[ebBP] 2/13/2004: [RSD] Late binding - WI 55 for v2.0

["Monica J. Martin" <Monica.Martin@Sun.COM>]

Discussion|OASIS.ebBP.WI55-Late Binding;
Topic|;
Point|v2.0 expression proposal;

mm1@
Submitted to Keith Swenson who has had an email change from Keith 
Swenson <KSwenson@fsw.fujitsu.com> to Keith Swenson 
<KSwenson@us.fujitsu.com> or kswenson.nospam@fsw.fujitsu.com.

Anders and Lars, I encourage you to comment on this near-term approach 
for an expression for timing only. We will continue to look at more 
solid solutions for the longer-term related to late binding (for v3.0).

One question I have is if a complex expression(s) may be required. 
Please comment on Keith's near-term proposal.

Keith Swenson wrote:

> I have been following this, and brought up the discussion at the face 
> to face meeting.  I promosed to send a suggestion to the list.
>
> If I understand the situation proposed by Lars was that there were a 
> set of different "time to perform" values that might come into play is 
> a given process.  The current BPSS constrains a give process to a 
> single time to perform value.  But in the real business world there 
> are cases where parties might agree ahead of time on different time to 
> perform values for specific situations.  These situations might depend 
> upon specifics of the intersaction, such as values carried in the 
> business document.
>
> Why not simply allow an expression to be used in the place of the 
> constant value?  Clearly, the expression language would need to be 
> specified.  Within that language, there might be a function to read 
> one or more values from the business document.
>
> An example might be "if the value of the transaction is greater than 
> $50 then the time to perform should be 3 days, otherwise the time to 
> perform is 5 days".   Another example might be "if 'express service' 
> is specified then time to perform is 2 days, otherwise time to perform 
> is 7 days".  Presumably express service would cost more....
>
> Such an expression of conditions of service like this are not unusual 
> in the business world.  Both parties agree on the conditions.  There 
> is no run time modification of time to perform, there is a fixed 
> expression that specifies the time to perform. 
>
> Such capabilities are common the process engines that I have 
> experience with, so this is not in any sense 'exotic'.
>
> Martin Roberts has pointed out that any such expression language would 
> need to also specify what would happen if the expression fails to 
> evaluate, e.g. there is no business document, or multiple business 
> document, or otherwise fails.  There would probaly need to be a 
> "default" in the case the expression fails.
>
> I would not really call this "late binding".  I am wondering if 
> categorizing this as "late binding" has taken the conversation down a 
> blind alley.
>
> While there is much to work out to finalize such an approach, before 
> doing this work, my question is simply "does this meet the original 
> requirement as described by Lars"?
>
> Keith D Swenson, kswenson.nospam@fsw.fujitsu.com
> Fujitsu Software Corporation
> 1250 E. Arques Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94085
> (408) 746-6276   mobile: (408) 859-1005
>
@mm1