Activities

Go Up to Business Process Modeling Diagram Elements

An Activity is work that is performed within a business process and be represented by a set of graphical objects usually composed of three main activities: Task, Embedded Sub-processes, and Independent Sub-processes.

Task

The table below describes the Property View fields available for a Task:

Property View	Description
General
Name	Label that appears for an element both in the Model View tree and in the diagram. You can edit this label.
Categories	You can add one or more defined Categories that can be used for purposes such as reporting and analysis.
Task Type	Task Type may be set to the following attributes: Manual: A Manual Task is expected to be performed without the aid of any business process execution engine or any application. None: No task type designation is set. Receive: A simple Task that is designed to wait for a message to arrive from an external participant. Once the message has been received, the Task is completed. Reference: This task references another activity that has been defined. If the two (or more) activities share the exact same behavior, then by one referencing the other, the attributes that define the behavior are only created once and maintained in only one location. Script: A Script Task is executed by a business process engine. The modeler or implementer defines a script in a language that the engine can interpret. When the Task is ready to start, the engine executes the script. When the script is completed, the Task is also completed. Send: A simple Task that is designed to send a message to an external participant. Once the message has been sent, the Task is completed. Service: A Service Task is a Task that provides some sort of service, which could be a Web service or an automated application. This is the default setting. User: A typical “workflow” task where a human performer performs the Task with the assistance of a software application and is scheduled through a task list manager of some sort.   The TaskType is impacted by the Message Flow to and/or from the Task, if Message Flows are used. A TaskType of Receive must not have an outgoing Message Flow. A TaskType of Send must not have an incoming Message Flow. A TaskType of Script, Manual, or None must not have an incoming or an outgoing Message Flow. The TaskType list may be extended to include new types.
In Message	A Message for the InMessage attribute must be entered. This indicates that the Message will be sent at the start of the Task, after the availability of any defined InputSets. A corresponding outgoing Message Flow MAY be shown on the diagram. However, the display of the Message Flow is not required.
Out Message	A Message for the OutMessage attribute MUST be entered. The arrival of this message marks the completion of the Task, which may cause the production of an OutputSet. A corresponding incoming Message Flow may be shown on the diagram. However, the display of the Message Flow is not required.
Implementation	This attribute specifies the technology that will be used to send and receive the messages. Web Service is the default technology.
Instantiate	This attribute is available when you select the Task Type “Receive”.
Script	This field is available when you select the Task Type “Script”.
Message	This field is available when you select the Task Type “Receive” and “Send”.
Task Reference	When you select the Task Type of “Reference”, a Task Reference drop-down box opens with the available tasks listed.
Description
	A text box where you can enter information describing or defining the project. Right-click text to open a shortcut menu. You can cut, copy, paste, and delete selected text within the Description text box. You can paste plain text from external applications.   You can undo any action and you can select all text by pressing Ctrl+A.   The following formatting options are available for the text: Bold, Italics, Underscore, and Strikethrough. You can also change the font color as well as the background color.
Notes
	A text box where you can annotate the element with additional information. Right-click text to open a shortcut menu. You can cut, copy, paste, and delete selected text within the Notes text box. You can paste plain text from external applications.   You can undo any action and you can select all text by pressing Ctrl+A.   The following formatting options are available for the text: Bold, Italics, Underscore, and Strikethrough. You can also change the font color as well as the background color
Activity
Status	The Status of a Process is determined when the Process is being executed by a process engine. The Status of a Process can be used within Assignment Expressions. The status settings available are: None, Aborted, Aborting, Active, or Cancelled.
Start Quantity	The default value is 1. The value must not be less than 1. This attribute defines the number of Tokens that must arrive from a single Sequence Flow before the activity can begin.
Loop Type	LoopType is an attribute and is by default None, but may be set to Standard or Multi Instance. If so, the Loop marker shall be placed at the bottom center of the activity shape. A Task of type Receive that has its Instantiate attribute set to True must not have a Standard or MultiInstance Loop Type.
Standard Loop Type Properties	A Standard Loop activity has a boolean expression that is evaluated after each cycle of the loop. If the expression is still True, then the loop continues.
Multiple Instance Loop Type Properties	Multi-Instance loops reflect the programming construct for each. The loop expression for a Multi-Instance loop is a numeric expression evaluated only once before the activity is performed.
Properties
Name	Modeler-defined Properties may be added to an activity. These Properties are “local” to the activity and are only for use within the processing of the activity. The fully delineated name of these properties is “<process name>.<activity name>.<property name>”. You can add, edit and delete these properties.
Type	Each Property has a Type (for example, type=”String”). A Property may be of type Set, which allows child Properties.
Correlation	If the ConditionType attribute is set to Expression, then the ConditionExpression attribute must be defined. Otherwise, it is not valid. This attribute is included for mapping to BPEL4WS. The Property will map to a correlationSet and the child Properties will be properties of that correlationSet.
Create Property	Click to create a new property for the task.
IORules
Expression	Enter the expression that defines the relationship between one InputSet and one OuputSet. That is, if the activity is instantiated with a specified InputSet, then the output of the activity MUST produce the specified OutputSet. Zero or more IORules may be entered.
Input Sets
Name	The InputSets attribute defines the data requirements for input to the activity. Zero or more InputSets MAY be defined. Each Input set is sufficient to allow the activity to be performed (if it has first been instantiated by the appropriate signal arriving from an incoming Sequence Flow).
Output Sets
Name	The OutputSets attribute defines the data requirements for output from the activity. Zero or more OutputSets may be defined. At the completion of the activity, only one of the OutputSets may be produced--It is up to the implementation of the activity to determine which set will be produced. However, the IORules attribute may indicate a relationship between an OutputSet and an InputSet that started the activity.
Assignments
Name	Label that appears for an element both in the Model View tree and in the diagram. You can edit this label.
To	The target for the Assignment must be a Property of the Process or the activity itself.
From	The Expression must be made up of a combination of Values, Properties, and Attributes, which are separated by operators such as add or multiply. The expression language is defined in the ExpressionLanguage attribute of the Business Process Diagram.
Assign Time	An Assignment may have a AssignTime setting. If the Object is an activity (Task, Sub-Process, or Process), then the Assignment must have an AssignTime. A value of Start means that the assignment shall occur at the start of the activity. This can be used to assign the higher-level (global) Properties of the Process to the (local) Properties of the activity as an input to the activity.   A value of End means that the assignment shall occur at the end of the activity. This can be used to assign the (local) Properties of the activity to the higher-level (global) Properties of the Process as an output to the activity.
Create Assignment	Click to create a new assignment for the element.
Edit Assignment	When you click edit , an additional tab opens where you can edit the selected assignments.
Delete Assignment	Deletes the selected assignment.
Links
Add Link	Opens the Create Link wizard. This wizard allows you to create conceptual or usage links between elements.
Edit Link	Opens the property view for the selected link.
Delete Link	Deletes the selected link (either the link or the link target).
Show Selected Links on Active Diagram	Once you have created a link in the Diagram View, click this icon to display the links for the selected object in the diagram.
Expand All	Expands all the nodes in the tree.
Collapse All	Collapses all the nodes in the tree.
Refresh Links	Updates all the nodes in the Link Report.
Usage (CRUD)
Usage	The header displays the name of the linked element and the status of the filter (on or off). Receivers: Displays a list of the elements with usages (receivers). You can select multiple receivers in this list and delete all the receivers that are selected. Usage: Displays the usage setting (C, R, U, D). You can change the Usage attributes in this column and this change is reflected in the diagram. For example, you can change a C (Create) type to a U (Update) type. Usage Description: Displays the information entered in the Description text field for the target object of the usage. For example, if a usage was drawn between a task and a Data Store object, the description of the Data Store object is displayed. If there are no links or all the links have been filtered out, you are given the information that “No usages have been defined for this element” in the Receivers column.
Add Usage	Opens the Create Usage wizard where you can create a new usage.
Edit Usage	When you select a Receiver in the table, the edit option becomes available. Click this to open the Usage edit tab where you can edit the name of the usage. The default name is “Usage”. You can also change the usage settings (Create, Read, Update, and Delete).
Delete	When you select a Receiver in the table, the delete option becomes available. This action removes the selected receiver from the usage.
Show Selected Usages	When you select a Receiver in the table, the Show Selected Usages option () becomes available. Click this icon to display the usage for the selected receiver in the diagram, including the usage settings.
Filter Receiver Types	Opens the Usage Report Filter dialog where you can select the types of objects you want included in the Usage Report.
Export Usage Report	You can export the Usage (CRUD) reports in the following formats: CSV, HTML, PDF, and RTF
Print	Opens the Print dialog where you can select a printer, set preferences, select a page range and number of copies and then print.
Refresh Usage	Updates all the nodes in the Usage Report.
Impact Analysis
Filter Designation	Indicates whether a Filter has been set for the Impact Analysis Report. Two icons are displayed to the left of the Filter Designation indicator:   Click to display the impact analysis information in a tree format.   Click to display the impact analysis information in a table format.
Create Impact Analysis Diagram	Once you create a link you can create a diagram that is a graphical representation of that link.
Filter	Opens the Impact Analysis Filter dialog
Export	You can export and save the Impact Analysis report in the following file formats: CSV, HTML, PDF, and RTF.
Print	Opens the Print dialog where you can select a printer, set preferences, select a page range and number of copies and then print.
Expand All	Expands all the nodes in the tree.
Collapse All	Collapses all the nodes in the tree.
Refresh	Updates all the nodes in the Impact Analysis Report.
Appearance
Font and Color Options	Use these commands to change fonts and element colors.
Rendering	Use these commands to change the shadowing and gradient settings for an element.
Horizontal Alignment	Use these commands to set the justification for text labels in an element.
Vertical Alignment	Use these commands to set the alignment (top, centered or bottom) of a text label within an element.
Diagram Display Options	Select this option to show the element label.
Line Display Options	Select the width of the border from the drop-down list. You can select from 1 to 5 pixels.
Apply to Diagram	Applies the formatting changes to all existing tasks on the active diagram.
Restore Defaults	Restores the default settings for all changes made in the Appearance tab.
Set as Default	All formatting changes made in the Appearance tab become the default settings for new task elements placed in the Diagram View.

Implementation

If you select Web Service in the Implementation field, you can set properties in an additional Property View.

Property View	Description
Name	Label that appears for an element both in the Model View tree and in the diagram. You can edit this label.
Participant	The Participant attribute is mapped to the partnerLink attribute of the BPEL4WS activity.
Interface	The Interface attribute is mapped to the portType attribute of the BPEL4WS activity.
Operation	The Operation attribute is mapped to the operation attribute of the BPEL4WS activity.

Standard Loop Type Properties

If you select Standard in the Loop Type field, you can set properties in an additional Property View.

Property View	Description
Condition	Standard Loops must have a boolean Expression to be evaluated, plus the timing when the expression shall be evaluated.
Counter	The LoopCounter attribute is used at runtime to count the number of loops and is automatically updated by the process engine. The LoopCounter attribute must be incremented at the start of a loop. The modeler may use the attribute in the LoopCondition Expression.
Maximum	The Maximum an optional attribute that provides is a simple way to add a cap to the number of loops. This shall be added to the Expression defined in the LoopCondition.
Test time	The expressions that are evaluated before the activity begins are equivalent to a programming while function. The expression that are evaluated after the activity finishes are equivalent to a programming until function.

Multiple Instance Loop Type Properties

If you select Multiple Instance in the Loop Type field, you can set properties in an additional Property View.

Property View	Description
Condition	MultiInstance Loops must have a numeric Expression to be evaluated--the Expression must resolve to an integer.
Ordering	This applies to only Multi-Instance Loops. The MI_Ordering attribute defines whether the loop instances will be performed sequentially or in parallel. Sequential MI_Ordering is a more traditional loop. Parallel MI_Ordering is equivalent to multi-instance specifications that other notations, such as UML Activity Diagrams use. If set to Parallel, the Parallel marker shall replace the Loop Marker at the bottom center of the activity shape.
Counter	The LoopCounter attribute is only applied for Sequential Multi-Instance Loops and for processes that are being executed by a process engine. The attribute is updated at runtime by a process engine to count the number of loops as they occur. The LoopCounter attribute must be incremented at the start of a loop. Unlike a Standard loop, you do not use this attribute in the MI_Condition Expression, but it can be used for tracking the status of a loop.
Flow Condition	This attribute is equivalent to using a Gateway to control the flow past a set of parallel paths. An MI_FlowCondition of “None” is the same as uncontrolled flow (no Gateway) and means that all activity instances shall generate a token that will continue when that instance is completed. An MI_FlowCondition of “One” is the same as an Exclusive Gateway and means that the Token shall continue past the activity after only one of the activity instances has completed.   The activity continues its other instances, but additional Tokens must not be passed from the activity. An MI_FlowCondition of “All” is the same as a Parallel Gateway and means that the Token shall continue past the activity after all of the activity instances have completed. An MI_FlowCondition of “Complex” is the same as a Complex Gateway. The ComplexMI_FlowCondition attribute will determine the Token flow.
Complex Flow Condition	If the MI_FlowCondition attribute is set to “Complex,” then an Expression must be entered. This Expression may reference Process data. The expression shall determine when and how many Tokens will continue past the activity.

Embedded Sub-processes

The table below describes the Property View fields available for Sub-processes:

Property View	Description
General
Name	Label that appears for an element both in the Model View tree and in the diagram. You can edit this label.
Categories	You can add one or more defined Categories that can be used for purposes such as reporting and analysis.
Sub-Process type:	This maps to a BPEL4WS scope element. The scope is not an independent process and will share the process variables of the higher-level process.
Ad hoc	Ad hoc is a boolean attribute, which has a default of False. This specifies whether the Embedded Sub-Process is Ad Hoc or not. The activities within an Ad Hoc Embedded Sub-Process are not controlled or sequenced in a particular order, there performance is determined by the performers of the activities.   Note: : You can set this attribute for multiple subprocesses.
Transaction Properties	This option determines whether or not the behavior of the Sub-Process will follow the behavior of a Transaction.   Note: You can set this attribute for multiple subprocesses.
Description
	A text box where you can enter information describing or defining the project. Right-click text to open a shortcut menu. You can cut, copy, paste, and delete selected text within the Description text box. You can paste plain text from external applications.   You can undo any action and you can select all text by pressing Ctrl+A.   The following formatting options are available for the text: Bold, Italics, Underscore, and Strikethrough. You can also change the font color as well as the background color.
Notes
	A text box where you can annotate the element with additional information. Right-click text to open a shortcut menu. You can cut, copy, paste, and delete selected text within the Notes text box. You can paste plain text from external applications.   You can undo any action and you can select all text by pressing Ctrl+A.   The following formatting options are available for the text: Bold, Italics, Underscore, and Strikethrough. You can also change the font color as well as the background color
Activity
Status	The Status of a Process is determined when the Process is being executed by a process engine. The Status of a Process can be used within Assignment Expressions. The status settings available are: None, Aborted, Aborting, Active, or Cancelled.
Start Quantity	The default value is 1. The value must not be less than 1. This attribute defines the number of Tokens that must arrive from a single Sequence Flow before the activity can begin.
Loop Type	LoopType is an attribute and is by default None, but may be set to Standard or MultiInstance. If so, the Loop marker shall be placed at the bottom center of the activity shape. A Task of type Receive that has its Instantiate attribute set to True must not have a Standard or MultiInstance Loop Type.
Standard Loop Type Properties	A Standard Loop activity has a boolean expression that is evaluated after each cycle of the loop. If the expression is still True, then the loop continues.
Multiple Instance Loop Type Properties	Multi-Instance loops reflect the programming construct for each. The loop expression for a Multi-Instance loop is a numeric expression evaluated only once before the activity is performed.
Properties
Name	Modeler-defined Properties may be added to an activity. These Properties are “local” to the activity and are only for use within the processing of the activity. The fully delineated name of these properties is “<process name>.<activity name>.<property name>”. You can add, edit and delete these properties.
Type	Each Property has a Type (for example, type=”String”). A Property may be of type Set, which allows child Properties.
Correlation	If the ConditionType attribute is set to Expression, then the ConditionExpression attribute must be defined. Otherwise, it is not valid. This attribute is included for mapping to BPEL4WS. The Property will map to a correlationSet and the child Properties will be properties of that correlationSet.
IORules
Expression	The IORules attribute is an expression that defines the relationship between one InputSet and one OuputSet. That is, if the activity is instantiated with a specified InputSet, then the output of the activity must produce the specified OutputSet. Zero or more IORules may be entered.
Input Sets
Name	The InputSets attribute defines the data requirements for input to the activity. Zero or more InputSets MAY be defined. Each Input set is sufficient to allow the activity to be performed (if it has first been instantiated by the appropriate signal arriving from an incoming Sequence Flow).
Output Sets
Name	The OutputSets attribute defines the data requirements for output from the activity. Zero or more OutputSets may be defined. At the completion of the activity, only one of the OutputSets may be produced--It is up to the implementation of the activity to determine which set will be produced. However, the IORules attribute may indicate a relationship between an OutputSet and an InputSet that started the activity.
Assignments
Name	Label that appears for an element both in the Model View tree and in the diagram. You can edit this label.
To	The target for the Assignment must be a Property of the Process or the activity itself.
From	The Expression must be made up of a combination of Values, Properties, and Attributes, which are separated by operators such as add or multiply. The expression language is defined in the ExpressionLanguage attribute of the Business Process Diagram.
Assign Time	An Assignment may have a AssignTime setting. If the Object is an activity (Task, Sub-Process, or Process), then the Assignment must have an AssignTime. A value of Start means that the assignment shall occur at the start of the activity. This can be used to assign the higher-level (global) Properties of the Process to the (local) Properties of the activity as an input to the activity.   A value of End means that the assignment shall occur at the end of the activity. This can be used to assign the (local) Properties of the activity to the higher-level (global) Properties of the Process as an output to the activity.
Create Assignment	Click to create a new assignment for the element.
Edit Assignment	When you click edit , an additional tab opens where you can edit the selected assignments.
Delete Assignment	Deletes the selected assignment.
Graphical Elements
Name	Modeler-defined Properties may be added to an activity. These Properties are “local” to the activity and are only for use within the processing of the activity. The fully delineated name of these properties is “<process name>.<activity name>.<property name>”. You can add, edit and delete these properties.
Links
Add Link	Opens the Create Link wizard. This wizard allows you to create conceptual or usage links between elements.
Edit Link	Opens the property view for the selected link.
Delete Link	Deletes the selected link (either the link or the link target).
Show Selected Links on Active Diagram	Once you have created a link in the Diagram View, click this icon to display the links for the selected object in the diagram.
Expand All	Expands all the nodes in the tree.
Collapse All	Collapses all the nodes in the tree.
Refresh Links	Updates all the nodes in the Link Report.
Usage (CRUD)
Usage	The header displays the name of the linked element and the status of the filter (on or off). Receivers: Displays a list of the elements with usages (receivers). You can select multiple receivers in this list and delete all the receivers that are selected. Usage: Displays the usage setting (C, R, U, D). You can change the Usage attributes in this column and this change is reflected in the diagram. For example, you can change a C (Create) type to a U (Update) type. Usage Description: Displays the information entered in the Description text field for the target object of the usage. For example, if a usage was drawn between a task and a Data Store object, the description of the Data Store object is displayed. If there are no links or all the links have been filtered out, you are given the information that “No usages have been defined for this element” in the Receivers column.
Add Usage	Opens the Create Usage wizard where you can create a new usage.
Edit Usage	When you select a Receiver in the table, the edit option becomes available. Click this to open the Usage edit tab where you can edit the name of the usage. The default name is “Usage”. You can also change the usage settings (Create, Read, Update, and Delete).
Delete	When you select a Receiver in the table, the delete option becomes available. This action removes the selected receiver from the usage.
Show Selected Usages	When you select a Receiver in the table, the Show Selected Usages option () becomes available. Click this icon to display the usage for the selected receiver in the diagram, including the usage settings.
Filter Receiver Types	Opens the Usage Report Filter dialog where you can select the types of objects you want included in the Usage Report.
Export Usage Report	You can export the Usage (CRUD) reports in the following formats: CSV, HTML, PDF, and RTF
Print	Opens the Print dialog where you can select a printer, set preferences, select a page range and number of copies and then print.
Refresh Usage	Updates all the nodes in the Usage Report.
Impact Analysis
Filter Designation	Indicates whether a Filter has been set for the Impact Analysis Report. Two icons are displayed to the left of the Filter Designation indicator:   Click to display the impact analysis information in a tree format.   Click to display the impact analysis information in a table format.
Create Impact Analysis Diagram	Once you create a link you can create a diagram that is a graphical representation of that link.
Filter	Opens the Impact Analysis Filter dialog
Export	You can export and save the Impact Analysis report in the following file formats: CSV, HTML, PDF, and RTF.
Print	Opens the Print dialog where you can select a printer, set preferences, select a page range and number of copies and then print.
Expand All	Expands all the nodes in the tree.
Collapse All	Collapses all the nodes in the tree.
Refresh	Updates all the nodes in the Impact Analysis Report.
Appearance
Font and Color Options	Use these commands to change fonts and element colors.
Rendering	Use these commands to change the shadowing and gradient settings for an element.
Horizontal Alignment	Use these commands to set the justification for text labels in an element.
Vertical Alignment	Use these commands to set the alignment (top, centered or bottom) of a text label within an element.
Diagram Display Options	Select this option to show the element label.
Line Display Options	Select the width of the border from the drop-down list. You can select from 1 to 5 pixels.
Apply to Diagram	Applies the formatting changes to all existing tasks on the active diagram.
Restore Defaults	Restores the default settings for all changes made in the Appearance tab.
Set as Default	All formatting changes made in the Appearance tab become the default settings for new task elements placed in the Diagram View.

Independent Sub-processes

The table below describes the Property View fields available for Sub-processes:

Property View	Description
General
Name	Label that appears for an element both in the Model View tree and in the diagram. You can edit this label.
Categories	You can add one or more defined Categories that can be used for purposes such as reporting and analysis.
Sub-Process type:	BPEL4WS does not have a sub-process element. Thus, Independent Sub-Processes must map to a BPEL4WS process. That is, the contents of the Sub-Process, whether it is expanded or collapsed, will be contained within a separate process. The DiagramRef and ProcessRef attributes will identify the process that will be used for the mapping to the BPEL4WS process.   The attributes of the other BPEL4WS process element will be filled from the mapping of the r|} Topics Diagram Ref Properties Process Ref Properties Editing the Properties Using the Ad hoc Properties Editor Using the Transaction Properties Editor