In BPMN and in other modeling languages, the usage of gateways for branching and merging process paths is well-known. In BPMN there is an alternative way to represent branching and merging without the usage of gateways: Conditional sequence flow.
See the next example: it uses a conditional sequence flow for branching as an alternative to an inclusive gateway.
In order to change the type of the sequence flow into default or conditional (or back to the initial one), you can use menu (or context menu) entries.
See the video below for a short walk-through for changing a BPMN sequence flow into a conditional or default sequence flow.
Note: The feature explained in this article is available in ARIS Express and in the professional ARIS Platform products since service release 8 (SR08). There are additional articles available explaining BPMN modelling in ARIS and ARIS Express.
BPMN allows maintaining a formal condition expression. The language to be used (e.g. XPATH) depends on your execution environment. Often, such execution environments come with their own editing component for such expressions. So I doubt that there is a single answer fitting all possible environments.
I'm a little concerned that I don't see the BPMN option in your context menu (see Sacha's diagram above). This could mean that you are not in a BPMN diagram type or that you havn't selected the Flow Edge. You will have the option to select a conditional flow or default flow if you have the BPMN option in your context menu.
Hello,
As you can see, I have selected the third sequence flow, it becomes red if it is selected. Over it I did right click and as you can see, there is no "BPMN > ....."
I did start new model from a collaboration diagram (BPMN 2.0) and a process diagram (BPMN 2.0).
Both of them shows the same issue.
Hello,
no, it was a BPMN 2.0 Diagram.
I am doing some test on the ARIS validation feature and comparing it to Bruce Silver "method and style".
I have restarted the software, create new BPMN 2.0 Diagram (process and collaboration), but the problem is still there.
It's still very strange :-) It is unclear to me why the context menu entry doesn't show up. I think the best way to move forward would be to call our hotline in case you got a valid support contract. They might want to look at your log files to see if something crashes behind the scene.
Hi Ronaldo,
could you please check your filter. Are you using the entire method? If not, maybe the necessary attributes are not in your filter. The following screenshot shows the maintained attribute, which is used for drawing the conditional or default sequence flow.
If your filter is correct and the attribute is there (maybe you have to add it with the "More attributes..." button), then you can also configure the connection by changing the attribute value directly inside the attributes table.
I tried to activate/deactivate the filter, but it still does not show the context menu. Adding attribute is also did change anything. They are Identifier, Name, and Text annotation 1-2-3.
I tried to customize/change/delete it, also did not work.
If you mean by adding attribute and customizing it "manually" to have a sequence flow as "a customized conditional sequence flow", yes, I did it, but the "BPMN > ..." context menu is still not available.
Hi Ronaldo,
it seems that the attribute is not part of your filter. The name of the filter is shown inside the tooltip, which appears, if you move the mouse over the database which contains your model. Probably you are using a customized filter. So you have to adapt the filter in the administration and add the above mentioned attribute to it. Note: You can only do this with the Business Architect and you must have the right to do this.
BR
Sascha
Hi Sascha,
I have created a new Database
Database: MyProcess
Server: LOCAL
Logged in as: system
Filter: Demo Database <---- is this what you mean?
Database language: English (United States)
then I create a new BPMN process diagram (BPMN 2.0), put 4 tasks and try to put conditional sequence flow, but it is still unavailable.
All of them, since the beginning, are started and build in ARIS Business Architect 7.2.
(I also tried ARIS IT Architect 7.2, it has the same issue.).
This issue concerns only for conditional sequence flow.
Hi Ronaldo,
I just tested it on my machine, and it works - also with the Demo Database Filter. But maybe there have been some update issues, or you are just using an older or adapted filter.
Could you please try to log in with the filter "BPMN 2.0 filter" or the filter "entire method". If they are not available (or it does not work with them), you can alternatively create a new filter. Then you have to make sure, that the attribute "Sequence flow condition" is active for all connections, where it is available (e.g. for the connection "is predecessor of" in the case mentioned above - sequence flow between two tasks).
Hi Sascha,
I have the same condition like in your screenshot.
This is really weird :)
The condition sequence flow is supposed to be available on BPMN 2.0 Process Diagram and BPMN 2.0 Collaboration Diagram, right?
By the way, thank you for showing me those filters, this is really helpful for me.
The condition sequence flow is an attribute which is assigned to the connection. Technically it has nothing to do with any model. So you can also have this connection within an EPC model as well, and also there the arrow will change to conditional or default.
My questions now:
* Do you have the BPMN 2 filter and does it work with it?
* Does it work with your customized filter?
BR
Sascha
Yes, I have the BPMN 2.0 Filter, but I do not have customized filter. I installed the ARIS Platform for about 2 weeks, nothing has been customized, because I am really new to BPMN World and ARIS. I just draw few basic diagrams and test how ARIS validation feature works.