Workflow systems

Taverna Workflow system for bioinformatics web services http //taverna.sourceforge.net... 

For a component to be generic, you must provide ways that your clients designers can specialize it to their needs. The techniques include parameters passed when a function is called tables read by the component configuration or deployment options on the component plug-points—a place where the component can be plugged into a variety of other components and frameworks, such as a workflow system, into which a variety of components can be plugged. 

Programming language, operating system, runtime environment Java, C++, Windows, UNIX, Smalltalk, Forte, Javascript on Netscape, workflow systems, and so on... 

A. Kumar, and J. Wainer, Meta Workflows as a Control and Coordination Mechanism for Exception Handling in Workflow Systems, Decision Support Systems, 40(1), 89-103 (2003). 

Reactive administration is for coordinating dynamic design processes. There is no functionality at hand on top of which we could offer these reactive mechanisms. Hence a new generalized workflow system was built. A similar system can also be built on top of classical management tools (cf. Chap. 7). 

In addition to the approaches described so far, mathematical formalisms hke Petri nets [770], state charts [718], and process algebra [551] have been developed which allow to describe the behavior of concurrent systems in an unambiguous, mathematically sound way, which makes up their suitability for computer-based applications. Petri nets, in particular, are an appropriate basis for work process automation by means of workflow systems [1014] or analysis by means of process simulation (cf. Sect. 5.2). 

In the e-MPF model, however, contribution percentage changes can be supported through a Web-based workflow system. Both employee and employers can change the employee or employer contribution percentage over the Web. Every month, employers can download the revised contribution percentage, confirm it and upload it into their payroll systems. 

Data pipelines introduce a workflow paradigm at a more fine-grained level of analysis, without descending to the complexity of visual programming. In a traditional workflow system, each task is a black box that operates on the input dataset. In a data pipeline, the operational specification is at the data record level and therefore facilitates customization on a per-record basis. As an example, you can filter or edit individual records within the workflow itself (see fig. 19.2). 

Some workflow systems can break a dataset up into smaller chunks for parallel processing or for other advantages of flexibility derived from the pipeline model. 

A programmer might compose a script to automate a static workflow, which can be useful in some predictable business applications that make use of equally unchanging back-end data infrastructure, such as payroll or order fulfillment. However, static workflow systems do not adapt well to the discovery process where the back-end infrastructure is diverse, the workflow itself needs to be flexible, and the outcomes are unpredictable. 

The lack of flexibility in static workflow orchestrations drives the need for more adaptable systems. However, the software challenge is significant to enhance and grow a customized, specific workflow system to one that supports requirements, such as the following ... 

A background discussion of workflow systems would not be complete without a reference to some of the concepts that have supported the development of workflow management systems as a way to provide an organizational framework for tasks. 

Data values. A transition not only moves tokens through the net but also may change its value, because in many modeled processes, the content of the data is what is important. The suitability of a workflow system for a given purpose depends on its ability to represent the complexity of the data that must flow though the system in addition to providing access to the operations that need to work on that data. 

TurboWorx sells workflow software into several vertical markets including life sciences. Their product line targets the bottleneck that arises when an organization has large volumes of distributed information that it cannot process as efficiently and effectively as it would like. The proposed solution to such a situation is a workflow system that facilitates the definition of a sequence of computational applications that... 

The use of open source tools is one way to investigate how you might use a workflow system without having to make any cash investment. They can provide a workable system for an individual researcher or a small group, if you are able to supply the software development and IT skill set (with the necessary time) to configure and extend the system and to handle low-level administration. 

The following tools are not specific to the life sciences community but might facilitate the development of a custom workflow solution for a single user or a small group. A simple workflow system offers more flexibility than a basic scripting approach, dependant on the availability of the software and IT skills required to configure and maintain the system. 

Standards related to interoperability between workflow subsystems hope to enable the plug and play of new subsystems into a workflow system, such as a new graphical design program or an administration interface. This would only be possible where all components communicate with a common language and compatible technology. 

Large numbers of cheap processors arranged in grids can be an effective way to achieve massive parallelism and high throughput, provided the workflow system is able to orchestrate tasks appropriately between these processors. 

Sophisticated distribution of tasks can also provide higher throughput in another way. In large research organizations, data sources often exist in multiple locations and are stored in multiple formats. An optimal workflow system would invoke agents to perform first-level filtering or analysis tasks in close proximity to the data rather than pulling all data to a central location. 

Leveraging process information to implement and customize standard software solutions or workflow systems (see Section 2.2). 

At Level III (workflow control), objects to be processed, such as customer orders with appropriate documents or insurance claims, are delivered from one workplace to the next. Electronically stored documents are delivered by workflow systems. 

Zhao Y, Raicu I, Foster I (2008) Scientific workflow systems for 21st century, new bottle or new wine 2008 IEEE Congress on Services 2008-Part I, pp 467-471... 

Mazanetz MP, Marmon RJ, Reisser CBT, Morao I (2012) Drug discovery applications for KNIME an open source data mining platform. Curr Top Med Chem 12 1965-1979 Warr WA (2012) Scientific workflow systems Pipeline Pilot and KNIME. J Compu Aided Mol Des 26 801-804... 

So far, this is not too different from what exists in many companies that use workflow systems. What converts the environment to proactive is the rules server that processes the inputs to the decision maker. The rules server contains preset rules that shape the direction of information... 

At Bl, workflow systems are currently the main tools for Cl applications. They support us in our daily work (e.g., to perform ad-hoc analyses to answer questions arising from research projects) and also help us to automate repetitive standard tasks or to share adaptable solution templates for frequent work packages with our colleagues. 

Luo Z, Sheth A, Kochut K, Miller J (2000) Exception handling in workflow systems. Appl Intell 13 125-147... 

Definition of a standard system (TDM or PDM) as Data-Backbone and Workflow-System. Here, the usage of CPO definitions is of significant importance to support also the integration of collaboration processes. 

Warr, W.A. (2012) Scientific workflow systems Pipeline Pilot and Knime. Journal of Computer-Aided Molecular Design, 26, 801-804. 

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