Guard-Function-Constraint-Based Refinement Method to Generate Dynamic Behaviors of Workflow Net with Table

Abstract

In order to model complex workflow systems with databases, and detect their data-flow errors such as data inconsistency, we defined Workflow Net with Table model (WFT-net) in our previous work. We used a Petri net to describe control flows and data flows of a workflow system, and labeled some abstract table operation statements on transitions so as to simulate database operations. Meanwhile, we proposed a data refinement method to construct the state reachability graph of WFT-nets, and used it to verify some properties. However, this data refinement method has a defect, i.e., it does not consider the constraint relation between guard functions, and its state reachability graph possibly has some pseudo states. In order to overcome these problems, we propose a new data refinement method that considers some constraint relations, which can guarantee the correctness of our state reachability graph. What is more, we develop the related algorithms and tool. We also illustrate the usefulness and effectiveness of our method through some examples.