Business Process Models File Import

To work with business process models in ALM, you must first create models in standard BPMN or EPC modeling tools, and export them to files.

ALM supports the following model and file formats:

  • BPMN 1.1 models exported to XPDL 2.0/2.1 files

  • BPMN 2.0 models exported to XPDL 2.2 files
  • EPC 7.1 models exported to AML files (.xml extension)

  • EPC 9.8 models exported to AML files (.xml extension)

During the import process, you can map model and activity attributes to ALM memo or string fields. This enables you to edit attribute values in ALM.

For each model that you import to ALM, business process model entities are created under the selected folder: an entity for the model as a whole, and an entity for each of the model's activities.

Note:

  • As XPDL2.2 focuses on process modeling, it does not include all elements of the BPMN 2.0 specification. Choreography and conversation diagrams are not defined in XPDL 2.2, and collaboration diagrams are covered only to the extent required to support modeling message flow between pools. Exporting models with these elements into XPDL 2.2 files will cause gaps in the model.
  • If you use Metastorm ProVision, you should export models using the Independent Sub-Process option.

In addition, representative requirements are created automatically for the model and for each of its activities in the Requirements module.

  • Representative requirements for models are created under the Business Models requirement folder.

  • Representative requirements for activities are created under the Activities sub-folder. If the same activity is included in several models, the same requirement is used to represent the activity.

Representative requirements are assigned the Business Model requirement type.

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Re-importing models

If changes are made to a model in the model authoring tool, you can apply the changes to the model in ALM by re-importing the model. ALM automatically updates the model entities, as follows:

  • Activities added or deleted in the re-imported model are added or deleted in the model in ALM.

    Note: Activities are identified by the GUID assigned to them by the authoring tool. A re-imported activity with a different GUID than the original activity is re-imported as a separate activity.

  • Paths are automatically updated in ALM, provided that alternative paths are found. If alternative paths cannot be found, you must assign a new path to the path entity, or delete the path entity.

Parent topic: Business Process Models Overview

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