Abstract
Process modeling is usually done using imperative modeling languages like BPMN or EPCs. In order to cope with the complexity of human-centric and flexible business processes several declarative process modeling languages (DPMLs) have been developed during the last years. DPMLs allow for the specification of constraints that restrict execution flows. They differ widely in terms of their level of expressiveness and tool support. Furthermore, research has shown that the understandability of declarative process models is rather low. Since there are applications for both classes of process modeling languages, there arises a need for an automatic translation of process models from one language into another. Our approach is based upon well-established methodologies in process management for process model simulation and process mining without requiring the specification of model transformation rules. In this paper, we present the technique in principle and evaluate it by transforming process models between two exemplary process modeling languages.
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 subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
The BPMN 2.0 standard is available at http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/2.0/.
- 2.
Declare does not distinguish between different transaction types.
- 3.
KPI = Key Performance Indicator (used in performance measurement to rate success regarding a particular ambition).
- 4.
Log available at: http://www.win.tue.nl/bpi/doku.php?id=2014:challenge.
- 5.
ICT = Information and Communication Technology.
References
Jablonski, S.: MOBILE: a modular workflow model and architecture. In: Working Conference on Dynamic Modelling and Information Systems (1994)
van der Aalst, W., Pesic, M., Schonenberg, H.: Declarative workflows: balancing between flexibility and support. CSRD 23(2), 99–113 (2009)
Pichler, P., Weber, B., Zugal, S., Pinggera, J., Mendling, J., Reijers, H.A.: Imperative versus declarative process modeling languages: an empirical investigation. In: Daniel, F., Barkaoui, K., Dustdar, S. (eds.) BPM 2011. LNBIP, vol. 99, pp. 383–394. Springer, Heidelberg (2012). doi:10.1007/978-3-642-28108-2_37
Vaculín, R., Hull, R., Heath, T., Cochran, C., Nigam, A., Sukaviriya, P.: Declarative business artifact centric modeling of decision and knowledge intensive business processes. In: EDOC, pp. 151–160 (2011)
Pesic, M., Aalst, W.M.P.: A declarative approach for flexible business processes management. In: Reichert, M., Reijers, H.A. (eds.) BPM 2015. LNCS, vol. 256, pp. 169–180. Springer, Heidelberg (2006). doi:10.1007/11837862_18
Hildebrandt, T., Mukkamala, R.R., Slaats, T., Zanitti, F.: Contracts for cross-organizational workflows as timed dynamic condition response graphs. J. Logic Algebraic Program. 82(5), 164–185 (2013)
Zeising, M., Schönig, S., Jablonski, S.: Towards a common platform for the support of routine and agile business processes. In: CollaborateCom (2014)
Prescher, J., Di Ciccio, C., Mendling, J.: From declarative processes to imperative models. In: SIMPDA, pp. 162–173 (2014)
Wimmer, M., Strommer, M., Kargl, H., Kramler, G.: Towards model transformation generation by-example. In: HICSS, pp. 285–294 (2007)
Sun, Y., White, J., Gray, J.: Model transformation by demonstration. In: Schürr, A., Selic, B. (eds.) MODELS 2009. LNCS, vol. 5795, pp. 712–726. Springer, Heidelberg (2009). doi:10.1007/978-3-642-04425-0_58
Mendling, J., Reijers, H.A., van der Aalst, W.M.: Seven process modeling guidelines (7PMG). Inf. Softw. Technol. 52(2), 127–136 (2010)
Giacomo, G., Dumas, M., Maggi, F.M., Montali, M.: Declarative process modeling in BPMN. In: Zdravkovic, J., Kirikova, M., Johannesson, P. (eds.) CAiSE 2015. LNCS, vol. 9097, pp. 84–100. Springer, Heidelberg (2015). doi:10.1007/978-3-319-19069-3_6
Fahland, D., Lübke, D., Mendling, J., Reijers, H., Weber, B., Weidlich, M., Zugal, S.: Declarative versus imperative process modeling languages: the issue of understandability. In: Halpin, T., Krogstie, J., Nurcan, S., Proper, E., Schmidt, R., Soffer, P., Ukor, R. (eds.) BPMDS/EMMSAD -2009. LNBIP, vol. 29, pp. 353–366. Springer, Heidelberg (2009). doi:10.1007/978-3-642-01862-6_29
Aalst, W.M.P.: Business process simulation revisited. In: Barjis, J., Pergl, R., Babkin, E. (eds.) EOMAS 2015. LNBIP, vol. 231, pp. 1–14. Springer, Heidelberg (2010). doi:10.1007/978-3-642-15723-3_1
Stewart, R.: Simulation: The Practice of Model Development and Use. Wiley, Hoboken (2004)
van der Aalst, W.: Process Mining: Discovery, Conformance and Enhancement of Business Processes, vol. 2. Springer, Heidelberg (2011)
Weijters, A., Ribeiro, J.: Flexible heuristics miner (FHM). In: CIDM, pp. 310–317 (2011)
Maggi, F., Mooij, A., van der Aalst, W.: User-guided discovery of declarative process models. In: CIDM (2011)
Di Ciccio, C., Mecella, M.: On the discovery of declarative control flows for artful processes. TMIS 5(4), 24:1–24:37 (2015)
Schönig, S., Rogge-Solti, A., Cabanillas, C., Jablonski, S., Mendling, J.: Proceedings of the 27th International Conference on Advanced Information Systems Engineering, CAiSE 2015, Stockholm, Sweden, 8–12 June 2015 (2015, in press)
Schönig, S., Cabanillas, C., Jablonski, S., Mendling, J.: Mining the organisational perspective in agile business processes. In: Schmidt, R., Guédria, W., Bider, I., Guerreiro, S. (eds.) BPMDS/EMMSAD 2016. LNBIP, vol. 248, pp. 37–52. Springer, Heidelberg (2015). doi:10.1007/978-3-319-19237-6_3
Aalst, W.M.P.: Handbook on Business Process Management: Introduction, Methods, and Information Systems. Springer, Heidelberg (2015)
Leemans, S.J.J., Fahland, D., Aalst, W.M.P.: Discovering block-structured process models from incomplete event logs. In: Ciardo, G., Kindler, E. (eds.) PETRI NETS 2014. LNCS, vol. 8489, pp. 91–110. Springer, Heidelberg (2014). doi:10.1007/978-3-319-07734-5_6
Nakatumba, J., Rozinat, A., Russell, N.: Business process simulation: how to get it right. In: International Handbook on BPM (2008)
Ciccio, C., Bernardi, M.L., Cimitile, M., Maggi, F.M.: Generating event logs through the simulation of declare models. In: Barjis, J., Pergl, R., Babkin, E. (eds.) EOMAS 2015. LNBIP, vol. 231, pp. 20–36. Springer, Heidelberg (2015). doi:10.1007/978-3-319-24626-0_2
Westergaard, M.: Better algorithms for analyzing and enacting declarative workflow languages using LTL. In: Rinderle-Ma, S., Toumani, F., Wolf, K. (eds.) BPM 2011. LNCS, vol. 6896, pp. 83–98. Springer, Heidelberg (2011). doi:10.1007/978-3-642-23059-2_10
Maggi, F.M., Bose, R.P.J.C., Aalst, W.M.P.: Efficient discovery of understandable declarative process models from event logs. In: Ralyté, J., Franch, X., Brinkkemper, S., Wrycza, S. (eds.) CAiSE 2012. LNCS, vol. 7328, pp. 270–285. Springer, Heidelberg (2012). doi:10.1007/978-3-642-31095-9_18
Maggi, F.M.: Declarative process mining with the declare component of ProM. In: BPM (Demos) (2013)
Westergaard, M., Stahl, C.: Leveraging super-scalarity and parallelism to provide fast declare mining without restrictions. Theor. Math. Phys. 181(2), 1418–1427 (2014)
Uhlmann, E., Gabriel, C., Raue, N.: An automation approach based on workflows and software agents for industrial product-service systems. CIRP 30, 341–346 (2015)
Dongen, B.F., Medeiros, A.K.A., Verbeek, H.M.W., Weijters, A.J.M.M., Aalst, W.M.P.: The ProM framework: a new era in process mining tool support. In: Ciardo, G., Darondeau, P. (eds.) ICATPN 2005. LNCS, vol. 3536, pp. 444–454. Springer, Heidelberg (2005). doi:10.1007/11494744_25
Conforti, R., Dumas, M., García-Bañuelos, L., La Rosa, M.: BPMN miner: automated discovery of BPMN process models with hierarchical structure. Inf. Syst. 56, 284–303 (2016)
Van der Aalst, W., Adriansyah, A., van Dongen, B.: Replaying history on process models for conformance checking and performance analysis. Wiley Interdisc. Rev. DM KD 2(2), 182–192 (2012)
Rodrigues, R., Azevedo, L.G., Revoredo, K., Barros, M.O., Leopold, H.: BPME: an experiment on process model understandability using textual work instructions and BPMN Models. In: SBES (2015)
Fahland, D.: Towards analyzing declarative workflows. In: Autonomous and Adaptive Web Services. Dagstuhl Seminar Proceed, vol. 07061. IBFI, Germany (2007)
Recker, J.C., Mendling, J.: On the translation between BPMN AND BPEL: conceptual mismatch between process modeling languages. In: CAISE Workshops, pp. 521–532 (2006)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Ackermann, L., Schönig, S., Jablonski, S. (2016). Towards Simulation- and Mining-Based Translation of Process Models. In: Pergl, R., Molhanec, M., Babkin, E., Fosso Wamba, S. (eds) Enterprise and Organizational Modeling and Simulation. EOMAS 2016. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, vol 272. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49454-8_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49454-8_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-49453-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-49454-8
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)