Definition of process fragments

In order to be able to generate process instances for the PPM system from the system events, each system event to be imported to PPM must be linked to a process fragment definition. Each system event is assigned to a system event type. A fragment definition must be created for each system event type.

Each system event type is assigned to an end event in a separate EPC. It is assumed that in the process, a function must have preceded and triggered the end event. Adding a start event before the function results in a complete process fragment complying with the modeling system. The start event of a process fragment can correspond to the end event of another process fragment.
All process fragment definitions are saved in an XML file as a graph list. The fragment definition XML file uses the graph format DTD for its format description.

Imported process instance fragments are linked to form a process instance by way of the start and end events of the individual fragments. These events are known as merge events.

It is not absolutely necessary for the system event and the end event of the process instance fragment to be the same, e.g., if the process for the fragment definition ends with two end events. What is important is that all system descriptions contained in the system event are represented by the process instance fragment created.

Example

The source system contains the two system events Order created and Invoice created. Each of these is transferred to an EPC as an end event and interpreted as the result of the Create customer order or Create invoice function. You must use further knowledge of the source system to determine the events preceding these two functions. In the example, these are the Customer order to be created and Invoice to be created events.

The illustration below shows the process fragment description for the two system events.

tr_xml_impproc2

The file extract below shows a possible fragment definition file for the process fragments illustrated:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding='ISO-8859-1'?>

<!DOCTYPE graphlist SYSTEM "graph.dtd">

<graphlist>

<graph id="FRG_ORD_CREATED">

<node id="EVT_ORD_TOBECREATED" type="OT_EVT">

<attribute type="AT_OBJNAME">Customer order to be created</attribute>

<attribute type="AT_OBJNAME_INTERN">EVT_ORD_TOBECREATED</attribute>

</node>

<node id="FCT_CREATE_ORDER" type="OT_FUNC">

<attribute type="AT_OBJNAME">Create customer order</attribute>

<attribute type="AT_OBJNAME_INTERN">FCT_CREATE_ORDER</attribute>

</node>

<node id="EVT_ORD_CREATED" type="OT_EVT">

<attribute type="AT_OBJNAME">Customer order created</attribute>

<attribute type="AT_OBJNAME_INTERN">EVT_ORD_CREATED</attribute>

</node>

<edge type="CXN_FOLLOWS" source="EVT_ORD_TOBECREATED"

target="FCT_CREATE_ORDER"/>

<edge type="CXN_FOLLOWS" source="FCT_CREATE_ORDER"
target="EVT_ORD_CREATED"/>

</graph>

<graph id="FRG_INVOICED">

<node id="EVT_TOBE_INVOICED" type="OT_EVT">

<attribute type="AT_OBJNAME">Invoice to be created</attribute>

<attribute type="AT_OBJNAME_INTERN">EVT_TOBE_INVOICED</attribute>

</node>

<node id="FCT_INVOICE" type="OT_FUNC">

<attribute type="AT_OBJNAME">Create invoice</attribute>

<attribute type="AT_OBJNAME_INTERN">FCT_INVOICE</attribute>

</node>

<node id="EVT_INVOICED" type="OT_EVT">

<attribute type="AT_OBJNAME">Invoice created</attribute>

<attribute type="AT_OBJNAME_INTERN">EVT_INVOICED</attribute>

</node>

<edge type="CXN_FOLLOWS" source="EVT_TOBE_INVOICED"

target="FCT_INVOICE"/>

<edge type="CXN_FOLLOWS" source="FCT_INVOICE"

target="EVT_INVOICED"/>

</graph>

</graphlist>

Fragment definition graphs should not contain any attributes specified. When the process instance fragments are subsequently merged, only object attributes are taken into account by default. Process instance attributes to be retained when merging can be specified in the merge configuration.