Software AG Products 10.7 | Designing and Implementing Business Process Models | ARIS Method manual | Modeling BPMN 2.0 | BPMN core elements and their implementation in ARIS | Common Elements | Message flow
 
Message flow
The message exchange between participants is shown by a message flow that connects two pools or the objects within the pools.
BPMN message flow
A message flow is represented in ARIS by the connection type message flow. If the message sent from one participant to another should be displayed in the diagram, the connection type message flow is replaced by the object type Message (symbol Message) and two connection types:
*<Source object type> sends message.
*Message is received from <target object type>.
More details can be found in chapter Message flow.
Message flow associations are used to map message flows modeled in two different diagrams, for example, in a conversation and a collaboration diagram. These associations are realized in ARIS by occurrence copies of the message flow connections.
Message flow is also described in the context of the BPMN collaboration diagram (chapter Message flow) and the BPMN conversation diagram (chapter Message flow in a conversation).
Mapping the attributes and model associations to ARIS
Class
BPMN attribute name
Implementation in ARIS
message flow
inherits from BaseElement
Connection type: message flow (CT_BPMN_MESAGE_FLOW)
 
name: string
Attribute type Connection role of connection type message flow (CT_BPMN_MESSAGE_FLOW)
 
sourceRef: MessageFlowNode
Source object type of connection type message flow (CT_BPMN_MESAGE_FLOW) (Participant, Function, Event)
 
targetRef: MessageFlowNode
Target object type of connection type message flow (CT_BPMN_MESAGE_FLOW) (Participant, Function, Event)
 
messageRef: Message [0..1]
Object type: Message (OT_MSG_FLW) Symbol: Message (ST_BPMN_MESSAGE_2) Connection types in the BPMN collaboration diagram (BPMN 2.0): * Participant sends (CT_SENDS_2) message. * Event sends (CT_SENDS_2) message. * Function sends (CT_SENDS_2) message. * Message is received from (CT_IS_RECEIVED_FROM) participant. * Message is received from (CT_IS_RECEIVED_FROM) function. * Message is received from (CT_IS_RECEIVED_FROM) event.
Flow node
 
Object types that can be the source or target of message flow (CT_BPMN_MESSAGE_FLOW) connection type: Participant (OT_BPMN_POOL), Function (OT_FUNC), Event (OT_EVT)
Message flow association
inherits from BaseElement
This association is used to map message flows modeled in a collaboration and a conversation diagram.
 
innerMessageFlowRef: Message Flow
Occurrence copy of a message flow connection in a BPMN collaboration diagram and BPMN conversation diagram.
 
outerMessageFlowRef: Message Flow
Occurrence copy of a message flow connection in a BPMN collaboration diagram and BPMN conversation diagram.