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DefinitionalCollaboration not set [message #1076556]

Wed, 31 July 2013 15:17

Poissy B.

Messages: 31
Registered: June 2012

Member

Hello all,

Using the BPMN20 API, I was trying to get a the collaboration object from a process object. There I came across the definitionalCollaboration reference that is supposed to return a Collaboration object, however the getDefinitionalCollaboration gets me a null. I am testing on a collaboration model created by the modeller.

I don't know exactly what the definitional collaboration should be. Could someone show me some light? (Google has been a no friend today...) . Here is the (cryptic) definition in the OMG specs:

Quote:

For Processes that interact with other Participants, a definitional Collaboration can be referenced by the Process. The definitional Collaboration specifies the Participants the Process interacts with, and more specifically, which individual service, Send or Receive Task, or Message Event, is connected to which Participant through Message Flows. The definitional Collaboration need not be displayed.
Additionally, the definitional Collaboration can be used to include Con- versation information within a Process.

Is it a derived object computed by analyzing message exchanges? Or should it be the main collaboration object containing the participant that references the process?

And my last question is, shouldn't this reference be set by the modeler?

Thanks!

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Re: DefinitionalCollaboration not set [message #1076671 is a reply to message #1076556]

Wed, 31 July 2013 18:22

Robert Brodt

Messages: 811
Registered: August 2010
Location: Colorado Springs, CO

Senior Member

Seems like definitionalCollaboration should be a reference back to the grandparent Collaboration (or Choreography, GlobalChoreographyTask or GlobalConversation), although I don't understand the the part about "more specifically, which individual service, Send or Receive Task, or Message Event, is connected to which Participant through Message Flows" - that's a bit (a lot?) ambiguous.

And yes, I guess this should be set by the editor. Can you please file a bugzilla?

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Re: DefinitionalCollaboration not set [message #1076678 is a reply to message #1076671]

Wed, 31 July 2013 18:34

Poissy B.

Messages: 31
Registered: June 2012

Member

I was also confused by that exact part Smile

I'm sending out couple of emails to BPMN experts at OMG to try to get a definitive answer. I'll keep you posted.

Note that the collaboration is not a grandparent but a sibling of the process, both contained by Definitions object.

Submitted bug #414163.

Thanks!

[Updated on: Wed, 31 July 2013 18:35]

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Re: DefinitionalCollaboration not set [message #1076718 is a reply to message #1076678]

Wed, 31 July 2013 19:34

Robert Brodt

Messages: 811
Registered: August 2010
Location: Colorado Springs, CO

Senior Member

Cool, thanks.

grandparent, sibling? I guess from a BPMN2 model viewpoint they are siblings, but conceptually the relationship is more like collaboration/participant/process no?

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Re: DefinitionalCollaboration not set [message #1076725 is a reply to message #1076718]

Wed, 31 July 2013 19:42

Poissy B.

Messages: 31
Registered: June 2012

Member

Actually, according to the metamodel, the Participant is not the Process container. Both Processes and Collaboration are contained by the Definitions object, Participant is contained by Collaboration and references a Process. It seems they wanted that a Participant could have the option to change it's referenced Process, I don't know though how this is applied in real life. So in practice I totally agree with you.

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