Data Associations

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Data Associations are used to link Data Objects and Data Stores to the BPMN model's entities. E. g. if you want an activity to access the data of a previously created data object, then you will use a data association between the activity and the data object. Depending on the data associations direction, the activity will either read data from the data object or write data to the data object.


When using data associations with data stores, you have to specify the data, which is read or written by any model's entity. This is being done in the Data property.


Optional Simulation Properties

Data

This property is used to determine the data, which will be read or written from or to the data store. Simply insert the name of the data entries. E. g. "x;" will transfer a variable called x to or from the data store.


Use a comma if you need to pass more than just one variable. F. e. "x, y;"


You can also rename the variables with the "AS" identifier.

  • Imagine two pools using the same data store.
    • The data entity x is available to both pools.
    • But due to some constraints it is necessary that pool A calls the variable y instead of x, and pool B calls it z.
    • So, the data property of pool A's data associations looks like this:
      • "x AS y;" (reading)
      • "y AS x;" (writing)
    • and those from pool B are:
      • "x AS z;" (reading)
      • "z AS x;" (writing).
  • Model 3e - Data Stores from the Simulation Tutorial uses the keyword AS to rename transferred data between pools for example.


The comma separator also works for the renaming functions: E. g. "x AS a, y AS b;"