A method for creating and executing a computer workflow using a graphical user interface. A plurality of executable components is defined wherein the executable components are based on an input, an output, metadata and a sub-interpreter. Each of the executable components represents a computer-implemented computational process that is performed on one or more inputs to the executable component and that generates one or more outputs based on a predefined computational algorithm. A graphical user interface is defined that allows a user to visually create the computer workflow on a user display by selecting from a library of said executable components. The user graphically connects one or more input terminals of selected executable components with one or more output terminals of second selected executable components. For each selected executable component, the one or more input terminals graphically correspond to the one or more inputs to the predefined computational algorithm associated with the executable component. The one or more output terminals graphically correspond to the one or more outputs generated by the predefined computational algorithm associated with the executable component.