A model-driven method for building distributed simulation systems from business process models

Abstract

The analysis of modern business processes implemented as orchestration of software services demands for new approaches that explicitly take into account the inherent complexity and distribution characteristics of such processes. In this respect, Distributed Simulation (DS) offers a viable tool to cope with such a demand, due to the aggregation, scalability, representativeness and load balancing properties that it allows to achieve. However, the use of DS is mostly limited by the specialized technical know-how and the extra-development that DS requires with respect to approaches based on conventional local simulation. This paper proposes a model-driven method that enables the DS-based analysis of business processes by introducing the automated transformation of business process models into analysis models that are specified as Extended Queueing Network (EQN) models and executed as distributed simulations. The paper also presents an example application to a business process for an e-commerce scenario.

Business Models for Distributed-Simulation Orchestration and Risk Management

“…Bocciarelli et al [15] presented a method for the automated transformation of BPMN processes into EQN (extended queuing network) models. The EQN models are then run as distributed simulations in an e-commerce scenario.…”

Distributed simulation: state-of-the-art and potential for operational research

“…As noted earlier in this paper, some work has produced standards that have augmented the HLA for use in this area Taylor et al, 2012). Associated work has studied the transformation of Business Process Models into DS (P. Bocciarelli, Pieroni, Gianni, & D'Ambrogio, 2012). There are also some examples of distributed training where the access to a model is granted over a network (Bruzzone, Massei, & Bocca, 2012;Silvente et al, 2012).…”

BPMN Modeling for HLA based simulation and visualization

“…This research works convert BPMN into executable code (Bocciarelli et al 2012). Bazoun et al presented an Eclipse RPC tool named "SLMTOOLBOX" which is a graphic modeler, model transformer, and simulation engine, able to convert a BPMN diagram into DEVS models to simulate a process behavior (Bazoun et al 2016).…”