The role of database technology in workflow management systems (panel position paper)

The main goal is to discuss the role of database technology and research in the new area of workflow management systems. There are several hundred workflow products in the market and the database community has so far had very little impact in this area. Yet, the problems faced by workflow systems have a lot in common with problems which have already been solved for databases. The paper aims to identify which database technology is relevant in the workflow area and research directions that are most likely to have a significant impact on the evolution of workflow systems. As the basis for discussion, this proposal outlines the current state of the art and points out possible areas in which database technology could be applied in workflow contexts