Data Exchange in a Component Based Workflow Environment

Abstract

There is a need to revise existing (successful) software subsystems. One can?t afford to develop a bespoke system, as done previously, so therefore `shrink wrapped solution sets? have to be realised. The problem is how to integrate heterogeneous components to support specific, sometimes unique, enterprise business processes. One approach is the use of Workflow Engine to co-ordinate and enact distributed components based on explicitly represented business processes. An important element of any Workflow Engine is the exchange of input parameters and output results between components. Traditionally components invoke each other and pass data directly into each other. However, in Workflow Engines component invocation is performed by the engine and not performed directly between components. Performance would deteriorate if all data flow needed to pass through the Workflow Engine itself. A more efficient approach is to provide a shared component data exchange, responsible for the storage, management and retrieval of data, which is passed between components.