IBM WebSphere Process Server

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Please improve this article if you can. (September 2007)

WebSphere Process Server


Developed by	IBM
Latest release	6.1.0.0 / 21 December 2007
OS	Cross-platform
Genre	Process Server
License	Proprietary
Website	http://www-306.ibm.com/software/integration/wps

WebSphere Process Server is the runtime engine for artifacts produced in a business-driven development process. Technically, WebSphere Process Server is mounted on top of WebSphere Application Server and extends the WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus.

WebSphere Process Server uses the WebSphere Integration Developer as development tool.

[edit] Components

WebSphere Process Server and WebSphere Integration Developer components are:

Service components
- Business State Machines

A business state machine is a way of modeling a business process, representing it as a sequence of states and events.

Business Processes

The business process component in WebSphere Process Server implements a WS-BPEL compliant process engine. Users can develop and deploy business processes with support for long and short running business processes and a robust compensation model in a highly scalable infrastructure. WS-BPEL models can be created in WebSphere Integration Developer or imported from a business model that has been created in WebSphere Business Modeler.

Human Tasks

Human task in WebSphere Process Server are stand-alone components that can be used to assign work to employees or to invoke any other service. Additionally, the Human Task Manager supports the ad-hoc creation and tracking of tasks. Existing Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directories (and operating system repositories and the WebSphere user registry) can be used to access staff information. WebSphere Process Server supports multi-level escalation for human tasks, including e-mail notification. WebSphere Process Server also includes an extensible Web client that can be used to work with tasks or processes. This Web client is built based on a set of reusable Java Server Faces (JSF) components that can also be used to create custom clients or embed human task functionality into other Web applications.

Business Rules

Business rules are a means of implementing and enforcing business policy through the externalization of business. This allows dynamic changes of a business process for a more responsive business environment. Business rule authoring is supported by an Eclipse-based desktop tool. WebSphere Process Server also includes a Web-based runtime tool for business analysts so that business rules can be updated as business needs dictate without affecting other SCA services.

Supporting Services
- Interface Maps
- Business Object Maps

Used to translate one type of business object into another type, these maps can be used in a variety of ways (for example, as an interface map to convert one type of parameter data into another).