Model editor

You can create process models, application landscapes, organizational landscapes, or process landscapes by using online model editor.

In the main work area you can:

  • Pan and zoom the model.
  • Select an element and edit its properties in the sidebar.
  • Activate the element’s contextual menu.
  • Search the results.

Contextual menu

When you select a model item, a contextual menu appears, providing a shortcut to the most used actions. Available commands are included in the following table:

Icon Command
Contextual menu Opens the cross-reference view
Contextual menu Delete the current element
Contextual menu Activate the global connect tool
Contextual menu Display additional configuration settings for the selected element
Contextual menu Add a comment to the current element
Contextual menu Attach a document to the current element
Contextual menu Change the color of the current element
Contextual menu Add a new element (of the selected type) tot the model and connect it to the currently selected element
Contextual menu Link a decision table to the current element

Model versions

To work with versions of your model, you can do the following actions:

  • Create a copy of your model.
  • Open and review each model version.
  • Compare selected models.

You can create a version for each model to keep track of the changes. To open the version of a model, click Versions in the toolbar and select the version's name.

You can also activate the visual comparison tool. To compare two versions of a model, complete following steps:

  1. In the Versions toolbar, click the Compare button.

  2. Select the two versions you want to compare.

  3. You can view two models side by side with highlighted changes between them. Following colors indicate a type of the change:

    • Red
      Indicates removed elements.
    • Green
      Indicates added elements.
    • Yellow
      Indicates changed elements.
    • Blue
      Indicates moved elements.

Also, you can obtain a tabular list of changes by clicking the List of changes button.

Command palette

The command palette contains all the main commands and tools that can be applied to the currently opened model. You can use following tools:

  • Hand tool
  • Lasso tool
  • Create/remove space tool

There are different types of items in the command pallete. You can create the following item types:

  • Group of Processes
  • Object
  • Data Object

Components of the model editor

Task

Task types are intended to model the processes that are technically executable and infrequently applied.

You can define the specific type of a task from the configuration settings in the contextual menu.

Task

Loop

A loop task repeats until a defined condition either applies or ceases to apply. To specify a task as the loop task, select Rounded left arrow icon from the configuration settings in the contextual menu.

Multiple instance

A multiple instance instantiates repeatedly and can run in sequence or in parallel. To specify that a task has multiple instances, select one of the following options from the configuration in the contextual menu:

  • Three horizontal stripes if the task is sequential.
  • Three vertical stripes if the task is parallelized.

Subprocess

A subprocess describes a detailed sequence. Both task and subprocess are the part of the activities class and are represented as rectangles with rounded corners. The only difference is the plus sign, indicating a stored detailed sequence for the subprocess:

Subprocess

You can specify that a task is a subprocess from the configuration settings in the contextual menu. You also can choose to collapse or expand the subprocess.

Ad hoc subprocess mark a segment in which the contained activities (tasks or subprocesses) can:

  • Run in any order.
  • Run several times.
  • Be skipped.

You can define an Ad hoc subprocess by selecting Wave icon from the configuration settings in the contextual menu.

Gateway

You can define the specific type of a gateway from the configuration settings in the contextual menu. You can define following gateways:

  • Exclusive
  • Inclusive
  • Parallel
  • Event

Gateways

Data

You can use following data types:

  • Data Object
  • Data Store

Data

Events

You can define the specific type of an event from the configuration settings in the contextual menu.

Events

For more information, see the BPMN Reference.

Properties sidebar

You can use the Properties sidebar to review and edit all the properties of the currently selected item.

Properties sidebar

Properties can vary depending on the type of selected item.

In General tab you can:

  • Name selected item.
  • Add optional description of the item.
  • Add associated systems and roles defined in the cross-references.

In Others tab you can:

  • Create a responsibility assignment matrix (RACI) related to the roles defined in the Organization landscape section.
  • Create User-Defined Properties for which you can define the name and the value.

Cross-reference

To set the cross-references of an item, you can select Cross-reference icon in the contextual menu.

References can vary depending on the type of selected item.

You can associate the item with:

After you associate selected item, you can view and modify related elements.