Processes (BPM)

A process is a manual or automated action, such as "Process order", or "Send a mail".

You can decompose processes in order to analyze their actions more closely, and further decompose your sub-processes until you reach an appropriate level of detail. A process that is not decomposed is called an atomic process (or activity) (see Decomposing Processes).

A process can be created in the following diagrams with any target languages:

Process Hierarchy Diagram – each process forms part of a hierarchy, which begins with a single top-level process, and is decomposed into sub-processes. Each decomposed process can be analyzed in its own business process diagram.

In the following example, the top-level Design process is decomposed into three sub-processes named Analyze needs, Analyze tasks, and Analyze audience:

For more information, see Building Process Hierarchy Diagrams.
Business Process Diagram – processes can be created in each of the three types of business process diagrams:
- Top-level diagram – the process is a top-level process, or global service, that interacts with partners.
  
  In the following example, the top-level OrderCollaboration process interacts with the Buyer and Seller partners:
  
  For more information, see Top-Level Diagram Basics.
- Choreography diagram – processes are linked together in a control flow, which passes from one or more starts to one or more ends. When the process gains control, it performs its actions and then, depending on the result of the action, the flow is passed to another process.
  
  PowerDesigner allows you a great deal of flexibility in your analysis of your processes. You can simply link processes together to show the high-level control flow, or refine your model by specifying their implementation (see Specifying Implementation Types).
  
  In the following example, the path of an order depends on whether the product can be delivered or not. If yes, the control flow passes through the Goods Receipt process, then through the Purchase Payment process, whose details are displayed in a sub-diagram. Finally the control flow goes to Finish:
  
  For more information, see Choreography Diagram Basics.
- Data Flow Diagram – processes are locations where data are transformed.
  
  In the following example, data are sent by the external Student entity through three sequencing processes, and finally are stocked into the Student Database data store:
  
  For more information, see Data Flow Diagram (DFD).

Creating a Process
You can create a process from the Toolbox, Browser, or Model menu.
Process Properties
To view or edit a process's properties, double-click its diagram symbol or Browser or list entry. The property sheet tabs and fields listed here are those available by default, before any customization of the interface by you or an administrator.
Specifying Implementation Types
You can add additional detail to your processes by specifying the type of implementation required for their execution. Note that only decomposed processes can have their implementation specified with ebXML and BPEL languages.
Decomposing Processes
You decompose a process when you want to analyze it in more detail. For example, you could decompose the process "Process order" into the sub-processes "Check availability", "Obtain payment", "Reserve stock items", and so on.
Working with Data and Resource CRUD Matrices
A CRUD matrix is a table that allows you to observe, at a global level, the actions (Create, Read, Update, or Delete) your processes perform on data or resources, and modify or add any missing actions on them. You can open the Resource CRUD Matrix or Data CRUD Matrix using the commands available in the Tools menu.

Parent topic: Building Business Process Diagrams