Semantic Annotation for Process Models: - Department of Computer ...

32 CHAPTER 3. STATE OF THE ART
Process modeling languages are distinct from each other because they have different
meta-model elements/modeling constructs to represent process properties. Process
properties are also generally called process perspectives in this thesis. Although the representations
of process properties are various from the different modeling languages, the
following perspectives of business process are often presented in most process models:
structural, operational/functional, control, resources, organizational, data transaction.
Structural perspective is a view of the structure of activities or processes, such as the
structure of parts (sub-activity, sub-process). Operational/Functional perspective is
normally represented through the descriptions about activities or functions with their
inputs and outputs. Control is associated with operational/functional perspective and
it emphasizes the ordering and constraints of processes. Resources of processes are those
consumed or produced along the processes, and they also include tools or other mechanisms
required to aid processes. Organizational perspective display the process flows
between different organizations and participants involved in processes. Data transaction
includes information or message transit and state change, in which data value is
often involved.
Based on the discussions above, we make a paradigm of BPM (Business Process
Management) systems with the focuses on process definitions (Figure 3.1), which is
adapted from the Business Process Management Mind Map [14].
Figure 3.1: The paradigm of business process management systems
We in this chapter introduce several business process modeling languages. The features
of each modeling language are investigated from the process definition perspective
according to the paradigm of business process management systems. Being consistent
with our research subject and scope, those modeling languages should be able to represent
business processes on the conceptual level. That is, the process modeling languages
could be used for CIM (Computation Independent Model), but not restricted only to
CIM.
3.1.1 Petri Nets
Petri net is a formal, graphical, executable language for specifying dynamic behavior.
Petri nets were introduced by C.A.Petri in the early 1960s as a mathematical tool for
modeling distributed systems. It is widely used in software design, workflow manage-