A workflow engine is a
software application
Application software is any computer program that is intended for end-user use not computer operator, operating, system administration, administering or computer programming, programming the computer. An application (app, application program, sof ...
that manages
business process
A business process, business method, or business function is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks performed by people or equipment in which a specific sequence produces a service or product (that serves a particular business g ...
es. It is a key component in
workflow technology Workflow technology is a field of software products designed to improve the design of information systems. It involves use of workflow engine, also known as an orchestration engine, to execute models of processes.
The models can be edited by persons ...
and typically makes use of a
database server
A database server is a server which uses a database application that provides database services to other computer programs or to computers, as defined by the client–server model. Database management systems (DBMSs) frequently provide database- ...
.
A workflow engine manages and monitors the state of activities in a
workflow
Workflow is a generic term for orchestrated and repeatable patterns of activity, enabled by the systematic organization of resources into processes that transform materials, provide services, or process information. It can be depicted as a seque ...
, such as the processing and approval of a loan application form, and determines which new activity to transition to according to defined processes (workflows). The actions may be anything from saving an application form in a
document management system
A document management system (DMS) is usually a computerized system used to store, share, track and manage files or documents. Some systems include history tracking where a log of the various versions created and modified by different users is r ...
to sending a reminder e-mail to users or escalating overdue items to management. A workflow engine facilitates the flow of information, tasks, and events. Workflow engines may also be referred to as Workflow Orchestration Engines.
Workflow engines mainly have three functions:
*Verification of the current process status: Check whether it is valid executing a task, given current status.
*Determine the authority of users: Check if the current user is permitted to execute the task.
*Executing condition script: After passing the previous two steps, the workflow engine executes the task, and if the execution successfully completes, it returns the success, if not, it reports the error to trigger and roll back the change.
[The Workflow Engine Model]
The Workflow Engine Model
Accessed 1 Dec. 2010.
A workflow engine is a core technique for task allocation software, such as
business process management
Business process management (BPM) is the discipline in which people use various methods to Business process discovery, discover, Business process modeling, model, Business analysis, analyze, measure, improve, optimize, and Business process auto ...
, in which the workflow engine allocates tasks to different executors while communicating data among participants. A workflow engine can execute any arbitrary sequence of steps, for example, a healthcare data analysis.
See also
*
Business rules engine
A business rules engine is a software system that executes one or more business rules in a runtime production environment. The rules might come from legal regulation ("An employee can be fired for any reason or no reason but not for an illegal r ...
*
Business rule management system
*
Comparison of BPEL engines
*
Inference engine
*
Java Rules Engine API
*
Rete algorithm
*
Ripple down rules
*
Semantic reasoner
*
Business Process Execution Language
*
Production system
*
Workflow management system
*
Joget Workflow
*
Conductor (software)
References
{{Reflist
Data management
Servers (computing)
Workflow technology
Workflow applications