In this section, we will see how to create, modify and remove the Data Mappings. We will also cover the Data Mapping Connections and Automatic Completion of Data Mappings.
To create a data mapping for an activity:
Figure: Add an In Data Mapping
Data mappings are managed in the In Data Mappings and Out Data Mappings panes of the activity properties dialog.
We will cover only In data mappings here; Out data mappings are treated similarly. The In Data Mappings pane is structured to have an overview tree of the data mappings on the left side and a details pane for the chosen data mapping on the right side. Depending on the type of the chosen data mapping, the details pane will show editing controls for:
Figure: Structure of the In Data Mapping Pane
In the data mapping pane you can choose a context to add.
Figure: List of Application Context Types
Please refer to the section Application Contexts for Data Mappings of the chapter Workflow Data for detailed information on the context provided for data mappings.
When an input or output mapping is created for an activity with an application attached, the data mapping is automatically connected to the first input/output access point, whose type matches the data of the data mapping and which is not connected via a data mapping already.
If no matching access point according to these rules is available, no completion occurs.
The preset access point of the data mapping follows these rules:
After data mappings are created they render automatically in the Process Workbench as connections between the activity symbol and the data symbol. There is at most one data mapping connection between an activity and a data, summarizing all existing data mappings for them. The data mapping direction is indicated by arrows:
Figure: An In Data Mapping Connection
There is a shortcut to create a first data mapping between an activity and a data: in the diagram containing the activity and the data element you can map the data as the activity's input/output. To do this, proceed as follows:
Figure: Create a In Data Mapping
An In data mapping is created, visualized by a data mapping connection.
If you have created at least one link type with source type Data and target type Activity, you have the choice to select between these custom link types and the standard data mapping connection type. Please refer to chapter Specifying Arbitrary Link Types for information on custom link types.
Figure: Select the Link Type for Data Mapping
To create an Out data mapping, this works the other way around:
Figure: Create an Out Data Mapping
Data mappings can be modified by selecting their connection symbol in the diagram and then editing its properties in the details pane or by opening the properties dialog of the corresponding activity.
A possibility to manage all data mappings between an activity and a data is the data mapping properties dialog. It can be opened by double-clicking on a data mapping connection. It looks exactly like the data mapping panes in the activity properties dialog, except the data cannot be chosen.
Figure: Data Mapping Properties Dialog
All data mappings are executed in the order specified in the model. Data mappings may be reordered by selecting a data mapping in the data mapping properties pane in the properties dialog of the activity and clicking the Move Up or Move Down button.
A data mapping can be deleted by
The process interface data mapping is required when one model is referring to another model. Suppose the referred subprocess has IN parameters defined and it returns the result. In this case, the called process should know the IN and OUT parameters. So if the referred process has exposed the parameters then you need to provide the data mappings in the process interface context.
Note that the data type specified in the formal parameters should match with the data type specified in the consumer model. For example, you have defined structure data type in the provider model. To access the same structured data in the consumer model, you need to drag and drop the structured data and reference through the data mappings. For more information on how to drag and drop referenced elements, please refer to the section Dragging and Dropping the Referenced Elements of the External Model Resources chapter. For more information, you can also refer to the chapter Outline View .
Open the Property page of the referred subprocess activity in the consumer model and click on In Data Mappings
Figure: In Data Mapping
Select the processInterface context and click the Add button.
Figure: In Data Mapping - Process Interface Context
Specify the parameters and click on Apply.
Figure: Process Interface Context - Parameters
Similarly, you can provide the out data mappings.