Workflow processing system and method with database system support

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9342572-B2
Application number	US-201213472308-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2012
Priority date	Dec 4, 2006
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for automatic workflow processing in a workflow processing computer system. A data management system support module receives a data management activity description, determines a set of set references associated with the data management activity, determines a set of data sources associated with the set of set references within a data management system, determines whether the data management system includes infrastructure for accessing the references and for accessing the data sources, in response to determining that the infrastructure is not included, automatically creates the infrastructure from information in a metadata repository coupled to the data management system, replaces in the data management activity description references to set references and references to data sources by references to the infrastructure in the data management system, and delivers the data management activity description for execution by the system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for automatic workflow processing in a workflow processing computer system, wherein a group of activities is included in the workflow, the group of activities including at least one data management activity, comprising:
optimizing the group of activities by:
determining the at least one data management activity;
determining at least one data level statement for each of the at least one data management activities;
determining the group of activities;
determining a process graph model from the group of activities, wherein the process graph model includes each of the at least one data level statements, and wherein the semantics of the process graph model is identical to the semantics of the group of activities;
determining an optimized process graph model from the process graph model;
determining an optimized group of activities from the optimized process graph model, whereby the semantics of the optimized group of activities is identical to the semantics of the optimized process group model;
replacing, in the workflow, the group of activities by the optimized group of activities,
wherein the process graph model includes a pattern, the optimized pattern is determined from the process graph model by optimizing the pattern, and wherein further the pattern refers to directing a database statement to a particular data source, and the pattern is optimized by transforming the pattern to a corresponding statement being directed to the data management system;
receiving, by a data management system support module in the workflow processing computer system, a data management activity description;
determining, by the data management system support module, a set of set references associated with the data management activity;
determining, by the data management system support module and using the set of set references, a set of data sources associated with the set of set references, the set of data sources being provided within a data management system;
determining automatically, by the data management system support module using the set of set references and the set of data sources, whether the data management system includes infrastructure for accessing the set of set references and for accessing the set of data sources;
in response to determining that the infrastructure is not included, automatically creating, by the data management system support module, the infrastructure from information in a metadata repository coupled to the data management system;
replacing in the data management activity description, by the data management system support module, references to set references and references to data sources by references to the infrastructure in the data management system; and
delivering, by the data management system support module, the data management activity description for execution by the data management system.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the infrastructure is created by at least one of the steps of:
creating a wrapper artefact for each different type of data source in the set of data sources;
creating a server artefact for each different data source in the set of data sources;
creating a nickname artefact for each different table to be accessed; and
wherein the created infrastructure is added to the system.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether the data management system supports the operations defined in the data management activity description; and
in response to determining that the operations are not supported, creating additional infrastructure to support the operations.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein creating additional infrastructure comprises:
creating a user mapping artefact; and
creating function mapping artefacts and type mapping artefacts.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the number of data sources in the set of data sources; and
in response to determining that there is a single data source, delivering the original data management activity description unmodified for execution.

6. A workflow processing computer system, coupled to a data management system, at least one data store, and a metadata management system, the workflow processing computer system comprising:
a data management system support module configured to:
optimize a group of activities included in a workflow, the group of activities including at least one data management activity, by:
determining the at least one data management activity;
determining at least one data level statement for each of the at least one data management activities;
determining the group of activities;
determining a process graph model from the group of activities, wherein the process graph model includes each of the at least one data level statements, and wherein the semantics of the process graph model is identical to the semantics of the group of activities;
determining an optimized process graph model from the process graph model;
determining an optimized group of activities from the optimized process graph model, whereby the semantics of the optimized group of activities is identical to the semantics of the optimized process group model;
replacing, in the workflow, the group of activities by the optimized group of activities,
wherein the process graph model includes a pattern, the optimized pattern is determined from the process graph model by optimizing the pattern, and wherein further the pattern refers to directing a database statement to a particular data source, and the pattern is optimized by transforming the pattern to a corresponding statement being directed to the data management system;
receive a data management activity description;
determine a set of set references associated with the data management activity;
determine, using the set of set references, a set of data sources associated with the set of set references, the set of data sources being provided within a data management system;
determine automatically, using the set of set references and the set of data sources, whether the data management system includes infrastructure for accessing the set of set references and for accessing the set of data sources;
in response to determining that the infrastructure is not included, automatically create the infrastructure from information in a metadata repository coupled to the data management system;
replace in the data management activity description references to set references and references to data sources by references to the infrastructure in the data management system; and
deliver the data management activity description for execution by the data management system.

7. The workflow processing computer system of claim 6 , wherein the infrastructure is created by at least one of the steps of:
creating a wrapper artefact for each different type of data source in the set of data sources;
creating a server artefact for each different data source in the set of data sources;
creating a nickname artefact for each different table to be accessed; and
wherein the created infrastructure is added to the system.

8. The workflow processing computer system of claim 6 , wherein the data management system support module further is configured to:
determine whether the data management system supports the operations defined in the data management activity description; and
in response to determining that the operations are not supported, create additional infrastructure to support the operations.

9. The workflow processing computer system of claim 8 , wherein creating additional infrastructure comprises:
creating a user mapping artefact; and
creating function mapping artefacts and type mapping artefacts.

Assignees

• Grasselt Mike
• Maier Albert
• Mitschang Bernhard
• Suhre Oliver
• Wolfson Charles Daniel
• IBM

Inventors

• Grasselt Mike
• Maier Albert
• Mitschang Bernhard
• Suhre Oliver
• Wolfson Charles Daniel

Classifications

• G06F16/2455

  Query execution · CPC title

• G06Q10/06 Primary

  Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling · CPC title

• G06F16/2453 Primary

  Query optimisation · CPC title

• G06F16/86

  Mapping to a database · CPC title

• G06F16/256

  in federated or virtual databases · CPC title