A dynamic services discovery model for better leveraging BPM and SOA integration

Abstract

This work addresses the problem of BPM-SOA integration using the services discovery activity as the main driver for that. The developed model is able to select the most adequate (web) services for given business transactions that are modeled at BPM level, regarding their business' contexts and QoS restrictions. It considers an inter-organization scenario, where services are published and made available by disparate providers over largely distributed and heterogeneous repositories, which can also be accessed under the SaaS model. Key elements of the model include a business processes catalog and an ontology based on the UBL open standard, and a QoS ontology. The implemented framework strongly relies on open ICT standards at all tackled levels, facilitating interoperability and the integration of services discovery environment in wider enterprise architecture projects. A software prototype has been implemented and results are described at the end. In spite of a set of assumptions, it was realized that a focus on the dynamic services discovery activity can be a feasible approach for better levering BPM-SOA integration, providing a more flexible basis for enterprises when executing their daily business transactions.