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Data objects represent data used in the process.

To create a data object, click the Data Store or Data Object tool in the bottom toolbar to select it and click in the diagram.

In BPMN 2.0 Descriptive, PowerDesigner supports the following types of data:
Symbol Description
BPMN_20_DataBase Data object - Information used in the process.
BPMN_20_DataStore Data store - A database, filing cabinet, or other location from which the process can read or to which it can write data, and which persists beyond the lifetime of the process instance.

To show a task (or other object) reading from a data object or data store, click the data and then click and drag the Link tool from its context toolbar and drop it onto the task to create a data association (a dashed line) pointing to the task:



To show a task (or other object) writing to a data object or data store, click the task and then click and drag the Link tool from its context toolbar and drop it onto the data to create a data association pointing to the data:



Data can have the following properties:
Property Description

Name/Code/Comment

Identify the object. The name should clearly convey the object's purpose to non-technical users, while the code, which is used for generating code or scripts, may be abbreviated, and should not normally include spaces. You can optionally add a comment to provide more detailed information about the object. By default the code is generated from the name by applying the naming conventions specified in the model options. To decouple name-code synchronization, click to release the = button to the right of the Code field.
Collection [data objects] Specifies that the object represents a collection of elements.
Capacity / Unlimited [data stores] Specify the capacity of the store either as a numeric value or as unlimited.