, a drive unit, disposed in the outer casing, for the second compressor body, having an eccentric drive, a drive shaft running in lying arrangement or approximately horizontally in the outer casing and a drive motor, which includes a stator and a rotor seated on the drive shaft, as well as a lubricant supply, in such a manner that the minimum possible quantity of lubricant is required, it is proposed that a lubricant collection space is disposed in the outer casing, that the lubricant supply has a delivery wheel which delivers lubricant from a delivery sump into a feed space for the drive shaft, and that a lower pressure prevails in a lubricant delivery space accommodating the delivery sump than in the lubricant collection space, so that the lubricant which collects in the lubricant space, on account of the pressure difference, passes into the delivery sump.

Abstract: The present invention provides a computerized method for determining an addressee of a signaling request within a Workflow Management System or a computer system with comparable functionality (WFMS). Upon receiving a signaling request, which is providing a set of signal data elements, the current invention avoids the requirement that the signal data elements comprise any explicit specification of an addressee of said signaling request. To determine whether an event-activity of a process-instance being the instance of a process-model of a business-process is the potential addressee of the signaling request it is suggested to determine, whether the process-model comprises an event-identification-specification. This event-identification-specification according to the current invention is involving a subset of the signal data elements. Evaluating the event-identification-specification allows to indirectly decide if the event-activity is the addressee of the signaling request.

Abstract: The current invention relates to a technology for processing of compensation scopes comprised within atomic scopes of a process model by a Workflow Management System or a computer system with comparable functionality (WFMS). The method comprises a step of checking whether the atomic scope of the process instance of that process model has been aborted abnormally. If this is the case, in a further step it is analyzed if in the process model the compensation scope has been associated with a specific atomic scope behavior specification, defining a specific abort handling for the compensation scope in the particular case that the compensation scope is comprised within an atomic scope and the atomic scope has been aborted. In a final step the compensation scope is processed according to the specific atomic scope behavior specification.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for implementing a recovery process for a resource manager. The method and apparatus has the resource manager take checkpoints in a manner such that in the case of failure of the resource manager, the time it takes to have requests processed again is shorter than a specified request processing time.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a technique for controlling the creation of process instances within an execution environment such as a Workflow Management Sytem. Upon receiving a request to create a process instance and corresponding input data to be processed by the process instance, a process instance identifier is first constructed for the process instance to be created based on the provided input. Next, the create request is executed, but only if no process instance exists or existed with the same process instance identifier. In the case where a process instance already exists or existed with the same process instance identifier, the present invention permits a user-defined action to be carried out to avoid an identifier conflict.

Abstract: A computerized method of managing workload within a Workflow-Management-System (WFMS), the WFMS having a process-model, the process-model including one or more activities being the nodes of an arbitrary graph, and directed edges of the graph defining a potential control-flow within the process-model. The method comprises a determination-step, wherein the process-model is analyzed if a priority-execution-indicator is assigned to the activity within the process model; and a launching step, wherein, in the affirmative case of the determination-step, the WFMS launches execution of the activity in the activity's execution-environment with an execution priority specified according to the priority execution indicator. Moreover the WFMS can set its own execution priority, and processing-related messages for communication are set to the execution priority specified.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for processing of start conditions of activities within a process model processable by a Workflow Management System (WFMS); said process model comprises activities being nodes of an graph and directed control connectors defining a potential control flow. The method evaluates, if a target-activity may be started, by evaluating the truth-value of a start-condition once the truth-values of all incoming control-connectors of said target-activity have been posted. A further timed-evaluation-step evaluates, if at least a first one of said incoming control-connectors is associated with a time-interval, and if said time-interval has been met. In the affirmative case said timed-evaluation-step continues the processing to start said target-activity even if not all truth-values of said incoming control-connectors have been posted yet under the condition, that the truth-value of said first incoming control-connector has been posted and that said truth-value evaluates to TRUE.

Abstract: The invention provides a method, a data processing system and a computer program product for evaluating an expression of a process model. The process model has at least one activity that is adapted to invoke at least one port type provided by a web service. The inventive method comprises the steps of: receiving of deployment variables stored by means of a deployment descriptor, evaluating the expression on the basis of the deployment variables.

Abstract: The invention relates to a computerized method of managing workload within a Workflow-Management-System (WFMS) said WFMS comprising a process model, said process model comprising one or more activities being the nodes of an arbitrary graph, and directed edges of said graph defining a potential control flow within said process-model. The inventions suggests a determination step, wherein the process model is analyzed if a priority execution specification is assigned to said one activity comprising at least one Boolean predicate and a priority level. In a launching step said Boolean predicate is evaluated using a variable value not comprised in the process model but the variable value being comprised in a context of an instance of the process-model. If the Boolean predicate evaluates to TRUE, the launching step launches execution of said one activity in said activity's execution environment with an execution priority specified according to the priority level.