Mastering Enterprise SOA with SAP NetWeaver® and mySAP™ ERP

Chapter 13. SAP’s Composite Application Framework and Guided Procedures

Chapter 12 covered the BPEL-based process orchestration capabilities within SAP NetWeaver. You saw how executable models allow you to leverage services to handle the technical integration aspects and flow of control associated with automating processes. This could include integration points and flows existing within your organization, or be expanded to address B2B scenarios as well. ESA-based services and related industry technology standards provide the context and enable this level of interoperability to be achieved.

As explained in Chapter 6, delivering on the promise of end-to-end BPM also requires effective human interaction with IT systems. The coordination, tracking, and support for offline processes also needs to be addressed. In fact, human intervention is a critical component of most business processes.

For example, employees’ requests for vacation must be approved by their managers. Purchase Order requests must be approved by purchasing managers. Suppliers who receive purchase orders from buyers must either approve or deny the request. Executives prefer dashboards that give them information on metrics that they can then use to make critical decisions. All of these processes involve tasks that require human intervention.

The way in which people interact with processes and applications changes dramatically in an SOA world. Business task management is an area encompassing the technologies that support end-user ...