Skip to main content

Multiple Sub-Processes Concepts

The Context of a Process​

Each Process has one main entity, called the Process Entity.
The Process Entity provides the starting point to access the rest of the Process data.
The context of a Process is defined by the main Process Entity.

  • If the Process (or Sub-Process) is created through Expert View, the Process Entity is not set.
  • You need to manually set the Process Entity of the Multiple Sub-Process to access its data.

Basic and Advanced Settings​

You can specify Basic or Advanced settings for a Multiple Sub-Process:

  • Basic Configuration → Applies Bizagi's default settings through a simple wizard.
  • Advanced Settings → Allows custom configuration for specific business cases using the complete Sub-Process wizard.

XPath to Collection​

The collection XPath is the XPath that relates the Parent entity with the Collection entity.
This is where the instances of the Multiple Sub-Process will be created.

Number of Instances​

The number of instances created by a Multiple Sub-Process depends on:

  • Items in Collection → Based on the number of items in a 1-N relationship.
  • Integer Constant → Defined by a constant integer value.
  • Items Attribute → Defined by an integer-type attribute from the data model.

Clean Previous Instances​

When enabled, all instances of the Collection will be re-created if the Process re-enters the Multiple Sub-Process.

  • By default, Bizagi ignores previously created instances and only creates cases for new records.
  • If Clean Previous Instances is enabled, all instances will be re-created every time the Process enters the Multiple Sub-Process.

Example: If the Multiple Sub-Process created 4 instances the first time, it will create another 4 instances the second time, resulting in 8 instances total.

Group​

In some cases, Multiple Sub-Processes need to be grouped based on specific attributes.

Example:

  • In the Students Applications Process, if the Sub-Process needs to be grouped by gender, two instances will be created:
    • One for girls
    • One for boys

The image below shows how three students are grouped into two cases (one for men and one for women):

Configuremultiplesubprocesswithadvanced2

Usually, the Collection entity and the Process Entity of the Multiple Sub-Process are the same.
However, in some cases, they are different. In such cases, the Wizard will display either:

  • Related Entity → When the Collection is not grouped.
  • Group in Collection → When the Collection is grouped (a one-to-many relationship is required).

Example: School Year Planning​

A school needs to plan the new school year.

  • Parent Process: Back to School
    • Process Entity: Back to School
  • Sub-Process: Grade Planning
    • Process Entity: Planning

Key Detail:

  • The Collection Entity that creates cases (Grades) is different from the Sub-Process entity (Planning).
  • Bizagi requires a relationship to link each Planning case to the corresponding Grade.

No Relationship Exists Initially​

RelatedEntity1

Bizagi Requests a Relationship​

RelatedEntity2.2

Relationship is Created​

RelatedEntity3

Execution Mode​

Multiple Sub-Process instances can be created in two ways:

  • Parallel → Instances are created simultaneously.
  • Sequential → Instances are created one after another.

The Sub-Process shape changes based on the execution mode:

  • Parallel Execution Mode MultiInstanceparallelloopsub-process

  • Sequential Execution Mode MultiInstanceloopsub-process

Important Notes:​

  • If Sequential Mode is selected, Exit Mode is not available.
  • If Group By is used, only Parallel Execution Mode is available.

Exit Mode​

Determines how the Sub-Process exits and interacts with the Parent Process.

Exit Mode Options:​

exit_mode2

  • StandAlone → The Parent Process moves to the next activity as soon as the Sub-Process starts.

    • The Sub-Process remains open even if the Parent Process ends.
    • Not available in Sequential Mode.

  • Integrated → The Parent Process waits for the Sub-Process to complete before proceeding.

    • Similar to a sequence pattern: Activity B cannot start until Activity A ends.

Integrated Mode Options:​

  • All Tokens → The Parent Process continues only after all Sub-Processes are completed.
  • Each Token → The Parent Process continues each time a Sub-Process is completed.
    • This may create multiple activations in the Parent Process.
    • Token synchronization is recommended.
  • One Token → The Parent Process continues after the first Sub-Process finishes.
    • Other Sub-Processes continue running, but do not trigger additional activations.

Recommendation: Use StandAlone, Integrated - All Tokens, Integrated - Each Token, or Integrated - One Token for best results.

  • Expression Defined → The Parent Process continues based on a custom expression.