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?