model using either the pictorial representation or the actual BPEL XML code. The two versions are synchronized so that changes made to one are automatically reflected in the other. At this stage, further implementation de-

vendor. None of the Oracle tools requires infrastructure from Oracle. This aspect provides a truly non-intrusive BPM solution that avoids rip-and-replace installation, and thereby provides fast adoption and quick time to deployment.

tails can be added to the model so that it maps correctly to live data sources and production Web services.

Additional implementation details are frequently added at this point, including deployment on production ESBs, addition of new rules to business-rules engines, and integration with the Business Activity Monitoring capabilities. (Figure 4). The necessary infrastructure for this deployment is all available from Oracle (including the ESB, rules engine, and connectors/adapters to data sources).

Because of the modularity and standards compliance of the Oracle SOA Suite, the executable model can just as easily be deployed using SOA infrastructure from any leading

Figure 4. Business models are translated by Oracle SOA Suite into orchestrated Web services that access multiple data sources and decisioning resources to create an optimized business process.

 

Once the optimized business process has been deployed, enterprises must monitor business activity to ascertain the effects of the changes, validate the design, and collect data that can be converted into usable metrics. The metrics— which are collected as part of Business Activity Monitoring (or BAM)—are derived from monitored business activity, and they produce insights into how the business process can be further optimized.