All previous turning points in the software industry raised the abstract level of the technology use but have not been able to reconcile business with technology. Semantion offers a SOA-based solution supporting the business and technology reconciliation. The core of that reconciliation is a semantic-based architectural framework whose components are: SOA Language (SOA-L) and SOA Virtual Machine (SOA-VM). Semantion SOA, the semantic-based architectural framework that will be presented here is based on the Federated Enterprise Reference Architecture (FERA). We refer to it as the FERA-based SOA (FERA-SOA). FERA-SOA provides specifications for SOA-L and SOA-VM. Software that enables SOA-L and SOA-VM capabilities based on FERA-SOA is available now. Please contact us at info@semantion.com for more information.

Globalization, mergers and acquisitions increase the need for open standard-based integrations and flexible agile architecture providing support for fast changes in today’s business.

A common architectural framework that provides business requirements definitions, modeling, deployment and execution of business processes, guarantees full automatization of the overall business process support.

Only architecture that is theoretically and practically based on business process semantics and open standards will enable an open, fully integrated and automated business process support. Semantion SOA, as the architecture of that kind, enables the next step in the software industry evolution. It brings business systems development on a higher abstract level that supports direct translation of business requirements and business process models into single business process document referred to as the Collaborative Process Information Document (CPID).

CPID, fully based on the SOA Information Model, contains all the information needed to deploy and execute the business process on the Semantion SOA Virtual Machine (SOA-VM). Business people and engineers speak the same language in common English business process terms and this language is the only language needed to specify, model and execute business processes.

From the economical point of view, this will drastically lower the cost of the overall business process support. Finally, while Semantion offers most of the SOA-VM components, FERA-SOA pluggable architecture enables fully open SOA-VM implementations where open standard-based and/or proprietary components (commercial and/or open source) from any vendor can be used.

Common Architectural Framework

A common architectural framework is needed to provide an environment for automated process support. The main components of the common architectural framework include:

• Process reference models and best practices
• Process language
• Universal pluggable architecture

The process term belongs to any type of either business or infrastructural process. A process reference model enables a high-level definition of processes. VRM (Value Chain Group's Value Reference model) and ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) are examples of reference models and best practices used today. The VRM model supports the key issues and the gearing together of processes within and between the individual units of chains (networks) for the benefit of the planning, governing and execution. VRM’s objective is to increase the performance of the total chain and support the ongoing evolution. The ITIL is a framework of best practice approaches intended to facilitate the delivery of high quality IT services. ITIL outlines an extensive set of management procedures that are intended to support businesses in achieving both quality and value in IT operations.

When a high-level definition of the process is completed, a detailed process model needs to be developed. A process language with process taxonomy and ontology as its core components, provides a detailed definition of a process that is generated using a visual modeling tool. We refer to this process language as SOA Language (SOA-L). It is based on the SOA Information Model. The output of the model is an XML document that contains all the details needed for process deployment and execution. We refer to this document as the Collaborative Process Information Document (CPID).

The universal pluggable architecture is a component-based service oriented architrecture whose components mimic process semantics. This architecture can virtually execute any process defined in CPID. We refer to this architecture as the SOA Virtual Machine (SOA-VM), since it interprets CPID and, with universal process semantics embedded in its components, enables process deployment and execution. This architecture provides a unique no-coding business process support that has not been seen in the software industry before.

SOA Language (SOA-L)

SOA-L is used for detailed process modeling. SOA-L provides that both business people and engineers use the same language to model business processes that are transparently translated into the Collaborative Process Information Document (CPID) and then deployed and executed on SOA-VM. CPID implements SOA Information Model based on FERA ontology (Fig. 1). SOA-IM enables full definition and modeling of all business process entities. SOA Collaboration Semantics (SOA-CS) specifies run-time semantics of SOA-L and at the same time enables integration of all SOA-VM architectural components.

Figure 1: Basic FERA Ontology Elements

SOA-IM and SOA-CS formalizes SOA-L process taxonomy and ontology and SOA-L process semantics, respectively.

SOA Virtual Machine (SOA-VM)

SOA-VM (Fig. 2) is a component-based service oriented pluggable architectural platform.

Figure 2: Semantion SOA Virtual Machine (SOA-VM)

SOA-VM is based on SOA-IM and SOA-CS. SOA-VM interprets a CPID instance that is the XML formalization of the SOA-IM for a specific process while SOA-CS is embedded in SOA-VM architectural components. Since any process is fully specified by a CPID, SOA-VM enables its deployment and execution by composing the applications (Web Services) and people participating in the processes executions without coding. You have to be quick, accurate and reliable to make your business agile. SOA-L and SOA-VM provide support for this new business environment.

Please see an example at http://www.semantion.com/papers/soa-vm-example.html.