Workflow APIs and interchange formats

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WAPI is an abbreviation for workflow APIs and interchange formats, published by the Workflow Management Coalition, and incorporating specifications to enable interoperability between different components of workflow management systems and applications. [1]

Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC) is a consortium formed to define standards for the interoperability of workflow management systems.

A workflow management system provides an infrastructure for the set-up, performance and monitoring of a defined sequence of tasks, arranged as a workflow application.

WAPI includes:

A workflow engine is a software application that manages business processes. It is a key component in workflow technology and typically makes use of a database server.

Synonyms

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An interface description language or interface definition language (IDL), is a specification language used to describe a software component's application programming interface (API). IDLs describe an interface in a language-independent way, enabling communication between software components that do not share one language. For example, between those written in C++ and those written in Java.

The Advanced Authoring Format (AAF) is a file format for professional cross-platform data interchange, designed for the video post-production and authoring environment. It was created by the Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA), and is now being standardized through the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE).

Message-oriented middleware (MOM) is software or hardware infrastructure supporting sending and receiving messages between distributed systems. MOM allows application modules to be distributed over heterogeneous platforms and reduces the complexity of developing applications that span multiple operating systems and network protocols. The middleware creates a distributed communications layer that insulates the application developer from the details of the various operating systems and network interfaces. APIs that extend across diverse platforms and networks are typically provided by MOM.

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Enterprise content management (ECM) extends the concept of content management by adding a time line for each content item and possibly enforcing processes for the creation, approval and distribution of them. Systems that implement ECM generally provide a secure repository for managed items, be they analog or digital, that indexes them. They also include one or more methods for importing content to bring new items under management and several presentation methods to make items available for use.

A business rules engine is a software system that executes one or more business rules in a runtime production environment. The rules might come from legal regulation, company policy, or other sources. A business rule system enables these company policies and other operational decisions to be defined, tested, executed and maintained separately from application code.

Fedora Commons software for digital asset management

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XPDL markup language

The XML Process Definition Language (XPDL) is a format standardized by the Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC) to interchange business process definitions between different workflow products, i.e. between different modeling tools and management suites. XPDL defines an XML schema for specifying the declarative part of workflow / business process.

Frameworx is an enterprise architecture framework geared towards communications service providers.

WAPI may refer to:

Open-system environment reference model

Open-system environment (OSE) reference model (RM) or OSE reference model (OSE/RM) is a 1990 reference model for enterprise architecture. It provides a framework for describing open system concepts and defining a lexicon of terms, that can be agreed upon generally by all interested parties.

An integration platform is software which integrates different applications and services. It differentiates itself from the enterprise application integration which has a focus on supply chain management. It uses the idea of system integration to create an environment for engineers.

The SHIWA is a project led by the LPDS of MTA Computer and Automation Research Institute. The project coordinator is Prof. Dr. Peter Kacsuk, it started on 1 July 2010 and lasted two years. SHIWA was supported by a Grant from the European Commission's FP7 INFRASTRUCTURES-2010-2 call under grant agreement n°261585.

Imixs Workflow is an Open-Source-Project, providing technologies for building Business Process Management solutions. The project focus on human based workflows used to execute and control workflows in organisations and enterprises. In difference to task-oriented workflow engines, which focus on automated program flow control (tasks), Imixs Workflow is a representative of an event-based workflow engine. Here, the engine controls the status of a process instance within a defined state-diagram. By entering an event, the state of a process instance can be abandoned or changed. In human-centric workflow engines, events usually occur by an interaction of the actor with the system, for example by approving or rejecting a business transaction. They can also be triggered by scheduled events. An example of this is an escalation of an unfinished task.

WorkflowGen is a web-based low-code business application creation solution developed by Advantys. As a workflow software and business process management (BPM) solution, WorkflowGen enables organizations to automate human and system-based processes via a visual interface in a low programming environment.

References

  1. Workflow Management Coalition: "WFMC TC-1011 Terminology and Glossary." Issue 3.0, February 1999.