Title: An abstract machine architecture for web service based business process management

Authors: Roozbeh Farahbod, Uwe Glasser, Mona Vajihollahi

Addresses: Software Technology Lab, School of Computing Science, Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada. ' Software Technology Lab, School of Computing Science, Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada. ' Software Technology Lab, School of Computing Science, Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada

Abstract: We define an abstract operational model of the Business Process Execution Language for Web Service (BPEL4WS) based on the Abstract State Machine (ASM) formalism. That is, we abstractly model dynamic properties of the key language constructs through the construction of a Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) abstract machine. Specifically, we present the process execution model and the underlying execution lifecycle of BPEL activities. The goal of our work is to provide a precise and well defined semantic framework for establishing the key language attributes. To this end, the BPEL abstract machine forms a comprehensive and robust formalisation closely reflecting the view of the informal language definition.

Keywords: web services orchestration; BPEL4WS; abstract operational semantics; abstract state machines; ASM; requirements specification; business process integration; business process management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBPIM.2006.012626

International Journal of Business Process Integration and Management, 2006 Vol.1 No.4, pp.279 - 291

Published online: 27 Feb 2007 *

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