Reuniting Data, Processes, and Forms: Petriflow Object-Centric Processes in the Age of AI

Article

For decades, enterprise information systems have been designed around separation into layers- data models are defined independently of business processes, and user interfaces are treated as an afterthought. Yet in business reality, these dimensions are inseparable: a business object is not a static collection of attributes, but an evolving entity whose identity, behavior, and representation form one holistic whole.

This gap between how business understands reality and how IT models it has created what may be called the Great Divide of digital design. This paper explores Object-Centric Processes (OCP) as a paradigm that reunites data, processes, and forms into a single coherent model of business reality. By treating objects as both carriers of information and drivers of behavior, OCP provides a natural bridge between conceptual understanding and executable system design.

We illustrate this approach through the Petriflow language, which captures the state, lifecycle, and interactions of business objects in an integrated, model-driven way.