Introduction to BPEL abstraction process and development

Abstract process

BPEL is not only used to specify an executable process, but you can also use it to specify an abstract process. Abstract processes are primarily used to define messages and possible orders that a partner can exchange for business purposes and its other partners. It can be viewed as an external view of the executable business process, omitting some of the internal execution details and complexities. In BPEL, the language that describes the abstract process is a subset of the language used to describe the executable process, allowing you to specify the executable process and its abstract view in the same process language.

In general, abstract processes can be used to present certain aspects of an executable process, to make people easier to understand and communicate by abstraction, or to use simple abstract processes as a starting point for the design process, and to build complex executable processes through continuous refinement and refinement. Abstract processes can also be used to implement protocol matching to determine whether two business partners can interact with each other.

BPEL Development

As an executable language, BPEL requires not only a good running environment, but also design and development support. Let's just briefly describe IBM's support for BPEL modeling and development.

WebSphere Business Modeler is able to model enterprise business processes and continuously optimize the way in which the business is performed. It provides comprehensive, user-friendly modeling and collaboration capabilities for line of business and IT staff, facilitating seamless integration of modeling, workflow building, and simulation features, as shown in Figure 1.

WebSphere Integration Developer V6.0 enables integrated developers to quickly build and debug composite business integration applications by providing Easy-to-use authoring tools. It can import and convert the business process model created by WebSphere Business Modeler into BPEL and deploy debugging on the WebSphere Process server.

Figure 1 Using WebSphere Business Modeler to describe business processes