CONFLuEnCE: CONtinuous workFLow ExeCution Engine

Abstract

Traditional workflow enactment systems view a workflow as a one-time interaction with various data sources, executing a series of steps once, whenever the workflow results are requested. The fundamental underlying assumption has been that data sources are passive and all interactions are structured along the request/reply (query) model. Hence, traditional Workflow Management Systems cannot effectively support business or scientific reactive applications that require the processing of continuous data streams. In this demo, we will present our prototype which transforms workflow execution from the traditional step-wise workflow execution model to a continuous execution model, in order to handle data streams published and delivered asynchronously from multiple sources. We will demonstrate a supply chain management scenario which takes advantage of our continuous execution model to enable on-line interaction between different user roles as well as streaming data coming from various sources. © 2011 Authors.