Introduction to WS-BPEL support

WS-BPEL, short for Web Services Business Process Language, is an XML based execution language for specifying how to interact with Web service and WS-BPEL.

VP-UML supports exporting BPEL from process modeled by business process diagram. You can model process with business process diagram with elements like pools/lanes, events, task/sub-processes, gateways, define properties needed by BPEL, export the required BPEL files (the *.bpel and *.wsdl file) and eventually deploy the exported file to process engine. Currently, BP-VA supports Oracle and ODE as workflow engine.

An overview of workflow from analyzing process to deploying and executing WS-BPEL in workflow engine

This part is aimed to guide you through the mapping between business process diagram and WS-BPEL. It assumes that you have some basic familiarity with XML, web service and BPMN. You are strongly advised to read through the chapters sequentially or else you may get lost.

Defining a BPEL diagram

In order to export BPEL files, you need not only to draw the business process diagram, but also to define properties needed by BPEL. Those properties cannot be set unless you have set BPEL to be the type of diagram.

To define a BPEL diagram, right click on the backgroup of business process diagram where the process (will be) modeled, and select Diagram Type > BPEL from the popup menu. If the diagram is designed for multiple purposes like BPEL and Simulacian, choose Others from menu Diagram Type and check the types from the popup dialog box. Yet, this is not preferred. We always recommend to let a diagram serve a single purpose, like only for BPEL.

To define a BPEL diagram

Setting BPEL properties

Once a BPEL diagram is defined, you will find in some of the model elements that a tab BPEL is added. It is where you can define BPEL properties.

The BPEL tab of message trigger