Business Process Design by View Integration J. MendlingVienna University of Economics C. SimonUniversity of Koblenz

Folie 2 Agenda 1.The need for integration of process models 2.The integration approach 3.Application to the SAP Reference Model 4.Conclusion

Folie 3 Agenda The need for integration of process models

Folie 4 Peter Paul Mary Scenario 1: Modeling Business Processes Interviewees

Folie 5 The SAP Reference Model About 10,000 information models 5 Hierarchy Levels 29 Branches Various model types: data, organization, processes, etc. 604 EPC business process models

Folie 6 Scenario 2: Integrating Similar Process Models SAP Reference Model: Model nameOccurences Accounting9 Billing13 Closing Operations11 Goods Receipt6 Information System11 Invoice Verification7 Shipping12

Folie 7 Scenario 2: Integrating Similar Process Models II SAP Reference Model: Model name Account Clearing [AP] Account Clearing [AR] Account Clearing [GL] Customer Inquiry Customer Inquiry and Quotation Processing

Folie 8 Integration of Models Schema Integration in Database Theory: Batini et al. (1986), Rahm/Bernstein (2001), Schmitt/Saake (2005), Automed Project, e.g., Rizopoulos/McBrien (2005) Behavior Integration and Inheritance: Basten (1998), V.d.Aalst (2003), Preuner et al. (2001), Simon (2005) Extensive Tool Support for Process Model Integration missing

Folie 9 Analogy between Data and Behavior Integration

Folie 10 Agenda The integration approach

Folie 11 EPCs as a Process Modeling Language AND Split AND Join XOR Split EPC Function EPC Event Activity Pre- &Post- condition XOR Split OR Split OR Join

Folie 12 Customer Inquiry & Customer Inquiry and Quotation Processing

Folie 13 Overview of the integration approach 1.Semantic Relationships: 1.Equivalence 2.Sequence 2.Merge Operator 1.Equivalent Elements 2.Sequenced Elements 3.Restructuring Rules 1.Unnecessary synchronization 2.unnecessary connectors

Folie Semantic Relationships Equivalence:

Folie Semantic Relationships II Sequence:

Folie Merge Operator Equivalence:

Folie Merge Operator II Sequence:

Folie Restructuring Rules unnecessary synchronization

Folie Restructuring Rules II unnecessary connector V

Folie 20 Agenda Application to the SAP Reference Model

Folie 21 Customer Inquiry & Customer Inquiry and Quotation Processing

Folie 22 Customer Inquiry & Customer Inquiry and Quotation Processing

Folie 23 Agenda Conclusion

Folie 24 Summary Integration of business process models needed: in the design phase in a merger scenario Analogy between database schema integration and process model integration: Semantic relationships across models merge operator restructuring rules

Folie 25 Future Research Issues: formal foundation tool support automatic identification of similar models How can process model integration benefit from: process mining? information retrieval techniques? structural similarity of models?