This book collects essential research on the practical application of executable business process modeling in real-world projects, i.e., model-driven solutions for the support and automation of digital business processes that are created using languages such as BPEL or BPMN. It mainly focuses on empirical research, but also includes an up-to-date cross-section of case studies in order to assess examples of BPM's practical impact in the industry. On the one hand, executable models are formally and precisely defined so that computers can interpret and execute them; on the other, they are visualized so that humans can describe, document and optimize business processes at a higher level of abstraction than with traditional textual programming languages. While these important research areas have long been separated from one another, this book is an attempt at cross-fertilization, driven by the insight that business processes are the software behind today's digital organizations, and that achieving a precise representation of such processes is key to their reliable execution. Consequently, the book presents various case studies and experiments that investigate questions of interest to both academia (e.g., identifying challenges for which no solution exists; sharing new insights into how existing approaches are actually used) and industry (e.g., guidelines on using certain technologies and on modeling comprehensible and executable processes). Both researchers and practitioners will benefit from the presentation of how concepts are transformed into working solutions. The studies are presented in a structured manner and with sufficient rigor to be considered empirical research, further enhancing the book's value for the research community, while practitioners will find concrete guidance on making the right decisions for their projects.

This book collects essential research on the practical application of executable business process modeling in real-world projects, i.e., model-driven solutions for the support and automation of digital business processes that are created using languages such as BPEL or BPMN. It mainly focuses on empirical research, but also includes an up-to-date cross-section of case studies in order to assess examples of BPM's practical impact in the industry. On the one hand, executable models are formally and precisely defined so that computers can interpret and execute them; on the other, they are visualized so that humans can describe, document and optimize business processes at a higher level of abstraction than with traditional textual programming languages. While these important research areas have long been separated from one another, this book is an attempt at cross-fertilization, driven by the insight that business processes are the software behind today's digital organizations, and that achieving a precise representation of such processes is key to their reliable execution. Consequently, the book presents various case studies and experiments that investigate questions of interest to both academia (e.g., identifying challenges for which no solution exists; sharing new insights into how existing approaches are actually used) and industry (e.g., guidelines on using certain technologies and on modeling comprehensible and executable processes). Both researchers and practitioners will benefit from the presentation of how concepts are transformed into working solutions. The studies are presented in a structured manner and with sufficient rigor to be considered empirical research, further enhancing the book's value for the research community, while practitioners will find concrete guidance on making the right decisions for their projects.

Proven Patterns for Designing Evolvable High-Quality APIs--For Any Domain, Technology, or Platform APIs enable breakthrough innovation and digital transformation in organizations and ecosystems of all kinds. To create user-friendly, reliable and well-performing APIs, architects, designers, and developers need expert design guidance. This practical guide cuts through the complexity of API conversations and their message contents, introducing comprehensive guidelines and heuristics for designing APIs sustainably and specifying them clearly, for whatever technologies or platforms you use. In Patterns for API Design: Simplifying Integration with Loosely Coupled Message Exchanges, five expert architects and developers cover the entire API lifecycle, from launching projects and establishing goals through defining requirements, elaborating designs, planning evolution, and creating useful documentation. They crystallize the collective knowledge of many practitioners into 44 API design patterns, consistently explained with context, pros and cons, conceptual solutions, and concrete examples. To make their pattern language accessible, they present a domain model, a running case study, decision narratives with pattern selection options and criteria, and walkthroughs of real-world projects applying the patterns in two different industries. Identify and overcome API design challenges with patterns Size your endpoint types and operations adequately Design request and response messages and their representations Refine your message design for quality Plan to evolve your APIs Document and communicate your API contracts Combine patterns to solve real-world problems and make the right tradeoffs "This book provides a healthy mix of theory and practice, containing numerous nuggets of deep advice but never losing the big picture . . . grounded in real-world experience and documented with academic rigor applied and practitioner community feedback incorporated. I am confident that [it] will serve the community well, today and tomorrow." --Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Frank Leymann, Managing Director, Institute of Architecture of Application Systems, University of Stuttgart