[news.eclipse.stp] Re: Is BPMN and BPEL the right choice for my problem?

[Marc Dutoo <marc.dutoo@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi David

If you don't need web service integration nor composition (which seems 
so, since you previously used a non distributed java FSM), rather than 
using BPEL, I'd suggest to stay on the workflow side and take a look at 
Scarbo ( http://scarbo.ow2.org ). It integrates the multipurpose (and 
STP BPMN, IM compatible) Workflow Editor of the Eclipse Java Workflow 
Tooling project ( http://eclipse.org/jwt ) to the XPDL-based Bonita 4 
workflow engine and console ( http://bonita.ow2.org ).

I admit it is a shameless plug since I head JWT :) But I think it makes 
sense, since it would provide full task extensibility (model and UI, see 
what we've done on e.g. Groovy tasks), a true executable workflow format 
(XPDL), workflow execution management and monitoring (in Bonita 
console), still import / export with STP BPMN...

Regards,
Marc

David Wynter a écrit :
> Hi,
>
> I have a set of components that I use in workflows to basically do value 
> added ETL work with reported outcomes etc. It currently has a Web 
> interface and uses a FSM (blissed.codehaus.org) interleaved with the 
> Quartz scheduler. All data about the ETL reports, scheduling etc is 
> stored in the database, no files involved.
>
> I want to now extend this to incorporate tasks for humans to handle 
> through dedicated screens in amongst the workflow. So time for a richer 
> graphical representation of the workflow. The BPMN modeller and 
> transformation to IM and thus to BPEL look like a good starting point. I 
> would replace the Quartz and FSM workflow with a BPEL execution engine.
>
> I have read a lot of the material covering STP over the last couple of 
> days. But a few question have formed probably because I have not read 
> everything yet.
>
> Apologies if my language is not precisely aligned with all the STP 
> buzzwords.
>
> 1. Since I have many instances of an ETL involving a particular pair of 
> input and output I need to have a clear display of which ETL we are 
> dealing with. Is the annotation extension to the task icon the correct 
> way of presenting these?
>
> 2. Can the annotation be transformed through to the BPEL?
>
> 3. Do the BPEL engines allow for execution of a component using the 
> annotation to indicate to the component being run?
>
> 4. Since this is not a general business workflow is it acceptable to add 
> specific task icons for the specialized tasks we carry out (e.g. an ETL 
> task?)
>
> thx.
>
> David