Semantic Annotation for Process Models: - Department of Computer ...

Appendix A
BPMN
This chapter presents the BPMN Version 1.0 modeling elements and notations. The
BPMN modeling elements consist of a set of core elements from which an entire set of
the BPMN modeling elements are extended. The core elements support the requirement
of a simple notation and define the basic look-and-feel of BPMN. The entire list
of elements, including the core elements, help support requirement of a powerful notation
to handle more advanced modeling situations [12]. The definition of the BPMN
elements are standards from [12]. The complete notations are illustrated in [12], but
this chapter illustrates the modeling notations implemented in Metis 5.2.2, which we
have applied in our work.
A.1 BPMN Elements Categories
There are four basic categories of elements — Flow Objects, Connecting Objects, Swimlanes,
and Artifacts. The elements classified into the four categories as follow.
• Flow Objects are the main graphical elements to define the behavior of a Business
Process: Events, Activities, and Gateways.
• Connecting Objects provide ways of connecting the Flow Objects to each other
or other information: Sequence Flow, Message Flow, and Association.
• Swimlanes are used to group the primary modeling elements: Pool and Lane.
• Artifacts model additional information about the Process: Data Objects, Group,
and Annotation.
A.2 Flow Objects
A.2.1
Events
An Event is something that "happens" during the course of a business process. These
events affect the flow of the process and usually have a cause (trigger) or an impact
(result). Events are circles with open centers to allow internal markers to differentiate
different triggers or results. There are three types of Events, based on when they affect
the flow: Start, Intermediate, and End.
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