A UML-based methodology for model-driven B2B integration: from business values, over business processes to deployment artifacts

Zsfassung in dt. SpracheBusiness-to-Business (B2B) Electronic Commerce adressiert den Geschäftsdatenaustausch zwischen Unternehmen. Dabei müssen zwischenbetriebliche Geschäftsprozesse, die sich über Unternehmensgrenzen erstrecken, abgebildet werden. Der Entwurf und die erfolgreiche Implementierung von zwischenbetrieblichen Geschäftsprozessen unterscheiden sich stark von den Anforderungen normaler, sogenannter innerbetrieblicher Geschäftsprozesse. Zumeist wird jedoch auch für zwischenbetriebliche Geschäftsprozesse ein herkömmlicher Integrationsansatz gewählt, welcher (a) nur die spezifische Sicht eines Unternehmens auf den zwischenbetrieblichen Geschäftsprozess hat und (b) zumeist von der IT Ebene startet. Effiziente B2B Integration erfordert jedoch eine gesamtheitliche Modellierungsmethode, welche (a) zwischenbetriebliche Integration aus einer neutralen Perspektive beschreibt und (b) die Geschäftsmodelle, die Geschäftsprozesse, sowie die IT Implementierung aller beteiligten Partner einbezieht.Geschäftsmodelle beschreiben dabei die Akteure in einem Unternehmensnetzwerk und den im Netzwerk stattfindenden Wertefluss.Geschäftsprozessmodelle spezifizieren im B2B Kontext die zwischenbetrieblichen Abläufe, welche den Wertefluss reflektieren müssen. Auf der IT Ebene werden die Geschäftsprozessmodelle schließlich entsprechend implementiert. Diese Arbeit stellt eine UML-basierte, modellgetriebene Methode zur B2B Integration vor, die diese drei Ebenen umfasst.Business-to-business (B2B) electronic commerce builds upon inter-organizational business processes that cross the borders of enterprises. Their design and implementation presupposes a different approach than intra-organizational processes do. Experience shows that bottom-up approaches starting from the IT layer of a single enterprise - expecting that all other business partners adjust to it - do not work out. Instead, a prolific B2B design approach must consider three layers in a top-down manner: First, the economic perspective identifies the players and their value exchanges within a business network resulting in a business model. Second, business collaboration models specify the choreography of inter-organizational business processes in accordance with the business model. Finally, the business collaboration models are transformed to deployment artifacts to be interpreted by IT systems. In this thesis, we propose a design approach for B2B integration based on the Unified Modeling Language (UML) considering all three layers.13

An Implementation to Transform Business Collaboration Models to Executable Process Specifications. accepted at Multikonferenz Wirtschaftsinformatik 2006

Abstract: UN/CEFACT’s Modeling Methodology (UMM) is a well accepted and formal notation to analyze and design B2B business processes. In a service oriented architecture (SOA) environment process specification languages like the Business Process Specification Schema (BPSS) are used to configure B2B information systems. However, mappings from UMM models to BPSS process specifications currently exist just on a conceptual level. This results in a gap between defined B2B processes and BPSS configurable e-commerce systems. Thus, a model driven code generation of BPSS descriptions is required. In this paper we present a technical implementation of a transformation engine that generates BPSS process specifications from a UMM model represented in the XML Metadata Interchange (XMI) language. This implementation bridges the gap mentioned above. It has been used in the EU project GILDAnet to generate BPSS descriptions from logistic processes modeled in UMM.

A State Machine executing UMM Business Transactions

Abstract — UN/CEFACT’s modeling methodology (UMM) is a UML profile for modeling global B2B choreographies. The current UMM version comprises three main views for describing a computation independent model from a neutral perspective. Currently, the UMM version is missing a platform independent model showing how each partner has to realize the message exchanges to support the agreed choreography. In this paper we derive such a platform independent model from a UMM business transaction- a key artifact of the computation independent model. The resulting model is based on a state machine describing the local view of a participating business partner. This state machine unambiguously defines how a business partner has to react on incoming messages and on message expected but not received. I

A UML profile and add-in for UN/CEFACT's modeling methodology

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A Business Collaboration Registry Model on Top of ebRIM

UN/CEFACT’s Modeling Methodology (UMM) is a well accepted approach to define inter-organizational business processes. UMM models should be managed in a registry for two reasons: Firstly, business partners supporting the process can find it and bind to it. Secondly, a model-or more important parts thereof- may be reused in an-other model of an inter-organizational process. Accord-ingly, registering one model as one object in a registry is not appropriate. Those parts of a model that may be reused must become registry objects themselves. Extract-ing parts of a model results in objects that are logically inter-related. Thus, a registry model taking care of these inter-relationships is needed. In this paper we present a so-called business collaboration registry model that sits on top of the ebRIM (ebXML registry information model) in order to manage UMM business collaboration models in an ebXML registry. Furthermore, we outline the registry man-agement functions for maintaining models in the registry. 1