Connectors: Connectors and Artifacts C5

Connectors and artifacts C5
 Contents
• connectors
• artifacts
Connectors
Connectors in BPMN
In BPMN connectors represent the join of two elements on a diagram, and sometimes it indicates
the order of precedence of these elements connected. As it can be seen while making a BPMN
diagram there 3 basic types of connectors: Sequence flow, message flow and associations.
Fig. 1. BPMN connectors

http://www.elma-bpm.com/2016/06/27/lesson-6-using-artifacts-and-data-objects-in-bpmn/
Sequence flow – it represents the order of flow elements in process and choreography models. In
order to apply correctly the sequence flow some rules need to be followed as presented in fig 5.17.
Fig. 2. Sequence flow rules
http://www3.cis.gsu.edu/dtruex/courses/cis4120/sessions/Session%203%20-%20Level
%201%20BPMN/Introduction_to_BPMN/Understanding-the-bpmn-connections-Orbus.pdf
As it can be observed from fig 2 the rows that are empty indicate that into a start event are not
allowed sequence flows, similar being the case for end events. Also, another characteristic that
needs to be remembered is that A Sequence Flow can optionally define a condition, when
connecting from an Exclusive or Inclusive Gateway or an Activity. If a condition is used than the
sequence flow will be called Conditional Sequence Flow and has the following graphical
representation:
Fig. 3 Conditional sequence flow

When using conditional Sequence Flows, a modeler should always ensure that the combination of
conditions represented in an outgoing Sequence Flow leads to at least one of them activating for
every performance of the Activity. One way to do that is to add a default Sequence Flow, which is
graphically represented in Figure 4.
Fig. 4.. Default sequence flow

Message flow – it represents the flow of a message in a business process diagram. Message flow as
defined by BPMN 2.0 represents: ““A Message Flow is used to show the flow of Messages
between two Participants that are prepared to send and receive them /…/. In BPMN, two
separate Pools in a Collaboration Diagram will represent the two Participants /…/.”
Also, message flows show the interaction in BPMN collaboration diagrams. As other elements in
BPMN, message flows can be extended with a message object (for example an initiating message or
a non-initiating message). Similar to sequence flow rules there are some for message flow also.
Fig. 5.20. Message flow rules
As it can be observed the conditions represented in fig 5.21 represents the fact that a message flow
cannot connect objects within the same pool. Also, lanes, gateways, data objects, group, text
annotations are not listed because they don’t allow incoming and/or outgoing message flows.
Fig. 5.21. Comparing Message flow and sequence flow rules

Association element – it is represented by a connector that creates a relationship between a piece of

information and an artifact or a flow element. Even if a text or a graphical object does not belong to
the process flow, we can still link them to the flow’s objects (see Fig.5.23). Mainly the Associations
are used to link a Text Annotation or a Data Object to an element of the process flow.
Fig. 5.23. Variations of Associations
When needed an association can show the flow direction by using an arrowhead attached to the
dotted line.
Data objects – a very important part in modelling business processes it is represented by the data
that is used during the process, collected and managed. With BPMN specialized elements can be
used in order to have access to information: Data Objects and Data Storage. These elements are
connected to the process performance.
Fig. 5.24. Data object representation

Data Objects do not affect the process flow and it shows the inputs and outputs of Activities. A
Data Object is connected to the context of the process, so in the business process diagram it is
shown within a process or a sub-process. Data Objects can only exist between the process’s start
and end. If a process instance is cancelled, all of its Data Object instances become inactive and,
therefore, inaccessible to any external processes.
The BPMN 2.0 version introduces a Data Storage element that is used for storing information even
after the process has ended.
Fig. 5.25. Data storage representation

In BPMN, Data Storage allows for interaction between different processes, which is impossible
with simple Data Objects because they can only be used within one process.
The core concepts of a Data Association are that they have a source, a target, and an optional
transformation. When a Data Association is “executed,” data is copied to the target. What is copied
depends on if there is a transformation defined or not. If there is no transformation defined or
referenced, then only one source must be defined, and the contents of this source will be copied into
the target [OMG, “Business Process Model and Notation version 2.0,” 03-Jan-2011. [Online].
Available:http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/2.0/. [Accessed: 15-Mar-2011].].
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Connectors join two elements on a diagram, and in some cases they indicate the order of
precedence of these elements.
There are 3 basic types of connectors in BPMN: Sequence Flow (they define the order of
elements on a diagram), Message Flow (they define the flow of communication between two
participants or entities) and Associations, which allow connecting an artifact with an element on
a diagram.

In GeneXus there are 6 types of connectors:

Sequence Flow – As in the BPMN standard, in GeneXus the sequence flow is represented with
a solid black line with a solid arrow-head and it is used to show the order (sequence) in which
the different activities will be run in the Process. Its Type property is set to Fixed, which is the
default value.

Conditional Flow – The Conditional Flow is represented with a solid green line with a solid
arrow head. When it is the outgoing sequence flow of an activity, the beginning of the line is
represented with a mini-diamond. On the other hand, if it is the outgoing flow of a gate, the
diamond is not used because the flow type is implicit. A conditional flow is associated with a
conditional rule that is evaluated at runtime to determine if this flow must continue or not. It is
set by editing the Type property and selecting the Conditional value.

Default Flow – This flow is used in exclusive or inclusive gateways to model which outgoing
flow must continue when the other outgoing conditional flows don’t evaluate to true at
runtime. It is represented with a hatch mark near its beginning. It is set by editing the
ConditionType property and selecting the Default value. Since they are outgoing flows, their
color is green.

Optional Flow – The optional flow is used to define that the user will choose a path for the flow
to continue at runtime. It is represented with a blue line, with a solid arrow head. It is set by
editing the Type property and selecting the Conditional value.

Exceptional Flow – They are outgoing flows of an intermediate event associated with a task. In
functional terms, they are sequential flows.

Association – Similarly to the BPMN element, an association is used to associate data, text and
other artifacts with the elements on the diagram. Just like in BPMN, in GeneXus an association
is represented with a black dotted line, with no arrow head.
Artifacts
Artifacts are elements that have no associated semantics. They allow for the addition of
complementary information to models in order to make them easier to understand without
affecting the process diagram features.
There are 3 types of artifacts in BPMN: Data Objects, Text Annotations and Groups, and the
last two are available as symbols in GeneXus.

Text Annotation - They allow for the addition of further descriptive information or notes
about a process or its elements, with the purpose of making them more understandable.
They can be connected to an element in the diagram through an association connector
(represented with a dotted line), which makes it possible to add tags to elements. They can also
be placed anywhere in the diagram.

Group – A group is used to frame a part of the diagram, grouping several elements together
according to a certain categorization criterion. A group simply shows that the elements
included in it are related and don't have any other semantics other than organizing elements.

Artifacts
In BPMN, Artifacts, Data Objects and special connectors called Associations are used to specify
information, which is not related to the flow of the process. These elements are not executable and
are used for readability and analysis of business processes.
Artifacts represents a mechanism for adding descriptive information about the process. The two
typical Artifacts are Group and Annotation. It must be said that in BPMN 1.2 Data Objects also
belonged to Artifacts, but in BPMN 2.0 they are a separate category. Yet, developers of BPM
systems can add as many Artifacts as needed.
Group element – is used for business process modeling and it is represented by a rounded rectangle
with a dot-and-dash line as border. A group element has no influence on process performance.
Fig. 5.14. Group graphical representation

Groups highlights do not affect the flow of the process. Activities can be highlighted to show that
they are related, and can be categorized, for example, for analysis purposes or document
preparation. A Group does not represent an activity like a Task or Sub-Process, nor it represents an
element of the sequence flow like a Gateway. Considering this it can be said that a group cannot be
connected to a sequence flow or message flow. However, since Groups are not limited by the pool
and swimlane constraints, they can highlight activities that belong to different pools, which is
widely used to show relations of the business to business type.
Annotation BPMN element – is an element used for adding a descriptive information or notes to
the diagram. Any information that can be relevant to the end user can be included (for example: the
description of how an element is used, comments, explanations and so on). All this annotation
contributes to the diagram’s informational content and also makes it easy for the business user to
understand the process. Graphically, an Annotation is an open box with text placed on either of its
side.
Fig. 5.15. Text annotation
Text annotation can be connected to a certain element by means of an Association, not having any
influence on the process flow.

Connectors: Connectors and Artifacts C5

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Connectors and artifacts C5

Fig. 1. BPMN connectors

Fig. 3 Conditional sequence flow

Fig. 4.. Default sequence flow

Fig. 5.21. Comparing Message flow and sequence flow rules

Association element – it is represented by a connector that creates a relationship between a piece of

Fig. 5.24. Data object representation

Fig. 5.25. Data storage representation

Fig. 5.14. Group graphical representation

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