Essential Business Process Modeling

BPMN

BPMN is a graphical flowchart-like language intended for use by business analysts and developers to build business process diagrams (BPDs) . A BPD conveys in pictures what BPML and BPEL encode in XML, but it serves a different purpose: BPMN is for graphical design, whereas BPML and BPEL are for execution. The BPMN specification^[‡] attempts to bridge the gap by providing a mapping from BPMN to BPEL (but not, interestingly, to BPML); the mapping specifies rules to generate BPEL from a BPD, enabling the execution of a BPD. Figure 6-2 shows how a typical BPMN tool is used in the design process.

In addition to BPEL export, the tool also supports BPSM metamodel import and export, allowing the BPMN tool to exchange processes with those developed in other tools. The message broker example developed in Chapter 11 uses ITpearls’ MS Visio-based BPMN tool for the design of message broker processes. ITpearls, alas, does not currently include any of these import and export features.

Figure 6-2. Use of BPMN

BPMN Example

The first step in learning a new language is to look at the implementation of “Hello, World!” In our case, we study “Hello, Claim!,” which is an insurance claims handling process and is shown in Figure 6-3.

The process receives a claim (Get claim), examines it (Examine claim), and then splits into one of three directions, depending on whether the claim has been approved (Process ...