Abstract: A technology for indicating and determining the availability of a multitude of application servers. The method comprises for each of application server a first step of inserting into an availability database a notification period defining an upper time limit for a repetition period of an availability signal, which is repeated as long as the application server is available. In a second step for each availability signal its corresponding time stamp is inserted as availability time into the availability database. The difference of the current time and a recent availability time compared to said notification period is representing a measure of availability for the application servers.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method, a data processing system as well as a computer program product for optimizing process properties for workflows with failing activities. The invention makes use of monitoring occurrence of failure of each activity of a process model of a workflow and further monitoring properties that are associated to compensating activities that are required in order to repair the failure of an activity. The method makes explicit use of determining alternative execution sequences and selecting one of the plurality of alternative execution sequences of the process model, that optimizes the process property in case of failure of an activity of the process model. The process model itself remains unaffected and need not to be remodeled.

Abstract: The invention relates to a technology of workload balancing for improved availability within a multitude of applications-servers and a multitude of application-clients interconnected with said application-servers by a communication network. A proposed method comprises a first-step, wherein an application-client is caching availability data of a subset of currently active application-servers as potential target application-servers. The method comprises a second-step, wherein for execution of an application-request the application-client selects an application-server from the subset based on a load-balancing decision of the application-client as target application-server. Finally the application-request is sent to the target application-server.

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: 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: A technique for determination of an exception in multi-dimensional data is provided. The method determines an expected value for a set of cells of the multi-dimensional data by means of an ANOVA based method. A residual for each cell of the set of cells is then determined. Scaling of the residuals is then carried out, and the scaled residuals are then compared with a threshold value for determination of the exception.

Abstract: A method and means for automatically deriving from a process model of a workflow management system (WFMS) or a computer system with comparable functionality a set of underlying application services and providing a means to locate these application services by creating entries in appropriate taxonomies.

Abstract: The current invention relates to a technology for handling of notifications within a Workflow Management System or a computer system with comparable functionality (WFMS). WFMS control the execution of an instance of a process-model with activities as well as rules defining a potential control-flow within the process-model. The method comprises a step of determining if the process-model comprises a specification defining a notification-sphere. The notification-sphere, which comprises a multitude of activities representing a proper subset of activities of the process model is associated with at least one predefined notification-condition, specifying a condition under which a notification is to be sent on behalf of the subset of activities. A step of starting monitoring the notification-condition is comprised once the control-flow enters the notification-sphere a first time.

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: A method for optimizing request shipping within a plurality of distributed networked computer systems holding a distributed application the usage of which realizes a process model underlying said application is proposed in which said process model comprises a business process consisting of a plurality of activities to be performed on said application systems by a plurality of users, including shipping of activity requests between a local application system owning said business process and a plurality of remote application systems performing said activities with the help of a plurality of users. The basic idea is to optimize the assignment of the users to the appropriate application system in such a way that the number of remote work item requests is optimized. The inventional method can be advantageously applied to workflow management systems.

Abstract: The present invention teaches in general how to efficiently exploit active database technology and extensible database technology, i.e. triggers and user-defined functions for processing subscriptions. According to a first aspect of the present invention it is proposed to aggregate all subscriptions on a certain table, or more generally of a plurality of tables, into a single trigger on this table or tables, respectively. This will dramatically improve the trigger-based efficiency. According to a second aspect of the present invention it is proposed to deliver the information a subscriber has registered for directly out of the database systems address space via appropriate user defined functions which is another source of efficiency improvement.

Abstract: A computerized method for automatically transforming the process model of a workflow-management-system into trigger-specifications executable within a trigger system. The process model comprises at least one source activity S, a target activity T and a control connector defining a potential control flow from said source activity to said target activity associated with a transition condition P. The source activity S is transformed into a trigger event. The trigger-event, if raised at run-time, indicates to said trigger system that an instance of said source activity has been terminated. The control connector is transformed into a trigger condition, causing said trigger system at run-time, once said trigger event has been raised, to evaluate the truth value of said transition condition. Furthermore said target activity is transformed into a trigger action causing said trigger system at run-time, in case said trigger condition evaluates to TRUE, to start an instance of said target activity.

Abstract: An improved consistency is provided between systems management systems (SMS) and workflow management systems (WFMS) by a linkage between the two. A tight, integrative linkage is provided which is managed and maintained automatically by the application, particular by the WFMS, or alternatively by the SMS. This provides a consistent business process oriented view of the SMS monitored resources, including information technology resources, such as programs, and WFMS monitored resources, including organization resources such as people. This is achieved by either of enhancing the application's monitor to include the functionality of the enterprise console; or enhancing the enterprise console to include the functionality of the WFMS's process monitor; and profiting from the merged information of both the SMS and the WFMS.

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 present invention relates to a device within and a method processed by a Workflow Management System (WFMS) making resources/objects accessible to activities of said WFMS processing these resources/objects. The Workflow-Management-System (WFMS) according the current invention comprises a WFMS-server said WFMS-server performs navigation through a process-model and performs resolution by selecting a next-process-activity to be executed by said WFMS, and by selecting a WFMS-agent to execute said next-process-activity. The current invention teaches a stager storing, after the WFMS performing said resolution, resources required for execution of said next-process-activity from one or a multitude of source-locations onto a WMF-staging-location. Afterwards the WFMS-agent uses said resources from said WFMS-staging-location for execution of said next-process-activity.

Abstract: The present invention provides a Dynamic Portal Assembly for Portals which provides the function to manipulate whole topology tree of a Portal at runtime. Topology Fragments, that are partial topology trees, are computed by software components called Adapters and are merged with existing trees at run time. The Adapters themselves can base the computation on the states of External Systems, e.g. Workflow Systems. The introduction of an Independent Adapter Interface allows for easy deployment of new Adapters into the Portal. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the Dynamic Portal Assembly is adapted to integrate Workflow into Portal without giving awareness to the Portal user.

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.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of performing a drag-and-drop operation of an object onto a container of a set of containers, the method comprising the steps of:

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: The present invention relates to a technique for improving the handling of notification items related to the execution of process model instances and/or activity instances within a Workflow Management System (WFMS) or a computer system with comparable functionality. A notification group definition associates a notification group with at least one process model and/or at least one activity. The process model and/or the activity are associated with a notification specification referring to an addressee, for whom the WFMS creates and to whom the WFMS sends a notification item if an instance of the associated process model and/or an instance of the associated activity is not completed according to certain conditions. The WFMS is responsive to the notification group definition by sending a notification group item to the addressee as representative of one or many created notification items of associated process models and/or associated activities.