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Discovering Workflow Performance Models from Timed Logs

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Engineering and Deployment of Cooperative Information Systems (EDCIS 2002)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 2480))

Abstract

Contemporary workflow management systems are driven by explicit process models, i.e., a completely specified workflow design is required in order to enact a given workflow process. Creating a workflow design is a complicated time-consuming process and typically there are discrepancies between the actual workflow processes and the processes as perceived by the management. Therefore, we have developed techniques for discovering workflow models. Starting point for such techniques are so-called “workflow logs” containing information about the workflow process as it is actually being executed. In this paper, we extend our existing mining technique α [4] to incorporate time. We assume that events in workflow logs bear timestamps. This information is used to attribute timing such as queue times to the discovered workflow model. The approach is based on Petri nets and timing information is attached to places. This paper also presents our workflow-mining tool EMiT. This tool translates the workflow log of several commercial systems (e.g., Staffware) to an independent XML format. Based on this format the tool mines for causal relations and produces a graphical workflow model expressed in terms of Petri nets.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Technology Management, Eindhoven University of Technologys, P.O. Box 513, NL-5600 MB, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    W. M. P. van der Aalst & B. F. van Dongen

Authors
  1. W. M. P. van der Aalst
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  2. B. F. van Dongen
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Computing Technique, P.O. Box 2704, 100080, Beijing, China

    Yanbo Han

  2. IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, P.O. Box 704, 10598, NY, Yorktown Heights, USA

    Stefan Tai

  3. FH Brandenburg, University of Applied Sciences, Magdeburger Str. 50, 14770, Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany

    Dietmar Wikarski

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© 2002 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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van der Aalst, W.M.P., van Dongen, B.F. (2002). Discovering Workflow Performance Models from Timed Logs. In: Han, Y., Tai, S., Wikarski, D. (eds) Engineering and Deployment of Cooperative Information Systems. EDCIS 2002. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 2480. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-45785-2_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-45785-2_4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-44222-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-45785-5

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