Data Object Reference

You use Data Object References to model the flow of data from one Activity or Event to another.

In a diagram, they’re used to reference a Data Object you create in Process Attributes. You can have several Data Object References referencing the same Data Object within the same process.

You can use a Data Object Reference as a source or target for a Data Association.

Data Object attributes

Fill in these fields in the Attributes tab:

• Data Object

  Define the Data Object referenced by the Data Object Reference.

  Select an existing Data Object or create a new Data Object:

  To select an existing Data Object:

  • Click to open the dropdown list and select a Data Object.

  

  To create a new Data Object:

  1. Click New.

  2. In the panel that opens, select the process where you want to create the Data Object and provide the name of the Data Object, a description (optional) and indicate the data type (Item Definition) and default value.

  3. Click Create and select.

  

• Data State

  You can define the different states of a Data Object Reference at different points of a process — for example, “in progress” or “completed”. How you define the state is your choice.

  Unlike a description, the state is visible in the diagram. You can see it in the label of the Data Object Reference.

  

If you haven’t already defined the Data Object Definition at a global process level, you can define it in the Data Object tab:

• Data Object

  Define the Data Object referenced by the Data Object Reference.

  You find Data Object IDs in the Data Object tab.

  • To add a Data Object Reference, click Add.

  • To remove a Data Object Reference, select the Data Object Reference from the list then click Remove.

  • To complete or edit a Data Object Reference, select the Data Object Reference from the list and fill in these fields:

    Fill in these fields:

    Field	Description
    Name	The name of the Data Object Reference.
    Description	A description of the Data Object Reference.
    Item Definition	The data type of the Data Object Reference.
    Default value	The default value of the Data Object Reference.