Synonyms
Step; Node; Task; Work element
Definition
A description of a piece of work that forms one logical step within a process. An activity may be a manual activity, which does not support computer automation, or a workflow (automated) activity. A workflow activity requires human and/or machine resources to support process execution; where human resource is required an activity is allocated to a workflow participant.
Key Points
A process definition generally consists of many process activities which are logically related in terms of their contribution to the overall realization of the business process.
An activity is typically the smallest unit of work which is scheduled by a workflow engine during process enactment (e.g., using transition and pre/post- conditions), although one activity may result in several work items being assigned (to a workflow participant).
Wholly manual activities may form part of a business process and be included within its associated process definition, but...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsAuthor information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this entry
Cite this entry
Palmer, N. (2009). Activity. In: LIU, L., ÖZSU, M.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-39940-9_822
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-39940-9_822
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-35544-3
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-39940-9
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceReference Module Computer Science and Engineering