A Framework for Exception Handling

Here we consider the notion of an exception in a general sense and the various ways in which they can be triggered and handled. The assumption is that an exception is a distinct, identifiable event which occurs at a specific point in time during the execution of a process and relates to a unique work item. The occurrence of the exception is assumed to be immediately detectable as is the type of the exception. The manner in which the exception is handled will depend on the type of exception that has been detected. There are a range of possible ways in which an exception may be dealt with but in general, the specific handling strategy centres on three main considerations:

• How the work item will be handled;
• How the other work items in the case will be handled; and
• What recovery action will be taken to resolve the effects of the exception.

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