In this paper, workflow technology in CIMS environment to analyze the application, made under CIMS integration platform workflow management system architecture. System, including modeling tools, workflow, user interface and management tools.
1. CIMS environment typical workflow
Production and management process from the perspective of an enterprise can be considered by a number of interrelated process consisting of different levels of activities of process networks. If the ordering, purchasing, design, production, delivery composition of the primary process, this process can be divided into several small processes related to each other, such as product design process, manufacturing process, marketing and other business processes. These processes have a sequential relationship with each other, the resource, target-related or relationship conflicts and so on. Information in the CIM environment, they can be treated as a number of related workflows. To understand the CIM environment, the specific forms and workflow requirements, our simple analysis of several common workflows.
The most typical application of the workflow in the product design process, reflects the main flow of product design data in the design group / orderly flow between designers. Different components / parts of the product data has a complex interaction between the logic. This logic is also mapped to different logical relationship between the design activities, workflow models should describe the complex relationship of this kind. Process of implementation, there are several typical models, such as product design data, review, release; product design, development, test and production at different stages of the feedback; design process of conflict and coordination. Product design process often involves a variety of organizational structures and resource description capability.
Information in the CIM environment, the company's production process is a more complex workflow. It involves planning, lead material, production scheduling, processing, assembling, warehousing and other activities. The work flow is characterized by: a relatively fixed order of execution flow, are determined based workflow (production workflow). Process management task is often coordinated allocation of resources. Process does not have a rollback of abnormal operation, but the implementation of the high reliability requirements, requested the scheduling of workflow management systems, monitoring ability.
CIM information environment to support the basis of the CIM system operation environment, to ensure its reliable operation is a core issue. Usually there are multiple system management operational procedures, such as periodic data backup, updates, system security management, system accounting, news release, and these involve the normal operation of the information system itself, must have good management tools to control the process. These processes are characterized by: strong mandatory, some process is time-driven.
2. CIMS integrated workflow management system platform architecture
CIMS application integration platform for CIMS implementation in order to solve the difficulties encountered in the cell system integration, heterogeneous data can not be shared, application development cycle, such as conflicts long designed and developed a software platform designed to provide application development tools application of the prototype system, application integration interfaces, global sharing of information definition / maintenance tools were integrated application software such as the implementation of CIMS enterprise to provide support for enterprise information integration, and build a software framework for application integration environment, to achieve enterprise-wide within the scope of information sharing and management transparency. It is an enterprise fast, efficient, high-quality implementation of CIMS is of great significance.
CIMS application integration platform as a whole is an integral part of workflow management system application to achieve a platform collaboration features. It is a platform proxy service as the underlying information infrastructure, including through the workflow system modeling tools, management tools, user interface, workflow and the corresponding support for the database machine and its architecture as shown in Figure 1.
The implementation of the workflow system is distributed in the enterprise-wide information environment, the component modules are based on the application form for the independent companies with different levels of users. The operation of the entire implementation of the system are as follows:
1) the instantiation of the workflow model and author;
2) The workflow instance and the machine start-up activities to promote the process of applying for the appropriate enterprise resources and staff;
3) the activities of the participants through their own user interface and workflow machine interaction, including notifying the start of the workflow machine activities, and access to content the end of operation;
4) management through workflow management tools to run enterprises to monitor all the workflow, and process-related exceptions;
5) transport control agent integration platform for the whole workflow operating system provides the underlying communications support, including shielding and message transmission, heterogeneous environment.
2.1 modeling tool
Modeling tools to visualize the graphical user interface (GUI) provides users with new and editing workflow model environment to facilitate the business users a simple, rapid application development workflow, this workflow management system for the whole in terms of both is essential. User modeling workflow tool provides the composition of the various elements necessary components, using mouse click, drag the method to construct the workflow; and the state in an interactive dialog on the detailed properties of the various components of the definition of . Constructed by the modeling tool of the work flow can not be directly workflow machines Zhixing, will serve as the workflow execution environment module, Jing Guo Sheng Cheng instance of the workflow instance after the Caiketouru Yunxing.
Enterprise business processes is a key event in accordance with the sequence and logic of a certain order to organize together. Accordingly, to the actual business process workflow mapping model, the basic activities that an item is called the basic unit (Unit), which has the logical relations between activities are used to connect to that arc (Link). Therefore, a workflow model is a basic unit from the list, and a connecting arc of the normal list. Included in the basic unit of production activities, information-based activities, sub-processes, start / end tags and synchronization node seven categories. Connecting arc, including the unconditional and conditional link connecting arc arc two.
Modeling tools in addition to the above-mentioned elements of the composition of the workflow, it also provides an object - relational database of two-way interface, which makes object-oriented workflow technology database in the form elements can save and read, not only help protect the company's existing information resources and make full use of object-oriented technology and relational database technology strengths of both sides, simplify application procedures can be achieved (using the O - O technology) and data information management (using the relationship database).
2.2 Workflow Management Tools
Workflow management tools, including resource / organization manager and workflow tools for dynamic monitoring
1) Resource / Organization Manager
In the workflow management system, resource management and organizational management occupies a very important position. They are the normal maintenance system, the basic guarantee reliable operation. For example, in the process of running instances, workflow machines require constant access to system resources and personnel of the state to control activities and processes of implementation and promotion of examples. Moreover, the resource manager and the organization managers can more effectively use resources and personnel within the system so that the system the best.
① resources / organizational model
Enterprise Resource / Organizational Management is responsible for maintenance of workflow management system in the modeling and run-time and organizational resources required information that the organization of the tree according to different types from coarse to fine to be divided into separate until the final implementation the role of physical and organizational entity.
Information in the CIMS environment, resources can be divided into three categories:
■ non-consumption categories: such as machine tools, computers, printers and other types of resources will not disappear, there is depreciation of such resources;
■ consumption categories: such resources will disappear after the implementation of activities into other products such as semi-finished or finished products.
■ Information categories: system-wide variety of data files, data, different forms, can be documents, forms can also be a sound, image information.
In the real system, the system stored in the database of resources under the entity's properties, "whether consumption" to determine whether the entity is a kind of resource consumption and non-consumption type of resources (in this system, the resource manager for information-based resources to defer the consideration). Through "resource type" attribute to determine the specific type of the resource. Explorer / organization manager to provide a transparent and consistent user interface, external users need not worry about what specific type of resource entities, is kind of resources consumption and non consumption of class resources. Users of all types of resource entities are called the same function, and physical resources, the classification and different types of entities on different treatment completed by the Resource Manager to provide users with a transparent service. Other attributes are physical resources, "resource name", "resource ID number", "resource description", "resource location", "resource priority", "resource state" and so on. Among them, the "resource ID number" unique in the whole system is a means to identify the entity. "State" description of what the entity is currently in a state; idle, to be used or is under repair. "Priority" is assigned in the allocation of resources provided the basis for the order, but also examples of prevention activities for the same resources in different physical phenomenon caused by a method of deadlock. "Resource location" is taken into account the issue of resources, respectively.
Personnel can be divided into two categories: executives and leaders. On this basis, it can continue to refine the role of the type. Organizational resources and device database design similar to Explorer, but still an increase in the role attribute may be one of: "whether the temporary staff." This is taking into account the mobility issues and special settings. Also be noted that in the resource table, a record only corresponds to a resource item, and in the role of the table, a person may correspond to multiple database records. This is caused by the special nature of the organizational structure, and a person may play multiple roles, responsible for a number of work, then, in the database, one will naturally correspond to multiple records.
② resources / organizational management functions
Taking into account the requirements of collaborative applications, resource managers and organizational manager achieved through a series of standard API with other components of the workflow between the call interface for workflow modeling tools, workflow machine monitors to provide modeling and workflow with run-time support;
■ In the modeling, workflow modeling tools to get through the API interface, the type of resources required for activities and the role of types of business organizations. As the workflow process model is only as a reference when running the template, which generally do not need to visit when in the modeling of specific entities and the role of physical resources.
■ In the instance of the process, work flow machine (automatically instantiated), or the manager (when instantiated by hand to achieve) API function through the process model was defined in line with the specific resource type or role type of entity information.
u in the process of running process instance, workflow machine can not only facilitate access to specific resources, the role of physical entities and the static information such as ID number, name, their type, etc., can also be more specific query to the resources and the role of state, is a state of process instances, possession of dynamic information.
■ When an activity instance of the implementation of a workflow through the API interface to machine resources required for the role of entities and entities, and the distribution of the results obtained. If the entity is occupied, resources / organizational management activities will automatically join the queue to wait until the release of the entity is occupied. In the distribution, you can also consider the possible deadlock situation, and to be avoided.
u When the activity is finished, the work flow machine to resources / organization manager sent a message, so that they occupied the release of the activities of non-consumption of resources and the role of the entity class, if there are other activities, waiting for the physical entity, Resources / Organization Management device from the waiting queue scheduling algorithm according to certain select an activity, the entity assigned to it.
Through the API interface, resource / organization manager completed a resource / organizational management, scheduling and maintenance, to achieve a complex function of function calls with a simple separated from each other, so that distributed applications can be done through greater collaboration with each other function. Other applications do not care resources / organization manager internal structure, as long as calling the corresponding function will be able to achieve the required functionality.
③ Resources / Organization Manager API interface:
For resource / organization manager for the provision of API interfaces should include the following:
■ resources within the system entities and the role of entity query: can support the process model instantiation and run-time resources and the role of the physical state of entities a query can also search for specific properties. Users can set filters for queries that meet certain conditions of the entity. In order to support workflow modeling tools, resources manager and organization manager also designed a function, available in the system of resource types and role types, and returns a list.
■ resources on the system entity or entities to modify the role, this function is set for the administrator. Administrators can add, delete resources and the role of physical entities, their properties can be modified.
■ the allocation of resources or the role of entity: This is the Explorer and organizational manager is one of the most important functions. It is responsible for issuing machine workflow application resources or to respond to the request for the role, and returns the distribution of results. It should take into account the resources and the role of the different characteristics of different functions respectively. For example, the consumption of class resources do not need to set up a waiting queue, rather than the consumption of resources and the role of the class will need to wait for the queue. Allocation of these two different situations, its function is not the same.
■ release and re-allocation of resources / roles entities: the end when the event should be the possession of the activities of non-consumption of resources and to release type so that the use of other activities. And, for those activities have been waiting for the resource / role is concerned, should also be selected from the waiting queue one instance of the entity assigned to it.
In the Resource Manager and Manager in the organization, all entities in a relational database of information exists, the resource manager and the organization and management is responsible for the interface between the database, the user need not consider the details of data storage, no need to consider the database locations, for users, these should have a large transparent.
2) Dynamic monitoring tools
The main functions of the workflow monitor the completion of the dynamic monitoring of the workflow. It is through the graphical interface and animation will run the workflow instance state to provide to the enterprise managers, and representatives of different colors at different operating conditions of the activity instance to instance of the administrator of the process operation at a glance. Moreover, the administrator can forcibly change the activity instance or an instance of running the whole process, control the entire process instances running.