BPMN 2.0 Executable

Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) 2.0 from the Object Management Group (OMG) is a standardized graphical notation for modeling business processes. It is intended to provide a notation that is readily understandable by all business users (including business analysts, technical developers, and those who will manage and monitor the processes after implementation) and to create a standardized bridge between business process design and XML-based business execution languages.

PowerDesigner provides support for two variants of BPMN 2.0:

BPMN Executable - To be used when reverse-engineering from SAP NetWeaver® BPM or Eclipse BPMN2 Modeler. Provides strong links between participants, their lanes, and their associated events, activities, gateways, data, and flows.
BPMN Descriptive - A less restrictive version, which is more suited to lighter analysis modeling and allows reuse of lanes in different pools (see BPMN 2.0 Descriptive).

Note: When opening BPMN models created in previous versions of PowerDesigner, you will be invited to choose between converting them to BPMN Descriptive or keeping them in the BPMN Executable format that was originally supported.

BPMN 2.0 provides the following diagrams:

Conversation diagrams - which provide an overview of the communications between participants.
Choreography diagrams - which focus on the detail of the conversation between two or more participants, and which are often linked to specific conversation nodes.
Collaboration diagrams - which focus on the messages that pass between participants. You can show participants as black boxes or with processes inside them. PowerDesigner supports collaboration diagrams as standard business process diagrams with a BPMN-specific toolbox.
Process diagrams - which focus on the sequence flow in a single process in a participant. PowerDesigner supports process diagrams as standard business process diagrams with a BPMN-specific toolbox.

Note: When creating reports for your BPMN 2.0 models, we recommend that you start from one of the BPMN 2.0 report templates, which provide a framework for organizing all the extensions in logical groups.

We recommend that you perform a model check on your completed model (or after major changes) to verify the validity of your diagrams.

Collaboration and Process Diagrams (BPMN)
A collaboration diagram analyzes the sequence flow of processes and the exchange of messages between participants (represented as swimlanes and pools). Each pool contains an implicit process with a start event and one or more end events. A process diagram analyzes the sequence flow in a single process in a participant (which can be shown or implicit). PowerDesigner supports collaboration diagrams and process diagrams as standard business process diagrams with a BPMN-specific toolbox.
Conversation Diagrams (BPMN)
A conversation diagram focuses on the communications between participants. You cannot create or display processes or choreographies in this diagram.
Choreography Diagrams (BPMN)
A choreography diagram is used to analyze how participants exchange information to coordinate their interactions. A choreography diagram can be used to expand and analyze in detail the exchange of messages associated with a conversation node in a conversation diagram.
Participants and Lanes (BPMN)
Participants represent companies, departments, or roles and are represented in collaboration and process diagrams as swimming pools. Lanes represent sub-entities within these organizations and appear as swimlanes inside the pool. These objects can also appear in conversation diagrams as square nodes and in choreography diagrams, where they do not have a separate symbol but are displayed on the top or bottom band of the choreography task symbol.
Events and Event Definitions (BPMN)
An event is something that happens during the course of a process. Events include the start and end of an activity, and any other intermediate happening (such as a change of state or receipt of a message) which will affect its sequence or timing. You can create events in collaboration, process, and choreography diagrams.
Activities (BPMN)
Activities are work that is performed within a process. You can create activities in collaboration and process diagrams.
Gateways (BPMN)
Gateways control the sequence flow of the process, and can merge or split the flow as dictated by the gateway conditions. You can create gateways in collaboration, process, and choreography diagrams.
Data and Data References (BPMN)
Data are physical or information items that are created, manipulated, or otherwise used during the execution of a process. Data references are objects that reference data objects for reuse. You can create data objects and references in collaboration and process diagrams.
Correlation Keys and Correlation Properties (BPMN)
Correlation keys are sets of correlation properties used to associate a message to a particular instance of a process.
Messages (BPMN)
A message represents the content of a communication between two participants, and is passed along a message flow. In choreography diagrams, an initiating message is automatically colored white, and a non-initiating message is automatically colored grey.
Conversation Nodes (BPMN)
A conversation node is a hexagon symbol in a conversation diagram that links two participants and regroups a set of message exchanges that share the same correlation.
Choreography Tasks (BPMN)
A choreography task represents an interaction, a set of message exchanges between two participants. The name of the choreography task and each of the participants are displayed in the various bands of the its symbol
Item-Aware Elements (BPMN)
Item-aware elements are variables used to store or convey information during process execution. You can associate these elements with processes, activities, and events.
Flows and Links (BPMN)
BPMN provides various kinds of flows and links to connect objects in collaboration, conversation, and choreography diagrams.
Importing and Exporting BPMN2 Files
PowerDesigner can import and export BPMN2 files, with a particular emphasis on supporting SAP NetWeaver® BPM, SAP® StreamWork™ tools, and the Eclipse BPMN2 Modeler. The import and export supports business process diagrams only; conversation and choreography diagrams and their objects are not supported.