
- •1 Scope
- •1.1 General
- •2 Conformance
- •2.1 General
- •2.2 Process Modeling Conformance
- •2.2.1 BPMN Process Types
- •2.2.2 BPMN Process Elements
- •Descriptive Conformance Sub-Class
- •Analytic Conformance Sub-Class
- •Common Executable Conformance Sub-Class
- •2.2.3 Visual Appearance
- •2.2.4 Structural Conformance
- •2.2.5 Process Semantics
- •2.2.6 Attributes and Model Associations
- •2.2.7 Extended and Optional Elements
- •2.2.8 Visual Interchange
- •2.3 Process Execution Conformance
- •2.3.1 Execution Semantics
- •2.3.2 Import of Process Diagrams
- •2.4 BPEL Process Execution Conformance
- •2.5 Choreography Modeling Conformance
- •2.5.1 BPMN Choreography Types
- •2.5.2 BPMN Choreography Elements
- •2.5.3 Visual Appearance
- •2.5.4 Choreography Semantics
- •2.5.5 Visual Interchange
- •2.6 Summary of BPMN Conformance Types
- •3 Normative References
- •3.1 General
- •3.2 Normative
- •3.3 Non-Normative
- •Activity Service
- •BPEL4People
- •Business Process Definition Metamodel
- •Business Process Modeling
- •Business Transaction Protocol
- •Dublin Core Meta Data
- •ebXML BPSS
- •Open Nested Transactions
- •SOAP 1.2
- •UDDI
- •WfMC Glossary
- •Web Services Transaction
- •Workflow Patterns
- •WSBPEL
- •WS-Coordination
- •WSDL
- •WS-HumanTask
- •XML 1.0 (Second Edition)
- •XML-Namespaces
- •XML-Schema
- •XPath
- •XPDL
- •4 Terms and Definitions
- •5 Symbols
- •6 Additional Information
- •6.1 Conventions
- •6.1.1 Typographical and Linguistic Conventions and Style
- •6.1.2 Abbreviations
- •6.2 Structure of this Document
- •6.3 Acknowledgments
- •Submitting Organizations
- •Supporting Organizations
- •Special Acknowledgments
- •7 Overview
- •7.1 General
- •7.2 BPMN Scope
- •7.2.1 Uses of BPMN
- •Private (Internal) Business Processes
- •Public Processes
- •Collaborations
- •Choreographies
- •Conversations
- •Diagram Point of View
- •Understanding the Behavior of Diagrams
- •7.3 BPMN Elements
- •7.3.1 Basic BPMN Modeling Elements
- •7.3.2 Extended BPMN Modeling Elements
- •7.4 BPMN Diagram Types
- •7.5 Use of Text, Color, Size, and Lines in a Diagram
- •7.6 Flow Object Connection Rules
- •7.6.1 Sequence Flow Connections Rules
- •7.6.2 Message Flow Connection Rules
- •7.7 BPMN Extensibility
- •7.8 BPMN Example
- •8 BPMN Core Structure
- •8.1 General
- •8.2 Infrastructure
- •8.2.1 Definitions
- •8.2.2 Import
- •8.2.3 Infrastructure Package XML Schemas
- •8.3 Foundation
- •8.3.1 Base Element
- •8.3.2 Documentation
- •8.3.3 Extensibility
- •Extension
- •ExtensionDefinition
- •ExtensionAttributeDefinition
- •ExtensionAttributeValue
- •Extensibility XML Schemas
- •XML Example
- •8.3.4 External Relationships
- •8.3.5 Root Element
- •8.3.6 Foundation Package XML Schemas
- •8.4 Common Elements
- •8.4.1 Artifacts
- •Common Artifact Definitions
- •Artifact Sequence Flow Connections
- •Artifact Message Flow Connections
- •Association
- •Group
- •Category
- •Text Annotation
- •XML Schema for Artifacts
- •8.4.2 Correlation
- •CorrelationKey
- •Key-based Correlation
- •Context-based Correlation
- •XML Schema for Correlation
- •8.4.3 Error
- •8.4.4 Escalation
- •8.4.5 Events
- •8.4.6 Expressions
- •Expression
- •Formal Expression
- •8.4.7 Flow Element
- •8.4.8 Flow Elements Container
- •8.4.9 Gateways
- •8.4.10 Item Definition
- •8.4.11 Message
- •8.4.12 Resources
- •8.4.13 Sequence Flow
- •Flow Node
- •8.4.14 Common Package XML Schemas
- •8.5 Services
- •8.5.1 Interface
- •8.5.2 EndPoint
- •8.5.3 Operation
- •8.5.4 Service Package XML Schemas
- •9 Collaboration
- •9.1 General
- •9.2 Basic Collaboration Concepts
- •9.2.1 Use of BPMN Common Elements
- •9.3 Pool and Participant
- •9.3.1 Participants
- •PartnerEntity
- •PartnerRole
- •Participant Multiplicity
- •ParticipantAssociation
- •9.3.2 Lanes
- •9.4 Message Flow
- •9.4.1 Interaction Node
- •9.4.2 Message Flow Associations
- •9.5 Conversations
- •9.5.1 Conversation Node
- •9.5.2 Conversation
- •9.5.3 Sub-Conversation
- •9.5.4 Call Conversation
- •9.5.5 Global Conversation
- •9.5.6 Conversation Link
- •9.5.7 Conversation Association
- •9.5.8 Correlations
- •9.6 Process within Collaboration
- •9.7 Choreography within Collaboration
- •9.8 Collaboration Package XML Schemas
- •10 Process
- •10.1 General
- •10.2 Basic Process Concepts
- •10.2.1 Types of BPMN Processes
- •10.2.2 Use of BPMN Common Elements
- •10.3 Activities
- •Sequence Flow Connections
- •Message Flow Connections
- •10.3.1 Resource Assignment
- •Resource Role
- •Expression Assignment
- •Parameterized Resource Assignment
- •10.3.2 Performer
- •10.3.3 Tasks
- •Service Task
- •Send Task
- •Receive Task
- •User Task
- •Manual Task
- •Business Rule
- •Script Task
- •10.3.4 Human Interactions
- •Notation
- •Manual Task
- •User Task
- •Rendering of User Tasks
- •Human Performers
- •Potential Owners
- •XML Schema for Human Interactions
- •Examples
- •10.3.5 Sub-Processes
- •Embedded Sub-Process (Sub-Process)
- •Reusable Sub-Process (Call Activity)
- •Event Sub-Process
- •Transaction
- •Ad-Hoc Sub-Process
- •10.3.6 Call Activity
- •Callable Element
- •10.3.7 Global Task
- •Types of Global Task
- •10.3.8 Loop Characteristics
- •Standard Loop Characteristics
- •Multi-Instance Characteristics
- •Complex Behavior Definition
- •10.3.9 XML Schema for Activities
- •10.4 Items and Data
- •10.4.1 Data Modeling
- •Item-Aware Elements
- •Data Objects
- •DataObject
- •States
- •Data Objects representing a Collection of Data
- •Visual representations of Data Objects
- •Lifecycle and Accessibility
- •Data Stores
- •Properties
- •Lifecycle and Accessibility
- •Data Inputs and Outputs
- •Data Input
- •States
- •Data Output
- •States
- •Service Task Mapping
- •Send Task Mapping
- •Receive Task Mapping
- •User Task Mapping
- •Call Activity Mapping
- •Script Task Mapping
- •Events
- •InputSet
- •OutputSet
- •Data Associations
- •DataAssociation
- •Assignment
- •DataInputAssociation
- •DataOutputAssociation
- •Data Objects associated with a Sequence Flow
- •10.4.2 Execution Semantics for Data
- •Execution Semantics for DataAssociation
- •10.4.3 Usage of Data in XPath Expressions
- •Access to BPMN Data Objects
- •Access to BPMN Data Input and Data Output
- •Access to BPMN Properties
- •For BPMN Instance Attributes
- •10.4.4 XML Schema for Data
- •10.5 Events
- •10.5.1 Concepts
- •Data Modeling and Events
- •Common Event attributes
- •Common Catch Event attributes
- •Common Throw Event Attributes
- •Implicit Throw Event
- •10.5.2 Start Event
- •Start Event Triggers
- •Start Events for Top-level Processes
- •Start Events for Sub-Processes
- •Start Events for Event Sub-Processes
- •Attributes for Start Events
- •Sequence Flow Connections
- •Message Flow Connections
- •10.5.3 End Event
- •End Event Results
- •Sequence Flow Connections
- •Message Flow Connections
- •10.5.4 Intermediate Event
- •Intermediate Event Triggers
- •Intermediate Events in Normal Flow
- •Intermediate Events Attached to an Activity Boundary
- •Attributes for Boundary Events
- •Activity Boundary Connections
- •Sequence Flow Connections
- •Message Flow Connections
- •10.5.5 Event Definitions
- •Event Definition Metamodel
- •Cancel Event
- •Compensation Event
- •Conditional Event
- •Error Event
- •Escalation Event Definition
- •Link Event Definition
- •Message Event Definition
- •Multiple Event
- •None Event
- •Parallel Multiple Event
- •Signal Event
- •Terminate Event
- •Timer Event
- •10.5.6 Handling Events
- •Handling Start Events
- •Handling Events within normal Sequence Flow (Intermediate Events)
- •Handling Events attached to an Activity (Intermediate boundary Events and Event Sub-Processes)
- •Interrupting Event Handlers (Error, Escalation, Message, Signal, Timer, Conditional, Multiple, and Parallel Multiple)
- •Non-interrupting Event Handlers (Escalation, Message, Signal, Timer, Conditional, Multiple, and Parallel Multiple)
- •Handling End Events
- •10.5.7 Scopes
- •10.5.8 Events Package XML Schemas
- •10.6 Gateways
- •10.6.1 Sequence Flow Considerations
- •10.6.2 Exclusive Gateway
- •10.6.3 Inclusive Gateway
- •10.6.4 Parallel Gateway
- •10.6.5 Complex Gateway
- •10.6.6 Event-Based Gateway
- •10.6.7 Gateway Package XML Schemas
- •10.7 Compensation
- •10.7.1 Compensation Handler
- •10.7.2 Compensation Triggering
- •10.7.3 Relationship between Error Handling and Compensation
- •10.8 Lanes
- •10.9 Process Instances, Unmodeled Activities, and Public Processes
- •10.10 Auditing
- •10.11 Monitoring
- •10.12 Process Package XML Schemas
- •11 Choreography
- •11.1 General
- •11.2 Basic Choreography Concepts
- •11.3 Data
- •11.4 Use of BPMN Common Elements
- •11.4.1 Sequence Flow
- •11.4.2 Artifacts
- •11.5 Choreography Activities
- •11.5.1 Choreography Task
- •11.5.2 Sub-Choreography
- •The Parent Sub-Choreography (Expanded)
- •11.5.3 Call Choreography
- •11.5.4 Global Choreography Task
- •11.5.5 Looping Activities
- •11.5.6 The Sequencing of Activities
- •11.6 Events
- •11.6.1 Start Events
- •11.6.2 Intermediate Events
- •11.6.3 End Events
- •11.7 Gateways
- •11.7.1 Exclusive Gateway
- •11.7.2 Event-Based Gateway
- •11.7.3 Inclusive Gateway
- •11.7.4 Parallel Gateway
- •11.7.5 Complex Gateway
- •11.7.6 Chaining Gateways
- •11.8 Choreography within Collaboration
- •11.8.1 Participants
- •11.8.2 Swimlanes
- •Choreography Task in Combined View
- •Sub-Choreography in Combined View
- •11.9 XML Schema for Choreography
- •12 BPMN Notation and Diagrams
- •12.1 BPMN Diagram Interchange (BPMN DI)
- •12.1.1 Scope
- •12.1.2 Diagram Definition and Interchange
- •12.1.3 How to Read this Clause
- •12.2 BPMN Diagram Interchange (DI) Meta-model
- •12.2.1 Overview
- •12.2.2 Abstract Syntax
- •12.2.3 Classifier Descriptions
- •12.2.4 Complete BPMN DI XML Schema
- •12.3 Notational Depiction Library and Abstract Element Resolutions
- •12.3.1 Labels
- •12.3.2 BPMNShape
- •Markers for Activities
- •Tasks [BPMNShape]
- •Collapsed Sub-Processes [BPMNShape]
- •Expanded Sub-Processes [BPMNShape]
- •Collapsed Ad Hoc Sub-Processes [BPMNShape]
- •Expanded Ad Hoc Sub-Processes [BPMNShape]
- •Collapsed Transactions [BPMNShape]
- •Expanded Transactions [BPMNShape]
- •Collapsed Event Sub-Processes [BPMNShape]
- •Expanded Event Sub-Processes [BPMNShape]
- •Call Activities (Calling a Global Task) [BPMNShape]
- •Collapsed Call Activities (Calling a Process) [BPMNShape]
- •Expanded Call Activities (Calling a Process) [BPMNShape]
- •Data [BPMNShape]
- •Events [BPMNShape]
- •Gateways [BPMNShape]
- •Artifacts [BPMNShape]
- •Lanes [BPMNShape]
- •Pools [BPMNShape]
- •Choreography Tasks [BPMNShape]
- •Collapsed Sub-Choreographies [BPMNShape]
- •Expanded Sub-Choreographies [BPMNShape]
- •Call Choreographies (Calling a Global Choreography Task) [BPMNShape]
- •Collapsed Call Choreographies (Calling a Choreography) [BPMNShape]
- •Expanded Call Choreographies (Calling a Choreography) [BPMNShape]
- •Choreography Participant Bands [BPMNShape]
- •Conversations [BPMNShape]
- •12.3.3 BPMNEdge
- •Connecting Objects [BPMNEdge]
- •12.4 Example(s)
- •12.4.1 Depicting Content in a Sub-Process
- •Expanded Sub-Process
- •Expanded Sub-Process with Start and End Events on Border
- •Collapsed Sub-Process
- •12.4.2 Multiple Lanes and Nested Lanes
- •12.4.3 Vertical Collaboration
- •12.4.4 Conversation
- •12.4.5 Choreography
- •13 BPMN Execution Semantics
- •13.1 General
- •13.2 Process Instantiation and Termination
- •13.3 Activities
- •13.3.1 Sequence Flow Considerations
- •13.3.2 Activity
- •13.3.3 Task
- •13.3.4 Sub-Process/Call Activity
- •13.3.5 Ad-Hoc Sub-Process
- •Operational semantics
- •13.3.6 Loop Activity
- •13.3.7 Multiple Instances Activity
- •13.4 Gateways
- •13.4.1 Parallel Gateway (Fork and Join)
- •13.4.2 Exclusive Gateway (Exclusive Decision (data-based) and Exclusive Merge)
- •13.4.3 Inclusive Gateway (Inclusive Decision and Inclusive Merge)
- •13.4.4 Event-based Gateway (Exclusive Decision (event-based))
- •13.4.5 Complex Gateway (related to Complex Condition and Complex Merge)
- •13.5 Events
- •13.5.1 Start Events
- •13.5.2 Intermediate Events
- •13.5.3 Intermediate Boundary Events
- •13.5.4 Event Sub-Processes
- •Operational semantics
- •13.5.5 Compensation
- •Compensation Handler
- •Compensation Triggering
- •Relationship between Error Handling and Compensation
- •Operational Semantics
- •13.5.6 End Events
- •Process level end events
- •Sub-process level end events
- •14 Mapping BPMN Models to WS-BPEL
- •14.1 General
- •14.2 Basic BPMN-BPEL Mapping
- •14.2.1 Process
- •14.2.2 Activities
- •Common Activity Mappings
- •Task Mappings
- •Service Task
- •Receive Task
- •Send Task
- •Abstract Task
- •Service Package
- •Message
- •Interface and Operation
- •Conversations and Correlation
- •Sub-Process Mappings
- •Mapping of Event Sub-Processes
- •Activity Loop Mapping
- •Standard Loops
- •Dealing with LoopMaximum
- •Multi-Instance Activities
- •14.2.3 Events
- •Start Event Mappings
- •Message Start Events
- •Error Start Events
- •Compensation Start Events
- •Intermediate Event Mappings (Non-boundary)
- •Message Intermediate Events (Non-boundary)
- •Timer Intermediate Events (Non-boundary)
- •Compensation Intermediate Events (Non-boundary)
- •End Event Mappings
- •None End Events
- •Message End Events
- •Error End Events
- •Compensation End Events
- •Terminate End Events
- •Boundary Intermediate Events
- •Message Boundary Events
- •Error Boundary Events
- •Compensation Boundary Events
- •Multiple Boundary Events, and Boundary Events with Loops
- •14.2.4 Gateways and Sequence Flows
- •Exclusive (Data-based) Decision Pattern
- •Exclusive (Event-based) Decision Pattern
- •Inclusive Decision Pattern
- •Parallel Pattern
- •Sequence Pattern
- •Structured Loop Patterns
- •Handling Loops in Sequence Flows
- •14.2.5 Handling Data
- •Data Objects
- •Properties
- •Input and Output Sets
- •Data Associations
- •Expressions
- •Assignments
- •14.3 Extended BPMN-BPEL Mapping
- •14.3.1 End Events
- •14.3.2 Loop/Switch Combinations From a Gateway
- •14.3.3 Interleaved Loops
- •14.3.4 Infinite Loops
- •14.3.5 BPMN Elements that Span Multiple WSBPEL Sub-Elements
- •15 Exchange Formats
- •15.1 Interchanging Incomplete Models
- •15.2 Machine Readable Files
- •15.3.1 Document Structure
- •15.3.2 References within the BPMN XSD
- •15.5 XSLT Transformation between XSD and XMI
- •B.1 Scope
- •B.2 Architecture
- •B.3 Diagram Common
- •B.3.1 Overview
- •B.3.2 Abstract Syntax
- •B.3.3 Classifier Descriptions
- •B.4 Diagram Interchange
- •B.4.1 Overview
- •B.4.2 Abstract Syntax
- •B.4.3 Classifier Descriptions
Table 8.43 – FormalExpression attributes and model associations
Attribute Name |
Description/Usage |
|
|
language: string [0..1] |
Overrides the Expression language specified in the Definitions. The language |
|
MUST be specified in a URI format. |
|
|
body: Element |
The body of the Expression. |
|
Note that this attribute is not relevant when the XML Schema is used for |
|
interchange. Instead, the FormalExpression complex type supports mixed |
|
content. The body of the Expression would be specified as element content. |
|
For example: |
|
<formalExpression id=“ID_2"> |
|
count(../dataObject[id="CustomerRecord_1"]/emailAddress) > 0 |
|
<evaluatesToType id="ID_3" typeRef=“xsd:boolean"/> |
|
</formalExpression> |
|
|
evaluatesToTypeRef: |
The type of object that this Expression returns when evaluated. For example, |
ItemDefinition |
conditional Expressions evaluate to a boolean. |
8.4.7Flow Element
FlowElement is the abstract super class for all elements that can appear in a Process flow, which are FlowNodes (see page 99, which consist of Activities (see page 149), Choreography Activities (see page 319) Gateways (see page 285), and Events (see page 231), Data Objects (see page 204), Data Associations (see page 220), and
Sequence Flows (see page 97).
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Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), v2.0.2 |

Figure 8.22 – FlowElement class diagram
The FlowElement element inherits the attributes and model associations of BaseElement (see Table 8.5). Table 8.44 presents the additional attributes and model associations of the FlowElement element.
Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), v2.0.2 |
85 |
Table 8.44 – FlowElement attributes and model associations
Attribute Name |
Description/Usage |
|
|
name: string [0..1] |
The descriptive name of the element. |
|
|
categoryValueRef: CategoryValue |
A reference to the Category Values that are associated with this Flow |
[0..*] |
Element. |
auditing: Auditing [0..1] |
A hook for specifying audit related properties. Auditing can only be |
|
defined for a Process. |
monitoring: Monitoring [0..1] |
A hook for specifying monitoring related properties. Monitoring can only |
|
be defined for a Process. |
|
|
8.4.8Flow Elements Container
FlowElementsContainer is an abstract super class for BPMN diagrams (or views) and defines the superset of elements that are contained in those diagrams. Basically, a FlowElementsContainer contains FlowElements, which are Events (see page 231), Gateways (see page 285), Sequence Flows (see page 97), Activities (see page 149), and Choreography Activities (see page 319).
There are four (4) types of FlowElementsContainers (see Figure 8.23): Process, Sub-Process,
Choreography, and Sub-Choreography.
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Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), v2.0.2 |

Figure 8.23 – FlowElementContainers class diagram
The FlowElementsContainer element inherits the attributes and model associations of BaseElement (see Table 8.5). Table 8.45 presents the additional model associations of the FlowElementsContainer element.
Table 8.45 – FlowElementsContainer model associations
Attribute Name |
Description/Usage |
|
|
|
|
flowElements: Flow |
This association specifies the particular flow elements contained in a |
|
Element [0..*] |
FlowElementContainer. Flow elements are Events, Gateways, Sequence |
|
|
Flows, Activities, Data Objects, Data Associations, and Choreography |
|
|
Activities. |
|
|
Note that: |
|
|
• |
Choreography Activities MUST NOT be included as a flowElement for a |
|
|
Process. |
|
• |
Activities, Data Associations, and Data Objects MUST NOT be included as |
|
|
a flowElement for a Choreography. |
laneSets: LaneSet [0..*] |
This attribute defines the list of LaneSets used in the FlowElementsContainer |
|
|
LaneSets are not used for Choreographies or Sub-Choreographies. |
Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), v2.0.2 |
87 |