Research On Workflow Customization And Operation Based On Dependency In SaaS

As the rapid development of Internet technology and the mature of application software, SaaS (Software as a Service) has become a novel supply-consume pattern in software service area. It provides application software service via the Internet and consequently avoids the requests from customers for buying, establishing and maintaining the basic hardware facilities. Customers could buy the application software service based on their own needs, and pay for commissions according to usage scale and time. A significant characteristic of SaaS oriented application is "single instance multiple lease", which means several customers share one instance given by service provider, however, from customers'point of view this instance seems to only provide service for the viewer own. In fact, this unique pattern of software service could not meet personalized requests from different customers. Therefore, a successful SaaS application must implement personalized customization so as to customize self-belonging business application based on sharing instance. At present, there are several problems on SaaS oriented workflow customization:First, as users of application software, customers have a certain technical blind-section so that they have to learn much additional techniques to fulfill workflow customization successfully. Second, the definition of workflow determines the operation logics in business system; therefore, customers could not ensure the accuracy of workflow customization and might generate serious hidden troubles to normal system operation. Third, there are similarities when many customers try to customize applications from the same workflow; and at present no approach could utilize these similarities in order to improve the customization efficiency and accuracy. Finally, the multi-customized workflow lacks safety insurance in operating process and it is short of professional multi-customized management for possible exceptions in workflow. The solution of problems above could provide a wider space for the development of SaaS application; therefore it is quite valuable to make a further research.Aiming to main problems in SaaS operation workflow customization, this paper works as follows:1. Design an operation framework based on dependency relationship. This framework takes the dependency relationship between task functions as its foundation and provides a uniform platform of workflow customization so that it could manage multi-customized workflow from customizing phase and operating phrase.2. With the help of dependency, guide the customization and ensure the accuracy. Firstly, this paper provides a data mining algorithm which gives customization suggestions to one customer by mining related information from the other customers. Secondly, this paper proposes a self-determined customization algorithm based on dependency relationship in order to lead customers to customize workflow on their own. Thirdly, this paper gives a workflow validity algorithm to ensure customization accuracy.3. Realize the operations of multi-customized workflow and solutions of exceptions using mapping method. This paper utilizes a high mature workflow model to cut operating cost in SaaS application and provide high performance services at the same time. By operation mapping and data mapping, it ensures the safety of customers'workflow data. Also, by encapsulation of workflow engine, it provides multi-customized exception management mechanism to improve the system's usability and robustness.Finally, this paper establishes prototype system. The system examines the workflow customization and operation framework from customizing viewpoint and operating viewpoint. Experimental results of the system show that the framework proposed in this paper possesses a certain feasibility and reliability.