Design And Implementation Of A Workflow System Based On XPDL Process Definition

Workflow technology, a rapidly developing technology, has the main characteristic that makes business process automated, wholly or partially, by using computer technology. The main object of Workflow Management System is to coordinate every links of business procedures to make it run in some definite sequences to fulfill the automation in business procedure by invocating concerned information resource and human resource.Currently, the low efficiency of Workflow Management System among enterprises and institutions is mainly relevant to the deficiency of the design of the Workflow. The lack of the commonability, applicability and flexibility of the Workflow System will markedly restrict the Workflow System's application. From the aspect of the application system implementation and the process definition, the method to strengthen the flexibility and applicability of Workflow System is discussed in the dissertation.In this dissertation, the author refers many research theses on workflow technology and on this basis describes the WfMC Workflow reference model, the Workflow modeling methods in common use and XPDL Workflow process definition language in detail. According to XPDL norm, the author discusses how to develop an application system that is simple, convenient, flexible and visually define Workflow process. The work that this dissertation does is as follows:In the aspect of the Workflow modeling, considering the ability of process description and flexibility, the process definition model named "direct-graph-with-condition" are illustrated and analyzed, the author use this model combine the XPDL process definition language to define Workflow process, realizing the standard process define, on this basis a visual Workflow modeling tool is designed. It is programmed by Java.In the aspect of the system design and implementation, the realizable scheme and key technique of the Workflow System based on the Lotus Domino platform are illustrated and analyzed. The author design and implementation the transfer of workflow process definitions between XPDL and Lotus Domino data form through Domino Java agents, and then implementation the Workflow System according with WfMC Workflow normal, based on a three-layers-distributed architectural. It can be predicted that along with the increasing needs for Workflow System, the commonability, applicability and flexibility will become one of very important factor to assess it. The thesis presents some valuable trials for improving commonability, flexibility and applicability of the Workflow System. These design methods are applied in a compilation manuscript Workflow Management System, and have achieved good results.