SofScience Technologies

The Breakthrough Vision

The SST Adaptive Framework Technology is based on a patent pending vision that a framework of multi-platform "glue code" components can be engineered to adapt to changing metadata content and process flows, controlled by visual user interfaces and XML. Leveraging these visual interfaces, business level resources can then design, manage, deploy and improve complex information systems without the expensive, static work/re-work cycles of conventional software approaches. 
Crafted as an adaptive framework for workflow, collaboration and information visibility, the Framework integrates database, web, email, and web service platforms with adaptive XML-driven components to form a cohesive, comprehensive and integrated solution accelerator. 

For a Flash overview of the Framework click here. 

Simply, the framework has defined a breakthrough in application software architecture. It is software that constructs itself, in the process of defining what and how you do things.  As a banker describes bank workflow, a bank BPM system is constructed. As a federal department describes its agencies processes, an end-to-end solution for process definition, compliance, collaboration, workflow and information visibility becomes available. All possible variations of process flow and content are managed by the visual design environment which controls the other components through application XML.

An Architecture of Simplicity
The process modeling environment is both a consumer of enterprise metadata and a publisher of form specific XML and BPEL. The process modeler also contains a button to open InfoPath for form design work and form publishing to SharePoint.

The process modeling client application is a proprietary C# application with Microsoft Visio as its engine. Multiple modes of this application take visual designs and generate XML, BPEL and SharePoint pages. The Business Process Execution Language document is a BPEL4WS compliant document that controls the web service gateway in real- time. As messages are fielded by the gateway an email communication of the activity is sent to all appropriate addressees and information from the document is moved to the relational process repository based on BPEL mapping. 

SST's unique technology to self-define its own infrastructure operations enables this unique solution accelerator to adapt to any line of business scenario. The first scenarios of the framework were defined with the DOJ Global XML Standard.  This important standard has enabled SST to offer a Global Justice Solution Accelerator for Homeland Security and Department of Justice (DOJ) related agencies. This advanced solution accelerator is applicable to any department or agency in the spectrum of law enforcement, jails, courts, parole and pre-trial services.

The User Experience
Users interact with the infrastructure through an Outlook Process Portal page that provides client side shortcuts for the opening of InfoPath (XML) input and output forms that function as "process email." As forms are ‘SENT’, the SST web service gateway leverages the BPEL from the SST process modeler to initiate both email communications and appropriately update the relational repository. Queries from the home page can initiate SharePoint searches directly or open InfoPath Output forms.  Output forms can act as query pages and entity output views. As output entities are displayed, a SharePoint page of team-centric targeted content, data navigation and historic items relating to the query are displayed.  
 

Behind the Scenes
The SST Global Justice Solution Accelerator leverages graphic user interfaces to control its cross platform framework of components into an end-to-end compliant process management solution accelerator. Built as a .NET integration of multiple Microsoft Office 2003 platforms and Server 2003 . NET, the SST Process Office represents a new class of solution accelerator that provides process compliance, workflow, collaboration, intelligence collection and information visibility as an outcome of email workflow. The SST Process Office begins with a graphical (Visio style) definition of enterprise process workflow as sequences of open workflow e-form communiqués. This single point of process definition empowers continuous process improvement by allowing business users to manage by processes and e-form designs. The process modeler also acts as the repository’s DBA and provides InfoPath form XML and BPEL4WS compliant (Business Process Execution Language) that controls the web service extraction of in-process e-form email data to the repository.

Deployment Technologies
In actual practice, the Framework is used with a Subject Matter Expert that understands the content and process flow to be modeled.  A framework engineer is typically a SST resource or MS Certified Partner with a data analyst background. This resource is most often not onsite but online and in a voice conference. After the process flow is visually assembled, content is mapped to each process from enterprise metadata to processes. In the next step, an InfoPath form design is completed for all the described processes. When forms are opened by the process modeler in design mode, the modeler automatically provides the needed form XML for drag and drop form design.

DBA in a box technology
As changes are made to the process modeler, it adjusts the relational database structures with SST's unique DBA in a box technology. Other unique capabilities built into the Framework include form versioning, and multi-field threading (to simplify accessibility with BI tools). 

Rapid Application Definition / Joint Application Definition & Deploy
The visual modeling environment captures a Rapid Application Definition and is accomplished in interactive Joint Application definition meetings. Without delay, the artifacts of this process can not only be used for requirements documentation, but can be immediately be used to test the automation and flow.

SharePoint Information Visibility and Document Management
When users query the repository from their Outlook Homepage, SharePoint renders the appropriate information based on incoming parameters from the homepage.  Alternatively, InfoPath output form queries also call SharePoint to render historic timelines of workflow activity through navigable intelligence associations.

"Simplicity is the organizing principle of infinite complexity." 
1998, Blane Land