Business Process Design by View Integration

J. Mendling Vienna University of EconomicsC. Simon University of Koblenz

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Agenda

1. The need for integration of process models

2. The integration approach

3. Application to the SAP Reference Model

4. Conclusion

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Agenda

The need for integration of process models

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Peter

Paul

Mary

Scenario 1: Modeling Business Processes

Interviewees

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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

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Scenario 2: Integrating Similar Process Models

SAP Reference Model:

Model name Occurences

• Accounting 9

• Billing 13

• Closing Operations 11

• Goods Receipt 6

• Information System 11

• Invoice Verification 7

• Shipping 12

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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

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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

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Analogy between Data and Behavior Integration

ExternalSchema

ExternalSchema

FederatedSchema

ExportSchema

ExportSchema

ComponentSchema

ComponentSchema

LocalSchema

LocalSchema

different data representations

e.g. ER, OO, relational model

common data representations

homogenizedschemas

mergedschema

presentationschema

e.g. GIM, HDM

e.g. GIM, HDM

e.g. GIM, HDM

e.g. ER, OO, relational model

e.g. EPC, YAWL, Petri Nets, BPEL

e.g. EPC, YAWL, Petri Nets, BPEL

EPC

EPC

EPC

Schema Architecture Artifacts static models behavior models

Focus of this paper

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Agenda

The integration approach

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EPCs as a Process Modeling Language

ANDSplit

ANDJoin

XORSplit

EPCFunction

EPCEvent

Activity Pre- & Post-condition

XORSplit

ORSplit

ORJoin

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Customer Inquiry & Customer Inquiry and Quotation Processing

Customer inquiries

about products

Customer inquiry

processing

Quotation to be created from inquiry

Customer quotation

processing

XOR

Resource related

quotation

Quotation must be

created based on plan data

Customer project

required

Customer inquiries

about products

Customer inquiry

processing

Document to be created from sales

activity

XORV

XOR

Quotation to be created from inquiry

Inquiry items are rejected

Customer inquiry is

transmitted

Inquiry is created

Customer Inquiry Customer Inquiry and Quotation Processing

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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

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1.1. Semantic Relationships

• Equivalence:

V1.E1

V1.F1

V2.E1

V2.F3

View 1 View 2

=

=

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1.2. Semantic Relationships II

• Sequence:

V1.E1

V1.F1

V2.E1

V2.F3

View 1 View 2

<

>

V1.E2 V2.E2

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2.1. Merge Operator

V1.E1 V2.E1=V1.E1V2.E1

V

Va

b

c

d

a

b

c

d

• Equivalence:

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2.2. Merge Operator II

V1.E1 >

V1.E1V2.E1

Va

b

c

d

a

b

c

d

V2.F3

V

V2.F3

• Sequence:

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3.1. Restructuring Rules

• unnecessarysynchronization E1

V

V

F2

E1

V

V

F2

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3.2. Restructuring Rules II

• unnecessaryconnector

V

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Agenda

Application to the SAP Reference Model

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Customer Inquiry & Customer Inquiry and Quotation Processing

Customer inquiries

about products

Customer inquiry

processing

Quotation to be created from inquiry

Customer quotation

processing

XOR

Resource related

quotation

Quotation must be

created based on plan data

Customer project

required

Customer inquiries

about products

Customer inquiry

processing

Document to be created from sales

activity

XOR

V

XOR

Quotation to be created from inquiry

Inquiry items are rejected

Customer inquiry is

transmitted

Inquiry is created

Customer Inquiry Customer Inquiry and Quotation Processing

=

=

=

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Customer Inquiry & Customer Inquiry and Quotation Processing

Customer inquiries

about products

Customer inquiry

processing

Document to be created from sales

activity

XOR

V

XOR

Quotation to be created from inquiry

Inquiry items are rejected

Customer inquiry is

transmitted

Inquiry is created

Customer Inquiry and Quotation Processing (integrated)

V

V

V

V

Customer quotation

processing

XOR

Resource related

quotation

Quotation must be

created based on plan data

Customer project

required

Customer inquiries

about products

Customer inquiry

processing

Document to be created from sales

activity

XOR

V

XOR

Quotation to be created from inquiry

Inquiry items are rejected

Customer inquiry is

transmitted

Inquiry is created

Customer Inquiry and Quotation Processing (restructured)

Customer quotation

processing

XOR

Resource related

quotation

Quotation must be

created based on plan data

Customer project

required

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Agenda

Conclusion

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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

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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?