BPEL

Model Language: BPEL (Business Process Execution Language)

Overview:

BPEL is an executable language for specifying actions within business processes with web services. Processes in BPEL export and import information by using web service interfaces exclusively. BPEL does not support graphical representations for its meta model elements, only an XML based textual format, to describe the coordination of web services participating in a business process workflow.
BPEL models the action of web services in a business process, and implements business process on top of web services. The Web Service Description Language (WSDL) defines the operations of web services, and BPEL orchestrate their execution. BPEL supports business process orchestration.
The specification of BPEL supports two types of activities:
a) Basic activities
b) Structured activities.
Basic activities are primitive steps with BPEL workflow, such as invoke, assign, receive, reply, wait, etc. Structured activities represent the control elements which manage the BPEL workflow. Example of Structured activities is sequential controls such as while, concurrency controls such as flow, and choice controls such as pick. BPEL also supports three types of data handling: Variables which hold the exchanged messages between parties, Assignments which assign data from one object to another, and Expressions. It also supports message correlation to provide a stateful message exchange between processes, scope to handle transactions, and exception handling for errors.


Target: Business, Software.

Sponsor: Oasis

Website: https://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=wsbpel

Recommended BPEL engines:
1. Eclipse (BPEL designer project) -- Free Tool.
2. Netbeans -- Free Tool.
3. Apache ODE -- Free Server.
4. MS BizTalk Server.
5. Oracle Open ESB.

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