Attachments

The attachment nodes represent data or data sources that participate in a process without being part of the sequence flow. Attachments are typically associated with activities to indicate which information is read, written, or consulted.

In BPMN, attachments are data artifacts, graphical objects that provide additional information about the process without directing sequence flow. Two subtypes are supported:

• Data object, drawn as a page (rectangle with a folded top-right corner). Represents an input, output, or transient piece of information handled by an activity.
• Data store, drawn as a cylinder. Represents a persistent store such as a database that information is read from or written to.

Data

The generic data attachment. Use it to represent any piece of information handled by the process.

Input

DATA 'text input'

Input suggestion

Implicit identifier:

DATA 'Data' NEXT

Explicit identifier:

DATA FormData 'Form' NEXT OtherNode

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Database

A data attachment that specifically represents a database.

Input

DATABASE 'text input'

Input suggestion

Implicit identifier:

DATABASE 'Data' NEXT

Explicit identifier:

DATABASE Customers 'Customer Records' NEXT OtherNode

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Lanes

An attachment and every node its NEXT names belong to the same lane. An attachment that names a node in another lane is an error, and the process does not compile.

LANE user1
START 'Start' NEXT
ACTIVITY 'Review' NEXT

LANE user2
ACTIVITY 'Archive' NEXT
END 'End'

LANE user1
DATA 'Form' NEXT 'Review'

LANE user1 declared a second time puts 'Form' in the lane that holds 'Review'.