Chapter 2. Business Process Modeling and Notation Version 2.0

The Business Process Modeling and Notation Version 2.0 (BPMN2) specification is an Object Management Group (OMG) specification that defines standards for graphically representing a business process, defines execution semantics for the elements, and provides process definitions in XML format.

A process is defined or determined by its process definition. It exists in a knowledge base and is identified by its ID.

Table 2.1. General process properties

LabelDescription

Name

Enter the name of the process.

Documentation

Describes the process. The text in this field is included in the process documentation, if applicable.

ID

Enter an identifier for this process, for example orderItems.

Package

Enter the package location for this process in your Red Hat Process Automation Manager project, for example org.acme.

ProcessType

Specify whether the process is public or private. (Currently not supported.)

Version

Enter the artifact version for the process.

Ad hoc

Select this option if this process is an ad hoc subprocess.

Process Instance Description

Enter a description of the purpose of the process.

Imports

Click to open the Imports window and add any data type classes required for your process.

Executable

Select this option to make the process executable part of your Red Hat Process Automation Manager project.

SLA Due Date

Enter the service level agreement (SLA) expiration date.

Process Variables

Add any process variables for the process. Process variables are visible within the specific process instance. Process variables are initialized at process creation and destroyed on process completion. Variable tags provide greater control over variable behavior, for example whether the variable is tagged as required or readonly. For more information about variable tags, see Designing business processes in Business Central.

Metadata Attributes

Add any custom metadata attribute name and value that you want to use for custom event listeners, such as a listener to implement some action when a metadata attribute is present.

Global Variables

Add any global variables for the process. Global variables are visible to all process instances and assets in a project. Global variables are typically used by business rules and constraints and are created dynamically by the rules or constraints.

A process is a container for a set of modeling elements. It contains elements that specify the execution workflow of a business process or its parts using flow objects and flows. Each process has its own BPMN2 diagram. Red Hat Process Automation Manager contains the new process designer for creating BPMN2 diagrams and the legacy process designer to open the old BPMN2 diagram with .bpmn2 extension. The new process designer has an improved layout and feature set and continues to develop. By default, the new diagrams are created in the new process designer.

2.1. Red Hat Process Automation Manager support for BPMN2

With Red Hat Process Automation Manager, you can model your business processes using the BPMN 2.0 standard. You can then use Red Hat Process Automation Manager to run, manage, and monitor these business processes. The full BPMN 2.0 specification also includes details on how to represent items such as choreographies and collaboration. However, Red Hat Process Automation Manager uses only the parts of the specification that you can use to specify executable processes. This includes almost all elements and attributes as defined in the Common Executable subclass of the BPMN2 specification, extended with some additional elements and attributes.

The following table contains a list of icons used to indicate whether a BPMN2 element is supported in the legacy process designer, the legacy and new process designer, or not supported.

Table 2.2. Support status icons

KeyDescription

grn check

Supported in the legacy and new process designer

grn star

Supported in the legacy process designer only

bk x

Not supported

Elements that have no icon do not exist in the BPMN2 specification.

Table 2.3. BPMN2 catching events

Element NameStartIntermediate

None

grn check

 

Message

grn check

grn check

Timer

grn check

grn check

Error

grn check

grn check

Escalation

grn check

grn check

Cancel

 

bk x

Compensation

grn check

grn check

Conditional

grn check

grn check

Link

 

bk x

Signal

grn check

grn check

Multiple

bk x

bk x

Parallel Multiple

bk x

bk x

Table 2.4. BPMN2 throwing and non-interrupting events

Element NameThrowing Non-interrupting 
 

End

Intermediate

Start

Intermediate

None

grn check

   

Message

grn check

grn check

grn check

grn check

Timer

  

grn check

grn check

Error

grn check

   

Escalation

grn check

grn check

grn check

grn check

Cancel

bk x

bk x

 

bk x

Compensation

grn check

grn check

  

Conditional

  

grn check

grn check

Link

 

bk x

  

Signal

grn check

grn check

grn check

grn check

Terminate

grn check

   

Multiple

bk x

bk x

bk x

bk x

Parallel Multiple

  

bk x

bk x

Table 2.5. BPMN2 elements

Element typeElementSupported

Task

Business rule

grn check

 

Script

grn check

 

User task

grn check

 

Service task

grn check

Subprocesses, including multiple instance subprocesses

Embedded

grn check

 

Ad hoc

grn check

 

Reusable

grn check

 

Event

grn check

Gateways

Inclusive

grn check

 

Exclusive

grn check

 

Parallel

grn check

 

Event-based

grn check

 

Complex

bk x

Connecting objects

Sequence flows

grn check

 

Association flows

grn check

Swimlanes

Swimlanes

grn check

Artifacts

Group

grn star

 

Text annotation

grn check

For more information about the background and applications of BPMN2, see the OMG Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) Version 2.0 specification.