BPMN data objects and stores
Data objects show information flowing through a process; data stores show information that persists beyond it. Both are artifacts, so they do not affect the flow.
They are optional, and worth adding when a reader would otherwise ask where a document came from.
#When it matters
Processes where documents or records are the subject.
Compliance documentation, where the data trail is the requirement.
#The symbols
Symbol | Means |
|---|---|
Data object | Page-corner icon. Information used or produced by an activity. |
Data input and output | Data object with an arrow, at the process boundary. |
Data store | Cylinder. Information outside the process, persisting after it. |
Data association | Dotted arrow linking data to an activity. |
#A few things that catch people out
Data associations are dotted and directional; they are not sequence flow.
Data objects do not persist beyond the process instance. Use a data store when they should.
Do not model every field. Model the documents a reader would ask about.
#Related
Sequence flow stays inside the pool.
