running jBMP on Weblogic Server 10.x

[smart_umesh_123]

Hi,

Our current application is using TeamWorks (Lombardi's) BPM tool for business process automation. We wanted to replace this with jBPM (ver 4) so I have few queries in this regard

1) Does jBPM 4 has support of Weblogic Server 10.x because jBPM says that "JBoss jBPM may
be deployed with other application servers such as BEA
WebLogic Server".

2) TeamWorks has extensive UI support for process modeling. As per my understanding jBPM has BPMN based GPD (Graphical Process Designer).
Does GPD has such type of support available. I have listed down few features of TeamWorks, Does jBPM has similar type of features and if not is it easy to implement using jPDL?
Features List
Process Inspector,
Nested processes,
Debugging,
Connectors for Java methods, JCA Resource Adaptors or Webservice opertations

Can someone help me to resolve above queries.

Thanks in advance.

Regards
Chintan

[kukeltje]

1) jBPM4 is not in the QA run of JBoss, but the jBPM core libraries have no specifc dependencies in that it should not run on WLS 10. You basic packaging issues with dependent jars might occur though, but that should not be to difficult to find out

2) jBPM 4 GPD uses the *symbols* of BPMN for designing processis in the jPDL language. Do not expect all BPMN notations to be available. But for most things it will be sufficient.

3) Features:
ProcessInspector: Yes, the web console has functionality for this.
Nested processes: Yes, that is supported
Debugging for runnning (production) processes is not something that is supported in a sense that you can visually set breakpoints. But by using Test Driven Development of your process with unittests, you can do a lot design time.
Connectors:
Java: yes, JCA: no (but SQL, ESB, Mail are there), Webservice: no since it was most of the time to specific and with webservices frameworks you can generate javacode easily.

[smart_umesh_123]

thanks for the response.

you mean jBPM 4 is not yet published for actual usage? in that case jBPM 3 we have to choose right? if that is the case, it should also support Weblogic 10.x

Also can i call external web service from the jBPM process?

thanks
Chintan

[kukeltje]

Sorry, I meant
1: WLS is not in the jBPM4 QA run of JBoss, but neither is jBPM 3. But jBPM 3 ran without much problems on WLS 8 and 9. I have no info on jBPM 4 on these systems.

I wrote:

Webservice: no since it was most of the time to specific and with webservices frameworks you can generate javacode easily.[\quote]

Maybe I should have said, No not *directly* or No not *natively*, but since you can execute any java from jbpm you can do webservices without much trouble. Or do the webservice from the esb and have jBPM call an esb service.

[smart_umesh_123]

Hi,

i am also evaluating Intalio BPM also. I found that it has good support of Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) and LDAP.

How jBPM 3/4 has support of BAM ? I heard of BAM Cosole in jBPM is that good enough to do business process monitoring?

if jBPM has LDAP support the how easy it is to configure or code?

Thanks
Chintan

[swatis]

"smart_umesh_123" wrote:
thanks for the response.


Also can i call external web service from the jBPM process?

thanks
Chintan

Yes you can write ws client java code in action handler class and attach this action handler class to "node" activity of process.

[smart_umesh_123]

What about the support of BAM and LDAP, ActiveDirectory. I have heard that jBPM support LDAP also, how easy it's configuration is?

[swatis]

"smart_umesh_123" wrote:
Hi,

i am also evaluating Intalio BPM also. I found that it has good support of Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) and LDAP.

How jBPM 3/4 has support of BAM ? I heard of BAM Cosole in jBPM is that good enough to do business process monitoring?

if jBPM has LDAP support the how easy it is to configure or code?

Thanks
Chintan

BAM feature is available in jBPM using web cosole; web console provides information like number of processinstances running, task instance information, start and end date of task, performer of task, variables used in process instance and so on..

[kukeltje]

Well, jBPM 3 has very limited support for bam. All you get is what Swatis describes. In jBPM 4 there is a 'real BAM' console which provides some reports out of the box but more importantly, you can put in/create your own reports based on Eclipse Birt.

Regarding the LDAP functionality, it is not there out of the box. But like most things in jBPM you can easily use it. Why? Because it is possible to write your own re-usable assignmenthandlers. Small pieces of java code that set e.g. the actor of a task. If you already have an ldap library with your own methods like ' getManagerForUser(...) ' you can very easily plug that in. In jPBM 4 it will be even easier to replace the full identity manager, so you do not have to configure assingmenthandlers in processdefinitions.

[smart_umesh_123]

Hi,

Thanks for the valuable suggestions given by all of you till now.

I have one more query to ask you. At present application is using TeamWorks BPM tool. Due to some business reason they want to change to other BPM tool. so we are evaluating jBPM and Intalio BPM.

I am posting one example of TeamWorks BPD. I want your input about how easily we can develop such type of BPD using jBPM.

Process Definition: Meeting Reconciliation
There will be two swimlanes namely Meeting Organizer and System(TeamWorks Process)

1) After meeting has successfully taken place/occurred, control comes to Meeting Reconciliation
2) System sends reminder mails stating meeting is pending for re-conciliation. (in this case TeamWorks has email address stored in it's DB)
3) Meeting Requestor will check his mail and complete his re-conciliation task. If Requestor ignore the email then after 15/30 days process # 2 will be executed again.
4) even if Requestor has not completed re-conciliation within 35 days, System will close the meeting.

I am sorry for not pasting Process Diagram because i couldn't able to insert image.

One more point to add here is, actual application have business process which calls other process and web service.

Let me know if you need more information.

Thanks
Chintan

[kukeltje]

from what I read, very easily (unless I misunderstand something)