Business Process Execution Language (BPEL)

BPEL:

• An XML based business process modelling language which aims to enable interoperable ‘programming in the large’ for high-level state transition interactions
• A standard maintained by OASIS
• Originates from WSFL (IBM) and XLANG (Microsoft)
• Specifies conditional behaviour to send messages, wait for messages, compensate for failed transactions, sequential/parallel, synchronous/asynchronous processing etc.

Two types of process:

• Executable - models the actual behaviour of the participants in a business interaction
• Abstract - partially specified processes not intended to be executed

Further Reading:

BPEL4J
Apache ODE
ActiveBPEL
WS-BPEL Extension for People
BPEL and Java