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This section introduces the general modeling concept that the design of Process Integration scenarios in the Enterprise Services Builder is based on.

  • Multiple logical participants are involved in a Process Integration scenario (= collaborative process). These participants are represented by application components.

  • Local (private) processes take place in the individual application components.

    • The parts of these local processes have to be mapped in the Process Integration scenario so that they are publicly visible in the whole process (that is, they can be seen and/or used by other participants).

    • All other parts of the local process are private parts of the application component. They are only mapped in the Process Integration scenario if this is necessary for better understanding.

    • Actions (= functions that run in the application component) and sequences are used for mapping the local processes.

  • The interaction and synchronization points between the individual application components are also mapped in the Process Integration scenario. This is also referred to as a global model.

  • For this, the Process Integration scenario must contain all communication steps that potentially can occure in the process.

    • Communication steps are represented by connections between actions of different application components.

    • Synchronous communication is represented by a horizontal double arrow. Both actions are located in the graphic at the same level.

    • Asynchronous communication is represented by a downward-pointing arrow. The follow-on action is therefore located at a level deeper than the source action.

  • The arrangement of the actions and connections in a vertical direction (from top to bottom) implies a logical sequence between the steps. This can be compared with UML Sequence Diagrams.

  • The metamodel that underlies the Process Integration scenarios conforms to the BPEL4WS description. This makes it possible to create correct BPEL4WS documents that describe the process easily from a Process Integration scenario.

The modeling of your Process Integration scenario must follow the modeling principles that are set out here. You can find more detailed notes on modeling individual objects in a Process Integration scenario in the other modeling sections.