AixBOMS Workflow Engine

Workflow Management as an IT Management Discipline

AixBOMS is software for holistic Data Centre Infrastructure Management. On the one hand, this means that it offers a range of functions and views for today's requirements in the most important sub-disciplines through its individually deployable modules. However, the holistic approach also means that we take the diverse relationships that exist within – and especially between – disciplines very seriously and support overarching views, analyses, rules, and operations. Last but not least, we offer a professional integration layer that supports both the incorporation of additional information and the functional integration of further disciplines.





The automated processing of recurring work orders is one of the functions of great importance holistically for all involved management disciplines. Naturally, the primary focus is on making work easier for users. Two side effects are often underestimated in this context, namely the secure and optimised execution of processes. Typically, process design is carried out by experts who are familiar with the required agreements and scrutinise them thoroughly. Furthermore, AixBOMS offers a number of useful mechanisms, such as the plausibility rules embedded in the data model, as well as several options and control functions during execution. The selectable execution time is also a significant advantage over manual processing, as it can be scheduled for performance-critical actions at a time when the AixBOMS server is not heavily utilised.

 

The process definition can with our Workflow Designer implemented. It knows elementary statements and conditions that influence execution at runtime. These include events, current data contents and already scheduled sub-processes. The definitions are stored in the AixBOMS database and can be re-executed at any time or used as a template for new processes. The interpretation and execution control of the processes is handled by the AixBOMS Workflow Engine. It is contained within the AixBOMS server core, making it available to all modules.





For workflow management, there is a standard from the WfMC (Workflow Management Coalition). It provides specifications for both the design and execution control of processes. Our Workflow Designer and Workflow Engine are developed (further) according to this standard and have already been successfully in use for many years.

 

  • Sequence of operations of all execution types with timing control and event handling for partially and fully automatic execution of recurring complex work steps
  • The processes are defined via the AixBOMS Workflow Designer
  • Reusing processes and components as templates for new definitions
  • Execution is carried out via the workflow engine in the AixBOMS server core
  • Workflow Engine optimises the execution of parallel processes
  • Processes can be integrated into all AixBOMS management disciplines
  • Taking into account the AixBOMS rights and rules during process execution.
  • Integration of the AixBOMS Notification Engine and AixBOMS Escalation Engine (initiates event handling, e.g., in case of SLA non-compliance)