JP2004046895A - Work flow conversion method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily carry out linking between different types of work flow systems. <P>SOLUTION: In a work flow linking system, a text character string describing a work flow of a work flow system in XML is analyzed, an instance of a data object class is created so it can be edited in JAVA on the basis of the analyzed text character string, a work flow model of another work flow system is created on the basis of the created instance of the data object class and a work flow linking library, and the created work flow model is registered in the work flow system. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

The present invention relates to a workflow conversion method for linking a plurality of different workflow systems, for example.

ワ ー ク フ ロ ー Conventionally, for example, Inconcert (trade name of TIBCO in the United States) and the like are well known as workflow management systems.

(4) Such a workflow management system is software for defining a rule for transferring work from person to person on a computer and automating the transfer of work.

In recent years, various workflow products other than the above exist in the market, but the method of workflow definition (definition of work transfer rules) differs depending on each workflow product.

業務 In addition, as business processing using networks such as the Internet is rapidly spreading, the range of use of workflows is also expanding.

As the range of use of workflows has increased, a need has arisen for a general-purpose workflow definition language that integrates different workflow products.

Therefore, the workflow standardization organization WfMC (Workflow Management Coalition) was established, and Workflow Process Definition Language (WPDL) was defined as a general-purpose workflow definition language.

However, although WPDL has been defined, there are currently few workflow products that have implemented WPDL due to the burden of developing language processing programs for WPDL.

Therefore, it is necessary to continue to link systems between WPDL-implemented workflow products and existing workflow products, and there is an urgent need to build such linkage technology.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a workflow conversion method capable of easily coordinating workflows between different workflow systems.

In order to achieve the above object, a workflow conversion method according to the present invention includes a step of analyzing a text string written in Extensible Markup Language in a workflow of a workflow system, and a step of analyzing the text string based on the analyzed text string. Generating an instance of a data object class so that it can be edited by a program in a predetermined language; and generating a workflow model of another workflow system based on the generated instance of the data object class and a workflow cooperation library. And registering the generated workflow model in the corresponding workflow system.

The workflow conversion method according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a step of displaying an operation icon component relating to a workflow definition on a screen, and a step of defining a workflow by arranging the icon component on the screen. Based on the document type definition specified for expressing the workflow definition in Extensible Markup Language, based on the step of converting the content of the workflow definition into a text string expressed in Extensible Markup Language, based on the converted text string, Generating an instance of the data object class so that it can be edited by a program in a predetermined language; and generating a workflow model of another workflow system based on the generated instance of the data object class and the workflow cooperation library. Applies the generated workflow model It is characterized by having the steps of registering the over click flow system.

A workflow conversion method according to a third aspect of the present invention is a workflow conversion method in a client-server system in which a client computer and a server computer are connected via a network. Converting the text string into a text string described in Language, and transmitting the converted text string to the server computer via a network, wherein the server computer receives the text string from the network. Activating the workflow conversion means for the workflow system to be converted, and the activated workflow conversion means converts the received character string into a workflow for each workflow system. And converting the click flow model, the converted workflow model is characterized by having a step of registering each of the workflow system.

A workflow conversion method according to claim 4 includes a step of converting a workflow of a workflow system into a text string described in Extensible Markup Language, a step of transmitting the converted text string to another workflow system, Converting the transmitted text string into its own workflow.

In the workflow conversion method according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the step of acquiring information on the progress of the workflow as a text string expressed in Extensible Markup Language from a system in which the workflow processing is executed; Is displayed in the form of a workflow based on a document type definition defined for expressing the definition of the workflow in Extensible Markup Language.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a data object class is analyzed so that a workflow of a workflow system is analyzed in a text string expressed in Extensible Markup Language, and the analyzed text string can be edited by a program in a predetermined language. Is generated, a workflow model of another workflow system is generated based on the generated instance of the data object class and the workflow cooperation library, and the generated workflow model is registered in the corresponding workflow system. Workflow cooperation between workflows becomes possible.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a workflow is defined by arranging the icon parts displayed on the screen on the screen, and the workflow is defined on the basis of a document type definition defined to be expressed in Extensible Markup Language. Since the workflow definition is converted into a text string described in Extensible Markup Language, the workflow definition can be described in Extensible Markup Language without using a text editor or the like.

In addition, the converted text string is analyzed, and based on the analyzed text string, an instance of a data object class is generated so as to be editable by a program in a predetermined language, and an instance of the generated data object class is generated. A workflow model of another workflow system is generated based on the and the workflow cooperation library, and the generated workflow model is registered in the corresponding workflow system.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the client computer converts a workflow of a certain workflow system into a text string described in Extensible Markup Language, transmits the converted text string to the server computer via a network, and transmits the converted text string to the server computer. When a text string is received from the network, the workflow conversion unit for the workflow system to be converted is activated, and the activated workflow conversion unit converts the received character string into a workflow model for each workflow system. Since the converted workflow model is registered in each workflow system, it is possible to synchronize workflows between different workflow systems.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a workflow of a certain workflow system is converted into a text string described in Extensible Markup Language, and the converted text string is transmitted to another workflow system. The converted text string is converted into its own workflow, so that the created workflow model can be reused in another workflow system.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, information on the progress of the workflow is obtained as a text string written in Extensible Markup Language from the system in which the workflow processing is being executed, and the obtained text string is defined in advance. Since the information is displayed in the form of a workflow based on the document type definition, the user can visually check the progress of the current workflow.

結果 As a result, workflows can be easily linked between different workflow systems.

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, another workflow model is generated by analyzing a text string in which the workflow is described in Extensible Markup Language and referring to the workflow cooperation library. Since the registered workflow model is registered in the corresponding workflow system, workflow cooperation between different types of workflows becomes possible.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a workflow is defined by arranging icon parts displayed on the screen on the screen, and a document type definition for defining the workflow in Extensible Markup Language. The workflow definition is converted into a text string described in Extensible Markup Language on the basis of, so that the workflow definition can be described in Extensible Markup Language without using a text editor or the like.

In addition, the converted text string is analyzed, and based on the analyzed text string, an instance of a data object class is generated so as to be editable by a program in a predetermined language, and an instance of the generated data object class is generated. A workflow model of another workflow system is generated based on the and the workflow cooperation library, and the generated workflow model is registered in the corresponding workflow system.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the client computer converts a workflow of a certain workflow system into a text string described in Extensible Markup Language, and transmits the converted text string to the server computer via the network. When the computer receives a text string from the network, it activates the workflow conversion means for the workflow system to be converted, and the started workflow conversion means converts the received character string into a workflow model for each workflow system. Since the converted and converted workflow models are registered in the respective workflow systems, workflow synchronization between different workflow systems can be achieved.

According to the invention described in claim 4, a workflow of a certain workflow system is converted into a text string described in Extensible Markup Language, and the converted text string is transmitted to another workflow system. Since the transmitted text character string is converted into its own workflow, the created workflow model can be reused in another workflow system.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, information on the progress of the workflow is obtained as a text string written in Extensible Markup Language from the system in which the workflow processing is executed, and the obtained text string is defined in advance. Since the document is displayed in the form of a workflow based on the defined document type definition, the user can visually check the progress of the current workflow.
As a result, workflows can be easily linked between different workflow systems.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a workflow cooperation logical model according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a workflow cooperation system embodying the logical model of FIG.

に お い て In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes WPDL-XML exchanged between different workflows. This WPDL-XML1 is composed of a WPDL-DTD file 1a in which tag information used to represent the document structure and meaning of WPDL-XML is described, and a WPDL-XML file 1b described in accordance with the WPDL-DTD file 1a. Consists of The DTD file is a file that defines as to what tags and attributes each XML file should have, and the WPDL-DTD file 1a conforms to the WPDL definition. XML stands for Extensible Markup Language. DTD is an abbreviation for Document Type Definition. The content of the WPDL-XML file 1b differs depending on the data, but the content of the WPDL-DTD file is fixed.

Reference numerals 2 to 6 are application software. Reference numeral 2 denotes a text editor (such as a memo pad attached to Windows (registered trademark)). The text editor 2 is a tool for editing the WPDL-XML file 1b, which is a text file, according to the WPDL-XML notation. Reference numeral 3 denotes a WPDL-XML workflow definition program, which allows a user to define a workflow model (setting a workflow flow) by GUI operation without knowing the notation of WPDL-XML. -This is a program that generates the XML file 1b. Reference numeral 4 denotes a WPDL-XML workflow display program which graphically displays workflow information based on the read WPDL-XML file. Reference numeral 5 denotes an XML parser / renderer, which is a program (software) for reading and writing an XML file. For this program (software), a commercially available XML parser / renderer product can be used. Reference numeral 6 denotes an XML parser, which is a program (software) that reads an XML file and converts it into a predetermined format, for example, workflow information. This program (software) can also use a commercially available XML parser product.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a business system, which is provided with a workflow system 11 for independently executing a workflow and a WPDL-XML adapter 12. DB) and the business application. The WPDL-XML adapter 12 reads the WPDL-XML file 1b, registers it as a definition in the workflow system 11, and writes the workflow progress information of the workflow system 11 to the WPDL-XML file 1b. It is. The WPDL-XML adapter 12 includes an XML parser / renderer 13 similar to the XML parser / renderer 5 described above.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a business system, which is a system including a workflow system 21 for independently executing a workflow and a WPDL-XML adapter 22. The business system 20 is mainly used. Cooperate with The WPDL-XML adapter 22 reads the WPDL-XML file 1b, registers it as a definition in the workflow system 21, and writes the workflow progress information of the workflow system 21 to the WPDL-XML file 1b. It is. The WPDL-XML adapter 22 includes an XML parser / renderer 23 similar to the XML parser / renderer 5 described above.

FIG. 2 shows an example in which the logical model of FIG. 1 is embodied as a client-server system.

As shown in FIG. 2, the client-server system of this example includes a client computer 31 (hereinafter, referred to as a client PC 31) and a server computer 32 connected to the Internet, and the server computer 32 and an intranet such as a LAN. Each of the computers 34 and 37 for a workflow server that individually executes a workflow process is connected to the server computer 32 by accessing the server computer 32 from the Internet browser 42 on the client PC 31 and transmitting and receiving the WPDL-XML file 1b. The system is configured to cooperate with the workflow processing computers 34 and 37 and the workflow.

The computer 34 is provided with a workflow server 35 and a database 36 for storing workflow definition data. The computer 37 is provided with a workflow server 38 and a database 39 for storing workflow definition data.

The client PC 31 is a computer having a CPU, a memory such as a ROM and a RAM, an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk drive device, and an input / output device such as a monitor and a keyboard. For example, an operating system (hereinafter referred to as an OS) such as Windows or Macintosh. ). Software such as a WPDL-XML creation program 41 and an Internet browser 42 is installed in the hard disk drive. The WPDL-XML creation program 41 creates a WPDL-XML file 43 that is a workflow definition information file. The WPDL-XML file 43 can be created by a general text editor in addition to the WPDL-XML definition program 41. The Internet browser 42 connects to the WWW server 51 of the server computer 32 by browsing operation, downloads a file (HTML file 59) created in HTML stored in the WWW server 51, and displays a workflow definition on the screen of the Internet browser 42. Display the reception page. When the user performs a predetermined operation from this workflow definition reception page, the created WPDL-XML file 43 is attached to an e-mail and transferred to the WWW server 51.

The server computer 32 is a computer on which an OS such as UNIX (registered trademark) or Windows NT is installed, and includes a WWW server 51, a WWW server-side program 52, WPDL-XML adapters 53 and 56, and a client library 55 for the workflow server 35. , A client library 58 for the workflow server 38 and the like.

The WWW server 51 is a server that processes HTTP requests. The WWW server-side program 52 is a server-side program set to be linked to a request to the WWW server 51. As the server-side program, the CGI (Common Gateway Interface) function of the WWW server 51 may be used, or a commercially available application server product corresponding to the WWW server 51 may be used. It is common to use either method. There are various commercially available application server products such as Java (registered trademark) Servlet API compatible, Enterprise Java Beans API compatible, CORBA compatible, etc., and the product is selected according to the required function. For example, various products such as Websphere Application Server (manufactured by IBM), JRun Server (manufactured by Allaire), and WebLogic Application Server (manufactured by BEA) can be used.

The WWW server-side program 52 stores the WPDL-XML file 43 transferred from the client PC 31 in a predetermined directory on the server computer 32, and the corresponding WPDL-XML adapters 53, 56 existing on the server computer 32. Start the registration process of. The WPDL-XML file 43 is the workflow definition information transferred from the client PC 31.

The WPDL-DTD file 60 is document type definition information stored in the server computer 32. The WPDL-DTD file 60 may be stored in a predetermined server on the Internet / intranet and referred to from the client PC 31 in a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) format. May be stored.

The WPDL-XML adapter 53 is a WPDL-XML adapter for the workflow system 11 and has an XML parser 54. The XML parser 54 is a program for analyzing the WPDL-XML file 43 inside the WPDL-XML adapter 53, and a commercially available product can be used.

The client library 55 for the workflow system 11 is a client library provided by the workflow server 35. The WPDL-XML adapter 53 adapts the WPDL-XML data to the workflow server 35 by using the function of the client library 55 for the workflow system 11.

The workflow server 35 is a server program that executes a workflow process. The workflow server 35 receives a request from the client library 55 for the workflow system 11 and registers data by a method unique to the workflow server 35.

The WPDL-XML adapter 56 is a WPDL-XML adapter for the workflow system 21 and has an XML parser 57. The XML parser 57 is a program for analyzing the WPDL-XML file 43 inside the WPDL-XML adapter 56, and a commercially available product can be used.

The client library 58 for the workflow system 21 is a client library provided by the workflow server 38. The WPDL-XML adapter 56 adapts the WPDL-XML data to the workflow server 38 by using the function of the client library 58 for the workflow system 21.

The workflow server 38 is a server program that executes a workflow process, receives a request from the client library 58 for the workflow system 21, and registers data by a method unique to the workflow server 38.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a program implemented on a server or client computer according to the logical model of FIG.

(2) Programs of the workflow system include a WPDL-XML InConcert adapter 71, an InConcert Java cooperation library 72, an InConcert server 73, and the like.

The WPDL-XML InConcert adapter 71 is a bidirectional conversion adapter that registers WPDL-XML workflow definition data as InConcert workflow data and outputs InConcert workflow data in WPDL-XML format. The WPDL-XML InConcert adapter 71 uses the IBM XML Parser for Java 74. IBM XML Parser for Java 74 is an XML parser / renderer.

@InConcert Java cooperation library 72 is an InConcert client library that can be used from the Java language. The InConcert server 73 is a server program of the workflow management system InConcert.

The client-side applications include a WPDL-XML workflow definition program 75, a WPDL-XML workflow display program 76, and the like. Each program uses the IBM XML Parser for Java 74.

JavaJava is used as the programming language. The WPDL-DTD file 75 defines notation in XML based on the grammar of WPDL, and defines tags. The WPDL-XML workflow definition program 75 allows a user to define a workflow by GUI operation (drag and drop operation of icon parts) without knowing the notation of WPDL-XML, and to create a WPDL-XML file according to the GUI operation. This is a definition program that is automatically generated.

The WPDL-XML workflow display program 76 is a program for graphically displaying WPDL-XML workflow information. Since these programs are developed with Java applets, WPDL-XML files on a WWW server can be displayed using an Internet browser.

Here, an example in which the implementation program of FIG. 3 is realized as a system model of the Internet will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, a server computer 80 is provided with a Java Servlet compatible application server 81, a WWW server 51, a WPDL-XML InConcert adapter 71, an InConcert Java cooperation library 72, and the like. The Java Servlet compatible application server 81 has a Java Servlet 82.

(4) The client PC 90 is equipped with the Internet browser 42 for downloading HTML files and WPDL-XML files, the WPDL-XML workflow definition program 75, the WPDL-XML workflow display program 76, and the like.

{Circle around (2)} The WPDL-DTD file 75 is stored in each of the computers 80 and 90.

ワ ー ク フ ロ ー The workflow processing computer 100 that executes the workflow processing is equipped with the InConcert server 73 and the database 101 storing the workflow definition data.

Hereinafter, individual implementation examples will be described.
First, the notation for describing the notation of WPDL in XML will be described.
WPDL defines the terms and structure of the workflow as a WPDL workflow model. The grammar for describing this workflow model is called WPDL notation. In the present invention, the notation has been changed so that the workflow model can be described in XML without changing the workflow model. This notation will be referred to as WPDL-XML notation.

In the WPDL notation, workflow information is described as follows.
Keyword 'identifier'
Sub-keyword “value string” or value reserved word or 'identifier reference'
. . .
The END_keyword is specifically described as follows (Example 1).

This notation of (Example 1) is described in XML according to the following rules.
-The keyword is an XML element (tag) with the same name.
-The keyword identifier is an ID attribute.
-The sub keyword is an XML element with the same name.
-Reserved words are XML elements with the same name.
-If the value of the sub-keyword is a character string, it is the content of the XML element with the same name as the sub-keyword (not enclosed in double quotes)
-If the value of the sub-keyword is a reserved word, specify an XML element with the same name as the reserved word.
If the value of the sub-keyword is an identifier reference and there is only one, the value is the value of the IDREF attribute of the sub-keyword.
If the value of the sub-keyword is an identifier reference and there are a plurality of values, the value of the IDREFS attribute of the sub-keyword is used.
In this case, the notation of WPDL in the above (Example 1) can be described in XML as shown in the following (Example 2).

Set the following as exception rules.
-Reserved words, NONE, APPLICATIONS, WORKFLOW, and LOOP, which are the values of the sub-keyword IMPLEMENTATION of the keyword ACTIVITY, are not expressed as XML elements but expressed as the TYPE attribute of the IMPLEMENTATION element.
-Reserved words, AND, OR, and XOR, which are the values of the sub-keyword SPLIT of the keyword ACTIVITY, are not expressed as XML elements but expressed as the TYPE attribute of the SPLIT element.
The following is an original WPDL notation example (Example 3) including these exceptions, and a WPDL-XML notation example (Example 4).

Next, the WPDL-XML workflow definition program 75 (workflow definition program) and the WPDL-XML workflow display program 76 (workflow display program) will be described.
WPDL-XML can be created with a text editor (text editing software) like Windows Notepad by understanding the WPDL-XML notation described above. If not, WPDL-XML cannot be described.

Therefore, in the present invention, a WPDL-XML workflow definition program 75 is provided as a workflow definition program.

The WPDL-XML workflow definition program 75 includes, as shown in FIG. 5, an XML parser / renderer 110, a data object generation unit 112, a workflow definition screen display unit 114, an XML display screen display unit 116, a conversion processing unit 118, and the like.

(4) The XML parser / renderer 110 reads and analyzes the WPDL-XML file. Further, the XML parser / renderer 110 creates an XML element object according to the content (an instance of the data object class) created by the data object creation unit 112. Further, the XML parser / renderer 110 writes the contents defined on the workflow definition screen as a WPDL-XML file based on the WPDL-DTD file. The data object generation unit 112 generates an instance of a data object class to be used in Java from the analyzed data. The workflow definition screen display unit 114 displays a workflow definition screen.

(4) In the WPDL-XML workflow definition program 75 and the WPDL-XML workflow display program 76, the data structure of the instance of the data object class is displayed by icons, arrows, and the like. The XML display screen display unit 116 displays the XML character string converted (created) by the XML parser / renderer 110. The conversion processing unit 118 converts the XML character string converted (created) by the XML parser / renderer 110 into a WPDL file.

(6) By starting the WPDL-XML workflow definition program 75 installed on the client PC 31, a workflow definition screen as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed. The workflow definition screen includes a definition screen 121 for individually defining objects, and an editing screen for switching and displaying two screens, such as a screen 122 of a Flow tab and a screen 123 of an XML tab.

At startup, the workflow definition screen displays a Flow tab screen 122. The user selects, for example, the computer icon 125 from the icons displayed in the toolbar, moves the icon to the editing screen 122, and so on. By performing an operation of arranging (operation such as drag and drop), repeating this operation, and further connecting the computer icon 125 on the editing screen with the arrow icon 126 of the toolbar, the workflow according to the WPDL workflow model can be performed. Defined. Also, by setting values (business type, name, title, title, etc.) for the icon 125 of each computer on the definition screen 121, WPDL-XML is automatically created.

Here, when the user selects and operates the XML tab of the workflow definition screen, as shown in FIG. 7, text data (XML character string) describing the workflow definition according to the WPDL workflow model in XML is displayed on the XML tab screen 123. Is displayed. Such an XML character string can be confirmed even during the workflow definition.

Next, the WPDL-XML file editing processing operation by the WPDL-XML workflow definition program 75 will be described with reference to FIG.
When a WPDL-XML file to be analyzed is specified on the workflow definition screen, the WPDL-XML workflow definition program 75 reads the specified WPDL-XML file by the XML parser / renderer 110 and reads the read WPDL-XML file. The XML data is parsed.

After the analysis, in the WPDL-XML workflow definition program 75, the analyzed WPDL-XML data is created as an instance of a data object class so as to be capable of modification, addition, and the like (S1001 in FIG. 8). The data is stored in the object generation unit 112 (S1002). The data object class is created in advance corresponding to the name of the XML element (tag).

The instance of the data object class held in the data object generation unit 112 is output to the workflow definition screen display unit 114 and displayed on the workflow definition screen as a data object indicating a processing flow (S1003).

Here, when a screen operation is performed by the user (S1004), the workflow definition is edited according to the content of the operation, and held in the data object generation unit 112 as an instance of the data object class (S1002).

(4) The data object class instance of the data object section 112 generates an instance of the XML element object class defined by the W3C, and passes it to the XML parser / renderer 110.

The XML parser / renderer 110 uses the XML renderer function to write out an instance of the XML element object class as a WPDL-XML file (S1006).

At the time of writing, the WPDL-XML file is output to the conversion processing unit 118, and the conversion processing unit 118 converts the format to the WPDL format, so that the file can be written in the WPDL display format.

In the present embodiment, the IBM XML Parser for Java is used for parsing and generating XML, but this product is a product conforming to the XML Java API standardized by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium). . Therefore, other products that conform to the XML Java API can be used.

In other words, by using the WPDL-XML workflow definition program 75, the user can use the WPDL-XML workflow definition program without knowing the WPDL notation nor the WPDL-XML notation, as long as the user has knowledge of the WPDL workflow model. Can be created.

Next, the WPDL-XML workflow display program 76 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 9, the WPDL-XML workflow display program 76 includes an XML parser 130, a data object generation unit 132, a workflow display screen display unit 134, and the like. The XML parser 130 reads and analyzes the latest WPDL-XML file. The data object section 132 holds a data object for screen display. The workflow display screen display unit 134 displays the progress of the workflow being executed.

Next, the workflow progress display operation of the WPDL-XML workflow display program 76 will be described. Note that the processing operation itself is the same as S1001 to S1003 in FIG.

When the user specifies a WPDL-XML file indicating the workflow progress information of the system in which the workflow process is being executed on the Internet browser screen of the client PC 90, the WPDL-XML workflow display program 76 is started, and the specification is performed. The created WPDL-XML file is read from the workflow server via the Internet by the XML parser 130, and the WPDL-XML data is analyzed. The WPDL-DTD file is used for this analysis.

After the analysis, the WPDL-XML data is made an instance of the data object class (S1001 in FIG. 8), and held in the data object generation unit 132 (S1002). The data object class itself is created in advance corresponding to the name of the XML element (tag).

The instance of the data object class held in the data object generation unit 132 is output to the workflow definition screen display unit 134, and the progress status of the current workflow is displayed on a workflow display screen (Flow Viewer) as shown in FIG. It is displayed as a data object to be displayed (S1003).

In this example, it is understood that in the workflow of the application for purchase of a personal computer, a certain document was rejected by the supervisor and put in the box for re-application instructions, and is waiting for a re-application instruction. In addition, it can be seen that other documents have passed the superior approval, the purchase decision, and the purchase processing, and are respectively entered in the registration box and the notification box.

Next, the WPDL-XML InConcert adapter 71 will be described.
The WPDL-XML InConcert adapter 71 includes an XML parser / renderer 141, a data object generation unit 143, a data registration unit 145, a data acquisition unit 147, and the like. The data object generator 143 is generated by a Java program. As the XML parser / renderer 141, the IBM XML Parser for Java is used for the analysis and generation of WPDL-XML, similarly to the workflow definition program 75. The data object generation unit 143 converts the information analyzed by the XML parser / renderer 141 into an instance of a data object class to be used by the data registration unit 145. The data registration unit 145 converts data according to the WPDL workflow model into an InConcert workflow model and registers the data in the InConcert. The data acquisition unit 147 converts the data acquired from InConcert into a data format according to the WPDL workflow model.

The InConcert Java cooperation library 72 is a class library for using the client function of InConcert from a Java program.

Next, the operation of the WPDL-XML InConcert adapter 71 will be described.
In this case, when the conversion target WPDL-XML file is specified, the XML parser / renderer 141 as the XML analysis means reads and analyzes the specified conversion target WPDL-XML file. Then, the analyzed information is passed to the data object generation unit 143.

When the information analyzed by the XML parser / renderer 141 is passed, the data object generation unit 143 converts the information into an instance of a data object class to be used by the data registration unit 145, and passes it to the data registration unit 145.

When the data registration unit 145 receives the data object class instance from the data object generation unit 143, the data registration unit 145 refers to the InConcert Java cooperation library 72, converts the data according to the WPDL workflow model into the InConcert workflow model, and converts the data into the InConcert workflow model. register.

On the other hand, in the system configuration shown in FIG. 4, in order for the user of the client PC 90 to check the progress of the workflow in the InConcert server 73, the user accesses the workflow definition XML reception page of the WWW server 51 from the Internet browser 42 and displays the page. When a predetermined operation is performed on the workflow definition XML reception page, the Java Servlet compatible application server 81 starts the WPDL-XML InConcert adapter 71.

Then, in the WPDL-XML InConcert adapter 71, the data acquisition unit 147 shown in FIG. 11 acquires data from the InConcert server 73, and passes the acquired data to the data object generation unit 143.

(4) The data object generation unit 143 converts the passed InConcert data into a data format according to the workflow model of WPDL, and passes the data to the XML parser / renderer 141.

The XML parser / renderer 141 converts the WPDL data passed from the data object generator 143 into XML and outputs it as a WPDL-XML file.

That is, the WPDL-XML InConcert adapter 71 registers the WPDL-XML workflow definition information as the InConcert workflow definition information for the workflow system InConcert, and outputs the InConcert workflow definition information in the WPDL-XML format. It is.

The workflow model of WPDL is not necessarily the same as the workflow model used individually by the existing workflow system. There may be some differences in terms and structures. Therefore, other than the above, the WPDL-XML InConcert adapter 71 is not a conversion adapter, but a conversion adapter. The WPDL workflow model is converted into an individual workflow system model, and vice versa.

InConcert and WPDL have a lot in common in terms of structure, and the main conversion can be said to be the difference in terms. Therefore, the conversion program can be developed relatively easily. However, there are some differences in the structure, such as the method of specifying the executor, the method of specifying conditions, and the method of specifying subflows.

差異 Describes the differences between the WPDL workflow model and the InConcert workflow model and how to convert them.

In performing bidirectional conversion, it is necessary to consider the items shown in FIG.

Among them, particularly, four points that need to be considered will be described.
1. Specifying the executor
There is a difference as shown in FIG. 13 in the method of specifying the executor of WPDL and InConcert.

For example, in the WPDL, a PARTICIPANT object of HUMAN (person), ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT (department), ROLE (role), or SYSTEM (application) is assigned to the PEFORMER attribute of ACTIVITY, which is a unit of work. In the case of InConcert, A Role (role) object is assigned to the unit of work Task, and a Pool object is assigned as the role executor. The Pool object is a set of Users (users).

変 換 Convert these two different models as follows.

(WPDL → InConcert)
HUMAN: The HUMAN element represents a person, and thus corresponds to User. However, InConcert needs to create a Pool containing a User, so create both a User and a Pool containing a User.
-ORGANIZATIONAL_UNIT: The ORGANIZATIONAL_UNIT element represents a department. In Incert, Pool is the equivalent. If a list of users belonging to ORGANIZATIONAL_UNIT is obtained at the time of definition, users are created by that number and assigned to Pool.
ROLE: The ROLE element represents a role. Create a Role object and assign it to Task.
SYSTEM: The SYSTEM element represents the execution of the application. InConcert does not allow you to specify an application directly in a Task, but you can configure it to catch the event at the start of the Task and launch a specific application. Using this, create an ActionSpec object that starts the application specified in the SYSTEM element. Next, a Trigger object for executing this is created from the task start event.

(InConcert → WPDL)
Pool: A Pool object of InConcert may correspond to a HUMAN element or an ORGANIZASIONAL_UNIT element. As a determination method, a HUMAN element is created when a single user belongs to the Pool, and an ORGANIZATIONAL_UNIT element is created when a plurality of users belong to a pool.
・ Role: Creates a role element.
Trigger: If Trigger is set for the InConcert Task, obtain the application name from the ActionSpec object to be started and create a SYSTEM element.

2. Specification of Condition As shown in FIG. 17, the condition in the workflow is set when transitioning from one work unit to another work unit. The condition in the WPDL is a branch condition. When there are a plurality of next routes of a certain work unit, a condition is determined to determine a route to be passed. Routes that do not meet the conditions will not pass. The condition in InConcert is not the condition for selecting the route, but the condition for executing the work. An existing route passes unconditionally and reaches a work unit, and then makes a condition judgment to determine whether to execute the work unit.

At the time of conversion, each execution condition is held as an extended attribute.

-WPDL → InConcert Stored as the value of WPDL_CONDITION attribute.
・ InConcert → WPDL Stored as the value of PERFORM_CONDITION of EXTENDED_ATTRIBUTE element.

3. Specifying subflows Both WPDL and InConcert allow you to specify a different workflow as part of the work of a workflow.

{For example, as shown in FIG. 15, in the WPDL, a plurality of workflows arranged in parallel are described, and are designated as the other subflow in the work unit (ACTIVITY) of one workflow. In InConcert, it is possible to specify a subflow by making the unit of work (Task) a hierarchical structure.

4. Handling of extended attributes In WPDL, arbitrary extended attributes can be added to the workflow process. Perform the following processing when registering this in InConcert.

属性 Prepare an attribute for storing the attribute name and an attribute for storing the attribute value in advance in the WPDL class for registering the WPDL information. This set is prepared in three types: an integer type, a character string type, and a date type. That is, there are the following six types.

-Attribute that stores the integer attribute name (character string type)
-Attribute that stores the integer attribute value (integer type)
-Attribute that stores the character string attribute name (character string type)
-Attribute that stores the character string attribute value (character string type)
-Attribute that stores the date type attribute name (character string type)
-Attribute to store date type attribute value (date type)
In order to be able to register a plurality of attributes, a plurality of these six types are prepared. When the number of attributes provided by WPDL-XML exceeds the number, a set of attributes is added each time.

Here, an example of a case where an extended attribute of WPDL-XML is registered in InConcert will be described with reference to FIG.

In WPDL-XML, any extension can be added to the workflow process, but if this is registered as it is in InConcert, InConcert will execute the process of adding a new attribute to the database each time it is converted. Load becomes heavy.

Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, an attribute (template) 151 for storing an attribute name and an attribute value is prepared in the InConcert side in advance.

For example, if the WPDL-XML 150 to be registered has the names (STR_A, STR_B, INT_A), values (“AA”, “BB”, 5) and types (STRING, STRING, INTEGER) as shown in the figure, By using the attribute (template) 151, it is only necessary to apply each name, value, and type while adding one line at a time, and the process of adding a new attribute to the database for each conversion on the InConcert side Load can be reduced.

Subsequently, a cooperation model between independent workflow systems will be described.
The system model on the Internet shown in FIG. 2 is based on the case where a plurality of different workflow systems exist under the control of a single WWW server. This is effective when the server is operating or when a different workflow server is operating for each company on the back end of the main homepage of the group company.

に 対 し On the other hand, there are cases where you want to link different workflow systems between companies that do not share the system. In this case, a communication method (e-mail, messaging, distributed object, etc.) connecting the systems is required.

If any or all of the plurality of workflow servers are not under the control of the WWW server, it is necessary to partially expand the configuration of FIG. 2 and adopt a configuration as shown in FIG. In this example, it is assumed that the workflow system is an independent system not under the control of the WWW server 51.

That is, in the case of this example, the communication program 83 is newly provided in the server computer 32, while the communication program 161, the WPDL-XML adapter 57, and the workflow server 38 are provided in an independent workflow system 160 not under the control of the WWW server 51. Client library 58 is provided.

The communication program 83 is a communication program for transferring the WPDL-XML data to the workflow system 160. As a mounting form of the communication program 83, several methods such as a distributed object, a messaging system, and mail can be considered.

For distributed objects, for example, use a distributed object product such as CORBA to transfer WPDL-XML data. For messaging systems, transfer WPDL-XML data using a messaging product that allows asynchronous communication. In the case of e-mail, transfer WPDL-XML data using the e-mail attachment.

The communication program (receiving side) 161 writes the transferred WPDL-XML data as a file in a predetermined directory. The WPDL-XML file 43 is a transferred workflow definition information file. The WPDL-DTD file 60 is arranged on the workflow system 160 and its computer 37. The DTD file may not be located on each computer 37 but may be located at a specific location on the Internet and referenced in a URL format. The WPDL-XML adapter 57 is a WPDL-XML adapter for the workflow system 160. The XML parser 54 is a program used to analyze a WPDL-XML file inside the WPDL-XML adapter 57. It can utilize a commercially available XML parser product.

The client library 58 for the workflow system 160 is a client library provided by the workflow system 160. The WPDL-XML adapter 57 adapts WPDL-XML data to the workflow system 160 by using the functions of this library.

The server 38 for the workflow system 160 is a server program of the workflow system 160. Accept the request and register the data using the product's unique method.

In the case of this workflow cooperation system, the WPDL-XML file is exchanged (transferred) between the communication program 83 of the server computer 32 and the communication program 161 of the independent workflow system 160, thereby forming the independent workflow system 160. Also, bidirectional conversion such as workflow → XML, XML → workflow can be performed, and workflow cooperation can be performed.

Here, another notation rule of the notation for describing the notation of WPDL in XML will be described.

The purpose of this embodiment is to convert from the WPDL notation to the XML notation with as few rules as possible. Therefore, with very few exceptions, all WPDL keywords and sub-keywords are defined as XML elements (tags). This makes the conversion operation a simple operation.

However, when examining the meaning of the WPDL workflow model in detail, it is also true that some of the sub-keywords may not be XML elements, but rather defined as element attributes.

For example, the name of each activity is currently described by a <NAME> tag.
<ACTIVITY>
<NAME> Submit application form </ NAME>
</ ACTIVITY>
However, it is more natural for data that always appears in one element to be defined by attributes.

<ACTIVITY NAME = ”Submit application form” />
In this way, the emphasis is placed on the meaning of the WPDL workflow model, and notations that use elements and attributes properly can be considered.

Each program such as the WPDL-XML workflow definition program, the WPDL-XML workflow display program, and the WPDL-XML InConcert conversion adapter is created by the Java language in the present embodiment. In addition, for example, VisualC ++ on Windows, VisualBasic Etc. can also be created.

As described above, according to the workflow cooperation system of this embodiment, a WPDL-XML file in which WPDL, which is a general-purpose workflow definition, is described in XML is exchanged between different workflow systems connected via the Internet or an intranet. , Workflow cooperation can be easily performed.

In addition, since the grammar of WPDL was faithfully redefined in XML notation and a DTD file describing the document type definition was created, it became possible to express WPDL in XML. As a result, language processing can be performed using any XML parser (a program that analyzes the XML document structure) that is widely available on the market, and the number of development steps can be reduced compared to the case where XML is not used. Can be.

ユ ー ザ In addition, the user can create (notate) a workflow model by a GUI operation of dragging and dropping an icon displayed on the workflow definition screen. In addition, the workflow model created at that time is automatically converted to XML notation, so if the user has no knowledge of the WPDL workflow model, even if he does not know WPDL notation or XML notation, A workflow model described in XML can be easily created without key input or editing operation with a text editor or the like.

Furthermore, if each workflow system performs WPDL support by XML, different workflow systems can use common definition data and application programs.

Note that the present invention is not limited to only the above-described embodiment.
Each program (software) described in the above embodiment may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk. In this case, the program (software) stored in the storage medium is The processing in each embodiment becomes possible by reading by the computer.

The storage medium in the present invention can store a program such as a magnetic disk, a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk (CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD, etc.), a magneto-optical disk (MO, etc.), a semiconductor memory, etc. As long as the storage medium is readable by a computer, the storage form may be any form.

An OS (Operating System) running on the computer, MW (Middleware) such as database management software, network software, and the like realize the present embodiment based on instructions of a program installed in the computer from the storage medium. May be executed partially.

The storage medium in the present invention is not limited to a medium independent of a computer, but also includes a storage medium in which a program transmitted through a LAN, the Internet, or the like is downloaded and stored or temporarily stored.

The storage medium is not limited to one, and a case where the processing in the present embodiment is executed from a plurality of media is also included in the recording medium of the present invention, and the medium may have any configuration.

Note that the computer according to the present invention executes each processing in the present embodiment based on a program stored in a storage medium, and includes a device such as a personal computer and a system in which a plurality of devices are connected to a network. Any of these configurations may be used.

Further, the computer in the present invention is not limited to a personal computer, but also includes an arithmetic processing unit, a microcomputer, and the like included in an information processing device, and is a general term for devices and devices capable of realizing the functions of the present invention by a program. .

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a workflow cooperation model according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a workflow cooperation system that embodies the workflow cooperation model in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a program implemented on a server or client computer according to the logical model of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which the program in FIG. 3 is used as a system model of the Internet. The figure which shows the example of a structure of the WPDL-XML workflow definition program. The figure which shows an example of a workflow definition screen. The figure which shows the example which displayed the workflow definition with XML on the workflow definition screen. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a workflow definition process and a display process. The figure which shows the example of a structure of the WPDL-XML workflow display program. The figure which shows an example which displayed the progress of the workflow. The figure which shows the structure of WPDL-XML InConcert adapter. The figure which shows the matter considered in conversion by the difference between the workflow model of WPDL and the workflow model of InConcert. The figure which shows the difference of the executor designation method between WPDL and InConcert. The figure which shows the difference in the specification method of the condition of WPDL and InConcert. The figure which shows the difference of the specification method of the subflow of WPDL and InConcert. The figure which shows an example at the time of registering the extended attribute of WPDL-XML in InConcert. The figure which shows the cooperation model between independent workflow systems.

Explanation of reference numerals

1 WPDL-XML, 1a WPDL-DTD file, 1b WPDL-XML file, 2 text editor, 3 WPDL-XML workflow definition program, 4 WPDL-XML workflow display program, 5, 13, 23 XML Parser / renderer, 6 XML parser, 10, 20 Business system, 11, 21 Workflow system, 12, 22 WPDL-XML adapter, 51 WWW server, 71 WPDL-XML InConcert adapter, 72 Integration with InConcert Java Library, 75 WPDL-XML workflow definition program, 76 WPDL-XML workflow display program, 141 XML parser / renderer, 143 Data object generator, 145 Data registration unit, 147 Data acquisition unit, 160 Workflow system , 83, 161... Communication program.

Claims (5)

Analyzing a text string written in Extensible Markup Language for a workflow of a workflow system;
Generating an instance of a data object class based on the parsed text string so as to be editable by a program in a predetermined language;
Generating a workflow model of another workflow system based on the generated instance of the data object class and the workflow cooperation library;
Registering the generated workflow model in a corresponding workflow system. Displaying icon parts for operations related to the workflow definition on the screen;
The step of defining a workflow by arranging the icon parts on the screen and the step of defining the workflow in Extensible Markup Language based on the document type definition defined to represent the workflow definition in Extensible Markup Language Converting it to a text string
Generating an instance of a data object class based on the converted text string so that the data object class can be edited by a program in a predetermined language;
Generating a workflow model of another workflow system based on the generated instance of the data object class and the workflow cooperation library;
Registering the generated workflow model in the corresponding workflow system. In a method of converting a workflow in a client-server system in which a client computer and a server computer are connected via a network,
In the client computer, converting a workflow of a workflow system into a text string represented in Extensible Markup Language,
Transmitting the converted text string to the server computer via a network,
In the server computer, when a text string is received from the network, activating a workflow conversion unit for the conversion target workflow system,
A step in which the activated workflow conversion means converts the received character string into a workflow model for each workflow system;
Registering the converted workflow model in each workflow system. Converting a workflow of a workflow system into a text string written in Extensible Markup Language;
Transmitting the converted text string to another workflow system;
Converting the transmitted text string into its own workflow. Obtaining information on the progress of the workflow as a text string expressed in Extensible Markup Language from the system where the workflow processing is being executed;
Displaying the acquired text string in the form of a workflow based on a document type definition that defines the definition of the workflow in Extensible Markup Language.

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