Towards a Functional Integration of Document Analysis and Understanding in Workflow Management Systems

The integration of business applications into workflow management systems (WfMSs) is a recent topic in workflow management. Today, most efforts are concerned mainly with the integration itself. However, considering the information need of knowledge intensive applications, new possibilities arise when using information available in workflows. With the example of document analysis and understanding (DAU) as knowledge intensive business application, this paper introduces a concept for providing context information from workflows – so-called workflow context to DAU in order to enhance both, namely application and workflow. This concept can be seen as a first step towards a functional integration of these two systems which focuses on the satisfaction of DAU’s information need. The paper defines the content of a workflow context, states how it can be arranged in workflows and represented to DAU. The representation uses the concept of expectations which have to be stated by workflows requesting DAU tasks. These expectations place the workflow context at the application’s disposal and serve as a link between workflow and DAU. The application of expectations in WfMSs is demonstrated by explaining the necessary modelling efforts in the workflow definition and the execution of an exemplary workflow.