The Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI.org) has announced the publication of a proposed draft specification for the Business Process Modeling Language (BPML). BPML is "a meta-language for the modeling of business processes,just as XML is a meta-language for the modeling of business data. BPML provides an abstracted execution model for collaborative and transactional business processes that span multiple applications and business partners,behind the firewall and over the Internet,across multiple verticals." Appendix A of the 155-page 'Version 0.4' specification supplies the XML schema for BPML; future working drafts of BPML are expected to track with the W3C XML Schema specification. The BPMI initiative is supported by some 84 members; its mission "is to promote and develop the use of Business Process Management (BPM) through the establishment of standards for process design, deployment, execution, maintenance, and optimization. BPMI.org develops open specifications, assists IT vendors for marketing their implementations, and supports businesses for using Business Process Management technologies." Coordinate with BPML, BPMI.org is developing a specification for The Business Process Query Language (BPQL). BPQL "is a management interface to a business process management infrastructure that includes a process execution facility (Process Server) and a process deployment facility (Process Repository). The BPQL interface to a Process Server enables business analysts to query the state and control the execution of process instances managed by the Process Server. This interface is based on the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)."

[March 08, 2001] Scope description: "BPMI.org considers an e-Business process conducted among two business partners as made of three parts: a Public Interface and two Private Implementations (one for each partner). The Public Interface is common to the partners and is supported by protocols such as ebXML, RosettaNet, and BizTalk. The Private Implementations are specific to every partner and are described in any executable language. BPML is one such language. Once developed, the Private Implementation of an e-Business process must be deployed on a platform that will actually execute it. For this purpose, BPMI.org defines BPQL, a standard management interface for the deployment and execution of e-Business processes. Furthermore, BPQL relies on UDDI in order to provide a standard way to register, advertise, and discover the Public Interfaces of e-Business processes..."

Organization of the version 0.4 BPML specification: Section 2 'Concepts' introduces the reader to the key concepts underlying BPML. "BPML defines a business process as an interaction between participants and the execution of activities according to a defined set of rules in order to achieve a common goal." Section 3 'BPML by example' introduces BPML through an example that models trouble ticket management processes between a customer and a service provider. Section 4 'BPML Conventions' covers the terminology and schema conventions used in BPML. Section 5 'Process Definition' specifies how processes are defined in BPML, including message, participant, and activity definitions. Section 6 'Process Data' specifies the manner in which instance data is managed within the context of a process. Section 7 'Transactions and Faults' specifies the transaction models and fault handling behaviors in BPML processes. Section 8 'BPML Elements' provides a reference of the BPML elements as defined in the BPML XML schema.

BPMI.org Members include [2001-03-05]: Action Technologies, Altaworks, AP Engines, ATG, Attunity, Aventail, BEA, Black Pearl, Blaze Software, Bowstreet, British American Tobacco, bTrade.com, BusinessThreads, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, CASEwise, CNT, Concentus, Consilient, CSC, Covasoft, CrossWorlds, Cyclone Commerce, DataChannel, Deloitte Consulting, Ectone, Enterworks, Entricom, ePatterns, Epiance, Epicentric, Evidian, eXcelon, Exterprise, Extricity, FileNET, Fuegotech, Fujitsu, Genient, Gollaborate, Hewlett-Packard, Holosofx, IBM, Infosys, Intalio, Intraspect, Jamcracker, KTI, Level 8, Lombardi Software, MEGA International, MERANT, Mercator, Metaserver, NextSet, Nortel Networks, NOVO, Ontology.Org, OSM, Pegasystems, Popkin Software, ProActivity, Proforma, PureEdge, Reef, Rycon, S1, SeeBeyond, SilverStream, SpiritSoft, Staffware, Sterling Commerce, Sun Microsystems, Sungard Business Integration, Suplicity, Sybase, Taviz, TechSpan, TIBCO, Timogen Systems, Versata, VerticalNet, Verve, XML Global, XMLFund.

[March 08, 2001] "Industry Leaders Publish Standard for Business Process Management. Release of BPML Specification Paves Way for Implementations." - "Marking a breakthrough development in the evolution of business process management, the Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI.org) announced at their member meeting today the public release of the Business Process Modeling Language (BPML) specification. BPML is a meta-language for the modeling of business processes, just as XML is a meta-language for the modeling of business data. BPML provides an abstracted execution model for collaborative & transactional business processes that span multiple applications, corporate departments, and business partners, behind the firewall and over the Internet. By covering the multiple dimensions of business process management in the open enterprise, BPML will bridge the gap between legacy IT infrastructures and emerging business-to-business collaboration protocols such as RosettaNet, ebXML, and BizTalk. BPML empowers all participants involved in the process design, deployment, execution, maintenance, and optimization to manage business activities in a process-oriented fashion, while preserving the integrity of end-to-end business processes all over their lifecycle..."