Towards the Automated Business Model-Driven Conceptual Database Design

This paper presents an approach to automated design of the initial conceptual database model. The source model is a collaborative business process model represented by BPMN, while the target model is represented by a UML class diagram. Automated synthesis of the target model is driven by typical business process patterns and includes automatic extraction of data objects, message flows and business process participants, as well as automatic generation of corresponding classes and their associations. Application of the implemented ATL-based generator is illustrated on a real business process model.

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) fundamentally transformed the business environment by optimising management processes, enhancing operational efficiency, and generating new challenges for enterprises. This necessitated a comprehensive analysis of its impact on the transformation of business processes. The objective of the study was to examine the influence of AI on the transformation of business processes in enterprises of various sizes, identify primary directions of its application, and assess development prospects. The study was grounded in the use of systemic analysis, comparative analysis, case study method, and statistical data analysis. Scientific publications, corporate reports, analytical materials, and practical implementation cases were processed. The findings revealed that the adoption of AI significantly increased the efficiency of business processes in large enterprises through operational automation, customer interaction personalisation, and enhanced market forecasting. In the financial sector, machine learning algorithms reduced fraud rates and expedited document processing, consistent with global practices in banks such as JPMorgan Chase, Mizuho, and SMFG. In retail, improvements in recommendation system accuracy were observed, as reported by global companies like Amazon and Netflix, where personalisation contributed to increased conversion rates. Manufacturing enterprises reported optimised logistics and reduced operational costs due to AI implementation. Furthermore, enterprises actively explored the potential of generative AI in marketing, product development, and employee productivity, yielding results aligned with international experience, including the deployment of GitHub Copilot, which improved the speed and quality of software development. The practical value of the study lay in the applicability of its results for executives, analysts, and consultants to enhance digital transformation strategies and improve enterprise competitiveness

In this paper we present an approach to the use-case-driven conceptual design of the relational database completely based on the Unified Modeling Language (UML). We base the initial conceptual model on the standard UML business profile. In the first phase, business use cases are identified and described by macroactivity diagrams. After that, detailed business activity diagrams are designed by populating macroactivity diagrams with used business objects, object flows and worker's responsibilities. Based on detailed business activity diagrams, related business class diagrams are designed, and finally integrated into a single business class diagram that describes the static structure of the entire business system. In the last phase, that integral business class diagram is mapped into a system class diagram that represents the initial conceptual model of the target relational database. Therefore, some transformations of the initial conceptual model are proposed and illustrated. Thanks to the unified notation and integrated treatment of business modeling and database design, the proposed approach unifies and accelerates the implementation of the information system. This approach is illustrated by taking a visa issuing system as an example.

Modern outsourcing is more than a typical make– buy decision. Rather, there is a wide range of sourcing business models that today’s practitioners can choose from. Unfortunately, the fundamental nature of how goods and services are procured is not keeping pace with best practices of tapping into more mature sourcing business models; many business professionals wrongly assume that a transaction-based business model is the only way to architect a supplier contract. This paper provides an easy to understand framework for classifying the various contracting approaches along a sourcing continuum. A key goal of the paper is to help organisations not just understand the various models, but also learn when to use each model. The paper suggests an easy to follow ‘Business Model Mapping’ approach organisations can use to make the decision about what is the most appropriate sourcing business model for their situation.

The VZMS project at McClellan AFB involves both vadose zone data collection as well as enhanced data analysis. The purpose of enhanced data analysis is to develop conceptual models to carry out model validation and evaluation, as well as sensitivity and predictive modeling studies. Enhanced data analysis consists primarily of T2VOC forward simulations and ITOUGH2 inverse modeling. The methodology the authors employ in the VZMS project involves developing a conceptual model and iteratively updating it based on the agreement between model results and VZMS data. They demonstrate the development of an initial T2VOC conceptual model for the S-7 site based on data from instrument cluster VZMS-B. Lithologic data from the drilling logs along with empirical relations for estimating permeability and sediment moisture retention characteristics are used to define the layering of four different sediment types. The authors adjusted the layering of the sediments manually until the sediment moisture content profile from the T2VOC simulation of the gravity-capillary equilibrium agreed well with observed neutron probe data. Using this updated conceptual model, they performed inverse modeling using ITOUGH2 to find bet-fit absolute permeability values based on the minimization of differences between simulated and actual soil-gas pressure measurements.

UML activity and state chart diagrams are the most frequently UML models used for testing a system based on its specifications. Testers may choose different UML diagrams based on comprehensibility criteria. Previous studies, however, highlighted the lack of experts’ evaluation of comprehensibility of activity and state chart diagrams in test case generation. Thus, the main objective of this study is to evaluate the comprehensibility of the UML activity and state chart diagrams based on perspectives of experts. This study generated manual test cases from activity and state chart diagrams and used comprehensibility’s evaluation criteria during interviews with several software testing experts. The results of this study revealed that activity diagrams are more comprehensible than state chart diagrams in test case generation by considering comprehension variables (perceived difficulty and subjective confidence). The results of this study aim to unify the practical efforts of testers to choose MBT diagrams in generating test cases.

The purpose of this study is to determine the nature, value, principles and tasks of reengineering business processes of wholesalers, as well as developing recommendations on the formation of an optimal mechanism for reengineering business processes of these enterprises, taking into account various factors of the internal and external environment, as an element of managing the efficiency of their operating activities. To achieve this goal, a range of research tasks was defined, among which: 1) the study of the nature, value, principles and tasks of reengineering business processes of wholesalers; 2) determination of influence factors and classification of types of business process reengineering; 3) analysis of reengineering implementation techniques; 4) forming recommendations on the development of an optimal mechanism for reengineering the business processes of wholesalers as an element of managing the efficiency of their operational activities. Having studied different approaches to determining the essence of business process reengineering, the authors give a generalized definition of it, which is based on institutional, process and systemic approaches and represents a combination of principles, methods, procedures, sequential steps and interrelated elements that ensure the transformation of the main business processes of a wholesale enterprise in accordance with strategic changes in order to increase the competitiveness of this enterprise. The basic principles of business process reengineering are: the principle of their enlargement, independence, flexibility and adaptability, clarity in the distribution of functions, completeness of information, remuneration for the result. Therefore, its main tasks are: changing the organizational structure of the wholesale enterprise, creating a motivation system and a new corporate culture in ambushes to maximize the needs of wholesale buyers. The authors also determine the great influence on the reengineering of business processes of the wholesale enterprise of internal and external factors, on the basis of which they propose to classify its types depending on the stage of the life cycle of the enterprise itself. After analysing many existing business process reengineering techniques, the authors propose their own methodology, which is based on the X-engineering methodology and includes such stages as: business planning of a reengineering project, project start-up, process redesign, verification of results and decision-making on the effectiveness of business reengineering processes. Thus, the authors formulated proposals on the formation of an optimal mechanism for carrying out reengineering of business processes of wholesale enterprises, which provide for the focus of enterprise management on three areas: processes, proposals and participants.

Digital transformation is more focused on the management aspects of digitalization. It is associated with a large-scale process of implementing digital technologies and corresponding organizational changes. The article reveals the features of designing business processes of petrochemical enterprises in the context of the transition to the digital economy and the introduction of new technologies in the production process. The paper identifies the main technologies of Industry 4.0 used in the chemical and petrochemical industries. The study analyses the key technologies and drivers of the development of traditional and digital production, as well as the barriers to their implementation. The author summarizes the key principles on which Industry 4.0 should be based in order to support effective decision-making in the industry. The paper notes that the design of business processes is determined by the production technology. In the direction of improving business processes, there is a need for wider use of decision support systems based on artificial intelligence and expert systems. The authors developed a model for the implementation of production processes that takes into account the design features of business processes of industrial enterprises in the conditions of digitalization of the economy. The distinctive feature of the presented model is the combination of the life cycle and the value stream with a structured approach to defining the components of Industry 4.0.

The relevance of the study is determined by the need for an adequate assessment of the effectiveness of tourism enterprises and the flow of individual business processes at these enterprises in the context of the ever-increasing influence of the tourism industry on the economic and social spheres of society. The purpose of the study is to develop an algorithm for evaluating the effectiveness of business processes of tourist enterprises. The methodological basis of the study was a set of general scientific methods. The article presents theoretical and methodological approaches to assessing the effectiveness of business processes of tourism industry enterprises in modern conditions of development of the tourism services market. The basic concepts of business processes are described, the purpose and criteria for evaluating their effectiveness are formulated. The characteristics of the main factors determining the effectiveness of business processes of tourist enterprises are given. When forming an integral indicator of the effectiveness of business processes, efficiency should be taken into account in such aspects of the business process as its cost and its structure, duration and quality of results, an algorithm for evaluating the effectiveness of business processes of a tourist enterprise consisting of ten consecutive steps is presented. During the implementation of the algorithm stages, the processes are analyzed according to the criteria of the quality of their implementation, their duration and cost. Priority matrices are used to identify processes in the areas of low, medium and high criticality. At the final stage, information on the effectiveness and priority of processes obtained at previous stages of the evaluation procedure is combined into a single matrix, which allows simultaneous analysis of all previously created matrices and calculation of the integral rank for each process. In cases where the process has a minimum level of integral rank, this indicates its low efficiency, which requires the application of reengineering to it.

The purpose of the article is to summarize the theoretical and practical principles of digitalization of communication business processes of Ukrainian enterprises in the framework of digitization of their business. The article studies the advantages and prospects of the implementation of BAS ERP systems into industrial enterprises activities. The necessity and relevance of automation of clerical business processes of industrial enterprises is proved. The model of digitalization of communication business processes is schematically presented. The procedure of digitalization of communication business processes of industrial enterprises is formalized by the case of their budgeting automation. The implementation of the author’s suggestions makes it possible to disseminate this experience for the activities of other business entities.

The introduction of innovations in tourism is aimed at achieving sustainable development goals. Of particular importance in this regard is the integration of digital technologies into the business processes of tourism enterprises and the improvement of logistical support for the provision of tourism services. With this in mind, the article is devoted to the study of digital solutions for ensuring the innovative development of logistics business processes of tourism enterprises in the context of sustainable global tourism development. The factors of digital transformation of the tourism industry based on sustainable development have been identified. Global tourism is considered as a tool for achieving sustainable development goals in a cross-cultural environment. The logistical components of a tourist destination are presented. The main digital technologies for ensuring the logistical business processes of tourism enterprises are identified. The practical value of the presented results lies in increasing the efficiency of logistics business processes of tourism enterprises through the use of digital technologies, which, in turn, contributes to the formation of competitive advantages in the market. Prospects for further research include modelling the impact of the digitalisation of tourism logistics on the behaviour of tourists when choosing a tour operator.

Aspects of the reengineering of business processes of HoReCa enterprises are being studied. Aspects of the benefits of business process reengineering as a means of significantly improving the operations of hospitality enterprises are revealed. The aim of the work is to generalize the existing methodological approaches to the processes of business process reengineering and to justify the content, stages and format of the business process reengineering organization for HoReCa enterprises. The authors emphasize that hospitality and catering services have always been characterized by high profitability. Unfortunately, the consequences of the corona crisis, global crisis phenomena and the deployment of hostilities in our country have become a difficult test for the entire HoReCa industry. The emphasis of the work is on the fact that the reengineering of business processes is an effective measure to ensure the further effective development of HoReCa enterprises. Reengineering is the basis of a radical change in the functioning of enterprises, ensuring significant competitive advantages and achieving an improvement in the financial condition. The author's definition of the concept of «reengineering business processes of HoReCa enterprises» is proposed. It is understood as a mechanism of fundamental improvement and optimization of the activities of enterprises, the action of which is aimed at qualitative restructuring of business processes, achieving significant changes and improving indicators of quality, level of costs, speed of service, and, therefore, increasing the competitiveness of enterprises of the hospitality industry. The article emphasizes that the reengineering of business processes is the embodiment of a complex program of transformations and fundamental restructuring of the functioning of enterprises. Its important components are: replacement of the existing management system with new effective concepts; development and implementation of improved business processes and their management methods; preliminary assessment of the acceptability of the riskiness of radical change projects. The article offers the main characteristics of the reengineering of business processes of HoReCa enterprises, namely its goals, tasks, and positive consequences The authors emphasize that the reengineering of business processes of HoReCa enterprises is a rather complex transformation mechanism. But it is precisely thanks to him that every enterprise in the field of hospitality is able to carry out qualitative improvement of its business processes.

The smartization of business processes in industrial enterprises is a key trend in digital transformation, enabling increased efficiency, automation of production, and optimization of management decisions. With the rapid development of Industry 4.0 technologies, enterprises must integrate smart solutions such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and digital twins to maintain competitiveness in the global market. This paper explores the concept of smartization, highlights the main technologies driving this transformation, and examines their impact on industrial business processes. The purpose of the paper is to analyze the current trends in the smartization of business processes in industrial enterprises and assess the effectiveness of integrating intelligent technologies in production and management. The study reveals that smartization significantly improves production efficiency, reduces operational costs, and enhances the adaptability of enterprises to market changes. The integration of artificial intelligence allows for real-time data analysis and predictive maintenance, minimizing downtime and optimizing production planning. IoT solutions facilitate automated monitoring of equipment and processes, ensuring better resource allocation and reducing energy consumption. The use of blockchain technology strengthens data security and transparency, particularly in supply chain management, while digital twins enable accurate process modeling and scenario analysis. Despite the numerous benefits, the implementation of smart technologies in industrial enterprises is associated with several challenges. High investment costs remain a significant barrier, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. The shortage of skilled personnel capable of operating and maintaining digital systems poses another obstacle to widespread adoption. Moreover, cybersecurity risks increase with the expansion of interconnected systems, necessitating robust data protection measures. The absence of standardized integration frameworks also complicates the seamless incorporation of smart technologies into existing industrial infrastructures.

The software development industry or organizations increasingly emerging day by day have adopted global software development (GSD) practices due to the large significance of outsourcing. These industries face many challenges due to a lack of understanding customer perspective in the GSD environment. For any organization, the customer is the major stakeholder, and customer relationship management (CRM) plays a vital role in customer satisfaction with software development projects. These challenges create serious risks for any software development project’s success. Thus, CRM is a crucial challenge in the success of software projects in the GSD environment. This research study aims to address the factors that negatively influence CRM implementation in the global context and proposes a conceptual model based on the identified factors for enhancing software product quality. The systematic literature review (SLR) phase investigates the potential barriers to CRM implementation in GSD. Based on identified barriers, an initial conceptual model is developed. The proposed conceptual model is validated using a questionnaire survey of the GSD industry and CRM practitioners of Pakistan. Statistical analysis and several suitable tests are also performed to develop the final conceptual model for CRM implementation in the GSD environment. This research is performed from the client’s perspective. The results are promising and accommodating to avoid any software project failure due to customer-related issues in a GSD environment.

The unified modeling language (UML) designs come in a variety of different notations. UML designs can be quite large and interactions between various notations and the models they define can be difficult to assess. During the design phase, and between successive releases of systems, designs change. The impact of such changes and the resulting effect on behavior can be non-obvious and difficult to assess. This survey article explores techniques for such re-evaluation that can be classified as regression testing and suggests regression testing criteria for designs. These might vary depending on testing objectives and include both selective and regenerative regression testing approaches. The article provides a concise overview of regression testing approaches related to various UML design notations including use cases, class diagrams, sequence diagrams, activity diagrams, and statecharts, as well as combinations of these models. It discusses UML-related techniques involving cost and prioritization during selective regression testing. Finally, it evaluates these techniques with respect to inclusiveness, precision, efficiency, generality, accountability, and safety. An example is used throughout to illustrate how the techniques work. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This survey article explores techniques for regression testing with UML designs and suggests regression testing criteria for designs. These might vary depending on testing objectives and include both selective and regenerative regression testing approaches. The article provides a concise overview of regression testing approaches related to various UML design notations including use cases, class diagrams, sequence diagrams, activity diagrams, and statecharts, as well as combinations of these models. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.