Peter Bollen

SBVR: A Fact-Oriented OMG Standard

In this paper we will give an introduction to the recently established OMG SBVR standard on business rules. This standard is a major step forward in improving the productivity of business rule- modelers and analysts. The paper furthermore, illustrates how the mature fact-oriented approaches, e.g. ORM and CogNiam, are related to this new standard and how they can contribute to deliver high quality SBVR models.

The Natural Language Modeling Procedure

In this paper we define an information modeling procedure for the application of the modeling constructs from the Natural Language Modeling (NLM) methodology. The information modeling procedure that is presented in this paper contains a number of semantic bridges that specify when a specific user-input is required and what transformations must be applied in order to create an information model for a specific Universe of Discourse.

Fact-oriented modeling in the data-, process-and event perspectives

In this article we will illustrate how a fact-oriented conceptual modeling approach extended with behavioural modeling constructs can be used to model the data-oriented, process-oriented and event-oriented perspectives in an a way that explicitly shows the semantic relationships between these perspectives, by using the Knowledge Reference Model (KRM) and an accompanying Knowledge Structuring Procedure (KSP). We will use the common doctors office example to be used for this workshop as a running example in this article.

A fact-based meta model for standardization documents

Recently, the OMG has been working on developing a new standard for a Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN). This standard development has resulted in documents that contain the latest approved version of a standard or a standard proposal that can be ammended. Such a standard document also serves as a specification for BPMN modeling tool. In this paper we show how a fact-based approach can improve the completeness and maintenance of such a specification.

An IT-Independent Reference Model for IT-Supported, Interactive, Regulation Based Services

In 2012 some Dutch government services organizations, academia and innovative companies decided to establish a co-creation, named Blue Chamber, with the aim to develop a national protocol to “translate regulations” into a durable, IT-independent model or specifications for interactive regulation based services. Regulation here means the union of laws and decrees, both government and ministerial. Such a protocol acts like a process and each process requires a conceptual data structure or IT-independent reference model. After 5 years of research, development and validation, version 1 of the Reference model is ready for publication. The Dutch Government has decided to provide IT-based services and enforcement actions based on as many laws and decrees as appropriate. The core of this Reference model will be described in this paper. The CogNIAM variant of Fact Based Modeling has been used to develop the Reference model, using field-testing with the associated prototypes.

The Orchestration of Fact-Orientation and SBVR

In this paper we will illustrate how the fact-oriented approach, e.g. ORM, CogNiam can be used in combination with OMG’s Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Business Rules’ (SBVR) standard. Within the field of modeling methods for information systems analysis and design, this standard can become a dominant force, when it comes to expressing initial domain requirements for an application’s ontoloy and business rules, for domain analysis as well for design.

Referencing Modes and Ease of Validation within Fact-Based Modeling

In this article we will evaluate the different referencing modes in fact-based modeling and we will investigate to what extent the application of the fact based modeling methodology in a specific domain context has an impact on the choice of a referencing mode and under what conditions one referencing mode is preferred over another.

Using Fact-Based Modeling for Business Simulation

Fact-Based Modeling (FBM) is a conceptual modeling language that can be used for requirements determination for business application systems. In this article we will show how the Fact-based Modeling methodology for requirements determination can be extended to serve as a blueprint for business simulation by providing an initial model for creating a business simulation. We will do this by defining the content of the communication documents for runtime management and we will subsequently show how this meta-UoD can be incorporated into an application UoD. This allows us to capitalize on conceptual models in a business that have been created for requirements determination by extending them with the conceptual model of runtime management. Subsequently, we will incorporate the simulation requirements into the latter UoD and we will give guidelines on how conceptual models for the ‘real-life’ runtime application can serve as a starting point for the conceptual sub-models for the simulation UoD.

Enterprise modeling in a service oriented architecture

Service-oriented computing (SOC) is a new paradigm that allows organizations to tailor their business processes, in such a way that efficiency and effectiveness goals will be achieved by outsourcing (parts of) business processes to web-based service-providers. In order to find the computing service-providers that provide the organizations with the biggest benefits, it is paramount that the service-requesting organization (SRO) has a precise description of the service it wants to have delivered by the service delivering organization (SDO). In this paper we will illustrate how enterprises that play the SDO and SRO roles can be conceptually integrated by creating conceptual models that share the definitions of the business processes within the service oriented architecture (SOA) framework.

Service-Oriented Conceptual Modeling

Service-oriented computing (SOC) is a new paradigm that allows organizations to tailor their business processes, in such a way that efficiency and effectiveness goals will be achieved by outsourcing (parts of) business processes to web-based service-providers. In this paper we will show how semantic definitions of business process that are defined in an enterprise process base can be added to the regular list of application concept definitions in a fact-oriented conceptual modeling language.