Workflow Metadata Transfer Between Providers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Long-running workflows face challenges in being transferred between providers without losing workflow state or requiring human intervention, especially when hardware availability or service provider changes occur.
Innovation Solution
An automated workflow manager facilitates the transfer of workflow metadata to dehydrate and rehydrate the workflow, allowing seamless movement between providers without transferring executable code, enabling continuous operation and flexibility in service provider changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If workflow metadata is extracted and transferred between providers, then workflow portability and flexibility are improved, but workflow state complexity and transfer reliability challenges increase
Solution Approach 1:
The workflow is segmented into two distinct components: executable code (which remains with the provider) and metadata (which is transferred). This segmentation allows the metadata to be independently transferred between providers while the executable code stays with the original provider, enabling workflow portability without transferring the entire workflow system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a workflow manager as an intermediary system that facilitates the transfer process. The workflow manager extracts metadata from the workflow, transfers it to the new provider, and manages the rehydration process, thereby ensuring reliable workflow state transfer without requiring direct interaction between the workflow and the transfer system.
2Speed
If only metadata is transferred instead of executable code, then transfer speed and provider flexibility are improved, but workflow reconstruction complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential metadata from the workflow, separating it from the executable code. This extraction approach transfers only the necessary information (workflow state, configuration, and metadata) while leaving the executable code with the original provider, thereby reducing transfer size and improving transfer speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The workflow manager performs preliminary actions by pre-defining the metadata structure and preparation protocols before transfer. This preliminary structuring of metadata ensures that the information is ready for efficient transfer and subsequent rehydration, reducing the complexity of workflow reconstruction at the destination provider.
3Productivity
If automated workflow transfer is implemented, then operational efficiency is improved, but automation complexity and system overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The workflow manager enables automated workflow transfer through self-service mechanisms. The system automatically extracts metadata, determines transfer timing based on predefined conditions, and facilitates the transfer process without requiring manual intervention. This automation improves operational efficiency while the workflow manager handles the complexity centrally.
Data Source
AI summary
A workflow may be moved from one provider to another provider by extracting the metadata from an executing workflow describing the workflow state as part of dehydrating the workflow, and transferring the metadata to a second workflow and rehydrating the workflow at a second provider. An automated workflow manager may determine when to move the workflow and may facilitate moving with or without human intervention. When a workflow is moved from one provider to another, the workflow state may be moved without transferring executable code that executes the workflow.