One of the choices that you face when you want to model your business processes is what modeling language will I use. There are several possibilities: BPML, BPMN, EPC, BPEL, Activity diagrams (UML). Oracle BPA Suite supports BPMN (for the most part, not everything), and EPC.

BPMN to BPEL transformation

One of the advantages of using the BPA suite to model your business processes, is that you can reuse these descriptions as blueprints for your executable BPEL processes. However, there are some differences between BPMN and BPEL that you need to be aware of. This well described in literature. Some interesting links that describe the differences between modeling languages in general are:

Do Process Modelling Techniques Get Better? A Comparative Ontological Analysis of BPMN by Jan Recker, Marta Indulska, Michael Rosemann, Peter Green. Faculty of Information Technology
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
On the Translation between BPMN and BPEL: Conceptual Mismatch between Process Modeling Languages. Jan Recker and Jan Mendling. Queensland University of Technology and Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration Vienna, Austria.

BPA/BPM Questions:
1. Define data models in BPA Suite
Scenario:
Whilst re-engineering and analysis existing business processes in BPA Suite, it's needed to define the conceptual data model to be able to integrate the existing data artifacts inside the business processes and the screen flows.
Question:
How to define conceptual data models in BPA Suite without the need to have skilled XML-XSD people working out this part. Isn't it a better approach to define data models in a data modelling environment (erd-design) such as SQL Developer, Jdeveloper and then import this data in BPA Suite? What are people using today besides xmlspy?
Asked by: Nathalie

2. BPA Shared Repository versus AL Enterprise Repository
Scenario:
During the Fusion Middleware Executive Seminar the outline of Oracle-and-Bea Strategy was given to partners. During this outline the SOA Governance strategy was defined and the AL Enterprise Repository was proposed as being the repository that holds all artifacts.
Question:
My concern is the conflict of interest: the shared repository and the AL Repository will be holding parts of the same artifacts, such as service blue prints, schema blue prints, etc. How is this going to be handled in the future?
Asked by: Nathalie