Modeling Informationflow in BPMN

[dgP]

Hello Forum,

I've been searching now quite a while for the information how to put information flows in a BPMN model with EA. Unfortunately nor the website or the program itself do give valueable information regarding this topic or we were unable to find it.

So far we have put in activities, gates and process flows in our BPMN model and now we want to describe which information is used as input for which activity.
E.g. we use a DataStorage which includes the information regarding due date, article number, quantity, material number(s), material quantity, customer, order process scheduling etc etc.
So far we found the option to model an information flow from Activity A to Activity B and select the DB as data object to be transfered, but in our case we want to asign only certain values of the DB to be provided to certain activies, not all information being available in the DB.

Is there a proper way of putting this information in a BMPN model with EA?

BR and thank you in advance
dgP

[Geert Bellekens]

Yes, you have to use BPMN Messages and link them to the information flow connector using the tagged value MessageRef.

Geert

[dgP]

Dear Geert,

thank you for your reply.

I just tested it, messages can be created and then I can select them as item for the information flow. The result is similar as when using the DB as information flow item: I cannot assign a specific information from the DB to be transfered with that message.
How can we achive that with using EA?

Thank you very much in advance
dgP

[Geert Bellekens]

BPMN messages ar Business modelling artifacts, so they live in a nice abstract computational independent world (they might represent a piece of paper, a conversation, an xml message, a database table, or any combination)
There's a long way from Business modelling to physical database modelling. Usually a logical layer is used in between the conceptual (Business) and the physical (Database) layer.

Google "MDA" for more information on the concepts involved.

Geert

[dgP]

Our intention is not to model the database and we actually also don't want to describe the actual form how the information are transmitted (paper, email, etc.). But we do have knowledge of a lot of different (abstract) parameters and we also do know where these information are generated, stored and used.

E.g. Machine speed is relevant and provided by the machines. This information is available at the different machines (Output) and is stored at DB1 (Input). So with having this information at DB1 we can get it from there (Output) and use it for e.g. calculation of order processing status (Input) and hand this information (Output) on to DB2 (Input). And that information can be used at other activites. So the information flow direction is very clear.

So we are working on a business process layer where we describe the origin and the usage of information and where they get stored. If we use information flows to show "something is somehow transfered from DB1 to Activity 1" this has no value at all and would not fit our need.
 
We want to show:
- Information A, B and D are transfered somehow from DB1 to Activity1
- Information C is transfered somehow from DB1 to Activity2
- Information F is transfered somehow from Activity2 to DB2
- etc.

So imho this actually is an abstract world of describing which type of information is processed in which activity (Process, Input(s), Output(s)).
So far I only found a way to put in DataObjects or DataBases or Messages, which results in the "something is transfered from DB1, but who knows what" or in creating a big number of messages and the result would be "we know what will be transfered, but no one knows where it does come from"..?

BR
dgP

[Geert Bellekens]

I think you shouldn't know about DB1 in your business layer.
You should maybe know about a certain PartenterEntity, or PartnerRole, or Participant (I'm not a BPMN specialist so I don't really know the differences between all those) that is the "classifier" of your Pool or Lane that sends or receives the message. If you choose to name the "classifier" of your pool/lane DB1 or DB2 no one will stop you, but I still think you should abstract yourself from the current implementation (DB1) and think about what DB1 represents. (tomorrow you may want to replace DB1 by CloudAppX, but that shouldn't change your business process)

You can describe the high level details of what the message contains in the Message object, and in the logical layer you can details that using some kind of data model.
In the physical level you can make that even more concrete by representing it as database tables or XML schema's.

Geert

[OpenIT Solutions]

Hi,

The long winded way to model your requirement using BPMN 2 would be to use DataStore and DataObject elements on your diagram. DB1 would be added as a DataStore (see BPMN2 Palette) you should then use a DataAssociation to connect DB1 to a DataObject that describes the data being conveyed (via its tagged values). The DataObject is then connected via a DataAssociation to the appropriate Activity (or activities).

The direction of the association dictates if you are reading or updating the data store.