D5: Databases and Information Systems (Max-Planck-Institut für Informatik)

MENTOR-lite
A light-weight Workflow Management System

High availability of distributed data is an important prerequisite for the efficiency of enterprise-wide business processes, so-called workflows. These workflows consist of several work steps that access different, autonomously managed databases and other information services. The group is developing infrastructure software, so-called middleware, with the goal of coordinated and reliable execution of workflows in highly heterogeneous, distributed information systems. Workflows are specified, executed and monitored by means of state and activity charts. Further, administrative tools are developed on top of the workflow kernel, resulting in a flexible WFMS architecture. The distributed runtime environment being developed aims to provide fault tolerance based on transaction-oriented services as well as efficient access to the history and the current context of workflows.

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Find detailed information and a self-guided demo of our research prototype here.

Recent publications to this topic:

XML-enabled Workflow Management for E-Services across Heterogeneous Platforms (Autumn 2001)
XML-enabled Workflow Management for E-Services across Heterogeneous Platforms (September 2000)
Benchmarking and Configuration of Workflow Management Systems(September 2000)
(submitted version, slightly extended)
A Goal-driven Auto-Configuration Tool for the Distributed Workflow Management System Mentor-lite (May 2000) (Demo Description)
(submitted version, slightly extended)
Performance and Availability Assessment for the Configuration of Distributed Workflow Management Systems (March 2000)
Mentor-lite Customizability: Tailoring a Light-Weight Workflow Management System to Workflow Application and Organizational Needs (March 2000) (Demo Description)
The Mentor-lite Prototype: A Light-Weight Workflow Management System (February/March 2000) (Demo Description)
Performance Assessment and Configuration of Enterprise-Wide Workflow Management Systems (October 1999) (Extended Abstract)
Benchmarking von Workflow-Management-Systemen (March 1999)
Flexible Worklist Management in a Light-Weight Workflow Management System (March 1998)
(uncompressed postscript)
From Centralized Workflow Specification to Distributed Workflow Execution (March 1998)
Enterprise-wide Workflow Management based on State and Activity Charts (1997)

MENTOR-lite A light-weight Workflow Management System

MENTOR-lite
A light-weight Workflow Management System