Service flow arrangement system and method with flexible configuration capability

Abstract

The invention discloses a service flow arrangement system and method with flexible configuration capability, and belongs to the technical field of informationization. After a basic service flow is obtained, a plurality of independent derivative versions based on the same basic template are obtained by defining a differentiation rule relative to the basic service flow, namely through node-level configuration difference; when each derivative version of the same basic service flow runs among different main bodies, corresponding version configuration is loaded and executed according to the identifiers of the main bodies, and it is ensured that configuration differences do not affect each other. Wherein the construction process of the service flow supports dynamic binding of a node reference relationship, and nodes of different versions can be independently replaced or expanded; and during running, the differentiation rule is dynamically loaded, and a personalized execution path of the process instance is realized. According to the device and the method, differentiated business appeals are integrated on the basis of business process arrangement basic functions, and greater degree of freedom and play space are provided for a target group using the scheme.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of information technology, and in particular to a business flow orchestration system and method with flexible configuration capabilities. Background Technology

[0002] Early application software, as a management system, was based on fixed processes, which could not meet the dynamic management needs of enterprises. Therefore, application software design needed to support dynamic changes. Different enterprises, groups, and subsidiaries have different business management, business logic, and business processes. It is necessary to support the configuration of business forms and specify a series of service rules to adapt to business implementation in different periods and scenarios, so as to meet the business management needs of enterprises.

[0003] In the context of diversified business management models, there is a need to satisfy the group's management of its subordinate units, as well as the need for subordinate units to implement personalized management requirements that conform to actual business scenarios. The product design uses different business flows to support the management processes of different specific business objects.

[0004] Currently, no business flow engine on the market addresses the differentiated business needs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure provides a business flow orchestration system and method with flexible configuration capabilities, which incorporates differentiated business requirements on the basic functions of business process orchestration, giving the target group using the solution greater freedom and room for development.

[0006] The business flow orchestration system disclosed herein mainly includes:

[0007] Service Management Module: Used for service registration, configuration, and permission management;

[0008] Interface Management Module: Used to register and manage API interfaces for various services;

[0009] Document Conversion Definition Management Module: Used to configure the data conversion relationship between upstream and downstream business documents in the business flow, so as to realize the data conversion differences between different organizations; the configured conversion relationship is used to call during business process design;

[0010] Business Flow Activity Management Module: Used to add activity-related information for orchestrating processes in new business forms;

[0011] Process Management Module: Used to add new processes and maintain information related to existing processes, including process design, process deployment, and process activation / deactivation;

[0012] Process design module: Used for process orchestration design;

[0013] Process deployment module: Used to deploy pre-designed business processes;

[0014] The system allows for differentiated configuration of the generated basic business flow, generating several derivative versions to meet the business needs of different entities. The differentiated configuration objects include one or more of the following: API interface binding, document conversion relationship, process node reference and source relationship.

[0015] The flexible configurable service flow orchestration method of the above system mainly includes the following steps:

[0016] S1, Basic Business Flow Design;

[0017] S2 allows each user to differentiate and design existing basic business flows in the system based on their own business needs, generating several derivative versions.

[0018] Furthermore, step S1 specifically includes:

[0019] S11, Service registration configuration and permission allocation, users with permissions can maintain the API interfaces under this service;

[0020] S12, Register an API interface for the service and bind the interface to a specific business form; the API interface is used to call the API to complete automatic data processing;

[0021] S13, Configuration of upstream and downstream business document conversion relationship;

[0022] S14: Add a new activity and bind it to a specific form; arrange the activity sequence and set conditional branches through the workflow design interface;

[0023] S15 configures action buttons for forms, binds buttons to business flow activities, and assigns button visibility and operation permissions by organization and role.

[0024] Furthermore, step S11 specifically includes:

[0025] In the service management module, services can be added through the service registration and addition function;

[0026] Please fill in the required information, including: service name, type, and service instance;

[0027] After service registration, it supports dynamic invocation through middleware discovery.

[0028] The service permission granting function assigns service permissions to designated operators, ensuring that they can maintain the interface under that service.

[0029] Furthermore, step S12 specifically includes:

[0030] In the interface management module, API interfaces are registered for services through the interface addition function;

[0031] The basic configuration information for the interface includes: interface path, calling method, and input / output parameters;

[0032] The API is bound to a specific business form.

[0033] Configure whether the interface is callable.

[0034] Furthermore, step S13 specifically includes:

[0035] ① In the document conversion definition management module, select the conversion type, including:

[0036] Source citation: Many-to-one scenario;

[0037] Generate destination list: one-to-one or one-to-many scenarios;

[0038] Backfill source form: After the destination form is completed, backfill the source form fields;

[0039] ② Set up field mapping and data filtering, including:

[0040] Field mapping: Configure the mapping relationship between fields in the source order and the destination order;

[0041] Data filtering: Set source single-reference conditions;

[0042] Source display configuration: Defines the display style of the data selection window;

[0043] ③ Set splitting rules to generate destination orders, including: splitting by numerical value or grouping by field.

[0044] Furthermore, step S14 specifically includes:

[0045] In the business flow activity management module, new activities are added and bound to specific forms. Activity types include:

[0046] Manual activity: Configure the jump address and parameters for the to-do task;

[0047] Automatic activity: Calls the pre-registered interface;

[0048] Notification activity: Send a message to the queue or message center;

[0049] The "Generate Destination Order" activity automatically generates downstream orders by invoking document transformation definitions.

[0050] Arrange the sequence of activities and set conditional branches through the process design module.

[0051] Furthermore, step S15 specifically includes:

[0052] In the business flow operation button management module, operation buttons are configured for the form;

[0053] Bind buttons to business flow activities;

[0054] Assign button visibility and access permissions based on organization and role.

[0055] Furthermore, step S2 specifically includes:

[0056] After obtaining the basic business flow, define the differentiated rules relative to the basic business flow through a visual or declarative interface. That is, obtain several independent derivative versions based on the same basic template by configuring differences at the node level.

[0057] The business flow construction process supports dynamic binding of node reference relationships, and nodes can be replaced or extended independently between different versions; at runtime, differentiated rules are dynamically loaded to realize personalized execution paths for process instances.

[0058] When different derivative versions of the same basic business flow run on different entities, the corresponding version configuration is loaded and executed according to the entity's identifier, ensuring that configuration differences do not affect each other.

[0059] Furthermore, the method also includes the following steps:

[0060] S3, business flow operation, specifically includes:

[0061] S31: When a user clicks an operation button on the front end, the business flow engine is triggered to execute the operation.

[0062] S32, execute sequentially according to the configured activity order:

[0063] Call the API to retrieve data → Perform document conversion → Generate to-do tasks → Send notifications;

[0064] If automatic activities are involved, the system calls the API to complete the data processing;

[0065] S33, Data Backfilling and Loop Closure:

[0066] After the downstream document is completed, the source document field is updated by backfilling the configuration.

[0067] If an abnormal situation occurs, it will automatically record a log and prompt the user to handle it.

[0068] This disclosure manages platform service capabilities through a service + API interface approach, supporting document conversion relationship configuration and activity registration, enabling different users to configure business sources, service calls, and other aspects differently.

[0069] Compared with existing technologies, the beneficial effects of this disclosure are: ① It supports differentiated configuration, enabling the generation of customized derivative versions (differentiated business processes) for use without affecting the source version (basic business process); ② It allows configuration of data conversion relationships between upstream and downstream business documents through a visual interface, realizing data conversion differences between different organizations; ③ It offers richer access methods for the business flow engine, including front-end component access and API access; ④ It provides richer capabilities, such as business process nodes supporting association with form approval flows, and approval nodes supporting association with specific business pages; ⑤ The business flow is more closely integrated with business operations, and the display and editing interfaces are more intuitive. Attached Figure Description

[0070] The above and other objects, features and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent from the more detailed description of exemplary embodiments of this disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals generally represent the same components.

[0071] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the system composition according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0072] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of an exemplary business flow orchestration method according to this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0073] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0074] This disclosure provides a service flow orchestration system and method with flexible configuration capabilities. The system composition according to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure is shown in the appendix. Figure 1 As shown, it mainly includes the following functional modules:

[0075] (1) Service Management: Supports the registration of related service capabilities for microservices, other monolithic applications, integrated services, etc., which are combined according to specific business dimensions, and is used for the management of the ownership and permissions of specific interfaces, aggregate interfaces, etc.

[0076] (2) Interface Management: Under the service, the instance interface information of the service can be managed, including the service to which the interface belongs, interface name, input / output, interface validation and other configuration information. It mainly includes data retrieval API, data processing API, etc. The platform service capabilities are managed in the form of service + API interface, supporting document conversion relationship configuration, activity registration, and realizing differentiated configuration for business sources, service calls, etc.

[0077] (3) Document Conversion Definition: Data conversion relationships often exist between upstream and downstream business processes. That is, when creating a downstream document, it is necessary to reference some data from an upstream document and supplement other content to complete the downstream document. These data conversion relationships between upstream and downstream documents often differ between different organizations. Therefore, a visual function is needed to configure these data conversion relationships to accommodate the differences in data conversion between different organizations. After configuring the conversion relationships in this function, it can be invoked during business process design.

[0078] (4) Business Flow Activity Management: Used for activity-related information used to orchestrate processes in newly added business forms.

[0079] (5) Process Management: Used for adding new processes and maintaining information related to existing processes, including process design, process deployment, process activation / deactivation, etc.

[0080] (6) Process Design: The left side of the process design page is the node area for process arrangement, the middle is the canvas area, and the right side is the attribute area. Node Area: Includes four pre-defined node types: start, end, branch, and description. Below is the range of forms visible to the currently logged-in unit and their category tree. Activities registered in each form are displayed as sub-levels of the form nodes. The tree expands to two levels by default and supports locating by name. Form nodes and activity nodes can be dragged to the canvas area for process design; form category nodes cannot be dragged to the canvas area. Canvas Area: Nodes can be dragged from the node area on the left to the canvas area. Draggable nodes are form nodes and activity nodes; directory nodes cannot be dragged to the canvas area. Attribute Area: Displays the attributes of the currently selected node and line. If not selected, process attributes are displayed. Process attributes display process code, process name, and process description; all three fields cannot be modified.

[0081] (7) Process deployment: Designed business processes can be deployed directly.

[0082] This system enables differentiated configuration of business workflows across organizations. Through differentiated configuration, multiple derivative versions can be set up for the same basic business workflow, and the effects of using it by different entities are reflected according to the differences. Administrators configure differentiated business workflow templates and set the references and source relationships of each process node; when using it, they can make targeted adjustments according to their own business needs to achieve the desired purpose.

[0083] In this embodiment, the baseline business personnel design the basic business flow, and ordinary business personnel can differentiate the basic business flow according to their own needs to generate derivative versions.

[0084] The orchestration process for the basic business flow is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the main steps include:

[0085] 1. Service registration and configuration

[0086] ① Step 1.1 Service Registration

[0087] In the service management module, services (such as microservices, monolithic applications, etc.) can be added through the "Service Registration and Addition" function.

[0088] Please fill in the required information such as service name, type (microservice / other), and service instance (e.g., IP + port or domain name).

[0089] After service registration, dynamic invocation is supported through service registration and discovery middleware such as Nacos and Eureka.

[0090] ②Step 1.2 Granting Permissions

[0091] The "Service Permission Grant" function can be used to assign service permissions to designated operators, ensuring that they can maintain the interface under that service.

[0092] 2. Interface Definition and Binding

[0093] ① Step 2.1 Interface Registration

[0094] In the interface management module, you can register API interfaces (such as data retrieval API, backfill API, document generation API, etc.) for services using the "Add Interface" function.

[0095] Configure basic interface information: interface path, calling method (GET / POST), input / output parameters (supports dynamic values, static values, and expressions).

[0096] ② Step 2.2: Bind the form to the interface

[0097] The API needs to be bound to a specific business form (1:1 relationship), such as the document reference API being bound to the main table, and the backfill API being bound to the sub-table.

[0098] The interface status (enabled / disabled) controls whether it is callable.

[0099] 3. Document conversion relationship configuration

[0100] ① Step 3.1 Define the conversion type

[0101] In the document conversion definition management module, select the conversion type:

[0102] Reference source: Many-to-one scenario (e.g., selecting multiple purchase orders to generate an inbound document).

[0103] Generate destination order: One-to-one or one-to-many scenarios (such as automatically generating payment orders).

[0104] Backfill source form: After the destination form is completed, backfill the source form fields (e.g., backfill the quantity that has been received).

[0105] ② Step 3.2 Field Mapping and Data Filtering

[0106] Field mapping: Configure the mapping relationship between fields in the source order and the destination order (supports constants, fields, and expressions).

[0107] Data filtering: Set source document reference conditions (such as documents with a status of "approved").

[0108] Source display configuration: Defines the display style of the data selection window (list, tree, master-child table, etc.).

[0109] ③ Step 3.3 Order Splitting Rules (Specifically for Generating Destination Orders)

[0110] Split by numerical value (e.g., generate multiple documents by material quantity) or group by field (e.g., generate documents by warehouse group).

[0111] 4. Business Flow Activity Orchestration

[0112] ① Step 4.1 Activity Configuration

[0113] In the business flow activity management module, add a new activity and bind it to a specific form. Supported types include:

[0114] Manual Activities: Configure the redirect address and parameters for pending tasks (such as the approval page URL).

[0115] Automatic activities: Calling pre-registered interfaces (such as automatically updating document status).

[0116] Notification activity: Send a message to the queue or message center.

[0117] Generate Destination Document Activity: Automatically generates downstream documents by calling the document transformation definition.

[0118] ② Step 4.2 Activity Sequence and Conditions

[0119] Arrange the sequence of activities using the process designer and set conditional branches (such as triggering the next step after approval).

[0120] 5. Operation button configuration

[0121] ① Step 5.1 Register (button)

[0122] In the business flow operation button management module, configure operation buttons for the form (such as "Submit for Approval" and "Generate Payment Invoice").

[0123] Bind buttons to business flow activities (such as clicking a button to trigger the generation of a destination order activity).

[0124] ② Step 5.2 Button Permission Control

[0125] Assign button visibility and access permissions based on organization and role.

[0126] 6. Operation Process

[0127] ① Step 6.1 User Triggering Process

[0128] When a user clicks an action button (such as "Submit for Approval") on the front end, the business flow engine is triggered to execute.

[0129] ② Step 6.2 Execute the activity logic

[0130] Execute sequentially according to the configured activity order:

[0131] Call the API to retrieve data → Perform document conversion → Generate to-do tasks → Send notifications.

[0132] If automated activities are involved, the system calls the API to complete data processing (such as updating status and generating documents).

[0133] ③ Step 6.3 Data backfilling and loop closure

[0134] After the downstream document is completed, update the source document fields by backfilling the configuration (such as backfilling the "processed" status).

[0135] Abnormal situations are automatically logged and the user is prompted to handle them (such as API call failure).

[0136] After obtaining the basic business flow by following the steps above, users can define differentiated rules (such as permissions, node logic, and data source mapping) for the process template (i.e., the basic business flow) through a visual / declarative interface. This allows multiple independent derivative versions to be generated based on the same basic template, enabling process personalization through node-level configuration differences.

[0137] The differentiation rules include: dynamically hiding / showing nodes based on organizational attributes; associating heterogeneous data interfaces according to different organizations; customizing business flow links according to organizational levels; and linking business flows with approval flows (business process nodes support association with form approval flows, and approval nodes support association with specific business pages).

[0138] In this embodiment, the business flow construction process supports dynamic binding of node reference relationships (such as conditional branches, data sources, and approval rules), and nodes can be replaced or extended independently between different versions; at runtime, differentiated rules are dynamically loaded to realize personalized execution paths for process instances (such as branch jumps and data filling).

[0139] As a preferred approach, during business flow execution, the engine pre-compiles differentiated configurations as independent process instances, reducing runtime rule parsing overhead.

[0140] In this embodiment, the business flow template supports inheritance and overriding mechanisms, allowing organizations to adjust some nodes as needed, rather than refactoring the entire process.

[0141] When different derivative versions of the same basic process are run across different organizations / tenants, the corresponding version configuration is loaded and executed based on the tenant identifier, ensuring that configuration differences do not affect each other.

[0142] In this embodiment, node reference relationships and version history are recorded, that is, the source of modification of each process node (basic template / derived version) is recorded, and version rollback and difference comparison are supported.

[0143] The above technical solutions are merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, based on the application methods and principles disclosed in the present invention, it is easy to make various types of improvements or modifications, and not limited to the methods described in the specific embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, the methods described above are merely preferred and not restrictive.

Claims

1. A service flow orchestration system with flexible configuration capabilities, characterized in that, include: Service Management Module: Used for service registration, configuration, and permission management; Interface Management Module: Used to register and manage API interfaces for various services; Document Conversion Definition Management Module: Used to configure the data conversion relationship between upstream and downstream business documents in the business flow, so as to realize the data conversion differences between different organizations; the configured conversion relationship is used to call during business process design; Business Flow Activity Management Module: Used to add activity-related information for orchestrating processes in new business forms; Process Management Module: Used to add new processes and maintain information related to existing processes, including process design, process deployment, and process activation / deactivation; Process design module: Used for process orchestration design; Process deployment module: Used to deploy pre-designed business processes; The system allows for differentiated configuration of the generated basic business flow, generating several derivative versions to meet the business needs of different entities. The differentiated configuration objects include one or more of the following: API interface binding, document conversion relationship, process node reference and source relationship.

2. A service flow orchestration method with flexible configuration capabilities using the system described in claim 1, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1, Basic Business Flow Design; S2 allows each user to differentiate and design existing basic business flows in the system based on their own business needs, generating several derivative versions.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Step S1 specifically includes: S11, Service registration configuration and permission allocation, users with permissions can maintain the API interfaces under this service; S12, Register an API interface for the service and bind the interface to a specific business form; the API interface is used to call the API to complete automatic data processing; S13, Configuration of upstream and downstream business document conversion relationship; S14: Add a new activity and bind it to a specific form; arrange the activity sequence and set conditional branches through the workflow design interface; S15 configures action buttons for forms, binds buttons to business flow activities, and assigns button visibility and operation permissions by organization and role.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Step S11 specifically includes: In the service management module, services can be added through the service registration and addition function; Please fill in the required information, including: service name, type, and service instance; After service registration, it supports dynamic invocation through middleware discovery. The service permission granting function assigns service permissions to designated operators, ensuring that they can maintain the interface under that service.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Step S12 specifically includes: In the interface management module, API interfaces are registered for services through the interface addition function; The basic configuration information for the interface includes: interface path, calling method, and input / output parameters; The API is bound to a specific business form. Configure whether the interface is callable.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Step S13 specifically includes: ① In the document conversion definition management module, select the conversion type, including: Source citation: Many-to-one scenario; Generate destination list: one-to-one or one-to-many scenarios; Backfill source form: After the destination form is completed, backfill the source form fields; ② Set up field mapping and data filtering, including: Field mapping: Configure the mapping relationship between fields in the source order and the destination order; Data filtering: Set source single-reference conditions; Source display configuration: Defines the display style of the data selection window; ③ Set splitting rules to generate destination orders, including: splitting by numerical value or grouping by field.

7. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Step S14 specifically includes: In the business flow activity management module, new activities are added and bound to specific forms. Activity types include: Manual activity: Configure the jump address and parameters for the to-do task; Automatic activity: Calls the pre-registered interface; Notification activity: Send a message to the queue or message center; The "Generate Destination Order" activity automatically generates downstream orders by invoking document transformation definitions. Arrange the sequence of activities and set conditional branches through the process design module.

8. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Step S15 specifically includes: In the business flow operation button management module, operation buttons are configured for the form; Bind buttons to business flow activities; Assign button visibility and access permissions based on organization and role.

9. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Step S2 specifically includes: After obtaining the basic business flow, define the differentiated rules relative to the basic business flow through a visual or declarative interface. That is, obtain several independent derivative versions based on the same basic template by configuring differences at the node level. The business flow construction process supports dynamic binding of node reference relationships, and nodes can be replaced or extended independently between different versions; at runtime, differentiated rules are dynamically loaded to realize personalized execution paths for process instances. When different derivative versions of the same basic business flow run on different entities, the corresponding version configuration is loaded and executed according to the entity's identifier, ensuring that configuration differences do not affect each other.

10. The method according to any one of claims 2-9, characterized in that, It also includes the following steps: S3, business flow operation, specifically includes: S31: When a user clicks an operation button on the front end, the business flow engine is triggered to execute the operation. S32, execute sequentially according to the configured activity order: Call the API to retrieve data → Perform document conversion → Generate to-do tasks → Send notifications; If automatic activities are involved, the system calls the API to complete the data processing; S33, Data Backfilling and Loop Closure: After the downstream document is completed, the source document field is updated by backfilling the configuration. If an abnormal situation occurs, it will automatically record a log and prompt the user to handle it.

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