Business Process Execution Language

BusinessProcessExecutionLanguage4WebServices (BPEL or BPEL4WS) is an ExtensibleMarkupLanguage based script designed for orchestration of work tasks between WebServices. It is an important technology response to the needs for BusinessProcessManagement.

See http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/gDefinition/0,294236,sid26_gci845110,00.html

"BPEL (Business Process Execution Language) for Web services is an XML-based language designed to enable task-sharing for a distributed computing or grid computing environment - even across multiple organizations - using a combination of Web services. Written by developers from BEA Systems, IBM, and Microsoft, BPEL combines and replaces IBM's WebServices Flow Language (WSFL) and Microsoft's XLANG specification. (BPEL is also sometimes identified as BPELWS or BPEL4WS.)"

"Using BPEL, a programmer formally describes a business process that will take place across the Web in such a way that any cooperating entity can perform one or more steps in the process the same way. In a supply chain process, for example, a BPEL program might describe a business protocol that formalizes what pieces of information a product order consists of, and what exceptions may have to be handled. The BPEL program would not, however, specify how a given Web service should process a given order internally."

It is one of the few things that has the joint support of MicrosoftCorporation and IbmCorporation and SapCorporation.

Another is WebServicesInteroperabilityOrganization, but the jury is out on the extent they will work together on WebServicesInteroperabilityConcerns.

See http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnbizspec/html/bpel1-1.asp for the current spec

I wonder what the Sun-Oracle camp has to say about this collaboration. Sun and Oracle joined the technical committee and Oracle (at least) is working on an implementation. Do you think they are being suckered?

It means absolutely nothing for companies to join committees. They very often do this just to stay in touch with what is going on. It certainly does not imply support for an effort, in itself.
Working on an implementation implies a somewhat higher degree of interest, but still does not show commitment, in itself. A large company will often do such things just to explore the feasibility and potential value in something, especially if it's relatively cheap (e.g. only requires a couple of full time "plug compatible" BrainsAsaCheapCommodityUnits)

Oracle just announced that they bought Collaxa and have rebranded their BPEL engine. http://www.crn.com/sections/breakingnews/dailyarchives.jhtml?articleId=22102867.

And the Collaxa BPEL tutorial can be found at http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/ias/bpel/pdf/orabpel-BPEL101.pdf (contribution by PaulMorrison)

See 2003 article, "Web services standards face a split" at http://news.com.com/2102-1013_3-997042.html?tag=st.util.print, which said issues related to patents prevented the W3C choreography interface (WSCI) adopted by W3C prevented WSI from accepting W3C work.

Later, in http://internetnews.com/dev-news/print.php/2203451 of the same year, both Sun and Oracle joined OasisOrganization in BPEL standardization.
The W3C standard originates from AdobeSystemsInc. See W3C introductory material at http://www.w3.org/2005/Talks/www05-WS-CDL.pdf

A year later, the article at http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/07/02/27TCwsibpel_1.html concluded its analysis with this statement:

Focusing BPEL on internal processes and WSCL (WebServicesConverationLanguage) on external processes could eventually make these languages complementary

Mar05 OasisOrganization webpage has also mentioned WSCL in its technology report on "Messaging and Transaction Coordination", at http://xml.coverpages.org/coordination.html

BPEL implementations

BizTalk2004 from MicrosoftCorporation got it. Read about it "Build better Business Processes..." at http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/05/03/BPEL4WS/default.aspx

WebSphere with its recent EnterpriseServiceBusReady capabilities, is said to be the second source.

And then AdobeSystemsInc (JavaPlatform based LifeCycle????) is said to be the third major supplier of implementation technology.

a Sep05 example on Adobe positioning of its products can be seen at http://software.silicon.com/applications/0,39024882,39151922,00.htm

Move over BPEL, ComplexEventProcessing is coming

BPEL has been criticized as unable to incorporate processing needs outside the scope of WebServices (e.g. those requiring human interventions). See the topic in this section for more.

What happened to competitor initiatives? (e.g. OMG and BPML)

CategoryWebServices, BusinessProcessModeling