OMG’s MDA expert (now at SAP Labs) explains the benefits of Business Process Platforms

David S. Frankel, Lead Standards Architect for Model Driven Systems at SAP Labs, the development laboratory for SAP, reported in his very interesting article published by “Business Process Trends” on the rise of a very promising new development concept – “Business Process Platforms” – that serve as the foundation for directly executable business process models.

A prerequisite for this is a clear separation between the “Technical Software Platform” and the “Application Platform”:

• Technical Software Platform – A set of technical capabilities that are packaged so that application developers can use them to build applications more easily than would otherwise be possible. It includes database and network management systems. It also includes middleware that manages transactions, componentization, security, persistence, data transformation, web services, and so on. The steady rise in the abstraction level of technical software platforms has enabled a similar rise in the abstraction level of programming languages and model-driven development tools.
• Application Platform – Consists of frameworks of reusable, executable business-oriented services (for example, a “post-to ledger service”) and executable business processes composed of multiple services, such as an order entry process. Application platforms enable a further rise in the abstraction level of model-driven tools that compose services into more complex services, processes, and applications. An application platform sits on top of a technical software platform.

Download David Frankel’s article in MDA Journal from Business Process Trends.

David Frankel’s article introduces “Business Process Platforms”, a new type of platform that makes a clear separation between the “Technical Software Platform” and the “Application Platform.”

Service Enablement and SCORE Adaptive Bridges

The focus of Business Process Platforms is on reusable business-oriented services. The question arises, however, where do these services come from? In most cases the functionality and data provided by existing applications will be used for the development of these services.

The service enablement of existing IT applications is exactly the job for which SCORE Adaptive Bridges from Delta Software Technology was developed. SCORE Adaptive Bridges is therefore the ideal solution for developing the reusable business-oriented services that you will need for future Business Process Platforms.

About David Frankel

David Frankel is an expert in the architecture, design, and development of complex, large-scale distributed enterprise computing systems based on component and Internet technology. He has served several terms as a member of the Object Management Group (OMG) Architecture Board and was a major player in the launch of the OMG's Model Driven Architecture (MDA).

About Business Process Trends

This article appears on the “Business process Trends” Web site (http://www.bptrends.com). The Web site provides comprehensive information on all aspects of the IT subject area “Business Processes.” The focus is on new trends, development directions and best practices.

Further Information

You can profit from your proven IT applications and improve support for your business process using SCORE Adaptive Bridges for service enablement. If you would like to learn more about how Delta can help you then please contact your local sales representative.