Introduction

Workflows for e-Science

is divided into four parts, which represent four broad but distinct areas of scientific workflows. In the first part, Background, we introduce the concept of scientific workflows and set the scene by describing how they differ from their business workflow counterpart. In Part II, Application and User Perspective, we provide a number of scientific examples that currently use workflows for their e-Science experiments. In Workflow Representation and Common Structure (Part III), we describe core workflow themes, such as control flow or dataflow and the use of components or services. In this part, we also provide overviews for a number of common workflow languages, such as Petri Nets, the Business Process Execution Language (BPEL), and the Virtual Data Language (VDL), along with service interfaces. In Part IV, Frameworks and Tools, we take a look at many of the popular environments that are currently being used for e-Science applications by paying particular attention to their workflow capabilities. The following four sections describe the chapters in each part and therefore provide a comprehensive summary of the book as a whole.