Companies rely on continuous and individual business processes as well as the associated workflows. Intermediate steps often cause significant time expenditure and can lead to delays. Automation counters this and supports faster handling of internal company processes and workflows. As a result, employees are relieved and can focus on other important tasks. But how are business processes automated? Does a company need a software tool for this? In this blog post we introduce two automation tools that can automate and thus optimize workflows: workflow engines and rules engines.
What is a Workflow Engine?
A workflow engine, also referred to as a Workflow Management System (WFMS) component, handles tasks that are relevant for organizing, executing, and controlling workflows. These are executed step by step in the correct order by assigning them with the help of the automation tool. The result is smooth operational processes. Workflows are part of a chain of interconnected workflows. The workflow engine assigns individual tasks to the responsible users. When a work step is processed, it must meet certain conditions. To do this, the workflow engine monitors the activity status of a process and decides whether the next workflow can be triggered.
How does a Workflow Engine work?
The functions of a workflow engine relate to the primary goal of executing interconnected workflows.
The first step is to check the current process status: Can task Z be executed in the current status?
Next, the required permissions must be determined: Is user X authorized to perform task Y?
Finally, every change and edit to the individual work steps is documented and communicated: If task X could be completed successfully, this is indicated by a notification. If task Y cannot be completed, an error message appears.
What is a Business Rules Engine?
A Business Rules Engine (BRE) is part of a Business Rules Management System (BRMS). A BRMS centrally stores and manages a company's business rules and processes. The associated BRE serves to define and trigger these business rules based on defined rules and logic. The automation tool can import data from various databases and use it for further actions. These are executed based on "IF-THEN" conditions and can be connected to other applications via APIs.
How does a Business Rules Engine work?
The main goal of a business rules engine is the automatic execution of business processes using defined rules.
The functions of a BRE include handling large amounts of data. Data from various databases can be used, processed, linked, and utilized in other applications.
This is done by linking the data to each other in a specific context according to predefined rules: IF customer X spends 10 minutes on the FAQ page, THEN a chatbot is made available to them.
Afterwards, a connection to other applications is made via APIs: Customer X wants to pay for item Y online via PayPal and is redirected to their page.
For a more detailed insight into the topic, see this blog post What is a Business Rules Engine?.
Automation tools compared
Both the workflow engine and the rules engine serve to automate business processes, relieve employees of trivial tasks, and manage these processes. So what differentiates the two tools?
| Workflow Engine | Business Rules Engine |
|---|---|
| Tailored to a specific workflow | Flexibly adaptable, suitable for a variety of processes |
| Linear processes | Processes do not have to follow a specific order |
| Assigned to specific users/employees | Tasks can be handled by different users/employees |
| Execution of workflow steps is based on conditions | Execution of business processes is governed by "IF-THEN" conditions and defined rules |
Conclusion: Who is the winner?
Automating processes is essential for optimizing workflows. Using an automation tool is therefore decisive for a company's success. Research and development of advanced technologies are in full swing to make processes increasingly efficient and to optimize them. Why should companies invest in a suitable tool right now, and which one should they choose?
Due to their high flexibility, scalability, and reusability, business rules engines can be continuously developed and adapted to the latest technological standards. The workflow engine, on the other hand, is particularly well suited for the straightforward execution of business processes. On its own it is rather static and may therefore not be suitable for more complex processes. For processes that are relatively simple and linear, a workflow engine is suitable for automation.
We cannot name a clear winner between the two automation tools, as both fulfill their primary goal of process automation and both bring their advantages. For this reason, swoox.io combines both engines so that both complex and simpler processes can be automated efficiently.
We would be happy to show you how easy and flexible process automation with swoox.io is.
Or you can try it out for yourself right away.
