Hybrid web service composition: business processes meet business rules

ABSTRACT

Over the last few years several process-based web service composition languages have erged, such as BPEL4WS and BPML. These languages define the composition on the basis of a process that specifies the control and data flow among the services to be composed. In this approach, the whole business logic underlying the composition including business policies and constraints is coded as a monolithic block. As a result, business rules are hard to change without affecting the core composition logic.

In this paper, we propose a hybrid composition approach: The composition logic is broken down into a core part (the process) and several well-modularized business rules that exist and evolve independently. We also discuss two alternative technologies for implenting business rules in encapsulated units, using aspects and a rule-based engine. Our approach allows for a more modular and flexible web service composition.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.3 INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL
      H.3.5 On-line Information Services
          Subjects: Web-based services

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
        D.2.11 Software Architectures
            Subjects: Patterns (e.g., client/server, pipeline, blackboard)

  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.2 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
      I.2.4 Knowledge Representation Formalisms and Methods
          Subjects: Representations (procedural and rule-based)
      I.2.5 Programming Languages and Software

Keywords:
aspect-oriented programming, business rules, modularity, web service composition