OSWorkflow by Diego Adrian Naya Lazo discusses the open-source OSWorkflow, a Java-based workflow engine. As described on the official website:
This book covers all aspects related to OSWorkflow. No prior knowledge about OSWorkflow is needed. You will learn everything from the basics of Business Process Management (BPM) technology and installing OSWorkflow to integrating the workflow engine with third-party components like Drools, Quartz, and Pentaho.The book's publisher, Packt Publishing, also provided InfoQ with an excerpt from Chapter 4 of the book, entitled Using OSWorkflow in your Application.
Read Book Excerpt and Review: OSWorkflow.
From the article:
InfoQ: Why would I want a workflow engine in my application?
Diego Naya Lazo: Most business applications today mimic a real life business process. This process is made up activities and transitions between those activities.
A workflow engine enables the developer to model a business process and allows the application to go with the flow of information defined by the process.
InfoQ: What is the difference between a workflow and a series of business rules?
Diego Naya Lazo: In the strictest sense a workflow and a rule are pretty much the same. A workflow is a series of steps that you want a user to follow, but according to some business logic. This logic are best represented with rules.
So, a workflow usually embeds business rules at each step. The rules themselves can be nested workflows.