Data and Data References (BPMN Executable)

Data are physical or information items that are created, manipulated, or otherwise used during the execution of a process. Data references are objects that reference data objects for reuse.

Note PowerDesigner does not support the association of data objects with sequence flows.

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

In BPMN 2.0 Executable, PowerDesigner supports the following types of data:

Symbol	Description
	Data object / Collection data object - Information flowing through the process.
	Data input / Collection data input - External input for the entire process, which can be read by an activity.
	Data output / Collection data output - Variable available as the result of the entire process.
	Data store - Place where the process can read or write data, such as a database or filing cabinet, and which persists beyond the lifetime of the process instance.

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.
Capacity/ Unlimited	[data stores] Specify the size of the data store or the fact that it has an unlimited capacity.
Data object	[data references] Specifies the data object to reference. Select an object from the list, or use the tools to the right of this field to create, delete, select an object, or review the properties of the selected object.
State	[data references] Specifies the state of the data object. You can select: `Initial` `Processing` `Completed`
Collection	Specifies that the data object represents a collection of data, such as a list of order items.

Data associations 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.
Transformation type	Specifies the direction of the transfer of the item-aware element (see Item-Aware Elements (BPMN Executable)): `Input` - Specifies a read. The data association goes from the data object to the activity. `Output` - Specifies a write. The data association goes from the activity to the data object.
Source item	[`Output`] Specifies the item-aware element (of type `Data Output`) defined on the activity to be transferred from it to the data object.
Target item	[`Input`] Specifies the item-aware element (of type `Data Input`) defined on the activity to be transferred to it from the data object.