A Topic for the F2F?

Here's a topic I 
would like to suggest for discussion at the F2F. 

 

THE 
PROBLEM

The problem arises 
because of three assumptions that I believe are valid:

1. BPEL is an 
"execution only" language, i.e. it is desgined to be something that can be input 
into software and run, e.g. using some "BPEL Run Time" 
software

2. BPEL will often 
be defined and maintained with the aid of some GUI based "BPEL Design Time" 
software that allows the process to be visualised.

3. The BPEL Design Time software will contain additional 
positional and graphical information about the visual representation of the BPEL 
design that not contained in the BPEL XML definitions.

 

The problem is that 
this means that exporting a BPEL definition from one BPEL Design Time for input 
into another will result in a BPEL definition that will not be easily editable 
as all the graphical information would be lost. 

 

In the extreme, for 
a complex design, it could mean that designer of business processes using BPEL 
is effectively locked into the BPEL Design Time software provider that they 
initially choose. This I don't think is a good idea.

 

THE SOLUTION 
?

To solve this 
problem I would like to suggest the setting up of a sub-committe of the TC that 
has responsibilty for developing a "BPEL Visual Binding" specification which 
would contain the relevant visual information from the BPEL Design Time. The 
idea would be that the Visual Binding specification is a separate document to the 
main BPEL specification. Also BPEL Design Time Implementations could export 
either:

1. The BPEL XML 
Definition alone, or

2. The BPEL XML 
Definition PLUS the BPEL Visual Binding

 

The former could be 
used for input to a BPEL Run Time and the latter could be input into some other 
BPEL Design Time.

 

By creating a 
separate, but related, specification, it should be possible to carry out the 
work on the BPEL Visual Binding specifcation in parallel, without hindering any 
work on the main BPEL specification.

 

Regards

 

David

 

 

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Services
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