Recommendations: Dictionary Content Management

Getting Started

The initial dictionary contains the default categories and exemplary entries for most categories. The default categories cannot be deleted. The exemplary entries give you an idea how entries can look like for the different categories.

You can add custom categories and subcategories.

While dictionary entries and categories differ from company to company and between industry sectors, the following four categories are usually useful for all customers:

• Organizational units

  • Roles

  • Departments

  • External participants

• Documents

• IT systems

• Risks & controls

When you have existing definitions and possible entries for one category or multiple categories, we recommend that you add these existing content to the dictionary. Dictionary entries can be added one by one using the dictionary interface. There are two additional ways to add dictionary entries:

• You can import dictionary entries in batches as Microsoft Excel files.

• Dictionary entries can be created while processes are modeled by your modeling users. We recommend this process when you have no existing definitions to import.

Importing New Entries as Microsoft Excel (XLS or XLSX) Files

You can import existing definitions into the dictionary as Excel files. You import one category or one subcategory at a time. For a successful import, the structure of the Excel file needs to fulfill certain requirements.

To make sure that the structure of the Excel file matches the requirements, export one of the available dictionary categories and use this file as a template.

Creating New Entries in the Editor

Every modeling shape provides the option to directly create a new dictionary entry without leaving the current model. When no preexisting definitions to populate the dictionary are available, modelers can fill the dictionary while they are mapping processes.

Assigning Dictionary Managers

To keep the dictionary consistent and to avoid the creation of duplicates, we recommend that you have designated dictionary managers. Only this group of users should get write permissions to the entire dictionary or specific categories, for example, you can appoint two managers for IT-systems and two different managers for organizational units.

To enable all modelers to suggest new entries, create suggestion categories. You can give all users writing access to these suggestion categories. Detailed permissions per dictionary category can be set in the user management.

Every dictionary entry has a unique ID that is used to link the entry to an element. This means the suggested dictionary entries can be used by all modelers while still in the suggestion category. The link between dictionary entries and modeling shapes stay intact when dictionary managers change the category of entries.

The dictionary managers should regularly take over entries from the suggestion categories so that new entries are added to the main categories in reliable intervals. Dictionary managers can subscribe to the suggestion categories to get notified about changes automatically.

Avoiding Duplicates

There are several ways duplicate entries are created:

• Modeling users create a new entry, but a similar entry already exists.

• When you import Excel files with dictionary entries, the option Create new entries for all rows is enabled.

• SGX files are imported, with the enabled option to import the contained dictionary entries.

When several languages are set for your workspace, users can select a language for a dictionary entry. This can result in duplicate entries that are not easily recognized because they are in different languages.

When you use suggestion categories and designated dictionary managers, they should detect duplicates when they move entries out of the suggestion category.

When you import Excel files with dictionary entries, select the options carefully to avoid undesired results.

Merging Dictionary Entries

When you have duplicate dictionary entries, you can merge entries so that no information gets lost.

Deleting Dictionary Categories and Entries

You can delete dictionary entries and all dictionary categories you have created. It is not possible to delete the default categories.

Before you can delete a dictionary category, you have to delete all entries in that category, or move them to different categories. You also have to delete all attribute definitions used by this category and all dictionary link attributes that reference the category.