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Modeling and execution of blockchain-aware business processes

  • Special Issue Paper
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SICS Software-Intensive Cyber-Physical Systems

Abstract

The blockchain is an emerging technology that allows multiple parties to agree on a common state without the need for trusted intermediaries. Moreover, business process technology streamlines the automation of inter- and intra-organizational processes while cutting-down on costs. With the new business opportunities provided by blockchains, it becomes vital to combine both technologies to allow the modeling and execution of blockchain-based interactions within business processes. However, the existing business process modeling languages lack support to intuitively model the various interactions with blockchains. In this paper we address this issue by proposing a business process modeling extension that captures the particularities of blockchains. We also show how to transform the proposed constructs into standard-compliant models, and we present an integration architecture that allows external applications, to communicate with the blockchains. Finally, we validate our approach by providing a prototypical implementation that proves its practical feasibility.

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Notes

  1. We use a message catch event icon when expecting to receive an error from the BAL because it is of an external nature.

  2. https://github.com/ghareeb-falazi/BlockME-UseCase.

  3. https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/wiki/geth.

  4. https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/.

  5. https://github.com/web3j/web3j.

  6. https://github.com/ghareeb-falazi/blockchainaccesslayer.

  7. https://www.bpm.ibmcloud.com/

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Acknowledgements

This research was partially funded by the Ministry of Science of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, for the Doctoral Program “Services Computing”, and by SmartOrchestra (01MD16001F).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Architecture of Application Systems, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany

    Ghareeb Falazi, Michael Hahn, Uwe Breitenbücher & Frank Leymann

Authors
  1. Ghareeb Falazi
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  2. Michael Hahn
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  3. Uwe Breitenbücher
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  4. Frank Leymann
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Correspondence to Ghareeb Falazi.

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Falazi, G., Hahn, M., Breitenbücher, U. et al. Modeling and execution of blockchain-aware business processes. SICS Softw.-Inensiv. Cyber-Phys. Syst. 34, 105–116 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00450-019-00399-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00450-019-00399-5

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