Getting Started with BPM

This section describes how to model and run a simple business process. For that, we will create a process for requesting and approving reimbursement.

The process involves three participants:

an employee who requests a reimbursement;
a manager who approves the reimbursement;
an accountant who processes payment upon approval.

In terms of BPM, we will be building the following model:

Modeling Process

Start the application and open the BPM → Modeler view. The right panel contains a list of properties for the current process.

For our reimbursement process enter the following values:

Process id: reimbursement
Name: Reimbursement
Documentation: Add a short description for the process.

Creating Start Form

Each element on the canvas has its own properties. At the moment the only element present is StartEvent. It represents the Start form seen by the user who is initiating the process. Let’s configure it:

Click on the StartEvent element to select it.
Select Input dialog in the Form Type field. Its Open mode is automatically set to Dialog.

Next, create input parameters to prompt the user enter values to this form:

Click and add requestNumber parameter with the following properties:

Repeat the previous step to create three more input parameters:

Process variable Caption Type Editable Required

expenseAmount

Expense amount

Decimal (double)

true

true

expenseDate

Expense Date

Date

true

true

document

Document

File

true

true
Next, create an input parameter to let users select a manager for approval. This will require a few additional properties:

Process variable Caption Type Editable Required Entity name UI Component JPQL query

manager

Manager

Entity

true

true

User

ComboBox

leave blank^*

^* If no query is specified, this field defaults to select e from User e.
Set requestNumber as the Business key field value. A business key is a domain-specific identifier of a process instance.

Process variable	Caption	Type	Editable	Required
`expenseAmount`	Expense amount	Decimal (double)	true	true
`expenseDate`	Expense Date	Date	true	true
`document`	Document	File	true	true

Process variable	Caption	Type	Editable	Required	Entity name	UI Component	JPQL query
`manager`	Manager	Entity	true	true	User	ComboBox	leave blank^*

After adding all the parameters, the Form section should look as follows:

Creating Approval Task

Create a task for approval. It will be represented by the Approval form seen by the manager assigned to approve the reimbursement.

First, add a new element on the canvas:

Click on the StartEvent element to select it.
Click the Append task icon.
Click the Change type icon and select User Task in the drop-down.
For this User task specify the following General properties:
- Id: approval
- Name: Approval
- Assignee source: Process variable
- Process variable: manager
  
  By default, the built-in initiator process variable is available to assign a task. See the corresponding section for more details.
Proceed to the Form section and specify the following properties:
- Form type: Input dialog
- Open mode: Dialog (this will be set by default)

Click and add the following existing parameters making them non-editable:

Process variable Caption Type Editable Required

Process variable	Caption	Type	Editable	Required
`requestNumber`	Request number	String	false	true
`expenseAmount`	Expense amount	Decimal (double)	false	true
`expenseDate`	Expense Date	Date	false	true
`document`	Document	File	false	true

requestNumber

Request number

String

false

true

expenseAmount

Expense amount

Decimal (double)

false

true

expenseDate

Expense Date

Date

false

true

document

Document

File

false

true

Click and create one additional parameter for this form:

Process variable Caption Type Editable Required

comment

Comment

Multiline string

true

false

This parameter will be represented by a text field allowing manager to leave notes during the approval step.

Process variable	Caption	Type	Editable	Required
`comment`	Comment	Multiline string	true	false

Creating Outcomes

The Approval step has two outcomes: approved or rejected. Therefore, the manager making decision should see two buttons on the form.

Make sure the Approval element is selected. Then go to Outcomes properties and click .
Set properties for the first outcome:
Repeat to create the second outcome:

Business id Caption Icon

reject

Reject

BAN

Business id	Caption	Icon
`reject`	Reject	BAN

Depending on the Approval task’s outcome, two scenarios are possible. To indicate a point with several alternative paths, add an Exclusive Gateway element:

Select the Approval task element and click Append Gateway .
Select the gateway element and create another user task with → → User Task.
Select the gateway and click to create EndEvent element.
Select the new sequence flows between elements and name them: approved and rejected.

The model should now look like this:

Select the approved sequence flow and specify its Condition properties:
- Condition source: User task outcome
- User task id: Approval
- User task outcome: approve
Similarly, specify Condition properties for the rejected sequence flow:
- Condition source: User task outcome
- User task id: Approval
- User task outcome: reject

Creating Payment User Task

The other user task in our model is to notify accountants about reimbursement payment approval. It will be represented by the Payment form available only to accountants.

Select the user task on the canvas then set its Id and Name:
- Id: payment
- Name: Payment

For this task we will implement the following behavior: it is sent to all accountants with any of them being able to claim this task. To achieve this, instead of a particular assignee there is an option to specify Candidate groups or Candidate users.

Therefore, let’s create a Candidate group for accountants.

Before leaving Modeler, save your model as draft with

button on the toolbar. You can open it any time later using

button.

Go to the BPM → User groups view and create a new group named Accountants and set accountants as its code.
Set the user type to Users.
Add users to the group.

Users involved in the processes must be granted the BPM: process actor role. This role provides access to BPM views and entities required for starting processes and working with user tasks. You can assign roles in the Application → Users view.

Go back to the modeler and select the Payment user task.
Find the Candidate groups property field and click the edit button next to it.
In the Candidate group editor, add the Accountants group.
Configure an input dialog for the Payment task similarly to Approval task. Set the following properties:
- Form type: Input dialog
- Open mode: Dialog (this will be set by default)

Add input parameters. They match the parameters on the Approval form but the comment field should be non-editable too:

Process variable Caption Type Editable Required

Process variable	Caption	Type	Editable	Required
`requestNumber`	Request number	String	false	true
`expenseAmount`	Expense amount	Decimal (double)	false	true
`expenseDate`	Expense Date	Date	false	true
`document`	Document	File	false	true
`comment`	Comment	Multiline string	false	false

requestNumber

Request number

String

false

true

expenseAmount

Expense amount

Decimal (double)

false

true

expenseDate

Expense Date

Date

false

true

document

Document

File

false

true

comment

Comment

Multiline string

false

Go back to the canvas and add the EndEvent element after the Payment task.

Specifying Users to Start Process

To start a process the user must belong to a special user group. In our case, such group will contain all users.

Open the User groups view and create a new group with the following properties:
- Name: All users
- Code: all-users
- Type: All users
Go back to the Modeler view and click anywhere on the canvas to display the process properties.
Set Candidate groups to All users in the Starter candidates section.

Deploying Process

The process model is ready to be deployed to the process engine.

Go to the Modeler view.
Click Deploy process on the toolbar.
Open the BPM → Start Process view.

New Reimbursement process should now be available on the list. This list provides all deployed processes that the current user can start.

Testing Process

Now that the process is modeled and deployed it can be started. Let’s go through it step by step, observing all the forms we have created.

Start Form

With the current settings, the process can be started by any user on the BPM → Start Process view.

Select the Reimbursement process and click the Start process button.
Fill in the fields in the form and click the Start process button.

The assigned manager will then receive an incoming approval task.

Approval Form

Let’s see how this process looks from the manager’s standpoint. On the previous step, manager james was assigned to approve the request.

Log in on behalf of the manager assigned to approve the request.
Navigate to the BPM → My Tasks view.
Select the task from the list and click the Open Task button.
Review the request, and then click the Approve button.

Upon approval, the request will be sent to an accountant, who will then take care of payment.

Payment Form

Accountants will see reimbursements to be paid in their Group tasks.

Log in on behalf of any user who is a member of the Accountants user group.
Open the BPM → My Tasks view. Expand the Group tasks node.
Open the task form.

Fields in this form remain read-only until the task is claimed.
Claim the task using one of the two options:
- Click Claim and resume button to proceed with this task right away. This will remove the task from the Group list and the Complete button will appear.
- Click Claim and close to claim the task while postponing its completion. This will close the form and move the task from Group tasks to the current user’s Assigned tasks list. After that the task is no longer visible to other accountants.
Click the Complete task button to finish the process. This button is added by default to any task that does not have outcomes specified.

The process is now complete.

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