DB-Nets: on The Marriage of Colored Petri Nets and Relational Databases

TL;DR

This paper introduces db-nets, a formal model combining colored Petri nets and relational databases to better integrate business process management with master data handling, aiming to address current limitations.

Contribution

The paper proposes db-nets, a novel formal framework that unifies process modeling and data management, encouraging further research in modeling, verification, and simulation.

Findings

Balances data and process aspects effectively

Provides a formal foundation for integrated modeling

Invites community to develop and extend the model

Abstract

The integrated management of business processes and mas- ter data is being increasingly considered as a fundamental problem, by both the academia and the industry. In this position paper, we focus on the foundations of the problem, arguing that contemporary approaches struggle to find a suitable equilibrium between data- and process-related aspects. We then propose db-nets, a new formal model that balances such two pillars through the marriage of colored Petri nets and relational databases. We invite the research community to build on this model, discussing its potential in modeling, formal verification, and simulation.