Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Transactions are the molecules of business processes (Dietz, 2003a), the C-acts and P-acts
being the atoms. A
business process
is defi ned as a (arbitrarily large) structure of causally
linked transactions. A transaction T02 is causally linked to a transaction T01 if and only
if T02 is initiated during the course of T01 by either the initiator or the executor of T01.
Usually, T01 has to wait for the completion of T02 before proceeding.
Concerning production acts, and hence actors, three levels of abstraction are distinguished
(see Figure 2). These levels may be understood as 'glasses' for viewing an organization.
Looking through the es
sential
glasses, one observes the core business actors, who perform
sential
production acts that result in original (non-derivable) facts, and who directly contribute
to the organization's function (e.g., approving a membership application, or diagnosing a
patient's medical problems). These essential acts and facts are collectively called
B-things
(from Business). Looking through the
informational
glasses, one observes intellectual ac-
informational
tors, who execute informational acts like collecting, providing, recalling and computing
knowledge about business acts and their results. Informational acts and facts are collectively
called
I-things
(from Information and Intellect). Looking through the
documental
glasses,
informational
glasses, one observes intellectual ac-
documental
one observes documental actors, who execute documental acts like gathering, distributing,
storing, copying, and destroying documents containing the aforementioned knowledge.
Documental acts and facts are collectively called
D-things
(from Documents and Data).
The three kinds of actors are called B-actors, I-actors and D-actors. They are elements
of three corresponding aspect systems of an organization: the B-system, the I-system, and the
D-system. The starting point and emphasis in DEMO is the B-system. Only in the B-system
may new original facts be created to contribute to fulfi lling the organization's mission. The
corresponding I-system and D-system are part of the realization of the B-system, and so can
be designed only after the B-system is designed. Information and communication technology
can be applied without any risk or harm to the I-system and the D-system. However, one
must be cautious in applying it to the B-system, to prevent machines from taking over the
responsibility of B-actors. One can only mimic or simulate B-systems. The triangular shape
of the levels in Figure 3 shows that there is nothing 'above' the B-system, and that generally
the amount of D-things in an organization is much more than the amount of I-things, and
that the amount of I-things is much more than the amount of B-things.
Figure 2: The three levels of abstraction
