Abstract: Activities within a workflow are either data management activities (DMAs) or non-DMAs. A workflow is typically carried out by a system by executing one activity after the other. This can, however, be very time consuming. A method and system are provided for optimizing a group of activities (GOA) comprising a DMA, whereby the GOA is comprised in the workflow to improve the overall performance. The method determines the DMAs, and for each DMA, a data level statement (DLS). The GOA is determined and a process graph model (PGM) is determined from the GOA so that the DLS is comprised in the PGM and the semantics of the PGM are identical to those of the GOA. The PGM is optimized for which an optimized GOA is determined. The semantics of the optimized GOA are identical to those of the GOA. In the workflow, the GOA is replaced by the optimized GOA.

Abstract: A computer-based system and method to enforce, monitor, and assess internal controls over financial reporting is provided. A bottom-up approach is used to model transaction-control workflows using logs of past transaction activity executions. Past workflows are reconstructed from these logs and reconstruction rules. The transaction-control workflows are compared with these reconstructed past workflows to determine whether transactions are compliant with the internal controls.

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: 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: In a Workflow Management System with a workflow having a sequence of activities of an underlying business process, logical wait situations occur when a given activity depends upon completion of a prerequisite preparation activity. A method for decreasing the resulting run-time delays includes: identifying a primary activity and an associated preparation activity required to be done before executing the primary activity; navigating through the process template of the underlying workflow and calculating the probability at a node of the process template that the primary activity will be reached for a current process instance; and pre-executing the preparation activity in parallel to the activity sequence if the probability exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: Activities within a workflow are either data management activities (DMAs) or non-DMAs. A workflow is typically carried out by a system by executing one activity after the other. This can, however, be very time consuming. A method and system are provided for optimizing a group of activities (GOA) comprising a DMA, whereby the GOA is comprised in the workflow to improve the overall performance. The method determines the DMAs, and for each DMA, a data level statement (DLS). The GOA is determined and a process graph model (PGM) is determined from the GOA so that the DLS is comprised in the PGM and the semantics of the PGM are identical to those of the GOA. The PGM is optimized for which an optimized GOA is determined. The semantics of the optimized GOA are identical to those of the GOA. In the workflow, the GOA is replaced by the optimized GOA.

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: 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 present invention relates to a method and respective system for managing the administration of electronic resources accessible in an electronic-network: A solution is offered, in which grid resources or services are enhanced with a presentation interface that provides an administration user-interface (UI) for configuring them, i.e., the administration UI of a distributed resource is provided by the server hosting the resource, or simply the resource itself. This includes also the resource-located logic required to configure the resource according to the user inputs and actions imparted on user controls, which are sent from a respective resource to a portal server.

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.

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.