Extensible State-Based Workflow Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing document workflow management systems face inefficiencies in resource utilization and customization, as each deployment requires separate computing resources and data repositories, limiting the ability to modify workflows to suit individual user needs without affecting others.
Innovation Solution
An extensible state-based workflow management method that defines a base workflow with event handlers and augments it into multiple extended workflows, allowing different instances of the same business object type to execute concurrently in a common host platform with expanded intermediate states, enabling customized workflow modifications for each user.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If each deployment requires its own container and computing resources, then workflow customization for individual users is enabled, but computing resource efficiency deteriorates due to redundant resources for identical program logic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the workflow management system into a shared core execution environment and user-specific workflow definitions. Multiple users share the same container and computing resources while maintaining separate, customizable workflow configurations through the workflow definition table and instance-specific parameters, eliminating redundant resource allocation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a universal container that hosts multiple workflow instances simultaneously. The single deployment serves multiple users with different workflow customizations through parameter-based configuration, allowing one computing resource to perform multiple user-specific functions without requiring separate containers for each user.
2Loss of energy
If a single shared deployment is used to improve computing resource efficiency, then resource utilization improves, but workflow customization for individual users deteriorates as modifications affect all users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing each workflow instance to have user-specific parameters and configurations within the shared deployment. The workflow definition table stores instance-specific settings that customize the general workflow logic for individual users without affecting other users' experiences, enabling localized customization within a global shared environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic workflow configuration where users can modify their own workflow parameters and settings at runtime within the shared deployment. The system dynamically adjusts workflow behavior based on user-specific configurations stored in the workflow definition table, allowing customization without requiring separate static deployments for each user.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate data repositories are allocated for each customer to enable customization, then workflow extensibility improves, but system complexity and resource overhead worsen due to multiple data storage infrastructures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple customer data repositories into a single unified data storage infrastructure. The workflow definition table and instance data are stored together in one database system, eliminating the need for separate data repositories for each customer while maintaining data isolation through table结构设计 and access controls, thereby reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An extensible state-based workflow management method includes defining a base workflow for a single business object type that includes multiple different event handlers and that specifies an initial state, a final state and one or more intermediate states. Each of the event handlers respond to a canonicalized form of an input document with a canonicalized form of an output document. The method additionally includes augmenting the base workflow into multiple different extended workflows, with each augmentation extending the base workflow differently for different instances of a business object of a single business object type that concurrently execute in a common host computing platform, each extended workflow incorporating an expansion of one of the intermediate states into a sequence of sub-states. Finally, the method includes executing each of the extended workflows concurrently in association with a corresponding one of the instances within the common host computing platform.