Patent ID: 12192294

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the example embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the example embodiments described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the example embodiments described herein. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the example embodiments described herein.

It is found that many items in a business process can be generic and intrinsic to several processes and applications, particularly within an organization. These can include, for example, business process management, sequential checks/gates/approvals, data enrichment/aggregation/appending, document parsing, document matching, data distribution and transmission, time series analyses, web publishing, etc. Mapping microservices for such business functions can facilitate cross-skill understanding and development. Moreover, this can provide modularity that allows future challenges and opportunities to be met quickly and efficiently using agnostic microservices that can be used to flexibly onboard functional extensions or changes to a process.

A state machine system or “platform” is described herein, which abstracts process orchestration from the user via a state machine and provides a user interface (UI) design tool to allow a business-function oriented approach to workflow design and representation as a graph. The systems described herein can include a streaming distribution and routing layer that offers a normalized paradigm for function integration and onboarding, and includes multiple tiers for resiliency, performance and recovery. The system can rely on a number of functional business services, which can be implemented as microservices.

With this system, a business process can be created and stored as a graph. Also, the system can employ dynamic routing, functional declarations for application onboarding, and a standard integration paradigm to facilitate federated building of a microservice layer. The system can also persist messages in a queue and employ a database for message recovery. The UI on top of the system provides for low- or no-code implementation of a process from building blocks associated with the graph structure.

The following generally relates to executing process workflows, e.g., in implementing a digital application, in particular for designing, implementing, and executing business process workflows using a workflow graph stored in a graph database.

Certain example systems and methods described herein are able to integrate external services into a process workflow. In one aspect, there is provided a device for integrating external services into process workflow environments. The device includes a processor, a communications module coupled to the processor, and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores computer executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to subscribe to one or more topics in an external domain coupled to at least one external microservice to be notified of incoming messages, the topics in the external domain being mapped to topics in an internal domain coupled to a message broker for routing messages within the internal domain. The computer executable instructions, when executed, also cause the processor to subscribe to the one or more topics in the internal domain to be notified of outgoing messages to the at least one external microservice and detect an incoming message published to a first topic by a first external microservice. The computer executable instructions, when executed, also cause the processor to send the incoming message to the first topic of the internal domain, detect an outgoing message from the first topic or a second topic of the internal domain, and publish the outgoing message to the first external microservice or another external microservice via a corresponding topic in the external domain.

In another aspect, there is provided a method of integrating external services into process workflow environments. The method includes subscribing to one or more topics in an external domain coupled to at least one external microservice to be notified of incoming messages, the topics in the external domain being mapped to topics in an internal domain coupled to a message broker for routing messages within the internal domain. The method also includes subscribing to the one or more topics in the internal domain to be notified of outgoing messages to the at least one external microservice and detecting an incoming message published to a first topic by a first external microservice. The method also includes sending the incoming message to the first topic of the internal domain, detecting an outgoing message from the first topic or a second topic of the internal domain, and publishing the outgoing message to the first external microservice or another external microservice via a corresponding topic in the external domain.

In another aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium for integrating external services into process workflow environments. The computer readable medium includes computer executable instructions for subscribing to one or more topics in an external domain coupled to at least one external microservice to be notified of incoming messages, the topics in the external domain being mapped to topics in an internal domain coupled to a message broker for routing messages within the internal domain. The computer readable medium also includes instructions for subscribing to the one or more topics in the internal domain to be notified of outgoing messages to the at least one external microservice and detecting an incoming message published to a first topic by a first external microservice. The computer readable medium also includes instructions for sending the incoming message to the first topic of the internal domain, detecting an outgoing message from the first topic or a second topic of the internal domain, and publishing the outgoing message to the first external microservice or another external microservice via a corresponding topic in the external domain.

In certain example embodiments, the method can also include saving state information to a state service to persist changes to the topics while executing a process workflow.

In certain example embodiments, the internal messages can be detected by subscribing to an internal message broker that is configured to route messages within the internal domain. The internal message broker can be stateless and the method further include saving state information to a state service to persist changes to the topics while executing a process workflow. The internal message broker can subscribe to topics in the internal domain from all non-service tasks to be notified of internal messages.

In certain example embodiments, the topics can be arranged into a plurality of subprocesses. The first and second topics can be part of separate subprocesses.

In certain example embodiments, the topics can have corresponding workflow tasks that have been translated for a process workflow environment from a workflow graph to a file and data interchange format. The workflow graph can be translated from a business process model and notation (BPMN) format to a JavaScript object notation (JSON) file and data interchange format.

In certain example embodiments, the first external microservice publishes a data intake task.

In certain example embodiments, the first external microservice publishes a service task.

FIG.1illustrates an exemplary computing environment8. In this example, the computing environment8may include an application testing environment10, an application development environment12, and a communications network14connecting one or more components of the computing environment8. The computing environment8may also include or otherwise be connected to an application deployment environment16, which provides a platform, service, or other entity responsible for posting or providing access to applications that are ready for use by client devices. The computing environment may also include or otherwise be connected to a business process platform22, which provides a platform, service or other entity responsible for designing, executing, and deploying business process workflows, whether separate from or in connection with an application developed in the application development environment12. The application development environment12includes or is otherwise coupled to one or more repositories or other data storage elements for storing application build data18.

As used herein a “build” may refer to the process of creating an application program for a software release, by taking all the relevant source code files and compiling them and then creating build artifacts, such as binaries or executable program(s), etc. “Build data” may therefore refer to any files or other data associated with a build. The terms “build” and “build data” (or “build file”) may also be used interchangeably to commonly refer to a version or other manifestation of an application, or otherwise the code or program associated with an application that can be tested for performance related metrics.

The application build data18can include any computer code and related data and information for an application to be deployed, e.g., for testing, execution or other uses. The application build data18can also include any computer code and related data and information for a business process workflow implemented by the business process platform22. In this example, the application build data18can be provided via one or more repositories and include the data and code required to perform application testing on a device or simulator.

The application testing environment10may include or otherwise have access to one or more repositories or other data storage elements for storing application test data20, which includes any files, reports, information, results, metadata or other data associated with and/or generated during a test implemented within the application testing environment10.

The computing environment8may be part of an enterprise or other organization that both develops and tests applications and/or designs and implements business process workflows. In such cases, the communication network14may not be required to provide connectivity between the application development environment12, the application testing environment10, and business process platform22, wherein such connectivity is provided by an internal network. The application development environment12, application testing environment10, and/or business process platform22, may also be integrated into the same enterprise environment as subsets thereof. That is, the configuration shown inFIG.1is illustrative only. Moreover, the computing environment8can include multiple enterprises or organizations, e.g., wherein separate organizations are configured to, and responsible for, application testing and application development, and/or business process workflows. For example, an organization may contract a third-party to develop an app for their organization but perform testing internally to meet proprietary or regulatory requirements. Similarly, an organization that develops an app may outsource the testing stages, particularly when testing is performed infrequently. The application deployment environment16may likewise be implemented in several different ways. For example, the deployment environment16may include an internal deployment channel for employee devices, may include a public marketplace such as an app store, or may include any other channel that can make the app available to clients, consumers or other users.

One example of the computing environment8may include a financial institution system (e.g., a commercial bank) that provides financial services accounts to users and processes financial transactions associated with those financial service accounts. Such a financial institution system may provide to its customers various browser-based and mobile applications, e.g., for mobile banking, mobile investing, mortgage management, etc.

Users of applications or business processes described herein may be referred to as customers, clients, correspondents, or other entities that interact with the enterprise or organization associated with the computing environment8via one or more apps or workflows (which may employ one or more apps). Such users typically interact with the environment8using client communication devices. It may be noted that such client communication devices may be connectable to the application deployment environment16, e.g., to download newly developed apps, to update existing apps, etc. In certain embodiments, a user may operate the client communication devices such that client device performs one or more processes consistent with what is being developed or tested in the disclosed embodiments. For example, the user may use client device to engage and interface with a mobile or web-based banking application which has been developed and tested within the computing environment8as herein described. In certain aspects, client communication devices can include, but are not limited to, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a hand-held computer, a personal digital assistant, a portable navigation device, a mobile phone, a wearable device, a gaming device, an embedded device, a smart phone, a virtual reality device, an augmented reality device, third party portals, an automated teller machine (ATM), and any additional or alternate computing device, and may be operable to transmit and receive data across communication networks such as the communication network14shown by way of example inFIG.1.

Communication network14may include a telephone network, cellular, and/or data communication network to connect different types of client devices. For example, the communication network14may include a private or public switched telephone network (PSTN), mobile network (e.g., code division multiple access (CDMA) network, global system for mobile communications (GSM) network, and/or any 3G, 4G, or 5G wireless carrier network, etc.), WiFi or other similar wireless network, and a private and/or public wide area network (e.g., the Internet).

Referring back toFIG.1, the computing environment8may also include a cryptographic server (not shown) for performing cryptographic operations and providing cryptographic services (e.g., authentication (via digital signatures), data protection (via encryption), etc.) to provide a secure interaction channel and interaction session, etc. Such a cryptographic server can also be configured to communicate and operate with a cryptographic infrastructure, such as a public key infrastructure (PKI), certificate authority (CA), certificate revocation service, signing authority, key server, etc. The cryptographic server and cryptographic infrastructure can be used to protect the various data communications described herein, to secure communication channels therefor, authenticate parties, manage digital certificates for such parties, manage keys (e.g., public and private keys in a PKI), and perform other cryptographic operations that are required or desired for particular applications of the application development environment12and/or application testing environment10. The cryptographic server may be used to protect data within the computing environment8(include the application build data18and/or application test data20) by way of encryption for data protection, digital signatures or message digests for data integrity, and by using digital certificates to authenticate the identity of the users and entity devices with which the application development environment12, business process platform22, and application testing environment10communicate to inhibit data breaches by adversaries. It can be appreciated that various cryptographic mechanisms and protocols can be chosen and implemented to suit the constraints and requirements of the particular deployment of the application development environment12, business process platform22, and application testing environment10as is known in the art.

InFIG.2, an example configuration of the application development environment12is shown. It can be appreciated that the configuration shown inFIG.2has been simplified for ease of illustration. In certain example embodiments, the application development environment12may include an editor module30, a version and access control manager32, one or more libraries34, and a compiler36, which would be typical components utilized in application development. In this example, the application development environment12also includes the application build data18, which, while shown within the environment12, may also be a separate entity (e.g., repository) used to store and provide access to the stored build files. The application development environment12also includes or is provided with (e.g., via an application programming interface (API)), a development environment interface38. The development environment interface38provides communication and data transfer capabilities between the application development environment12and the application testing environment10from the perspective of the application development environment12. As shown inFIG.2, the development environment interface38can connect to the communication network14to send/receive data and communications to/from the application testing environment10. For example, the testing environment interface38can be used to provide test results to the application development environment12based on testing conducted in the application testing environment10.

The editor module30can be used by a developer/programmer to create and edit program code associated with an application being developed. This can include interacting with the version and access control manager32to control access to current build files and libraries34while enforcing permissions and version controls. The compiler36may then be used to compile an application build file and other data to be stored with the application build data18. It can be appreciated that a typical application or software development environment12may include other functionality, modules, and systems, details of which are omitted for brevity and ease of illustration. It can also be appreciated that the application development environment12may include modules, accounts, and access controls for enabling multiple developers to participate in developing an application, and modules for enabling an application to be developed for multiple platforms. For example, a mobile application may be developed by multiple teams, each team potentially having multiple programmers. Also, each team may be responsible for developing the application on a different platform, such as Apple iOS or Google Android for mobile versions, and Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge for web browser versions. Similarly, applications may be developed for deployment on different device types, even with the same underlying operating system.

While not shown inFIG.2for clarity of illustration, in example embodiments, the application development environment12may be implemented using one or more computing devices such as terminals, servers, and/or databases, having one or more processors, communications modules, and database interfaces. Such communications modules may include the development environment interface38, which enables the application development environment12to communicate with one or more other components of the computing environment8, such as the application testing environment10, via a bus or other communication network, such as the communication network14. While not delineated inFIG.2, the application development environment12(and any of its devices, servers, databases, etc.) includes at least one memory or memory device that can include a tangible and non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein computer programs, sets of instructions, code, or data to be executed by the one or more processors.FIG.2illustrates examples of modules, tools and engines stored in memory within the application development environment12. It can be appreciated that any of the modules, tools, and engines shown inFIG.2may also be hosted externally and be available to the application development environment12, e.g., via communications modules such as the development environment interface38.

In this example embodiment, the application development environment12can include a business process workflow UI24that can integrate or interface with the editor module30to enable business process workflows to be designed and integrated with an application that is being developed. The business process workflow UI24can also be connectable to the business process platform22to avow business process workflows to communicate and/or integrate with application functionality both within an application or between multiple applications.

InFIG.3, an example configuration of an enterprise system60is shown. The enterprise system60includes a communications module62that enables the enterprise system60to communicate with one or more other components of the computing environment8, such as the application testing environment10, business process platform22, or application development environment12, via a bus or other communication network, such as the communication network14. While not delineated inFIG.3, the enterprise system60includes at least one memory or memory device that can include a tangible and non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein computer programs, sets of instructions, code, or data to be executed by one or more processors (not shown for clarity of illustration).FIG.3illustrates examples of servers and datastores/databases operable within the enterprise system60. It can be appreciated that any of the components shown inFIG.3may also be hosted externally and be available to the enterprise system60, e.g., via the communications module62. In the example embodiment shown inFIG.3, the enterprise system60includes one or more servers to provide access to client data68, e.g., for development or testing purposes. Exemplary servers include a mobile application server64, a web application server66and a data server70. Although not shown inFIG.3, as noted above, the enterprise system60may also include a cryptographic server for performing cryptographic operations and providing cryptographic services. The cryptographic server can also be configured to communicate and operate with a cryptographic infrastructure. The enterprise system60may also include one or more data storage elements for storing and providing data for use in such services, such as data storage for storing client data68.

Mobile application server64supports interactions with a mobile application installed on client device (which may be similar or the same as a test device). Mobile application server64can access other resources of the enterprise system60to carry out requests made by, and to provide content and data to, a mobile application on client device. In certain example embodiments, mobile application server64supports a mobile banking application to provide payments from one or more accounts of user, among other things.

Web application server66supports interactions using a website accessed by a web browser application running on the client device. It can be appreciated that the mobile application server64and the web application server66can provide different front ends for the same application, that is, the mobile (app) and web (browser) versions of the same application. For example, the enterprise system60may provide a banking application that be accessed via a smartphone or tablet app while also being accessible via a browser on any browser-enabled device.

The client data68can include, in an example embodiment, financial data that is associated with users of the client devices (e.g., customers of the financial institution). The financial data may include any data related to or derived from financial values or metrics associated with customers of a financial institution system (i.e., the enterprise system60in this example), for example, account balances, transaction histories, line of credit available, credit scores, mortgage balances, affordability metrics, investment account balances, investment values and types, among many others. Other metrics can be associated with the financial data, such as financial health data that is indicative of the financial health of the users of the client devices.

An application deployment module72is also shown in the example configuration ofFIG.3to illustrate that the enterprise system60can provide its own mechanism to deploy the developed and tested applications onto client devices within the enterprise. It can be appreciated that the application deployment module72can be utilized in conjunction with a third-party deployment environment16such as an app store to have tested applications deployed to employees and customers/clients.

It will be appreciated that only certain modules, applications, tools and engines are shown inFIGS.2and3for ease of illustration and various other components would be provided and utilized by the application development environment12and enterprise system60, as is known in the art.

It will also be appreciated that any module or component exemplified herein that executes instructions may include or otherwise have access to computer readable media such as storage media, computer storage media, or data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Computer storage media may include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information, and which can be accessed by an application, module, or both. Any such computer storage media may be part of any of the servers or other devices in the application testing environment10, application development environment12, business process platform22, enterprise system60, or accessible or connectable thereto. Any application or module herein described may be implemented using computer readable/executable instructions that may be stored or otherwise held by such computer readable media.

Referring toFIG.4, a block diagram of an example configuration of a workflow orchestration system23for the business process platform22is shown. The configuration shown inFIG.4illustrates three components, workflow orchestration80, integration and distribution82, and functional business services84. This configuration provides an implementation that is agnostic to functional services, which can be custom built or “off-the-shelf”. The workflow orchestration80can include functionality to enable business process workflow design and visualization and the integration and distribution82can implement the business process workflows to meet certain business and technical objectives. As shown inFIG.4, the workflow orchestration component80can include a persistence and recovery module88, a UI designer and business process definition module90, and a state management module92. The integration and distribution component82includes an entitlements module94, a persistence and recovery module96, and a connectivity module98. The components80,82,84can communicate with each other using various protocols and commands, for example, Stream, Representational State Transfer (REST), and File operations.

Also shown inFIG.4is a source component86that can integrate and/or communicate with the integration and distribution component82using Stream, REST, File and Bulk operations to provide data to the system23. It can be appreciated that the workflow orchestration component80can be abstracted from the user via the state machine provided by the system23. The UI designer module90allows for a business-function oriented approach to workflow design and, as discussed further below, enables the workflow to be represented as a graph. The streaming distribution layer (providing the Stream operations) offers a normalized paradigm for function integration and onboarding. Moreover, the system23includes resiliency for persistence and recovery in multiple tiers.

Referring now toFIG.5, a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration for the business process platform22is shown. The business process platform22is configured to visualize, define, and implement a business process as a graph. The platform22enables dynamic routing and functional declarations for application onboarding. The platform22also provides a standard integration mechanism to facilitate a federated build of the processes using a microservice layer. Message persistence can occur in a queue and graph database for recovery. The UI functionality, described in greater detail below, allows for a low- or no-code implementation of the process from building blocks available to the platform22. This also enables the platform22to be integrated with process automation tools.

The platform22in the configuration shown inFIG.5includes a workflow manager100that uses a management service102to determine and display currently executing workflows as well as to define workflows as a graph. The management service102is connected to a workflow graph database106. An example of an implementation for the workflow graph database106can include a Neo4j database, which is considered to be efficient in querying complex graphs. The workflow graph database106can unlock value from data relationships to facilitate the creation of electronic products and services and/or to enhance existing electronic products and services. In comparison to a relational database, a graph database106can model and store data and relationships with less complexity and can avoid the need to redesign schema when new types of data and/or relationships are added. These attributes make the use of a graph database106particularly advantageous for master data management, network and IT operations, graph-based searches, identity and access management, fraud detection, recommendations and social capabilities.

The management service102is also configured to store the workflow graphs in such a workflow graph database106. A navigation service108can load a workflow graph instance from the graph database106, translate the graphical representation to task-based messages (as described below), and interact with a routing service110to determine and execute the next workflow task as also described in greater detail below. The routing service110queries the navigation service108for the next workflow task according to the graph. The routing service110also interfaces with a distribution cluster112to egress or ingress a topic and coordinate with one or more federated microservices116.

The distribution cluster112can also use the routing service110to subscribe to ingress the topic for the current task such that the routing service110receives a document for the current task. Here, the state of the workflow is given by the topic position. The routing service110also updates the document and publishes a workflow state change egress topic for the current task, e.g., by attaching a dynamic routing header.

The distribution cluster112includes or otherwise accesses a state service114(e.g., using Pulsar functionality) to map the external ingress to internal ingress topics as well as to map the internal egress to external egress topics. The state service114also validates and logs the published document and the workflow state change in a database server104that is accessed by the management service102to display the currently executing workflow as noted above.

The distribution cluster112is coupled to a set of federated microservices116to provide the flexibility of onboarding functional microservices for extensions. For example, web publication, time series tools, and real-time monitoring can be onboarded. These microservices116can also be leveraged in other workflows, providing modularity to an organization that employs the system across a number of business workflows. The distribution cluster112interacts with the federated microservices116to enable a client to subscribe to egress a topic. The client can also post from the federated microservices116to the distribution cluster112to ingress a topic.

Examples of such microservices that can be utilized by a financial institution include, without limitation: payments, money transfer generation, wire enrichment, credit/liquidity service, fraud/anti-money laundering, accounting service, limits management, supplemental income routing service, business rules and reference management, approval service, alerts/email service, reconciliation service (matching), and document generation.

The federated microservices116can include a gateway118to communicate with external systems120as needed as well as to communicate with an integration service122in the platform22. The integration services122can communicate with external source systems124such as external web services, drop copy services and external databases to allow external systems to publish documents. Similarly, the integration service122can pick up data from a files dropped to a drop copy service or from a database.

Referring now toFIG.6, a technology stack for implementing the business process platform22is shown. In this example configuration, a workflow orchestration layer130is positioned on an integration and distribution layer136, which is positioned on a persistence layer154to implement the architecture shown inFIGS.4and5. It can be appreciated that only certain modules, applications, services tools, and engines are shown inFIGS.4-6for ease of illustration and various other components would be provided and utilized by the business process platform22including, without limitation, servers, devices, processors, communication modules, communication buses, and computer readable media as defined above. The workflow orchestration layer130includes one or more servers to provide the management service102, the navigation service108, the workflow graph database106coupled to the navigation service108, and a decision service132. The decision service132is provided as an interface with a decision client134, for example, a user that interfaces with the business process platform22to execute a task such as an approval. The management service102can interface with a designer client135to enable process workflows to be created as herein described, as well as other clients137to provide dashboards and other data and information to certain users such as administrators, developers, testers, employees, etc.

The decision service132, management service102and navigation service108communicate with the integration and distribution layer136by connecting to an integration sub-layer138via a software development kit (SDK)140that permits external microservices116to be integrated into a process workflow as described in greater detail later. The external microservices116can include REST API, database, connector, and file share services from external source systems124, for example. The SDK140is coupled to an admin service142at the integration sub-layer138to enable administrator access to the SDK140and microservices116.

The integration and distribution layer136also includes a routing sub-layer144. The routing sub-layer144provides a messaging and routing platform using a message broker146such as RabbitMQ, which subscribes to the integration sub-layer138via the SDK140. The message broker146is coupled to the routing service110to execute task-based routing as described in greater detail later. The message broker146is also coupled to the integration service122, which bridges the integration and routing sub-layers138,144. For performance efficiency, the message broker146can be stateless in which case messages handled by the message broker146in conjunction with the routing service110and the state of the workflow are not stored in the routing sub-layer144. To provide persistence for the messages, the message broker146is coupled to a state service114in a persistence sub-layer148. The state service114can adopt bitemporal modeling in order to handle historical data along two different timelines to make it possible to “rewind” the information to as it actually was in combination with as it was recorded at some point in time. This enhances process workflows that circle back to previous tasks and previous states to ensure that the data being reprocessed has the history as it was “as-of” that time.

For additional performance considerations, including a high volume of messaging over the platform22, the state service114can utilize a state query service150to write data to the database server104in the persistence infrastructure154. As shown inFIG.6, the persistence architecture154can include additional database servers156in a clustered configuration along with the database server104. The state service114in this example utilizes a separate state command152to handle write operations to the database server104. The database server104in this example can include a relational database technology such as a SQL server to store the data according to the bitemporal modeling and persistence described herein.

As shown inFIG.6, additional services can be provided to bridge the sub-layers in the integration and distribution layer136, such as a decision engine158, a scheduling service160, a housekeeping service162, and an archiving service164for performing their namesake operations and services.

The navigation service108and the routing service110operate using the underlying message broker146to perform task-based messaging and routing on the business process platform22to implement a process workflow that is based on the process workflow being designed and stored as a graph. Referring toFIG.7, the navigation service108acts as a translation layer for the routing service110by loading a business process model notation (BPMN) payload170created by a user via the designer client134. BPMN is an exemplary graphical representation for specifying business processes in a business process model. This provides a familiar and intuitive way for users to create a process workflow for a business process in a flexible and extensible manner. The graph-based workflow also permits the state of a workflow to be inferred from the topic and does not require the state to be actively stored and updated. This, in combination with the bitemporal storage of the messages handled by the message broker146, provides a stateless execution while storing data as it changes over time. The navigation service108stores the BPMN payload170in the workflow graph database106and, when executing the corresponding workflow, retrieves the stored graph and translates the graph structure to a data interchange format such as JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) in order to determine tasks to be consumed by the routing service110. This translation can be performed by the navigation service108pattern matching the graph to predefined patterns to generate the task, which are then consumed by the routing service110for dynamic routing. Example types of tasks can include, without limitation, point-to-point, intake, multicast/recipient list, aggregator, decision service132, binary decision, script task, service task, custom send tasks (e.g., email), etc.

FIGS.8through20illustrate various tasks that can be implemented by the routing service110and message broker146.FIG.8illustrates internal point-to-point tasks which include copying a message from topic A to topic B within a process. The source172should be one of a start message event, an intermediate catch message event, or an intermediate throw message event. The target174in this case should be one of an intermediate throw event and an end message event.FIG.9illustrates an external point-to-point task which copies a message from topic A to topic B across two processes176a,176b.FIG.10illustrates a multicast task which copies (i.e., broadcasts) a message from one topic to multiple topics using a multicast operator178. For example, the routing sub-layer144can contain a BPMN parallel gateway that immediately follows an intermediate catch message event and immediately precedes intermediate throw message events.FIG.11illustrates an internal aggregator task to merge parallel gats from a multicast process using an aggregator operator179. To implement an aggregator task the routing sub-layer144can contain a parallel gateway that connects intermediate throw message events, immediately followed by one intermediate throw message event. The aggregator task can await the arrival of message events feeding the parallel gateway. Several options can be implemented for merging including, for example, first one wins, last one wins, first non-null wins, last non-null wins, among other custom routines.

Referring toFIG.12an intake or external aggregator task is shown. For intake tasks, a new document ID is generated, and the intake task sets the schema for the whole process that follows from what is provided at the intake. For example, the routing sub-layer144can contain a BPMN receive task that immediately follows a start message event and immediately precedes an intermediate throw message event, wherein the number of tasks publishing to the message channel is equal to one. The graphical element180shown inFIG.12can also represent an external aggregator that merges parallel processes, e.g., across BPMN files. While topologically equivalent to the intake task, the number of tasks publishing to the message channel would be greater than one for the external aggregator task.

FIG.13illustrates a decision client task that enables a specialized task182to be defined that relies on a manual decision184from a user through the decision client134(interfaced to the decision service132). For example, the routing sub-layer144can contain a BPMN user task that immediately follows an intermediate message event (throw or catch), immediately precedes an XOR gateway that immediately precedes message throw events (intermediate or end).FIG.14illustrates another type of decision client that includes a timer boundary event186(interrupting or non-interrupting) that can be associated with a service level agreement (SLA), for example. The interrupting timer on a decision service132deactivates the XOR gateway and enables the alternative path (e.g., for an escalation) as shown inFIG.15, and the non-interrupting timer on the decision service132keeps the XOR gateway activated as shown inFIG.16(e.g., for initiating a reminder).

A binary decision task is shown inFIG.17, which is a specialized task192that relies on an expression (e.g., JSON path expression) that evaluates to a Boolean decision, e.g., the true and false branches shown inFIG.17. The routing sub-layer144can contain a BPMN business rule task that immediately follows an intermediate message event (throw or catch), immediately precedes an XOR gateway that immediately precedes two message through events (intermediate or end) that connects to a true-false condition from the XOR gateway. The BPMN business rule task can also evaluate an expression such as a JSON path expression, e.g., “@.distribution=˜/∧.*FundSERV.*$/”. A script task194is shown inFIG.18, which is a task that evaluates expressions inline. The routing sub-layer144can contain BPMN script task that immediately follows an intermediate message event (throw or catch) and immediately precedes a message throw event (intermediate or end). The script task194can support various formats, such as ES6/ECMAScript 2015 or Python™.

FIG.19illustrates a service task196, which is a task that integrates with an external microservice116. The routing sub-layer144can contain a BPMN service task that immediately follows an intermediate message event (throw or catch) and immediately precedes a message throw event (intermediate or end). The service task196contains a named service configuration that contains the information on the tenant, input parameters, return values, and input and output topics that are permissioned for the tenant. For example, the service configuration can be assigned to an implementation tag of the service task as: service:<SERVICE_CONFIG_NAME>.

Custom send tasks can also be utilized, which are specialized send tasks with a custom implementation that can follow a pattern such as: <customTaskType>:<CUSTOM_TASK_CONFIG>.

Referring now toFIG.20, a sub-process task198is shown. A sub-process task198is a task that invokes another subprocess. The routing sub-layer144can contain a BPMN call activity that immediately follows an intermediate message catch event, and immediately precedes an event-based gateway that catches messages from the sub-process. The call activity can also dictate that the messages should correspond to end message events in the sub-process.

As discussed above, processes or tasks or services can subscribe to a named destination by implementing a publish-subscribe messaging protocol. For example, Process A can publish a message that is sent to processes that subscribe to that message, e.g., where Process Bn each receives the same message.FIGS.21aand21billustrate a selective subscription protocol in which each Process Bn subscribes to certain messages using wildcards. Referring first toFIG.21a, a first process (A)200sends messages202over one or more messaging channels via the routing service110to multiple second processes (B1, B2, B3)206a-206c. In this example, process B1206asubscribes using the wildcard [x.*] such that it will receive all “x” messages. Process B2206bsubscribes using the wildcard [*.2] such that it will receive all “.2” messages. Process B3206cuses the all-encompassing wildcard [*.*] to receive all messages as shown inFIG.21b.

A messaging and routing architecture example is shown inFIG.22to illustrate the publishing of and subscribing to of topics in a process workflow. In the configuration shown inFIG.22, the interaction between the workflow orchestration layer130, the integration and distribution layer136, and the persistence layer154is shown in a dynamic routing scenario. In this example, the business process platform22provides a load balancer210between app servers hosting the layers130,136. As shown using darkened lines inFIG.22, an instance of the integration service122can intake a task from an external source in this example via a network access server212. A first topic is published by the integration service122which is subscribed to by the routing service110. The routing service110implements content-based routing to publish to a second topic, which is subscribed to in this example by the decision service132. The message is replicated by the load balancer210between instances of the message broker146on the servers136,130. In this example, the decision service132can publish to a third topic. During this routing, the state service114records the messages to the database server104for the first, second and third topics.

The routing example illustrated inFIG.22is provided by way of a specific example inFIG.23. InFIG.23, at block214the integration service122intakes a document which is published to Topic A at block216. The routing service110performs content-based routing at block218, which routes the document to Topic B at block220. Topic B in this example relies on the decision service132for a manual routing, for example to implement an approval at block222, which then routes the decision outcome to Topic C, at block224.

Referring now toFIG.24, an example of a configuration for implementing data flows handled by the integration service122is shown. In this configuration, tenants, which are users of the system (or another system), can implement processes and topics for such processes, using notation x.a.1for example, with x being the tenant, a being the process, and1being the topic. The integration service122is configured to interact with both an external domain226and an internal domain228within the overall domain and architecture of the message broker146. By mapping the external domain226to the internal domain228, the message broker146and integration service122can open up the business process platform22to external microservices116via the SDK140. This allows the business process platform22to onboard such external microservices116to provide access to the data dictionary used by the application as well as the inputs and outputs that would be part of such a data dictionary. That is, the integration service122enables the external microservices116to be translated, transformed or otherwise trimmed down or reconfigured to be integrated with the platform22.

The internal domain228handles internal routing while the external domain226handles the external routing to enable external microservices116to publish for intake and service tasks as well as to receive messages from the platform22. The integration service122interfaces with the external domain226to subscribe to external topics from such intake and service tasks and to be notified of incoming messages from the microservices116. The integration service122also subscribes to the internal topics from service tasks within the internal domain228to be notified of outgoing messages handled by the routing service110. The routing service110subscribes to the internal topics from all non-service tasks to be notified of internal messages. Clients of the business process platform22publish and subscribe to the message broker146via the SDK140. To account for the stateless routing of the platform22, the integration service and routing service110are coupled to the state service114as illustrated inFIG.24, to persist tasks in the database server104.

Referring to the specific routing example shown inFIG.24, three sub-processes are shown, namely Sub-process a, Sub-process b and Sub-process c. For the sake of illustration, each of these subprocesses includes three topics, using the notation described above, namely Topics x.a.1, x.a.2and x.a.3for Sub-process a, and so on for the other sub-processes. Beginning with the microservice116denoted by x.a, this microservice publishes for an intake task via the SDK140which is published at Topic x.a.1. The integration service122is notified of this message, saves the message to the database server104via the state service114(returns recordid=1), and notifies Topic x.a.1in the internal domain228for recordid=1, and the routing service110is notified of recordid=1. The routing service110is instructed to route to Topic x.b.2(recordid=2), which relates to service task, namely the microservice116denoted by x.b. The integration service122having subscribed to the internal topics is notified of a message to be routed to the microservice x.b by applying recordid=3 to Topic x.b.2in the external domain226, which is routed to microservice x.b to perform the service task.

After executing the service task, microservice x.b publishes for that service task to Topic x.c.3in the external domain226via the SDK140, such that the integration service122is notified of recordid=3. As with the intake task, the integration service122routes a message with recordid=4 to Topic x.c.3in the internal domain228and saves recordid=4 to the database server104via the state service114. The routing service110is notified of recordid=4 by having subscribed to Topic x.c.3in the internal domain228and determines that an internal message recordid=5 is to be routed internally to Topic a.x.3to complete the process flow.

FIG.25provides a graphical view of the process workflow described above in connection withFIG.24. The three sub-processes a, b, and c are shown in parallel with the intake topic x.a.1(id=2) routing to the intake task, which routes to the topic x.b.2(id=2). Topic x.b.2routes to the external service task, which leads to a FAIL or SUCCESS condition. Topic x.c.2is shown inFIG.25, which would correspond to the FAIL condition, but was not illustrated in this example. Instead, the SUCCESS condition was realized, which routes to Topic x.c.3(id=4). The SUCCESS condition routes to Topic x.a.3(id=5) as would have the FAIL condition as shown in the graphical representation. It may be noted that id=3 relates to the external routing to the microservice x.b, handled by the integration service122and is not noted in the platform-centric view shown inFIG.25.

FIG.26provides a screen shot of a user interface240for performing a service task configuration. In this user interface240, a microservice selection box242is provided along with various input selection boxes244. An outputs definition portion246is also provided to enable the user to define fields that are to be added to the data dictionary for the application or process being defined. An outbound configuration entry portion248is also provided to enable the user to define the outbound configuration for that service task. The user interface240therefore can be used to integrate service tasks with the message broker146by providing a design tool for the business process and to onboard functionality to limit what the tenant can do with that service task.

As illustrated inFIG.6, the state service114includes a state query service150that is separate from the state command service152. The state query service150operates as a reader service to read data from the database server104that has been written to the database server104by the writer service, referred to as the state command service152. The query service150assembles raw pieces of information into a coherent view of a message and/or the information contained in or represented by such message. The messages are persisted at the persistence sub-layer148using the state service114, which subscribes to messages handled by the message broker146, e.g., when routed using the routing service110. In this way, the state of the process workflow can be determined while using efficient, stateless dynamic routing using the routing service110. The state query service150can operate using “pull” semantics, such as HTTP GET or GraphQL query commands. The state query service150responds to read requests for objects and states and can accept temporal queries, which is possible by employing a bitemporal data model as described below.

The state command service152, which operates as a writer service disassembles data and information persisted in the database server104into the raw pieces that are assembled by the reader service. The state command service152can operate using “push” semantics such as HTTP POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE or GraphQL Mutation commands. The state command service152responds to write requests for objects and states and can write temporal data using a historized database schema as described below.

The state service114and persistence sub-layer148can employ a command query responsibility segregation model, which is the notion that a system can use a different model to update information than the model uses to read information. This can include employing bifurcated object models and bifurcated logical processes. The separation allows for targeted scaling that may be required based on read versus write workloads. The write requests can be serialized through the message broker146without losing data. The service pair can also be considered to provide eventual consistency on the application layer and strong consistency on the data layer. The service model described herein enables the system to create new object structures without compilation, allows object structures to be polymorphic at runtime, provides data integrity (e.g., ACID properties in SQL), provides a full normalization that removes data duplication and data anomalies, and provides support for temporal queries delivered by the underlying database engine.

The bitemporal support also allows for querying of the “quantum” properties as-of a certain time. This enables data dictionaries to evolve without violating in-flight records. The bitemporal support allows the business process platform22to readily track where what is used, to answer queries such as which data dictionaries use a particular field, which workflows are using a particular email template, what records have gone through a particular task, what tasks did a record go through, etc.

The service model used by the state service114utilizes metadata or a data dictionary to define a schema for a record as described below and can use polymorphism or dynamic typing such that different instances of the same category of objects can have different runtime properties. The service model can also provide nested custom types (e.g., embed an instrument to a trade), lists (e.g., embed observation dates for an option), and composable types (e.g., embed a cash flow schedule to a swap). The service model can also provide dynamic and contextual metadata to allow properties to have different underlying metadata (e.g., a default value can apply to some properties but not others and/or the type of the “default value” can also be with respect to the field type). By having bitemporal access to data, the state service114can provide information that is true “as of” a given data and time. The state service114can also provide information that is true at a given point in a workflow process graph stored in the workflow graph database106by relying on the business process platform's definition of a workflow, task and record.

Referring now toFIG.27, the data model that can be used to define a schema for a record is illustrated. As discussed above, the data model should provide metadata or a data dictionary, polymorphism/dynamic typing, nested custom types, lists, composable types, dynamic and contextual metadata, bitemporal access to data, and provide information that is true at a given point in a workflow process graph. The data model described herein provides strong consistency, normalization, object-relational mapping, composition over inheritance, bitemporal access, separation of objects versus state, and command query response segregation as structured in the persistence sub-layer148. The data model shown inFIG.27includes a quantum250, a quantum type252, a quantum property254, a quantum state256and a state vector258.

A quantum250in this data model is the object, entity or thing and is a named instantiation of a quantum type252. A quantum250can be described by the characteristics that make up the object and the characteristics of its quantum type252. Each characteristic is a quantum property254, which is also of a quantum type252and defines the cardinality of values that can be assigned to it (e.g., 0, 1 . . . ). A quantum type252is a unique name that identifies a category of objects, such as type, field, record, data dictionary, workflow, task configuration, task, email template, service configuration, comments, etc.

The quantum state256is an object in observation and is created when a quantum acquires information (i.e., a quantum property gets set with a value). The acquired information is recorded in a state vector258. A state vector258records the value assigned to a quantum property254for the quantum state256. Such property values can either be a primitive (e.g., string/int/Boolean/double, etc.) or a quantum state reference. A quantum state256has a state vector258per quantum property254and multiple quantum states256can share the same state vector258.

As illustrated inFIG.27, the quantum state256and its description and the quantum properties and their names and cardinality point to the quantum250. The quantum250points to the quantum type252and its name. The quantum property254also points to the quantum type252. The state vector258points to the quantum property254and the quantum state256to provide the values associated with the quantum state description and the name and cardinality of the quantum properties254. A quantum property254is typically defined at the same time a quantum250is created, however, a quantum property254can also be attached to an already defined quantum250at a later time. For the case of a record, a quantum property254can be dynamically generated by a task through the use of a field.

Turning toFIG.28, the logical entities250-258together describe and capture all information persisted by the business process platform22. When used as a database schema as herein described, the logical entities enable data to be historized with snapshots of the data “as of” a given date and time, thus allowing the business process platform22to determine information that is true at a given point in the process graph. InFIG.29, a historized view is shown in which the logical entities250,252,254,256and258have counterparts250′,252′,254′,256′ and258′ as of different points in time.

FIGS.30a-30cillustrate a process workflow as a graph. As shown inFIG.30a, the process includes a number of nodes that proceed through the business process and can include multiple sub-workflows that can each be constructed in a similar way. Various communication nodes are illustrated to indicate when the process passes between different parties by way of, for example, an email. The sub-workflows are shown inFIGS.30band30c. Sub-workflow1shown inFIG.30bincludes various email, upload, input, and amend operations that are steps in the business workflow that are now captured and controlled according to the graph. As noted above, this allows the state of the workflow to be inferred from the position in the graph. Sub-workflow2shown inFIG.30cillustrates a sub-process in which two parallel input operations are performed.

FIG.30dillustrates another process workflow as a graph, in this example including distribution, issuance, and approval for a structured notes workflow. The process in this example includes approval of the structure and intent to sell, distributor selection and routing, document drafting (prospectus, etc.), and final approval. It may be noted that the graph structure facilitates parallelization, amendments, and automated alerts.

By utilizing a graph structure for the business process workflow, the topic (issued via the distribution cluster112) implies the state and thus processes do need to be linear. This graphical representation also permits graphs to be chained together, allowing for sub-flows as discussed above. Documents in the process can pass through the workflow via the graph edges to microservices and users that receive and/or interact with the document (e.g., to add a signature).

FIG.31is an example of a user interface200for designing a business process workflow. The user interface260provides a “canvass” with an example of a graph that has been built from a number of nodes and indicating various tasks. Each block262added to the user interface260can represent a node in the workflow and can be connected to other blocks262. The connection points264between nodes and edges can be considered tasks266. The illustrated graph also includes a sub-workflow268that can be defined separately and reused where applicable in other workflows. It can be appreciated that by representing a workflow as a graph and storing same in a graph database, designing and visualizing the workflow is facilitated by connecting blocks262(nodes) and tasks266(edges). This allows the topic associate with a node to imply the state of the workflow at any given time in the process, while enabling not linear workflows to be implemented (e.g., to obtain multiple signature or contributions to a document in the workflow). Moreover, the graph structure facilitates onboarding the microservices116by associating the microservices116with tasks266, connection points264, or blocks262in the graph. In this way, the user interface260provides an intuitive way to build the workflow, with different types of nodes available from a library, e.g., “intake”, and “decision” as shown inFIG.31. The workflow, once designed in this way, can be exported to an XML or similar file format to provide an output that can be used to create the graph structure to be stored in the workflow graph database106.

FIG.32is an example of a design dashboard270user interface for designing a business process workflow. The dashboard270enables users to drill down into a topic and define inbound and outbound configurations, including applying business rules and defining inputs and outputs. For example, as shown inFIG.33, a document communication configuration tool272can also be provided, which enables users to define email template configurations for communications that are integrated into the workflow. It can be appreciated that the dashboard user interfaces260,270can also provide other dashboards, such as a workflow dashboard showing multiple workflows and sub-workflows with administrative tools and the ability to publish a workflow once designed. The UI design tool can integrate with an underlying state machine provided by the business process platform22to store the published workflow as a graph and traverses the graph, distribute/exchange documents, and employ microservices according to the implied state of the graph as discussed above.

Referring toFIG.34, an example embodiment of computer executable instructions for executing a process workflow using the business process platform22is shown. At block300, the business process platform22obtains a representation of a workflow as a graph. This can be obtained from an external source or created using the user interface200. It can be appreciated that, as discussed above, the user interface200can be provided as a tool in the business process workflow UI24that is integrated in the application development environment12of an enterprise system or can be provided as a stand-alone tool. At block302the graph is stored in the graph database106. The graph includes a configuration of microservices and other operations that are triggered or implied by the state of the graph and the platform22can navigate through the workflow tasks in the graph as the process is executed at block304, by using the workflow navigator service108, the workflow routing service110, the distribution cluster112and by accessing the federated microservice(s)116according to the configuration implied by the graph.

At block306the workflow state change(s) can also be published with a topic for the current workflow task. This implies the state of the state machine implemented by the business process platform22and allows operations associated with the workflow to be controlled and implemented, e.g., having a document signed, verifying a payment, etc. At block308a document for the current workflow task, such as a form being filled out or a transaction being completed is received or otherwise handled by the business process platform22. At block310, at least one workflow task is executed by instructing a corresponding microservice116. It can be appreciated that blocks304,306,308, and310can be done in parallel or linearly depending on the configuration of the workflow and by storing the workflow as a graph the execution of the workflow is not constrained by a linear flow. That is, multiple workflow topics or tasks can be implemented in parallel without departing from the progression of the workflow being executed.

FIG.35is a flow diagram of an example of computer executable instructions for designing a business process workflow, e.g., using the user interface260. At block320, the user interface260is provided to a user to enable the workflow graph to be designed, e.g., as shown inFIG.31. At block322, predefined node types can be added and connected to each other in a graph builder work area or canvass as described above. This enables the workflow visualization shown inFIG.31and ultimately as shown inFIG.30for a complete workflow. At block324, topics can be defined at the connection points in the graph, with edges representing tasks to be executed. The topics imply the state of the process and can inform the state machine provided by the business process platform22. At block326, the user interface260can allow selection of the topics to define inbound and outbound configurations, as shown inFIGS.32and33described above. In this way, the user interface260provides a tool to allow users to visualize, design, and ultimately implement a business process workflow as a graph that is then stored as a graph to intuitively inform the user or other administrators of the workflow of the progress and states associated with the workflow.

FIG.36is a flow diagram of an example of computer executable instructions for executing dynamic routing, e.g., using the message broker146and routing service110. At block330, the routing service110subscribes to ingress a first topic for a current task in a process workflow. At block332, the routing service110receives a data object (e.g., a document, email, etc.) for the current task and queries a first service (e.g., the navigation service108) at block334to determine a next workflow task. The next workflow task has been translated by the first service from a workflow graph to a file and data interchange format as illustrated inFIG.7described above. At block336the data object is updated, and the updated object is routed to a second topic by the message broker146at block338, using a data interchange format such as JSON. At block340, the routing service110also subscribes to ingress the second topic for a next task in the process workflow and repeats blocks332-338while the workflow is executed to utilize the translated tasks from the navigation service108to traverse the process workflow as defined by the graph stored in the workflow graph database106.

FIG.37is a flow diagram of an example of computer executable instructions for integrating external services into a process workflow environment, e.g., using the integration service122. At block350, the integration service122subscribes to topics in the external domain226, which is coupled to one or more microservices116as shown inFIG.24. This enables the integration service122to be notified of incoming messages from the microservices116. At block352, the integration service122also subscribes to the topics in the internal domain228to be notified of outgoing messages to the microservices116. In this way, at block354, the integration service122can detect an incoming message published to a first topic by an external microservice116and, at block356, send the incoming message to the first topic in the internal domain228. At block358, the integration service122also detects an outgoing message from the first topic or a second topic of the internal domain228(e.g., as illustrated inFIGS.24and25) and, at block360, publishes the outgoing message to the first external microservice116or another external microservice116via a topic in the external domain226.

FIG.38is a flow diagram of an example of computer executable instructions for persisting data generated in executing in a process workflow, e.g., using the state service114, state query service150and state command service152. At block370, the state service114receives all messages exchanged, in executing a process workflow, by the message broker146. The state service114uses a writer service such as the state command service152at block372to disassemble each received message into multiple properties (e.g., as shown inFIG.27) according to the database schema being used. Each received message is persisted to the database server104at block274according to the database schema374. At block376, either in parallel or at some other time, the state service114after receiving a read request, uses a separate reader service such as the state query service150to access the database server104and assemble the properties of a persisted message to provide the information represented by the properties, e.g., a document, email, etc. and the data contained in certain fields as of a certain date and time as describe above.

It will be appreciated that the examples and corresponding diagrams used herein are for illustrative purposes only. Different configurations and terminology can be used without departing from the principles expressed herein. For instance, components and modules can be added, deleted, modified, or arranged with differing connections without departing from these principles.

The steps or operations in the flow charts and diagrams described herein are just for example. There may be many variations to these steps or operations without departing from the principles discussed above. For instance, the steps may be performed in a differing order, or steps may be added, deleted, or modified.

Although the above principles have been described with reference to certain specific examples, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art as outlined in the appended claims.