Patent ID: 7403948
Filing Date: 2008-07-22
Classification: G06Q,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A programmed computer system for flexibly changing infrastructure components used for implementing workflow processes, the system comprising: a processor; a workflow engine executed by a first computer based system for defining and enacting a plurality of different workflow processes, a definition of a first workflow process specifying a first sequence of tasks for realizing a first overall project, and a definition of a second workflow process specifying a second sequence of tasks for realizing a second overall project, the first and second sequence of tasks differing from each other and realizing different overall projects; a client executed by a second computer-based system coupled to said workflow engine and transmitting commands for defining the plurality of different workflow processes; an infrastructure component configured to provide a service invoked by the workflow engine, the infrastructure component belonging to a particular infrastructure type, wherein a plurality of different infrastructure components belong to the particular infrastructure type; and a plurality of adapters associated with the plurality of different infrastructure components belonging to the particular infrastructure type, each of the plurality of adapters configured to provide a communication interface between the workflow engine and a corresponding one of the plurality of different infrastructure components, wherein the workflow engine is configured to identify a particular infrastructure component invoked by the service corresponding to a particular one of the plurality of adapters for the infrastructure component for providing the communication interface during the service, wherein the workflow engine is configured to automatically identify another one of the plurality of adapters corresponding to a new infrastructure component selected from the plurality of different infrastructure components with no code changes to the workflow engine, in response to the infrastructure component being replaced with the new infrastructure component.