1 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh A Semantic Based Workflow Management in a Virtual Organization Yun-Heh (Jessica) Chen-Burger AIAI, CISA, The University of Edinburgh e-Science Workflow Workshop Dec 3-5, 2003 AIAI Commercial, AKT, CoAKTinG project

2 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Work Areas l Visual and declarative BPM language: RACD, FBPML l Automatic modelling support –Model creation and documentation –Ontology based knowledge sharing –Analysis, critiquing and state-stepping l Workflow system –Guided modelling activities –Guided business operation l Visualisation aids –Process view, product view, agent status view –Process dependency view, information life cycle view l Provides support for virtual organisations

3 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Knowledge Based Support Framework for Workflow GUIModels Formal Representation Model Reuse Model Translation Verification, Validation Critiquing – Within a model And between models and ontology State Stepping Workflow System I Workflow System J Workflow System K End User Distributed Environment Modellers Agent J1 Agent J2 Broker End User Agent K1 Agent K2 KBST-EM Semantic Web Language Publishing

4 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh AKT Research Map and Ontology OWL Representation:

5 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh The Three-Layered Business Process Modelling Approach Application Layer Logical Layer System Layer Goals and Policies Operational Requirements System Requirements Organisation/ Business/ Goal Model Process/Data Model, Ontology Library of Modules

6 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh FBPML Notation (Looping enabled) [Screen Shot of KBST-EM]

7 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh FBPML Process Ontology Skeleton l Nodes: –Primitive Activity –Activity –Role –Time Point l Junctions: –And-junction –Or-junction (inc. Xor-junction) l Links –Precedence-Link –Synchronisation-Bar l Action/Process Decomposition –Task decomposition –Alternative decomposition

8 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Action Types (selective) l Data manipulation actions –Create(Instance|Attribute|Relation) –Delete(Instance|Attribute|Relation) –Update(Instance|Attribute|Relation) l Conditional actions –Condition_action(Conditional_statement_list, Action_list) l User interfaces: –Report(Title, Content) –Read_user_input(Title, Input) –Control of system operation (execution route) l Construct issues (INCA ontology based) l Communication with external agents/brokers –Post_issue(Header, Issue_content), Receive_issue(Header, Issue_content) l Update_event_status(Event, Status) l Domain Functions –Update_cost_in_event(Event, Cost) –Update_solution_in_issue(Issue, Solution) –Update_solution_in_solution(Solution, Solution) –Store_customer_requirements(Requirement_content) –Calculate_total_cost(Solution, Cost) –Check_cost_constraint(Solution, Requirements, Cost, Result)

9 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Additional Primitives l Time and its manipulation l Trigger l Event l Conditional statements –Preconditions –Postconditions l Life cycle –Event life status and cycle –Process life status and cycle l Each node has attributes, e.g. –Process: Instance_Id, Process_type, Life_status, Priority, Average_time_cost, Begin/End_time, Service_Requester/Service_Provider, Trigger, Preconditions, Actions, Postconditions.

10 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Process Model at the Sales and Marketing Site [Screen shot from KBST-EM]

11 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Process Model at the Technical Site [Screen shot from KBST-EM]

12 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Notation for Ontology

13 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Domain Ontology [Extended based on AKT Ontology, Compatible with INCA Ontology]

14 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Abstraction of Collaboration Architecture In the PC Configuration Domain I-X Process Panel BPM - 1 Edinburgh: Costing Site Aberdeen: Tech. Site User Req INCA-FBPM Ontology Constraint Ontology Partial Domain Ontology (tech) Mapped Ontology Com P-1 BPM - 2 Com P-2 Com I-1Com I-2 Comp Spec KRAFT Constraint Solver Concept Mapping Partial Domain Ontology (S&M) Workflow

15 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Mapped to and Operated using IX Process Panel Web page and movie of live record:

16 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Example start_junction( Confirm Entering Clearing Process). process(Confirm Entering Clearing Process, Instance, ccs(X), or(past_due_date(Student), not_successful(Student)), update_status(Student, clearing) ). link(Confirm Entering Clearing Process, Execute Clearing Process).

17 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Example Process process(Instance, 'Receive Customer Request'/1, created, Priority, _Begin_time/_End_time, 1, (Requester/Requester_type, edinburgh/pc_specification), [event_occ(Instance, customer_request_for_pc_specification, received/_, Priority, _Begin/_End, (Requester/Requester_type, _Provider/_Provider_type), _Event_content) ], [true], [cond_action([not_exist(instance_of(Requester, customer))], [create(instance_of(Requester, customer))] ), create(instance_att(Requester, event, Instance)), create(instance_of(Instance, event)) ], [exist(instance_of(Requester, customer)), exist(instance_att(Requester, event, Instance)), exist(instance_of(Instance, event)) ] ).

18 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Internal View of WFE External Event And Interactions Process Agenda data Process, Event And Status System State Persistent Information Storage World State Awareness Of Workflow Engine IDEF Methods WSFL RAD BSDM-BM Process Execution Think Workflow Engine The User Standardised Methods PSL/PIF Data Model and Ontology Process Model FBPML FBPML-DL FBPML Process Model FBPML-DL

19 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Characteristics of FBPML l Contains a process and data modelling languages, including ontology l Provides an abstraction that is separated from the actual implementation l Has precise execution semantics (that is grounded in data semantics) that supports generations of a workflow virtual machine at run time l Provides a visual presentation of the process model l Provides a visual presentation for the underlying Ontology –visual data modelling languages may be ER, UML Data Diagram, etc) l Has a notion of time that may be synchronised l Suitable for a distributed environment l Can link to organisation/business/goal model l Provides a suitable foundation for automatic V&V (static, simulation, within one model, between models), model critiquing, inferencing (e.g. dependencies), confirming with ontology, planning, scheduling, etc.

20 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Information Grid Knowledge Grid Computation/ Data Grid Computation/ Data Grid [Source: Richard Kenway] Three layer grid abstraction Control Data to Knowledge

21 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Information Grid Knowledge Grid Computation/ Data Grid Computation/ Data Grid Data to Knowledge Virtual Workflow Machine: Information/Message Passing, Process Execution Declarative Process Model Realisation of Workflow Transaction of Workflow [adapted from Richard Kenway] Semantic Description Data Transaction Semantic Grid Relating workflow to the three layered grid abstraction

22 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Workflow linking to Semantic Web Technologies l FBPML-DL is mapped to OWL, including –Ontology –Domain model (data mode and instances) l FBPML is currently mapped to BPML/WSCI and DAML-S l To develop semantic grid, wisdom may be gained and lessons learned from experiences made from semantic web development… –Interoperability –Loose coupling of heterogeneous systems that are geographically disperse –Collaboration to achieve common and individual goals

23 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Semantic Web Layer Cake

24 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh ebMS DAML-S/OWL-S ebBPSS WS-CDL [adapted from WS-CDL]

25 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Virtual Organisation with Workflow Systems Workflow System - 1 Workflow System - 2 Intelligent Agent i Cost Checker Problem Solver k Database m Intelligent Agent - z Problem Solver x Constraint Solver w Database Internal Broker j Internal Broker Y (Sub-)Organisation A (Sub-)Organisation B Independent Broker Y Other Broker/ Agents … SWL Wrapper

26 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Challenges and Issues for Standard Workflow Languages l Many emerging WF standard languages are competing l Rapid evolution on semantic web languages l Many layers of semantic web languages l Standard WF languages often lack visual representation l Lack of semantic support for workflow operations –Standard services ontology ? –Standard process ontology ? l Lack of explicit representation and organisation of data manipulated by processes l Lack of explicit representation of time and synchronisation of processes in addition to the beginning and ending of a process l Lack of explicit support to operating context –Lack of explicit representation and therefore transparent control of system environment that are being altered by processes –Lack of linking to organisation/role/capability model –Lack of explicit linking to goal/business model l Lack of guidelines for producing good process model and rich modelling examples

27 Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications, Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh End of Talk Thank you for listening Yun-Heh Chen-Burger AIAI, CISA, The University of Edinburgh l Workflow Handbook 2003, WfMC. l Home page: l PM: level.html level.htmlhttp:// level.html l WF: WF: WF: