Business Services Framework

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The Business Services Framework provides 3 major “Engines” that run on top of .NET Framework:

Business Process Engine
Document Automation Engine
Reporting Engine

Business Process Engine

The Business Process Engine automates the progress of business processes. At each node of any workflow instance, the Workflow Engine may activate business rules to resolve how the workflow instance may progress, trigger integration or notification activities, or generate reports by the Reporting Engine or documents by the Document Automation Engine. It keeps a registry of business processes as workflow templates, and automates business processes in the form of workflow instances.

Key features include:

Design workflow templates graphically with Microsoft Visual Studio®
Intuitive user interface allows business users to modify processes
Pre-built wizards and templates for rapid configuration and deployment
High re-usability of workflow objects and processes
Manual or automated triggering of business processes

Document Automation Engine

Many business applications routine sends out or publishes system-generated documents (e.g. Purchase Order, Letter of Intent, etc). The Document Automation Engine allows standard document templates to be created and edited in Microsoft Word®, Excel® or XML format, and performs document automation tasks such as conditional formatting and population of data fields from the database. It enables users to minimize data entry, reduce the time spent proof-reading, and reduce the risks associated with human error.

Key features include:

Design document templates in Microsoft Word®, Excel® or XML format with Microsoft Office® editors or other compatible tools
Publish documents in Microsoft Word®, Excel®, Adobe PDF® or XML formats
Conditional formatting
Schedule publishing of documents

Reporting Engine

The Reporting Engine supports the design and publishing of reports. Reports are published either as a real-time chart, or on demand spreadsheets or documents. For an example of the Reporting Engine in an application, please visit the Decision Support Modules of the Anacle Enterprise Asset Manager™.

Key features include:

Built-in Report Writer allows design of RDL and Spreadsheet Reports®
Support exporting to Microsoft Excel® or Adobe PDF®
More than 200 2D/3D chart types and variations, including line, bar, pie, bubble, XY scatter, radar, gauge, etc
Compatible with third party reporting tools such as Crystal Reports®

Using Third Party Engines

Because of the services-oriented architecture of the Framework, any of the Engines can be replaced by third party applications that support Web Services. For example, the Business Process Engine can be replaced by a compatible workflow engine such as K2 blackpearl™, while the Reporting Engine can be replaced by another reporting tool such as Crystal Reports™.

In addition, for applications which encounter many dynamic business rules (such as leasing software), it may make sense to separate business management activities into business process management (Business Process Engine) and business rules management (Business Rules Engine). This will serve to isolate procedural stateful logic (business processes) from declarative stateless logic (business rules) for easier management. Business rules engines such as Microsoft BizTalk Server® are compatible with the Anacle Framework™.

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