Workflow Model Simulation Technology

Workflow has become the core technology of enterprise business process modeling, simulation analyzing, optimizing for process automatization. As the external system that could be integrated with workflow management system, workflow model simulation system has become more important in process definition estimation and optimization.The relevant conceptions, research objectives and meanings, development status in domestic and overseas of workflow model simulation are introduced in this thesis, and the requirement analysis, design and implementation of workflow modeling and simulation tool are expatiated . Based on the deficiency of current workflow model simulation, a workflow model simulation system (WMSS) is designed on basis workflow life cycle which is divided into build stage, configuration stage and execution stage. By extending Traditional workflow theory, one process definition meta model is designed which could support simulation, and a workflow simulation model in combination with workflow history data analysis model is established on basis of the former work, workflow simulation model consists of basic model and supporting model, then the submodel formal expressions are also given. Due to the deficiency of the process definition language XPDL (XML-based process definition language) for describing indeterminacy of simulation execution process, simulation-supported workflow definition language (SIM-XPDL) is designed, which sticks up principles such as compatibility to XPDL. SIM-XPDL supports activity dynamic/fixed execution time and transitions split probability. Given the demands on simulation environment of workflow simulation, an approach for environment simulation parameters reference setup is presented, which makes use of workflow history data analysis. The step of set the simulation parameters is exhausted in detail and the example is given at last. Lastly, workflow model simulation system prototype and universal simulation engine are designed, and simulation engine could call the interface of workflow engine and simulates the user completes workitem. The design of core components and simulation idea and algorithms are given, and the feasibility of these algorithms is proved by simulation examples.In a word, simulation-supported workflow model, process definition description language, workflow simulation environment parameters setup and workflow model simulation execution are studied in this paper. Finally their futures are prospected.