Define, model, implement, and monitor real-world BPEL 2.0 business processes with SOA-powered BPM

• Develop BPEL and SOA composite solutions with IBM's WebSphere SOA platform
• Automate business processes with WS-BPEL 2.0 and develop SOA composite applications efficiently
• Detailed explanation of advanced topics, such as security, transactions, human workflow, dynamic processes, fault handling, and more--enabling you to work smarter

In Detail

Business Process Execution Language (BPEL, aka WS-BPEL) has become the de facto standard for orchestrating services in SOA composite applications. BPEL reduces the gap between business requirements and applications and allows better alignment between business processes and underlying IT architecture. BPEL is for SOA what SQL is for databases. Therefore learning BPEL is essential for the successful adoption of SOA or the development of composite applications. Although BPEL looks easy at first sight, it hides a lot of potential and has many interesting advanced features that you should get familiar with in order to maximize the value of SOA.

This book provides a comprehensive and detailed coverage of BPEL. It covers basic and advanced features of BPEL 2.0 and provides several real-world examples. In addition to the BPEL specification, this book provides comprehensive coverage of BPEL support on IBM's WebSphere SOA platform including security, transactions, human workflow, process monitoring, automatic generation of BPEL from process models, dynamic processes, and more.

The book starts with an introduction to BPEL, its role with regard to SOA, and the process-oriented approach to SOA. The authors give short descriptions of the most important SOA platforms and BPEL servers--the run-time environments for the execution of business processes specified in BPEL--and compare BPEL to other business process languages. The book then moves on to explain core concepts such as invoking services, synchronous and asynchronous processes, partner links, the role of WSDL, variables, flows, and more.

Moving ahead you will become familiar with fault handling, transaction management and compensation handling, scopes, events and event handlers, and concurrent activities and links. The authors also discuss the business process lifecycle, the correlation of messages, dynamic partner links, abstract business processes, and mapping from BPMN to BPEL.

The book discusses details of using BPEL with IBM WebSphere SOA platform. You will be able to develop BPEL and SCA composite applications, and demonstrate different approaches with the help of examples in this book. You will get exhaustive information on monitoring BPEL processes, and developing dashboards.

The authors explain transformation of business process models in BPMN (using Business Modeler) to BPEL and how to achieve round-tripping. The book covers a complete BPM lifecycle from modeling through implementation, execution, monitoring, and optimization, and presents advanced real-world examples. In addition to standard BPEL it also covers IBM specific extensions on the WebSphere SOA platform.

A comprehensive and practical guide to the design, development, and use of Business Process Execution Language 2.0 with IBM WebSphere SOA platform

What you will learn from this book

• Understand role of BPEL in SOA and what is BPEL and why it is important
• Get familiar with basic and advanced BPEL 2.0
• Compose business processes in BPEL
• Develop BPEL processes with a good understanding of BPEL 2.0 activities, loops, decisions, flow control, variables, scopes, and other constructs
• Extend human workflow in BPEL, including BPEL4People and WS-HumanTask
• Secure BPEL processes and define transactional boundaries
• Monitor BPEL processes
• Generate BPEL from BPMN and round-trip the changes
• Control the full BPM life cycle
• Develop BPEL and SOA composite solutions on IBM WebSphere SOA platform, including Process Server, Business Monitor, Integration Developer, and Business Modeler

Approach

This book is a comprehensive guide that shows developers how to design and develop business processes in BPEL efficiently. Throughout the book the authors discuss important concepts and offer real-world examples covering the IBM WebSphere SOA platform.

Who this book is written for

This book is aimed at SOA architects and developers involved in the design, implementation, and integration of composite applications and end-to-end business processes. It provides comprehensive coverage of WS-BPEL 2.0 for implementing business processes and developing SCA composite applications, dealing with the issues of composition, orchestration, transactions, coordination, and security. It uses IBM WebSphere SOA platform version 7.0. To follow this book you need to have basic knowledge of XML, web services, and Java EE. You should also be familiar with basic concepts of Business Process Management (BPM)