Generic Workflow Engine Research And Design

Workflow technology is the research hotspot in the domain of computer application. With workflow technology, the modeling on and analyzing the enterprise business process can normalize operational process, find the irrational and inefficient section, then optimize and regroup the business process, and improve the efficiency of the enterprises roundly. And enterprise business process modeling is also the important repository and regulations which can instruct enterprise to implement computer informational management model. Therefore, making further research and development on workflow technology has an important realistic significance which can promote the normalization and informatization of enterprise's management and improve its economic benefits.The workflow engine is the kernel of Workflow Management System, which can drive the process execution based on process definition, and assign tasks to proper users or roles, and invoke other applications to finish task.This paper makes an analysis of the actual situation of workflow technology, and makes further discussion of its basic theory and relevant technology, including its system structure, reference model, and modeling. According to the analysis of the application prospects and practical applied requirements of workflow engine, this paper also proposes a frame of the general workflow engine based on the WfMC standard and elaborate the designing of this engine. The system designed by the Web application system of the Struts framework based on MVC model .The structure can effectively separate the function modules of operational logic, the control of the program and the demonstrate of the data, the respective modules can be developed concentrative without fear of coupling, so it is favorable to maintain and update the system.The workflow engine is developed by Java technology,and the persistence layer adopts iBATIS framework and is compatible with XPDL standard process definition, so it is general, easy to expand and integrate. The engine is so convenient to be embedded in the workflow management system as to greatly reduce the technological difficulty of the original system and improve the working efficiency.