Object-oriented workflow for multi-enterprise collaboration

A system providing data access and transformation for an object-oriented workflow, comprising:

• an accessor component within a first activity within an object-oriented workflow, the accessor component operable to:
• receive data in a first native format and generate at least one first derived format object based on the data received in the first native format, the first derived format object corresponding particularly to the first native format;
• and
• communicate the first derived format object to a first transformer component within the first activity;
• and the first transformer component within the first activity, operable to:
• receive the first derived format object from the accessor component;
• and
• communicate at least one transfer object reflecting the first derived format object to a second transformer component within a second activity within the workflow for transformation into at least one second derived format object corresponding to data in a second native format, the second derived format object corresponding particularly to the second native format.

A method of collaboration between two or more enterprises, comprising:

• generating an object-oriented workflow, the object-oriented workflow comprising a plurality of activities executable at a plurality of nodes, when executed at a node an activity being operable to:
• communicate data and behavior to one or more other activities executed at other nodes using objects;
• and
• access an in-memory object model within an enterprise associated with the node at which the activity is executed to create, modify, or destroy objects associated with the node at which the activity is executed;
• and
• deploying the activities across one or more enterprise boundaries to the nodes for execution at the nodes.

A method of data access and transformation for an object-oriented workflow, comprising:

• receiving, at an accessor component within a first activity within an object-oriented workflow, data in a first native format;
• using the accessor component within the first activity, generating at least one first derived format object based on the data received in the first native format, the first derived format object corresponding particularly to the first native format;
• communicating the first derived format object from the accessor component within the first activity to a first transformer component within the first activity;
• receiving, at the first transformer component within the first activity, the first derived format object from the accessor component within the first activity;
• and
• communicating at least one transfer object reflecting the first derived format object from the first transformer component within the first activity to a second transformer component within a second activity within the workflow for transformation into at least one second derived format object corresponding to data in a second native format, the second derived format object corresponding particularly to the second native format.

Software providing collaboration between two or more enterprises, the software embodied in a computer-readable medium and when executed operable to:

• generate an object-oriented workflow, the object-oriented workflow comprising a plurality of activities executable at a plurality of nodes, when executed at a node an activity being operable to:
• communicate data and behavior to one or more other activities executed at other nodes using objects;
• and
• access an in-memory object model within an enterprise associated with the node at which the activity is executed to create, modify, or destroy objects associated with the node at which the activity is executed;
• and
• deploy the activities across one or more enterprise boundaries to the nodes for execution at the nodes.

Software providing data access and transformation for an object-oriented workflow, the software embodied in a computer-readable medium and when executed operable to:

• receive, at an accessor component within a first activity within an object-oriented workflow, data in a first native format;
• using the accessor component within the first activity, generate at least one first derived format object based on the data received in the first native format, the first derived format object corresponding particularly to the first native format;
• communicate the first derived format object from the accessor component within the first activity to a first transformer component within the first activity;
• receive, at the first transformer component within the first activity, the first derived format object from the accessor component within the first activity;
• and
• communicate at least one transfer object reflecting the first derived format object from the first transformer component within the first activity to a second transformer component within a second activity within the workflow for transformation into at least one second derived format object corresponding to data in a second native format, the second derived format object corresponding particularly to the second native format.