Business Process Modeling Language: Difference between revisions

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'''Business Process Modeling Language''' ('''BPML''') is an [[XML]]-based language for [[business process modeling]].

It was maintained by the Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI) until June 2005 when BPMI and [[Object Management Group]] announced the merger of their respective business process management activities to form the Business Modeling and Integration Domain Task Force. It is deprecated since 2008. BPML was useful to [[Object Management Group|OMG]] in order to enrich [[Unified Modeling Language|UML]] with process notation{{Citation needed|date=January 2017}}.

== History ==

'''Business Process Modeling Language (BPML)''' is a [[meta-language]] for the modeling of business processes, just as XML is a meta-language for the modeling of business data. BPML was a ''proposed'' language, but now the [[Business Process Management Initiative|BPMI]] has dropped support for this in favor of [[Business Process Execution Language|BPEL4WS]]. BPMI took this decision when it was acquired by [[Object_Management_Group|OMG]] in order to gain access to its popular specification, BPMN ([[Business Process Model and Notation]]). This notation was useful to OMG in order to enrich UML with process notation.

BPML, a [[subset | superset]] of [[BPEL]], was implemented by early stage vendors, such as Intalio Inc., but incumbents such as [[IBM]] and [[Microsoft]] did not implement BPML in their existing workflow and integration engine implementations like [[BizTalk]] or [[WebSphere]]. They pushed for the simpler language BPEL.

In view of the lack of market acceptance, the BPMI dropped support of BPML in favor of BPEL4WS.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Havey|first1=Michael|title=Essential Business Process Modeling|date=August 2005|publisher=O'Reilly Media|isbn=978-0-596-00843-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RFBHCaMtlfIC&q=%22BPML%22+%22BPMI%22&pg=PA145|accessdate=15 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Gur|first1=N.|title=BPMN, BPEL, BPML and XPDL, an attempt to make some order in the business modeling jungle|url=https://blogs.sap.com/2007/01/03/bpmn-bpel-bpml-and-xpdl-an-attempt-to-make-some-order-in-the-business-modeling-jungle/|website=blogs.sap.com|accessdate=15 January 2017}}</ref>

BPML, a superset of BPEL, was implemented by early stage vendors, such as Intalio Inc., but incumbents such as IBM and Microsoft did not implement BPML in their existing workflow and integration engine implementations (BizTalk, Websphere etc.). Hence, they pushed for a simpler language, BPEL. Today, open source implementations of BPML still exceed the capability of these commercial products. This led some to say that BPML versus BPEL was a case of VHS versus Betamax. The analogy is not quite correct. For VHS and Betamax both let you watch video - even if one implementation won out. That is not the case with BPML and BPEL. BPML was designed as a formally complete language, able to model any process, and, via a BPMS, deployed as an executable software process without generation of any software code. This is not possible with BPEL, since BPEL is not a complete process language. To illustrate this, note that BPEL is often used in conjunction with Java to fill in the "missing" semantics. In addition, BPEL is often tied to proprietary implementations of workflow or integration broker engines. Whereas, BPML was designed, and implemented, as a pure concurrent and distributed processing engine.

Following the merger of BPMI and OMG, BPML has been definitively deprecated in 2008, with OMG's adoption of [[BPDM]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dice|title=BPML|url=https://www.dice.com/skills/BPML.html|website=dice.com|accessdate=15 January 2017}}</ref>

== Application ==

Ironically, the most complete implementation of BPEL today, is Intalio's open BPMS, which also completes the semantics by fulfilling the spirit of the BPML specification. Maybe in future BPML will be seen in other BPEL implementations. The only difference in the future will be syntax, not semantics. In this sense, BPML cannot be avoided, since it was designed to be semantically complete according to the [[Pi-calculus]] formal representation of computational processes.

BPML was designed as a formally complete language, able to model any process, and, via a [[business process management]] system, deployed as an executable software process without generation of any software code. This is not possible with BPEL, since BPEL is not a complete process language. In practice BPEL is often used in conjunction with Java to fill in the "missing" semantics. In addition, BPEL is often tied to proprietary implementations of workflow or integration broker engines. Whereas, BPML was designed, and implemented, as a pure concurrent and distributed processing engine. It was designed to be semantically complete according to the [[Pi-calculus]] formal representation of computational processes.

BPEL and BPML are examples of a trend towards Process[[process-oriented Oriented Programmingprogramming]]. BPEL and BPML herald the concept of a Business Process Management System (BPMS) as an IT capability for management of business processes, playing a role similar to a [[Relational Databasedatabase Managementmanagement System (system|RDBMS)]] for business data.

The battle between BPML and BPEL is widely viewed as an example of the power of IBM and Microsoft over early stage startups to complete a core technology stack at the heart of their business model.

BPEL and BPML are examples of a trend towards Process Oriented Programming. BPEL and BPML herald the concept of a Business Process Management System (BPMS) as an IT capability for management of business processes, playing a role similar to a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) for business data.

== See also ==

* [[Business Process Execution Language]] (BPEL)

* [[Business Process Model and Notation]] (BPMN)

* [[Business process modeling]]

* [[workflowWorkflow]]

* [[workflowWorkflow engine]]

== External links ==

* [http://www.ebpml.org/bpml.htm BPML]

[[Category:Computer languages]]

[[Category:Business process]]

[[Category:Workflow technology]]

== References ==

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[[Category:XML markup languages]]

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