BPMN Data input/output roles

[Guillaume]

Hi,

In BPMN2, I have activities with linked Data Objects using the Data Input or Output associations which are stereotyped dependencies.
When a user opens the Traceability view and selects the Activity, the input Data Objects are grouped under "needed by", whereas the output are grouped under "depends on"
This doesn't sound right e.g. Activity needed by an Input data object, and since this is a built-in MDG, I think the terms can be changed e.g. to Data Inputs and Data Outputs.

Could this be changed ?

[Geert Bellekens]

It is technically correct in terms of dependencies, but not indeed not very useful for a user.

+1

Geert

[Takeshi K]

Hi all,

I have not checked in detail, but BPMN MDG file is not encrypted so we can modify the file. Adding _MeaningBackwards and _MeaningForwards might solve the problem.

HTH,

[Guillaume]

Hi Takeshi,

I agree that it should be possible but it would require update all clients' EA configuration. I'd rather have it built-in if Sparx can change it in a future build.

[Modesto Vega]

When a user opens the Traceability view and selects the Activity, the input Data Objects are grouped under "needed by", whereas the output are grouped under "depends on"

Hi Guillaume ,

There are both likely to be dependencies with some poor wording on the Traceability view. My personal preference will be that Activity "depends on" the input Data Objects and "results on" the output Data Objects.

However, as I wrote this I was reminded of how peculiar Sparx is about how connectors are drawn and connector directionality. For example, in your post, for "depends on" I would expect the Activity as the source and the Data Objects as the Target; while for "needed by", I would expect the Data Objects to be the source and the Activity to be the target.

If you think about it input data objects needed by an Activity and output data objects depending on the activity is an awkward way of representing a flow as dependency.

This represents a flow
Data Object 1 --(a)--> Activity --(b)--> Data Object 2

But this, in my opinion, represent the dependencies between those 3 elements
Data Object 1<--(c)-- Activity <--(d)-- Data Object 2

The arrows (< and >) indicate the targets.

(a) meaning forward: flows into
(a) meaning backwards: needs
(b) meaning forward: results into/outputs
(b) meaning backwards: is the result of
(c) meaning forward: inputs into
(c) meaning backwards: depends on
(d) meaning forward: results into [?]
(d) meaning backwards: depends on