Research Into ERP System Based On Component And Workflow Management Technology

Severe competition demands the enterprises promote their management and expand their market quickly. The traditional ERP is a function-oriented managing system; the fixed process is difficult to satisfy the requirement of modern enterprises need process re-engineering perpetually. So it is clear that ERP system should have flexible process and can be added more functions easily.Through integrating workflow into the ERP system, it is realized that the enterprises' process is separated from the function realization. Component-Based Development (CBD) focuses on establishing some components that can be reuse in other software or module. Based on the component technology, the paper researches how to realize the ERP system's function and module by EJB component; how to customize the enterprises' process and how to manage and control the defined process. Through the application of advanced technology about workflow and component, an ERP system which is flexible and has the feature of being process re-engineering; being added functions or modules easily and being distributed implemented is realized.The content of the paper is divided into 7 chapters. The first chapter introduces the subject researching object, researching actuality and researching meaning. The second chapter discusses the workflow technology, discusses workflow management system, and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages in several popular workflow management products. The third chapter researches component technology especially the development based on EJB technology. The fourth chapter discusses the workflow's application of in the ERP system and analyzes the application's advantages. The fifth chapter researches and gives a way to develop workflow components by EJB and develop a workflow component repository on which the workflow management platform and ERP application system are established. The sixth chapter gives an example of purchase module that is an important module in ERP system to analyze how to developworkflow component and how to customize process. The final chapter summarizes the whole content of the paper and gives the next developing target.