Executing Discrete/Continuous Declarative Process Specifications via Complex Event Processing
Stefan Schönig, Leo Poss, Fabrizio Maria Maggi
TL;DR
This work addresses the gap between declarative process specifications and real-time control in sensor-rich environments by integrating STL-inspired constraints into a CEP-based execution architecture. The authors extend hybrid declarative models to enable active runtime enforcement, mapping activation/target semantics into CEP streams across three layers that detect, reason about, and act on constraint events. A three-layer prototype on the Esper engine demonstrates millisecond-scale latency and edge-device feasibility while handling unary, binary, and correlated constraints with forward and backward temporal relations. The approach enables context-aware, sensor-integrated process execution suitable for Industry 4.0 and IoT healthcare scenarios, bridging specification and operational control. Future work points to robustness-based enforcement and learning-driven adaptation in distributed CPS settings.
Abstract
Traditional Business Process Management (BPM) focuses on discrete events and fails to incorporate critical continuous sensor data in cyber-physical environments. Hybrid declarative specifications, utilizing Signal Temporal Logic (STL), address this limitation by allowing constraints over both discrete events and real-valued signals. However, existing work has been limited to monitoring and post-hoc conformance checking. This paper introduces a novel Complex Event Processing (CEP)-based execution architecture that enables the real-time execution and enforcement of hybrid declarative models. Our three-layer approach integrates STL-inspired predicates into the execution flow, allowing the system to actively trigger activities and enforce process boundaries based on continuous sensor behavior. This approach bridges the gap between hybrid specification and operational control.