JP4908539B2 - Workflow processing apparatus, program, and method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a workflow processing apparatus, program, and method for processing a workflow with exception processing. For example, even when exception processing frequently occurs, the definition of the workflow can be simplified, and both the basic workflow and the exception workflow can be simplified. The present invention relates to a workflow processing apparatus, a program, and a method that can be executed together.

  In the conventional workflow system, when it is desired to execute an exception processing workflow, it is necessary to define an exception workflow in advance on the basic workflow using a branch step as shown in FIG. For this reason, when applied to a business in which exception handling frequently occurs, there is a problem that the work of designing or redesigning the workflow tends to be complicated.

  From the viewpoint of resolving this problem, for example, if you want to add a partial workflow that occurs due to workflow exception processing, register the partial workflow to be added to the device, and without redesigning the workflow, A method of adding a workflow is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  In the conventional workflow system, when an exception occurs at a certain step, an exception workflow is executed. As this type of technology, for example, when a branch point position is specified during execution of a workflow, another workflow is linked to the branch point, the workflow is updated, and the process is switched to another workflow and executed. Is known (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-62733 JP 2008-305205 A

  However, the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have the following disadvantages.

  According to the technique described in Patent Document 1, a basic workflow can be defined and a partial workflow associated with exception processing can be added later. As a result, the basic workflow can be defined without worrying about exception processing. However, when applied to a business in which exception processing frequently occurs, the definition of the workflow after addition becomes complicated.

  In the technique described in Patent Document 2, when a plurality of workflows are defined and a branch point position is designated when executing a certain workflow, processing can be switched to another workflow at that branch point and executed. . However, only one of the workflow processes can be executed, and a plurality of workflows cannot be executed. Also, if the workflow to be executed is switched, the process cannot be returned to the original workflow. That is, it is not suitable for executing both the basic workflow and the exceptional workflow.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and it is possible to simplify a workflow definition even when exception processing frequently occurs, and to provide a workflow processing apparatus, program, and method capable of executing both a basic workflow and an exception workflow. The purpose is to provide.

  One aspect of the present invention is a step of associating a workflow definition table storing a plurality of workflow definition IDs including an exception workflow definition ID indicating an exception workflow with a workflow definition ID and a type for each step definition ID. Step definition transition that associates a definition table (however, the type indicates “normal”, “starting point”, or “joining point”), a workflow definition ID, a step definition ID before transition, and a step definition ID after transition. Definition table storage means for storing a table, and a workflow entity table that associates a workflow definition ID and a state for each workflow entity ID (where the state indicates “executable”, “being executed”, or “completed”). ) And step definition ID and workflow entity I for each step entity ID A step entity table for associating types and states, a workflow entity ID, a step entity transition table for associating a step entity ID before transition and a step entity ID after transition, and a branch workflow entity ID for each exception workflow entity ID, A workflow processing device capable of communicating with an entity table storage means for storing an exception workflow entity transition table for associating a branch source step entity ID and a merge destination step definition ID, and a user interface device, wherein the user A first input receiving unit that receives an input of a workflow definition ID and start information transmitted from the interface device; and a workflow definition ID that receives an input together with the start information exists in the workflow definition table. -A workflow entity table writing means for generating an entity ID and associating the generated workflow entity ID, the workflow definition ID, and "in progress" as the state into the workflow entity table, and the workflow definition that has received the input Search the step definition transition table for ID, acquire the step definition ID after the first transition in the search results, generate a step entity ID, and for the step definition ID after the first transition, The type is obtained by searching the definition table, and the generated step entity ID, the step definition ID after the first transition, the generated workflow entity ID, the type, and “executable” as the state are set. Step entity text to be written to the step entity table Bull writing means, the generated workflow entity ID, the step entity transition table writing means for associating the generated step entity ID as the step entity ID after the transition and writing it in the step entity transition table, and the user interface device Receiving the step entity ID and the start information transmitted from, and updating the “executable” to “under execution” when the state corresponding to the step entity ID indicates “executable” in the step entity table. A starting means; a second input receiving means for receiving an input of an exception workflow definition ID, a current workflow entity ID, and a step entity ID at the time of occurrence of the exception transmitted from the user interface device; and the current workflow entity ID and Receive the step entity ID when an exception occurs By recursively executing the process of determining the type for the step entity ID by the step entity table and the process of tracing the transition forward by the step entity transition table, the step entity ID of the type “starting point” is obtained. A process of determining a type for a step definition ID based on a step definition table based on a step definition ID corresponding to a step entity ID of a “start point” specified by the start point specifying means , By recursively executing the process of following the transition by the step definition transition table, the merge point identifying means for identifying the step definition ID of the type “Merge Point”, and the workflow definition of the exception that has received the input When the ID exists in the workflow definition table, An exception workflow entity table writing unit that generates a workflow entity ID, associates the generated workflow entity ID of the generated exception, the workflow definition ID of the exception, and “execution” as the state, and writes it in the workflow entity table; Search the step definition transition table for the workflow definition ID of the exception that received the input, obtain the step definition ID after the first transition in the search result, generate the step entity ID of the exception, Based on the step definition ID after the transition, the type is obtained by searching the step definition table, the step entity ID of the generated exception, the step definition ID after the first transition, and the workflow entity of the generated exception Associate ID, type, and “executable” as the status Step entity table writing means for exceptions to be written to the step entity table, the workflow entity ID of the generated exception, and the step entity ID of the generated exception are associated as the step entity ID after transition and written to the step entity transition table Exception step entity transition table writing means, the workflow entity ID of the exception, the current workflow entity ID as the branch source workflow entity ID, and the step entity ID when an exception occurs as the branch source step entity ID And an exception workflow entity transition table writing means for writing to the exception workflow entity transition table in association with the step definition ID of the “merge point” as the step definition ID of the merge destination, and the step transmitted from the user interface device Entity ID When the end information is received, when the state of the step entity ID indicates “executing” in the step entity table, step ending means for updating the state from “executing” to “completed”; After updating to “complete”, if the step definition ID corresponding to the updated state is the step definition ID before transition, it is determined whether or not there is a step definition ID after transition in the step definition transition table. If there is a post-transition step determination means and the result of this determination is that there is a post-transition step definition ID, the type is acquired from the step definition table based on the post-transition step definition ID, and this type is “normal” , Generate a step entity ID, the obtained step entity ID, the step definition ID after the transition, the workflow entity ID, the type “normal” and the state Normal type processing means for writing “executable” in association with the step entity table, writing the associated workflow entity ID, the pre-transition step entity ID, and the post-transition step entity ID into the step entity transition table, and the type Is “start point”, a step entity ID is generated, and the step definition ID, workflow entity ID, type “start point”, and state “automatic end” after the transition are associated with each obtained step entity ID. When writing to the entity table and writing the associated workflow entity ID, the pre-transition step entity ID, and the post-transition step entity ID to the step entity transition table, and the type is “confluence”, Step entity ID is generated, and for each obtained step entity ID The step definition ID after the transition, the workflow entity ID, the type “confluence” and the state “waiting for execution” are written to the step entity table, and the associated workflow entity ID, the step entity ID before the transition, and the step entity after the transition And a confluence point type processing means for writing an ID in the step entity transition table.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a definition table for storing a step definition table that associates a type for each step definition ID, and a step definition transition table that associates a step definition ID before transition and a step definition ID after transition. Entity table storage means for storing a storage means, a step entity table associating a step definition ID and type for each step entity ID, and a step entity transition table associating a step entity ID before transition and a step entity ID after transition And a process for determining a type from the step entity table based on the input step entity ID at the time of occurrence of an exception, and a transition by the step entity transition table. Recursively execute the process to be followed and the type is “Start” Starting point specifying means for specifying the step entity ID of “”, processing for determining the type by the step definition table based on the step definition ID corresponding to the step entity ID of the specified “starting point”, and the step definition This is a workflow processing device provided with a merge point identifying unit that recursively executes a process of tracing a transition backward using a transition table and identifies a step definition ID of the type “Merge Point”.

  Each aspect of the present invention has been described by taking the case where it is realized as an apparatus as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a storage medium (computer-readable storage medium) storing a program, system, method, or program, It may be realized as.

(Function)
According to one aspect of the present invention, the configuration including the start point specifying means, the confluence point specifying means, and the exception workflow entity transition table writing means is specified when an exception occurs without predefining the confluence of the exception workflow. Thus, even when exception handling frequently occurs, the workflow definition can be simplified, and both the basic workflow and the exception workflow can be executed.

  Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, the configuration including the start point specifying means and the confluence point specifying means is specified when an exception occurs without predefining the confluence of the step transition of the exception. Even when exception processing frequently occurs, the definition of step definition and step transition can be simplified, and both the basic workflow and the exception workflow formed by the transition of the defined steps can be executed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the definition of a workflow can be simplified even when exception processing frequently occurs, and both the basic workflow and the exception workflow can be executed.

It is a schematic diagram of the workflow for demonstrating the outline | summary of this invention. It is a schematic diagram of the workflow for demonstrating the outline | summary of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the workflow system provided with the workflow processing apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the definition information storage part in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the entity information storage part in the embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the operation | movement in the embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the operation | movement in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation | movement in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of a workflow definition which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the workflow definition table in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the step definition table in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the step definition transition table in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the workflow entity table in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the step entity table in the same embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the step entity transition table in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation | movement in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the step entity table in the same embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation | movement in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the step entity table in the same embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the step entity transition table in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation | movement in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the workflow entity table in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the step entity table in the same embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the step entity transition table in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the exception workflow entity transition table in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation | movement in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the step entity table in the same embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the step entity transition table in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation | movement in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the step entity table in the same embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the workflow entity table and step entity transition table in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation | movement in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the step entity table in the same embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the step entity transition table in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation | movement in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the step entity table and step entity transition table in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation | movement in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific example of the workflow entity table in the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the conventional workflow.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but before that, an outline of the present invention will be described.

  As an outline of the present invention, first, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a workflow for normal processing (hereinafter referred to as a basic workflow) and a workflow for exception processing (hereinafter referred to as an exception workflow). Are defined separately. Here, in the basic workflow, an exception workflow to be executed when an exception occurs is not defined. Also, in the exception workflow, the merge destination after the process execution is not defined. Therefore, unlike the prior art, the workflow definition is simplified.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 2A, when an exception occurs in a certain step (eg, work (2)), as shown in FIG. The basic workflow is dynamically updated by incorporating the workflow (eg, exception workflow 2) into the step where the exception occurred. Also, workflow branching occurs at the step where an exception occurred, but as shown in Fig. 2 (c), unlike the conventional case, both the work of the basic workflow after branching and the work of the incorporated exception workflow are executed. Yes, after execution, you can join the original basic workflow and continue working.

  It should be noted that the merging destination of the exception workflow is uniquely specified by defining an “exception range” in the basic workflow in advance. The “exception range” here consists of a pair of “start point” and “merge point”. If exception processing occurs at the step surrounded by “start point” and “merge point”, it is incorporated into the step. It has a function to uniquely identify the merging destination of an exceptional workflow as a “merging point”. The “exception range” can be nested in the basic workflow.

  The above is the outline of the present invention. Such an overview is, for example, a definition table storage device for storing a step definition table that associates a type for each step definition ID, and a step definition transition table that associates a step definition ID before transition and a step definition ID after transition. An entity table storage device for storing a step entity table that associates a step definition ID and type for each step entity ID, and a step entity transition table that associates a step entity ID before transition and a step entity ID after transition; Is a workflow processing apparatus capable of reading / writing a process, a process for determining the type from the step entity table based on the input step entity ID at the time of occurrence of the exception, and a process for tracing the transition forward by the step entity transition table And recursively execute Based on the start point specifying function for specifying the step entity ID, the step definition ID corresponding to the step entity ID of the specified “start point”, the process of determining the type by the step definition table, and the transition by the step definition transition table This process can be realized by a workflow processing apparatus having a confluence point specifying function for recursively executing the process of tracing back and specifying a step definition ID of the type “confluence point”. According to this workflow processing apparatus, the configuration including the start point specifying function and the confluence point specifying function allows the exception step transition to be specified when the exception occurs without predefining the exception step transition. Even if it occurs, the step definition and the step transition definition can be simplified, and both the basic workflow and the exception workflow in which the defined steps are transitioned can be executed. The workflow processing apparatus exemplified here does not use the workflow definition ID because it assumes that the workflow definition ID is not managed. However, when managing the workflow definition ID, the workflow definition ID is as follows: And a workflow processing apparatus using the workflow entity ID.

That is, a definition table storage device for storing a step definition table that associates types for each step definition ID, a workflow definition ID, a step definition ID before transition, and a step definition transition table that associates step definition IDs after transition; A workflow entity table that associates a workflow definition ID for each workflow entity ID, a step entity table that associates a step definition ID and type for each step entity ID, a step entity ID that associates a step entity ID before transition and a step entity ID after transition A workflow processing device capable of reading / writing an entity table storage device for storing a table, generating a workflow entity ID for the input normal or exceptional workflow definition ID, and generating the generated workflow The workflow entity table writing function that associates the cflow entity ID with the workflow definition ID and writes it to the workflow entity table, searches the step definition transition table for the input workflow definition ID, acquires the first step definition ID, Step entity table writing function that generates an entity ID, searches the step definition table for the first step definition ID, acquires the type, associates them, and writes them to the step entity table, and the step when the input exception occurs Start of recursively executing the process of determining the type from the step entity table based on the entity ID and the process of tracing the transition forward by the step entity transition table to identify the step entity ID of the type “starting point” Of the point identification function and the identified "starting point" Based on the step definition ID corresponding to the step entity ID, the process of determining the type by the step definition table and the process of tracing back the transition by the step definition transition table are recursively executed and the type is “confluence”. What is necessary is just to set it as the workflow processing apparatus provided with the confluence | merging point specific function which specifies step definition ID. In addition, the workflow processing apparatus exemplified here does not use an exception workflow transition table or the like because it assumes that the transition state of an exceptional workflow is not managed, but when managing the transition state of an exception workflow, As shown in the following first embodiment, a workflow processing apparatus using an exception workflow transition table or the like may be used. Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a workflow system including the workflow processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The workflow system includes a definition information storage unit 10 as a definition table storage device, an entity information storage unit 20 as an entity table storage device, a workflow processing device 30, and a user interface device 40. The workflow processing apparatus 30 includes a storage unit 31, a user interface communication unit 32, a workflow control unit 33, an entity generation unit 34, a definition information registration / acquisition unit 35, an entity information registration / acquisition unit 36, and a merge destination identification unit 37. Yes. The workflow processing apparatus 30 can be implemented with either a hardware configuration or a combination configuration of hardware resources and software. As the software of the combined configuration, a program that is installed in advance from a network or a storage medium into a computer and causes the computer to realize the function of the workflow processing apparatus is used.

  Here, the definition information storage unit 10 is a database that stores a workflow definition table 11, a step definition table 12, and a step definition transition table 13 as definition information as shown in FIG. Writable.

  The workflow definition table 11 includes a workflow definition ID as workflow definition information. In FIGS. 4 and 5, the underline represents a key.

  The step definition table 12 includes a workflow definition ID and a type for each step definition ID as step definition information in the workflow definition.

  “Type” represents the type of step, and “normal”, “start point”, or “joining point” is set. “Normal” represents the step of executing the work, “Start point” represents the step representing the start point of the exceptional range, and “Merging point” represents the step representing the confluence of the corresponding exceptional range.

  The step definition transition table 13 includes, as step definition transition information, a workflow definition ID associated with each other, a step definition ID before transition, and a step definition ID after transition.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the entity information storage unit 20 is a database that stores a workflow entity table 21, a step entity table 22, a step entity transition table 23, and an exception workflow entity transition table 24 as entity information. 30 can be read / written.

  The workflow entity table 21 includes a workflow definition ID and a state for each workflow entity ID as workflow entity information instantiated from the workflow definition table 11. Here, “state” represents the state of the workflow entity, and includes “running” and “completed”. “In execution” indicates a state until a workflow entity is generated and all step entities on the workflow are completed, and “completed” indicates a state in which all step entities on the workflow are completed.

  The step entity table 22 includes a step definition ID, a workflow entity ID, a type, and a state for each step entity ID as step instance information instantiated from the step definition table 12. Here, “state” represents the state of the step entity, and includes “waiting for execution”, “executable”, “executing”, “completed”, and “automatic end”. "Awaiting execution" means that the step entity has been generated but cannot be executed, "Available" is waiting for work to start, "In progress" is executing work, and "Complete" is work Represents the completed state. “Automatic end” is used for a step entity whose “type” is “starting point” or “joining point”, and the step entity at the starting point or confluence is “executable” and immediately becomes “automatic end”. Processing moves to the next step entity.

  The step entity transition table 23 includes workflow entity IDs associated with each other as step instance transition information instantiated from the step definition transition table 13, a step entity ID before transition, and a step entity ID after transition.

  The exception workflow entity transition table 24 holds information on which workflow entity instantiated from the exception workflow definition branches from which step entity of which workflow entity and which step definition merges. Specifically, the exception workflow entity transition table 24 includes a (exception) workflow entity ID, a branch source workflow entity ID, a branch source step entity ID, and a merge destination step definition ID. The branch source ID is a history of where the exception workflow was called later.

  The workflow processing apparatus 30 provides a workflow to the user, and includes the units 31 to 37 as described above. Each of the units 31 to 37 is an example in which the function of the entire workflow processing apparatus 30 is divided into functional blocks, and may be modified into functional blocks of different units as long as they have similar functions as a whole. For example, each unit 31 to 37 may be transformed into a storage unit 31 and a functional unit (for example, workflow processing unit) in which the remaining units 32 to 37 are combined. In this case, for example, the workflow processing program is stored in the storage unit 31, and a CPU (not shown) executes the workflow processing program in the storage unit 31, thereby realizing the functions of the units 32 to 37 as the entire workflow processing device 30. Also good. The functions realized as the entire workflow processing apparatus 30 include, for example, the following functions (f1) to (f17). In the operation of the embodiment, the functions realized as a whole are shared by the units 32 to 37. An example that was realized is described.

  (f1) A first input reception function that receives input of the workflow definition ID and start information transmitted from the user interface device 40.

  (f2) When the workflow definition ID that has received an input together with the start information exists in the workflow definition table 11, a workflow entity ID is generated, and “in-execution” is associated as the generated workflow entity ID, workflow definition ID, and state. A workflow entity table writing function for writing to the workflow entity table 21.

  (f3) Search the step definition transition table 13 for the workflow definition ID that has received the input, obtain the step definition ID after the first transition among the search results, generate the step entity ID, and after the first transition For the step definition ID, the type is obtained by searching the step definition table 12, and the generated step entity ID, the first transitioned step definition ID, the generated workflow entity ID, the type, and the status are “executable” Step entity table writing function for writing to the step entity table 22 in association with each other.

  (f4) A step entity transition table writing function for associating the generated workflow entity ID and the generated step entity ID as the step entity ID after the transition and writing it in the step entity transition table 23.

  (f5) When the step entity ID and the start information transmitted from the user interface device 40 are received and the status corresponding to the step entity ID in the step entity table 22 indicates “executable”, this “executable” is set to “ Step start function to update to "Running".

  (f6) A second input receiving function for receiving the input of the workflow definition ID of the exception transmitted from the user interface device 40, the current workflow entity ID, and the step entity ID when the exception occurs.

  (f7) Upon receiving the current workflow entity ID and the step entity ID at the time of occurrence of the exception, the process of determining the type for the step entity ID by the step entity table 22 and the process of tracing the transition forward by the step entity transition table 23 A start point specifying function that specifies a step entity ID of the type “start point” by executing recursively.

  (f8) Based on the step definition ID corresponding to the step entity ID of the “start point” specified by the start point specifying function, the step definition table 12 determines the type for the step definition ID, and the step definition transition table 13 The junction point specifying function that specifies the step definition ID of the type “Joint Point” by recursively executing the process of tracing the transition later.

  (f9) When the workflow definition ID of the exception for which the input is accepted exists in the workflow definition table 11, an exception workflow entity ID is generated, and the generated workflow entity ID, the workflow definition ID of the exception, and the status are “ Exception workflow entity table write function for writing to the workflow entity table 21 in association with “executing”.

  (f10) The step definition transition table 13 is searched for the workflow definition ID of the exception that has received the input, the step definition ID after the first transition is acquired from the search result, and the step entity ID of the exception is generated, Based on the step definition ID after the first transition, the step definition table 12 is searched to obtain the type, the step entity ID of the generated exception, the step definition ID after the first transition, and the generated workflow entity of the exception Step entity table writing function for exceptions that writes ID, type, and status “executable” in the step entity table 22 in association with each other.

  (f11) A step entity transition table writing function for an exception that writes the workflow entity ID of the generated exception and the step entity ID of the generated exception to the step entity transition table 23 in association with the step entity ID after the transition.

  (f12) The exception workflow entity ID, the current workflow entity ID as the branch source workflow entity ID, the step entity ID when the exception occurred as the branch source step entity ID, and the step definition ID as the merge destination An exception workflow entity transition table writing function for writing to the exception workflow entity transition table 24 in association with the step definition ID of “confluence”.

  (f13) Upon receipt of the step entity ID and the end information transmitted from the user interface device 40, when the state of the step entity ID indicates “in execution” in the step entity table 22, this state is changed from “in execution”. Step end function to update to “complete”.

  (f14) Whether the step definition transition table 13 has the step definition ID after the transition when the step definition ID corresponding to the updated state is the step definition ID before the transition after the state is updated to “complete” A post-transition step determination function that determines whether or not.

  (f15) If the result of this determination is that there is a step definition ID after transition, the type is acquired from the step definition table 12 based on the step definition ID after transition, and if this type is “normal”, the step entity ID And the obtained step entity ID, the step definition ID after the transition, the workflow entity ID, the type “normal”, and the state “executable” are written in the step entity table 22 and the associated workflow entity ID, A normal type processing function for writing the step entity ID before transition and the step entity ID after transition to the step entity transition table 23.

  (f16) When the type is “start point”, a step entity ID is generated, and for each obtained step entity ID, the step definition ID after the transition, the workflow entity ID, the type “start point”, and the state “automatic end” Is written in the step entity table 22 and the associated workflow entity ID, the pre-transition step entity ID, and the post-transition step entity ID are written in the step entity transition table 23.

  (f17) When the type is “joining point”, a step entity ID is generated, and for each obtained step entity ID, the step definition ID after the transition, the workflow entity ID, the type “joining point”, and the state “waiting for execution” , A merge point type processing function that writes the associated workflow entity ID, the pre-transition step entity ID, and the post-transition step entity ID to the step entity transition table 23.

  Next, each unit 31 to 37 of the workflow processing apparatus 30 that shares and realizes the above functions will be described.

  The storage unit 31 is a memory (storage unit) that can be read / written from the units 32 to 37. For convenience of drawing, the storage unit 31 is shown to be appropriately readable / writable only from each of the units 32 and 33, but actually, it can be appropriately read / written from the other units 34 to 37 as well. It has become.

  The user interface communication unit 32 writes the command and / or information transmitted from the user interface device 40 to the storage unit 41 and then transmits the command and / or information in the storage unit 41 to the workflow control unit 33. In addition, the user interface communication unit 32 transmits information acquired from the workflow control unit 33 to the user interface device 40.

  The workflow control unit 33 transmits the command and / or information received from the user interface communication unit 32 to the entity generation unit 34 or the join destination specifying unit 37, and the information acquired from the entity generation unit 34 or the join destination specifying unit 37 is transmitted to the user. This is transmitted to the interface communication unit 32.

  The entity generation unit 34 has a function of acquiring information necessary for generating an entity based on definition information such as a workflow definition and generating the entity.

  The definition information registration / acquisition unit 35 has a function of registering and acquiring definition information such as workflow definition and step definition.

  The entity information registration / acquisition unit 36 has a function of registering and acquiring entity information such as a workflow entity and a step entity.

  The merge destination identifying unit (start point identifying means and merge point identifying means) 37 has a function of identifying a step definition that becomes a merge destination from the exception workflow definition when incorporating the exception workflow definition.

  The user interface device 40 is a device that inputs information and instructions to the workflow processing device 30 and outputs information received from the workflow processing device 30. When the workflow system is a single computer, the user interface device 40 is an input / output device such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a display device. When the workflow system is a plurality of computers such as a client server system, the user interface device 40 is a client terminal.

  Next, the operation of the workflow system configured as described above will be described. In addition, the following description will be described in the order of (Operation Summary), (Workflow Start), (Step Start), (Exception Workflow Start), (Step End), and (Process Details). .

(Overview of operation)
When the workflow creator 30 receives the workflow definition ID from the user interface device 40 by the operation of the user interface device 40 by the workflow creator, the workflow processing device 30 creates the workflow definition table 11 including the workflow definition ID and stores it in the definition information storage unit 10. Write.

  In addition, when the workflow processing apparatus 30 receives the step definition ID, the workflow definition ID, and the type associated with each other from the user interface apparatus 40 by the operation of the user interface apparatus 40 by the workflow creator, the workflow definition ID and the workflow definition ID are set for each step definition ID. A step definition table 12 including types is created and written in the definition information storage unit 10.

  Furthermore, when the workflow processing apparatus 30 receives the workflow definition ID, the step definition ID before the transition, and the step definition ID after the transition associated with each other by the operation of the user interface apparatus 40 by the workflow creator, A step definition transition table 13 including the associated workflow definition ID, the step definition ID before transition, and the step definition ID after transition is created and written in the definition information storage unit 10.

  Next, the worker performs the work according to the processing order of the workflow definition. At this time, the workflow processing apparatus 30 acquires information necessary for generating an entity at the time of performing work based on the information in the definition tables 11 to 13, and uses the workflow information in the entity information storage unit 20 as information indicating the actual work status. Stored in the entity table 21, step entity table 22, and step entity transition table 23.

  When an exception process occurs in the work of the step entity, the workflow processing apparatus 30 adds the exception workflow entity to the basic workflow entity and designates the workflow being executed when the workflow definition ID indicating the exception workflow is designated. Update. Further, the joining destination specifying unit 37 specifies the “joining point” step that joins after execution of the exception workflow, and sets the step definition ID indicating the specified step as the “joining step definition ID” as the exception workflow entity transition table 24. To store. The steps of the exception workflow entity and the basic workflow entity are executed, and after execution, they merge at the “confluence” step.

(At the start of the workflow)
The user interface device 40 is input with a workflow definition ID and start information by a user operation on the screen. The workflow definition ID and start information may be configured to input the workflow definition ID and start information stored in advance in association with the workflow start button by clicking the “start workflow” button on the screen.

  In any case, the user interface device 40 transmits the input workflow definition ID and start information to the workflow processing device 30.

  In the workflow processing device 30, when the user interface communication unit 32 receives the input of the transmitted workflow definition ID and start information, the workflow definition ID and start information are written in the storage unit 31 and then stored in the storage unit 31. The workflow definition ID and start information are sent to the workflow control unit 33.

  Upon receiving the workflow definition ID and the start information, the workflow control unit 33 sends this workflow definition ID to the entity generation unit 34.

  As shown in FIG. 6, upon receiving the received workflow definition ID (S1), the entity generation unit 34 receives the workflow definition ID from the definition information storage unit 10 via the definition information registration / acquisition unit 35 based on the workflow definition ID. The table 13 is searched, and a workflow definition ID is acquired as workflow definition information from the workflow definition table 13 (S2).

  The entity generation unit 34 generates a workflow entity ID that is a unique value, and registers the obtained workflow entity ID, workflow definition ID, and state “running” in the workflow entity table 21 by the entity information registration / acquisition unit 36. (S3) The workflow control unit 33 is notified of the completion of registration of the workflow entity ID.

  The workflow control unit 33 sends the notified workflow entity ID to the entity generation unit 34.

  The entity generation unit 34 generates a step entity ID which is a unique value, and information on the step definition after the transition defined at the beginning of the step definition transition table 13 including the workflow definition ID corresponding to the received workflow entity ID. And the obtained step entity ID, step definition ID, workflow entity ID, type, and state are associated with each other and registered in the step entity table 22, and the step entity ID including the workflow entity ID and the step entity ID before and after the transition is registered. The transition information (transition source is NULL) is registered in the step entity transition table 23, and the completion of registration is notified to the workflow control unit 33.

(Operation at the start of a step)
When the user interface device 40 executes the start of the step by the operation on the screen by the user, the user interface device 40 transmits the step entity ID and start information of the step to be started to the workflow processing device 30.

  In the workflow processing device 30, the user interface communication unit 32 writes the step entity ID and start information in the storage unit 31, and then sends the step entity ID and start information in the storage unit 31 to the workflow control unit 33.

  When the workflow control unit 33 receives the step entity ID and the start information, the workflow control unit 33 searches the step entity table 22 in the entity information storage unit 20 via the entity information registration / acquisition unit 36 based on the step entity ID. If the “state” corresponding to the step entity ID is “executable”, the “state” is updated to “being executed”, and the update completion is notified to the workflow control unit 33.

(Operation when exception workflow is started)
When the user interface device 40 generates an exception by an operation on the screen by the user, the workflow definition ID indicating the exception workflow (hereinafter also referred to as an exception workflow definition ID) and the current workflow entity ID (when the exception occurs) The step entity ID of the step where the exception occurred (hereinafter also referred to as the step entity ID when the exception occurred) is input. The occurrence of an exception is caused by a button operation on the screen, a value input by the user, or the like, and an exception workflow definition ID is set on the application for each exception occurrence situation.

  In any case, the user interface device 40 transmits the input workflow definition ID of the exception, the current workflow entity ID, and the step entity ID to the workflow processing device 30.

  In the workflow processing device 30, when the user interface communication unit 32 receives input of the transmitted workflow definition ID, current workflow entity ID, and step entity ID, the exception workflow definition ID and current workflow entity ID are received. And the step entity ID are written in the storage unit 31, and the workflow definition ID of the exception in the storage unit 31, the current workflow entity ID, and the step entity ID at the time of occurrence of the exception are sent to the workflow control unit 33.

  Upon receiving the exception workflow definition ID, the current workflow entity ID, and the step entity ID, the workflow control unit 33 sends the current workflow entity ID and the step entity ID at the time of occurrence of the exception to the joining destination specifying unit 37.

  Upon receiving the workflow entity ID and the step entity ID, the joining destination specifying unit 37 specifies the step definition (step definition ID of the type “joining point”) that is the joining destination. The details of the operation for specifying the step definition ID to be a merge destination will be described later. Further, when the step definition ID of the merge destination does not exist, the merge destination specifying unit 37 sends “NULL” as a return value to the workflow control unit 33, and when the workflow control unit 33 receives NULL, the workflow control unit 33 activates the exceptional workflow. First, an exception workflow activation error is notified to the user interface communication unit 32, and the process ends.

  On the other hand, if there is a step definition ID of the joining destination, the joining destination specifying unit 37 sends the step definition ID of the joining destination to the workflow control unit 33 as a return value.

  When the workflow control unit 33 receives the step definition ID of the merge destination, it sends an exceptional workflow definition ID to the entity generation unit 34.

  The entity generation unit 34 generates a workflow entity ID that is a unique value, registers the obtained workflow entity ID, workflow definition ID, and status of the obtained exception in the workflow entity table 21, and completes the registration of the workflow entity ID of the exception. Is notified to the workflow control unit 33.

  Upon receiving the registration completion of the exceptional workflow entity ID, the workflow control unit 33 sends the exceptional workflow entity ID to the entity generation unit 34.

  The entity generation unit 34 acquires information on the step definition after the transition defined at the beginning of the step definition transition table 13 including the workflow definition ID corresponding to the workflow entity ID of the exception, and obtains the obtained step entity ID, The step definition ID, the workflow entity ID, the type, and the state are associated with each other and registered in the step entity table 22, and the exception workflow entity ID, the exception occurrence step entity ID (before transition), and the generated step entity ID (after transition) The transition information of the step entity is registered in the step entity transition table 23, and the registration completion is notified to the workflow control unit 33.

  The workflow control unit 33 stores the transition information including the exception workflow entity ID, the branch source workflow entity ID, the branch source step entity ID, and the destination step definition ID via the entity information registration / acquisition unit 36. Registered in the exception workflow entity transition table 24 of the unit 20.

  The workflow control unit 33 notifies the user interface communication unit 32 that the exception workflow has been started.

(Operation at the end of the step)
[End of step]
When the user interface device 40 executes the end of the step by an operation on the screen by the user, the user interface device 40 transmits the step entity ID and the end information of the step to be ended to the workflow processing device 30.

  In the workflow processing device 30, the user interface communication unit 32 sends the step entity ID and the end information to the workflow control unit 33.

  Upon receiving the step entity ID and the end information, the workflow control unit 33 searches the step entity table 22 in the entity information storage unit 20 via the entity information registration / acquisition unit 36 based on the step entity ID, The “status” corresponding to the step entity ID is updated to “completed”, and the update completion is notified to the workflow control unit 33.

[Generate Next Step]
The workflow control unit 33 sends the step entity ID and the end information to the entity generation unit 34.

  Upon receiving the step entity ID and the end information, the entity generation unit 34 sets the step definition ID after the transition (to be executed next) when the step definition ID corresponding to the received step entity ID is the step definition ID before the transition. It is determined whether or not the step definition ID of the step is in the step definition transition table 13. As a result of this determination, if there is a step definition ID after the transition, the entity generation unit 34 acquires the step definition ID after the transition from the step definition transition table 13, and obtains the step definition information of the step definition ID after the transition. The acquired step entity ID, step definition ID, workflow entity ID, type, and status are associated with each other and registered in the step entity table 22, and the workflow entity ID, the completed step entity ID (before transition) and the next The transition information of the step entity consisting of the step entity ID to be executed (after the transition) is registered in the step entity transition table 23, and the registration completion is notified to the workflow control unit 33.

[End workflow]
If the entity generation unit 34 determines that “there is no step definition ID after transition (no next execution step)” in the [next step generation] determination process, the entity generation unit 34 transmits the entity information via the entity information registration / acquisition unit 36. The “status” corresponding to the current workflow entity ID is updated to “completed” in the workflow entity table 21 of the storage unit 20, and the update completion is notified to the workflow control unit 33. Thereby, the processing of the workflow ends.

(Details of various processes)
Next, among the operations described above, the operation of [next step generation] by the entity generation unit 34 and the operations of [specification of start point] and [specification of junction point] by the junction destination identification unit 37 will be described in detail.

[Details of next step generation]
As shown in FIG. 7, the entity generation unit 34 receives a step entity ID (NULL at the start of the workflow) and end information from the workflow control unit 33 (S11).

  Upon receiving the step entity ID and the end information, the entity generation unit 34 acquires the step definition ID corresponding to the received step entity ID from the step entity table 22 of the entity information storage unit 20 by the entity information registration / acquisition unit 36.

  When the acquired step definition ID is used as the step definition ID before transition, the entity generation unit 34 sends the step definition ID after transition (step definition ID of the next step to be executed) via the definition information registration / acquisition unit 35. ) Is in the step definition transition table 13 in the definition information storage unit 10 (S12).

  If the result of determination in step S12 is that there is no step definition ID after transition, the entity generation unit 34 stores the entity information storage unit 20 in the entity information registration / acquisition unit 36 based on the current workflow entity ID. Referring to the exception workflow entity transition table 24, it is determined whether or not there is a step definition ID of the merge destination (S13). If there is no step definition ID of the merge destination, the process proceeds to step S27 and the process is exited. If there is a step definition ID, the process proceeds to step S21.

  If the result of determination in step S12 is that there is a post-transition step definition ID, the entity generation unit 34 transfers the transition from the step definition table 12 of the definition information storage unit 10 via the definition information registration / acquisition unit 35. The “type” corresponding to the later step definition ID is acquired.

  The entity generation unit 34 determines whether the acquired type is “normal”, “start point”, or “confluence” (S14).

  As a result of the determination in step S14, when the type is “normal”, the entity generation unit 34 generates a step entity from the information in the step definition table 12 corresponding to the step definition ID after the transition, and the obtained step entity ID, The step definition ID, workflow entity ID, type, and state “executable” are registered in the step entity table 22 of the entity information storage unit 20 by the entity information registration / acquisition unit 36 (S15).

  In addition, the entity generation unit 34 stores the entity information by the entity information registration / acquisition unit 36 with the transition information including the workflow entity ID, the completed step entity ID (before transition), and the next step entity ID (after transition). It registers in the step entity transition table 23 of the unit 20 (S16) and exits the process (S17).

  As a result of the determination in step S14, when the type is “starting point”, the entity generation unit 34 generates a step entity from the information in the step definition table 12 corresponding to the step definition ID after the transition, and the obtained step entity ID The step definition ID, the workflow entity ID, the type “start point”, and the state “automatic end” are registered in the step entity table 22 of the entity information storage unit 20 by the entity information registration / acquisition unit 36 (S18).

  The entity generation unit 34 uses the entity information registration / acquisition unit 36 to obtain the transition information including the workflow entity ID, the completed step entity ID (before the transition), and the “starting point” step entity ID (after the transition). Register in the step entity transition table 23 of the storage unit 20 (S19).

  In order to make a transition to the next step, the entity generation unit 34 executes the processing from step S12 again as the step entity ID of the step to end the step entity ID of “starting point” (S20).

  As a result of the determination in step S14, if the type is “joining point”, or if the result of the determination in step S13 is that there is a step definition ID of the join destination, the entity generation unit 34 sets the step definition ID of “joining point”. It is determined whether or not the step entity ID corresponding to is present in the step entity table 13 (S21).

  As a result of the determination in step S21, if the step entity ID of “joining point” exists, the process proceeds to step S23.

  As a result of the determination in step S21, if the step entity ID does not exist, the entity generation unit 34 generates a step entity from the information in the step definition table 12 corresponding to the step definition ID of “joining point”, and the obtained step The entity ID, step definition ID, workflow entity ID, type “confluence”, and state “waiting for execution” are registered in the step entity table 22 of the entity information storage unit 20 by the entity information registration / acquisition unit 36 (S22).

  The entity generation unit 34 uses the entity information registration / acquisition unit 36 to store the transition information including the workflow entity ID, the completed step entity ID (before transition), and the step entity ID “after transition” (after transition). Are registered in the step entity transition table 23 (S23).

  The entity generation unit 34 determines whether or not all step entities to be merged with the “merging point” step entity have been completed (S24).

  If all the results of the determination in step S24 are completed, the entity generation unit 34 updates the “state” corresponding to the step entity ID of “confluence” in the step entity table 23 to “executable” (“state”). "Is immediately" automatic end ") (S25).

  In order to make a transition to the next step, the entity generation unit 34 executes again from step 12 as a step entity ID for ending the step entity ID of “joining point” (S26).

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S24 is negative, the entity generation unit 34 exits the process while the “state” corresponding to the step entity ID of “joining point” remains “waiting for execution” (S27).

(Process of the merge destination specifying unit 37)
Upon receiving the current workflow entity ID (when an exception occurs) and the step entity ID when the exception occurs from the workflow control unit 33, the merging destination identifying unit 37, based on this step entity ID, specifies the starting step step entity. ] Is recursively executed, and the step definition ID of the “starting point” step entity including the step entity ID at the time of occurrence of the exception in the exception range is acquired.

  As an outline, as shown in FIG. 8 (a), the transition from the step entity at the time of occurrence of the exception is traced forward, and the first “starting point” step entity that is not closed (start point / confluence point pair) is This is the process to identify.

  Based on the step definition ID of “starting point”, the joining destination specifying unit 37 recursively executes the process of “specifying the step definition of the joining point”, and the step definition ID of the joining destination for the step entity at the time of occurrence of the exception Is identified.

  As an outline, as shown in FIG. 8B, the transition is traced backward from the step definition of “starting point”, and the step definition of the first “merging point” that is not closed (the pair of the starting point and the merging point) is closed. Is the process of identifying

[Identify the starting step entity]
The joining destination specifying unit 37 determines the “type” corresponding to the step entity ID from the step entity table 22.

  As a result of this determination, when the type is “normal”, the joining destination identifying unit 37 acquires the step entity ID of the transition source based on the workflow entity transition table 23.

  On the other hand, if the type is “start point” as a result of the determination, the step entity ID is set to “start point”, and the process of [identification of start point step entity] is exited.

  On the other hand, if the type is “joining point” as a result of the determination, the joining destination specifying unit 37 acquires the branch source step entity ID based on the exception workflow entity transition table 24, and then again [the step entity of the start point. Call the specific process.

  Thereafter, the joining destination specifying unit 37 returns to the type determination and executes the process.

[Identify step definition at confluence]
Based on the current step definition ID and the step definition transition table 13, the joining destination specifying unit 37 acquires the step definition ID of the transition destination.

  The joining destination specifying unit 37 determines the “type” of the acquired step definition ID from the step definition table 12.

  If the result of this determination is that the type is “normal”, the merge destination identifying unit 37 re-executes the acquisition process of the step definition ID of the transition destination.

  If the result of this determination is that the type is “starting point”, the joining destination specifying unit 37 calls the process of [specification of step definition of joining point] again.

  If the result of this determination is that the type is “Merging Point”, the process of [Specification of Step Definition of Merging Point] is exited. The step definition at the time when the processing of [identify step definition at merging point] is completed becomes the “merging point”.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the type is determined from the step entity table 22 based on the step entity ID at the time of occurrence of the exception, and the process of tracing the transition forward by the step entity transition table 23 is recursively executed. The step entity ID whose type is “start point” is identified, the type is determined by the step definition table 12 based on the step definition ID corresponding to the identified step entity ID of “start point”, and the step definition transition table 13 The process of tracing back the transition is recursively executed to identify the step definition ID whose type is “Joint”. In this way, the exception workflow confluence is not defined in advance for each exception workflow, so the workflow definition can be simplified even when exception handling occurs frequently, and both the basic workflow and the exception workflow are executed. be able to.

  Supplementally, a workflow entity is generated from the workflow definition, and when an exception occurs in the workflow entity step, the step that becomes the merge destination is specified, the workflow entity is updated by incorporating the specified exception workflow definition entity, and the workflow entity By configuring the work and the work of the exception workflow entity in parallel, when an exception occurs during the execution of the workflow, the workflow can be updated by incorporating the exception workflow to be executed at the time of the exception.

  In addition, when creating a workflow, the workflow definition that is normally executed and the workflow definition that is executed when an exception occurs can be defined separately, so even if a workflow is applied to work that frequently causes exceptions It is possible to prevent the workflow definition from becoming complicated.

  Also, when an exception occurs in a workflow step, the original workflow can be dynamically updated by incorporating the specified exception processing workflow, so the workflow definition itself can be changed to specify the workflow to be included from the outside at the time of the exception. The workflow being executed can be updated without performing the process.

  In addition, by defining an “exception range” that encloses a pair of start point and confluence in a section where an exception can occur in the workflow definition, if an exception occurs within that section, the embedded exception workflow was processed Later, you can return to the original workflow by returning to the merge point, and even if an exception occurs at multiple steps on the workflow, if the merge destination after exception workflow processing is the same, for each step There is no need to define the merge destination.

  In addition, since the work of the incorporated exception workflow and the work of the work flow of the embedding source can be executed in parallel, the work at the normal time and the work at the time of the exception can be executed in parallel, and the work efficiency can be improved.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a workflow system according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  This embodiment is a specific example of the first embodiment. In the configuration described in the first embodiment, the operation is specifically described by describing specific values in each table.

<Workflow>
An example of workflow definition is shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 9, the workflow definition indicating the basic workflow indicated by the workflow definition ID: D001 is definition information including the workflow definition table 11, the step definition table 12, and the step definition transition table 13, and the operations (1) to (4) ), Step definitions corresponding to the start point A and the merge point A are included. The workflow definition indicating the exception workflow indicated by the workflow definition ID: D100 is definition information including the workflow definition table 11, the step definition table 12, and the step definition transition table 13, and includes exception work (1) and exception work (2 Step definition corresponding to) is included.

<Data structure>
When the workflow is defined, the workflow definition table 11, the step definition table 12, and the step definition transition table 13 are stored in the definition information storage unit 10 (see FIGS. 10, 11, and 12).

<Start workflow>
The user interface device 40 transmits the workflow definition ID and the start information to the workflow processing device 30 when “start workflow” is executed from the screen by a user operation.

  Based on the workflow definition ID, the workflow processing apparatus 30 performs data transfer between the user interface communication unit 32, the workflow control unit 33, and the entity generation unit 34 as described above.

  As a result, the workflow entity table 21, the step entity table 22, and the step entity transition table 23 are stored in the entity information storage unit 20 (see FIGS. 13, 14, 15, and 16).

<Operation at the start of a step>
The user interface device 40 transmits a step entity ID and start information to the workflow processing device 30 when executing “start of step” from the screen by a user operation.

  When receiving the step entity ID and the start information, the workflow processing apparatus 30 executes data transfer among the user interface communication unit 32, the workflow control unit 33, and the entity information registration / acquisition unit 36 as described above.

  As a result, the state of the step entity ID: E0011 in the step entity table 22 stored in the entity information storage unit 20 is updated from “executable” to “under execution” (see FIGS. 17 and 18).

<Create step entity>
In the workflow processing device 30, when the step entity of the step entity ID: E0011 is completed, it is determined whether or not there is a step definition to be executed next.

  It can be seen from the step definition transition table 13 (FIG. 12) that the next step definition ID to be executed is D0012.

  Since the type of D0012 is “start point” from the step definition table 12 (FIG. 11), the workflow processing apparatus 30 generates a step entity ID “E0012” (state is “automatic end”) of “start point”. And registered in the step entity table 22 and the step entity transition table 23 (see FIGS. 19 and 20).

  Furthermore, in the workflow processing apparatus 30, since the step entity with the step entity ID: E0012 is automatically terminated, the next step definition ID: D0013 (“normal” type) to the step entity ID: E0013 (state is “executable”) Are registered in the step entity table 22 and the step entity transition table 23 (see FIGS. 19, 20, and 21).

<Operation when exception workflow starts>
While executing the step entity of the basic workflow step entity ID: E0013, when the user interface device 40 executes “exception occurrence” from the screen by a user operation, the workflow definition ID of the exception to be incorporated, the current workflow entity ID The step entity ID is transmitted to the workflow processing apparatus 30.

  When the workflow processing device 30 receives the exceptional workflow definition ID, the current workflow entity ID, and the step entity ID, the user interface communication unit 32, the workflow control unit 33, the merge destination specifying unit 37, and the entity information registration / acquisition unit 36 The data is exchanged between the two, and the joining destination specifying unit 37 specifies the step definition ID: D0015 that becomes the joining destination.

  As a result, the workflow entity table 21, the step entity table 22, the step entity transition table 23, and the exception workflow entity transition table 24 are updated in the entity information storage unit 20 (FIGS. 22, 23, 24, 25, and 25). 26).

<Generate exception flow step entity>
When the step entity E1001 is completed, the workflow processing apparatus 30 determines whether there is a step definition to be executed next.

  It can be seen from the step definition transition table 13 (FIG. 12) that the next step definition ID to be executed is D1002.

  Since the type of the step definition ID: D1002 is “normal” from the step definition table 12 (FIG. 11), the workflow processing apparatus 30 generates a “normal” step entity E1002 (“status” is “executable”). And registered in the step entity table 22 and the step entity transition table 23 (see FIGS. 27, 28 and 29).

<End of exception flow step entity>
When the step entity E1002 is completed, the workflow processing apparatus 30 determines whether there is a step definition to be executed next.

  It can be seen from the exception workflow entity transition table 24 (FIG. 25) that the step definition ID of the merge destination is D0015.

  In the workflow processing device 30, it can be seen from the step entity table 22 (FIG. 14) that there is no step entity ID with the step definition ID: D0015, so the step entity ID “E0015” of the “confluence” (“state” is “Waiting for execution”) is created and registered in the step entity table 22 (FIG. 30).

  It is determined whether or not all step entities to be merged with the step entity E0015 at the “merging point” have been completed.

  In the workflow processing device 30, it can be seen from the step definition table 12 and the step entity table 22 (FIGS. 11 and 14) that the step entity of the basic workflow step definition ID: D0014 has not been completed. The process exits while the state of the step entity is “Waiting for execution”, updates the “state” of the exception workflow entity ID: E100 in the workflow entity table 21 to “completed”, and registers it in the step entity transition table 23 (FIG. 30). FIG. 31 (a), FIG. 31 (b), and FIG. 32).

<Generation of step execution in basic workflow>
When the step entity of the basic workflow step entity ID: E0013 is completed, it is determined whether or not there is a step definition to be executed next.

  It can be seen from the step definition transition table 13 (FIG. 12) that the step definition ID to be executed next is D0014.

  Since the type of the step definition ID: D0014 is “normal” from the step definition table 12 (FIG. 11), the “normal” step entity ID: E0014 (“status” is “executable”) in the workflow processing apparatus 30. Are registered in the step entity table 22 and the step entity transition table 23 (see FIGS. 33, 34, and 35).

<Execution of step entity at confluence>
When the step entity ID: E0014 is completed, the workflow processing apparatus 30 determines whether there is a step definition to be executed next.

  It can be seen from the step definition transition table 13 (FIG. 12) that the step definition ID to be executed next is D0015.

  Since it can be seen from the step entity table 22 (FIG. 30) that the step entity with the step definition ID: D0015 already exists, the workflow processing apparatus 30 joins the step entity with the step entity ID: E0015 at the “joining point”. It is determined whether or not all the step entities to be completed are completed.

  Since it can be seen that all the step entities are completed, the workflow processing apparatus 30 updates the “state” of the step entity ID “E0015” of the “joining point” to “executable” (the “state” immediately becomes “ Registered in the step entity transition table 23 (see FIG. 36A, FIG. 36B, and FIG. 37).

<End of workflow>
Since the step entity with the step entity ID: E0015 is automatically terminated, the workflow processing apparatus 30 determines whether there is a step definition to be executed next.

  Since it can be seen from the step definition transition table 13 (FIG. 12) that there is no step definition to be executed next, in the workflow processing apparatus 30, the “state” of the current workflow entity ID: E001 is set to “complete” in the workflow entity table 21. (See FIG. 38).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the first embodiment is implemented using specific values, the same effects as the effects of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  Note that the method described in the above embodiment includes a magnetic disk (floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, etc.), a magneto-optical disk (MO) as programs that can be executed by a computer. ), And can be distributed in a storage medium such as a semiconductor memory.

  In addition, as long as the storage medium can store a program and can be read by a computer, the storage format may be any form.

  In addition, an OS (operating system) running on a computer based on an instruction of a program installed in the computer from a storage medium, MW (middleware) such as database management software, network software, and the like realize the above-described embodiment. A part of each process may be executed.

  Further, 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 via a LAN, the Internet, or the like is downloaded and stored or temporarily stored.

  Further, the number of storage media is not limited to one, and the case where the processing in the above embodiment is executed from a plurality of media is also included in the storage media in the present invention, and the media configuration may be any configuration.

  The computer according to the present invention executes each process in the above-described embodiment based on a program stored in a storage medium, and is a single device such as a personal computer or a system in which a plurality of devices are connected to a network. Any configuration may be used.

  In addition, the computer in the present invention is not limited to a personal computer, but includes a processing unit, a microcomputer, and the like included in an information processing device, and is a generic term for devices and devices that can realize the functions of the present invention by a program. .

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Moreover, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Definition information storage part, 11 ... Workflow definition table, 12 ... Step definition table, 13 ... Step definition transition table, 20 ... Entity information storage part, 21 ... Workflow entity table, 22 ... Step entity table, 23 ... Step entity transition Table 24: Exception workflow entity transition table 30 ... Workflow processing device 31 ... Storage unit 32 ... User interface communication unit 33 ... Workflow control unit 34 ... Entity generation unit 35 ... Definition information registration / acquisition unit 36 ... entity information registration / acquisition part, 37 ... junction destination specifying part, 40 ... user interface device.

Claims (4)

  A workflow for executing each work in sequence, a step for executing the work, a step representing a starting point of an exception range where an exception may occur in the workflow, and a step representing a confluence of the exception range And definition information storage means for storing workflow definition information defining the order of transition of each step,
  Workflow entity information obtained by adding state information representing the state of each step to the workflow definition information (however, the state represents an execution waiting state, an executable state, an executing state, a completed state, or an automatic end state) Entity information storage means for storing
  When an exception occurs in the step in which the state information represents the running state, the step in which the exception has occurred is out of the steps whose transition order is later than the step in which the exception has occurred, based on the workflow entity information. Means for identifying the step of the nearest confluence;
  A workflow processing apparatus. It is a step definition table that defines each step representing each work in the workflow for a workflow for sequentially executing each work, and a type is specified for each step definition ID for identifying each step. It said step definition table associating, defined for storing a step defined transition table that associates step definition ID after step definition ID and the transition before the transition table storage means (however, the type represents the step of performing work “Normal”, “start point” indicating the start point of the exception range where an exception may occur, or “merge point” indicating the merge point of the exception range)
A step entity table that associates a step definition ID and type for each step entity ID that identifies each step entity that instantiated each of the defined steps, a step entity that associates a step entity ID before transition and a step entity ID after transition A workflow processing apparatus comprising a CPU capable of reading / writing a substance table storage means for storing a transition table and a storage unit storing a workflow processing program ,
When the CPU executes the workflow processing program, the type is “normal”, “start point”, or “confluence” from the step entity table based on the step entity ID that was input when the exception occurred. a process of determining whether it is a "when the determined type is" normal ", reads the steps entity ID before transition associated with the step entity ID that determines the type in step entity transition table type run recursively the process to follow before the transition to identify the steps entity ID of "starting point" by,
When the CPU executes the workflow processing program , based on the step definition ID corresponding to the step entity ID of the identified “starting point”, the type is “normal”, “start” according to the step definition table. The process of determining whether the point is the “point” or the “confluence point” and the transition is performed by reading the step definition ID after the transition associated with the step definition ID that has determined the type in the step definition transition table . workflow processing device type and a process for tracing back running recursively is that identifies the step definition ID of "meeting point". The workflow processing program used in the workflow processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
In the CPU ,
A process of writing the input step entity ID at the time of occurrence of an exception in the storage unit of the workflow processing apparatus, determining a type from the step entity table based on the step entity ID in the storage unit, and the step entity transition table Start of specifying the step entity ID of the type “starting point” by recursively executing the process of tracing the transition forward by reading the step entity ID before the transition associated with the step entity ID after the transition in A point identification process ;
Based on the step definition ID corresponding to the identified step entity ID of the “starting point”, a process for determining the type by the step definition table and the step definition ID before the transition in the step definition transition table a merging point specifying process type for specifying the step definition ID of "meeting point" and a process of tracing the transition back by reading the step definition ID after transition run recursively,
Workflow processing program to execute . A workflow processing method executed by the workflow processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
A process in which the CPU writes the input step entity ID at the time of occurrence of an exception in the storage unit, determines a type from the step entity table based on the step entity ID in the storage unit, and the step entity transition table Start of specifying the step entity ID of the type “starting point” by recursively executing the process of tracing the transition forward by reading the step entity ID before the transition associated with the step entity ID after the transition in A point identification process;
The CPU determines the type based on the step definition table based on the step definition ID corresponding to the identified “starting point” step entity ID, and the step definition ID before transition in the step definition transition table A step of identifying the step definition ID of the type “confluence” by recursively executing the process of tracing back the transition by reading the step definition ID after the transition associated with
A workflow processing method comprising:

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