Case Wise Instructions

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1. Casewise online training: Draw Diagrams

Welcome to Casewise online training: Draw Diagrams. This training is primarily concerned with teaching you how to create and maintain Corporate Modeler diagrams. The first module introduces you to some basic concepts about the Corporate Modeler Suite and subsequent modules concentrate on diagramming.

This is very much a hands on course, teaching you how to draw diagrams by getting you to do just that.

Each module describes some core Corporate Modeler functionality (including step-by-step instructions), allows you to get some hands-on practice, and finally sets some exercises to do on your own.

Don't worry about how long it takes to complete each module or when you will have time to continue. This course is free and available 24 hours a day, so you can come back and complete, or repeat, exercises as often as you want to.

For more information about the structure and navigation of this course, see:

How to use the online training.

2. Before you begin...

HYPERLINK "javascript:kadovTextPopup(this)" What software do I need to complete this training course?To complete this training course successfully you must have the following software products installed on your local machine: Corporate Modeler Suite 10.3 (connected to either standalone database, or Corporate Exchange) must be installed on your local machine.

Internet Explorer 5.5 or later must be installed on your local machine.

You must have internet access.

You must have access (on one occasion) to WinZip, to allow you to access the training model.

HYPERLINK "javascript:kadovTextPopup(this)" Import the training modelYou need to install a model before you can begin this training course. You will learn about models later, but for now you just need to install the following file according to the instructions below.

1. Save the training model to your local machine2. Unzip the training model Using Windows Explorer, right-click training_model.zip and click WinZip > Extract to here.

The training model (training_model.mdb) is extracted to the same directory as the zip file.

3. Log on to the Stand-alone database4. Import training_model.mdb to your local database1. Open Model Explorer.

2. In the left-hand tree view, select Models.

3. From the main menu, select File > Import and Export 4. The Import / Export wizard opens.

5. Click Import data as new model (Microsoft Access Format).

6. Click Next.

7. Click Browse and navigate to training_model.mdb on your local machine.

8. Click Next.

9. Enter a Name for your model (use "Training Model" for the purpose of this course). The File Name is optional.

10. Click Next.

The model is imported.

11. Click Finish.

12. The new training model is created on your local machine - in Model Explorer, select View > Refresh All to see the model.

3. Get Started...

You are now ready to begin learning. Click the link below to start Module 1:

Module 1: Getting Started with Corporate Modeler Tips and Additional Information

The Casewise support site contains additional resources that are updated regularly. These include specialist or advanced documentation together with software updates.

HYPERLINK "http://www.casewise.com/support/" http://www.casewise.com/support/.

Training

http://www.casewise.com/SupportingInformation/support/online_training/cm10.3/english/draw_diagrams/4. What is the Corporate Modeler Suite?

The Corporate Modeler Suite is a set of tools used for modeling, and understanding, your business.

The main tools in the Corporate Modeler Suite are:

Corporate ModelerUse Corporate Modeler to draw diagrams to model business processes, system behavior, and organizational hierarchies.

Drawing diagrams allows you to visualize how your objects interact with each other to form processes, data flows, or system behaviors.

Model ExplorerUse Model Explorer to Explore and Manage the objects that make up your models.

Exploring your data allows you to centrally control your repository.

Matrix ManagerUse Matrix Manager to view the object associations in your model as a table (or matrix).

Viewing your data as a Matrix allows you to analyze how, when, and to what ends the objects in your model interact.

Corporate PublisherUse Corporate Publisher to publish some or all of your model data in HTML or Word format.

Publishing your data enables people who do not have access to Corporate Modeler to view your model data.

Which of these tools will I be using?As this course is mostly concerned with drawing diagrams, the tool you will use the most will be Corporate Modeler.

We will look at how you draw diagrams that represent your business processes (Process Dynamics diagrams), and diagrams that represent the organization of your company (Hierarchy diagrams) in modules 2 and 3.

We will also take a brief look at the other tools in the suite as we begin to perform tasks.

5. Launch and understand Corporate Modeler

What have we already learnt about Corporate Modeler?When we looked at what the Corporate Modeler Suite actually comprised of in the last section, we described Corporate Modeler as follows:

Corporate ModelerUse Corporate Modeler to draw diagrams to model business processes, system behavior, and organizational hierarchies.

Drawing diagrams allows you to visualize how your objects interact with each other to form processes, data flows, or system behaviors.

What does Corporate Modeler allow you to do?Corporate Modeler allows you to: Open and edit existing diagrams.

Create new diagrams.

Add objects to diagrams (both objects that already exist in your model, and new objects created especially for this diagram).

Connect objects with lines.

Change the way your diagrams and objects appear.

Note that the list above only shows the most basic things you can do using Corporate Modeler. Other functions will be introduced throughout the body of this course.How to... Open Corporate Modeler:

From the Start Here pages: Click Corporate Modeler. From the Start menu: Select Casewise Corporate Modeler Suite > Corporate Modeler.6. Exercise: Open a diagram

Once you have launched Corporate Modeler, you can open the diagram: Module 01 - Diagram 01 - Launch and understand Corporate Modeler by following these steps:

1. Select File > Open Diagram...The Diagram Selector dialog opens.

2. From the Models drop-down, select Training Model.

3. From the Diagrams section, select Module 01 - Diagram 01 - Launch and understand Corporate Modeler.

4. Click OK.

The selected diagram opens.

Please take some time to look at the information contained within this diagram. It explains the various areas of Corporate Modeler's user interface and what they are used for.7. Launch and understand Model Explorer

What have we already learnt about Model Explorer?When we looked at what the Corporate Modeler Suite actually comprised (in the last section), we described Model Explorer as follows:

Model ExplorerUse Model Explorer to explore and manage the objects in your Corporate Models.

Exploring your data allows you to centrally control your repository.

What does Model Explorer allow you to do?Model Explorer allows you to:

Open diagrams.

Create new diagrams.

View the properties of models, diagrams, and objects.

Create new objects (independently of diagrams).

Administer users and user access.

Note that the list above only shows the most basic things you can do using Model Explorer. Other functions will be introduced throughout the body of this course.How to... Open Model Explorer:

From the Start Here pages: click Model Explorer. From the Start Menu: select Casewise Corporate Modeler Suite > Model Explorer.8. Exercise: Open a diagram from Model Explorer

Once you have launched Model Explorer, you can open the diagram Module 01 - Diagram 02 - Launch and understand Model Explorer by following these steps:

1. From the left-hand tree view, expand the Training Model.

2. Click Diagram.

The diagrams in this model are listed.

3. From the right-hand list view, select the diagram: Module 01 - Diagram 02 - Launch and understand Model Explorer.

4. Right-click Diagram > Open or press Ctrl+Enter.

The selected diagram opens.

9. Getting help while using Corporate Modeler

The Corporate Modeler Suite comes with various help resources, which you are advised to use whenever you are unsure how to use a function in the product.

How to... Open the help file:

1. Press F1 or select Help > Contents to open the help at its home page.

2. Right-click an object and select What's This? or open a dialog and click the Help button to open the help at a page relevant to the selected object or dialog.

How to... Search for help topics:

Click the Show button.

The Contents, Index and Search panes are revealed.

Each item in the contents represents a task that a user can perform. If you cannot find a topic in the table of contents, you can also do keyword searches on the index and search tabs.

Tip: Try the Index before you try the Search facility as it will produce fewer results, and therefore the list of results will be easier to navigate.

10. What are models and diagrams?

When you are using Corporate Modeler, you are creating objects and diagrams in a model. This section defines what objects, diagrams and models are, and what they represent in your real business.

Although this section is short, it is possibly the most important section of the course. Please make sure that you understand each concept as it is described and work through all of the available information.

This third section tries to answer the questions:

What is a model?

What are diagrams, and how do they relate to the model?

What are object types, and how do they relate to the model?

What are objects, and how do they relate to the model?

11. What are diagrams, and how do they fit in to the model?

A diagram is a visual representation of some of the objects in a model interacting with one another.

Using Corporate Modeler to draw a diagram is at the heart of modeling. A simple diagram, showing a business process, or a system's features, can be created in seconds and gives a real sense of how a process works, how a system will function, or how a group is organized.

Exercise: Look at a diagram

Explore the following Diagram in the training model:

Module 01 - Diagram 03 - What are diagrams, and how do they fit in to the model?

Things to notice while you are exploring this diagram:

This diagram represents a complete process, from a starting event, through several tasks, to a final, concluding result - an occurrence that signifies that the process is at an end.

The connectors on this diagram show the order in which the process occurs, so 'Order Ready to Deliver' comes first, followed by 'Load the van', then 'Find Delivery Location', and so on. until it ends at 'Order Fulfilled'.

Each object (Process, Event or Result) involved in the process has a name describing what it is, and a description that provides more detail.

The diagram describes a process that is - itself - made up of sub-processes.

12. What are object types, and how do they fit in to the model?

When you were exploring the model before, you may have noticed that expanding the tree in Model Explorer revealed not only model names, but also - beneath the model names - a series of additional objects. The lowest level in this tree represents the object types in your model - such as Applications, Diagrams and Processes.

An object type is a design object which is used as a template for creating new instances of that type of object.

Example

An object type entitled Geometric Shape has properties including: 'Name', 'Surface area', and 'Number of corners'.

In Corporate Modeler, if I drag the object type Geometric Shape from the New Objects palette onto the canvas I create an object based on the Geometric Shape object type. This object also has the properties: 'Name', 'Surface area', and 'Number of corners' and can be given values for these attributes, such as: Name = Square, Surface area = 14, and the Number of corners = 4.

13. Exercise: Create some modeling objects from the object type Geometric Shape

Explore the following diagram in the training model:

Module 01 - Diagram 04 - What are object types, and how do they fit in to the model?


Your object type defines the properties of your objects.

When you create the new objects they all have the same available properties (they all have a Dimensions tab, containing the properties: surface area, and number of corners).

When you create the new objects, they become available in the Existing Objects palette (select Geometric Shape from the drop-down to see them).

If you look in Model Explorer, you will see that the tree structure contains the object type Geometric Shape and that if you select this in the left-hand pane, all of your new objects appear in the right-hand pane.

What are objects, and how do they fit in to the model?

As seen in the previous topic and exercise, objects are actual examples of the underlying object type. Everything stored in the repository is an object. For further information, look at the definition of an object in the Glossary. (To open the Glossary: Open Corporate Modeler, Press F1, Click Show, and then select Glossary from the table of contents).

In the previous exercise:

The individual shapes you created (the objects representing Squares or Triangles) are objects that occur in the real world, have properties, and appear on diagrams.

You created these shapes from the object type called Geometric Shape on the New Objects palette. Geometric Shape is a template for those objects.

14. Module 2: Create a Business Process (Process Dynamics) diagram

This module is concerned with Business Process diagrams. These diagrams allow you to show how your business works. The module consists of the following topics:

1. What is a Business Process diagram? - this section describes the concepts behind business process (or process dynamics) diagramming.

2. Create a Business Process diagram - this section describes how to create a diagram that describes your business processes, including how to add, connect, move and remove objects.

3. Understanding the modeling objects that you add to diagrams - this section talks about the objects you add to a diagram, and teaches you how to add and connect objects on a diagram.

4. Some basic diagramming techniques - this section teaches you a few handy techniques for diagramming. These techniques are useful to learn for all users.

15. What is a Business Process diagram?

Most users of the Corporate Modeler Suite will be drawing Business Process diagrams. That is, modeling their business in a series of diagrams so that they can understand how their business works (its dynamics) and thereby to try to improve its processes.

This section provides you with:

A definition of what a Business Process diagram is.

An illustration of a Business Process diagram.

An illustration of Business Process models, and multi-level models generally.

Definition of a Business Process diagram

Drawing Business Process (or process dynamics) diagrams is one of the main uses for Corporate Modeler.

A Business Process diagram is a visualization of the processes that your company performs.

Business Process diagrams each represent a complete process, from an event that starts it off, through several tasks, to a final concluding result, an occurrence that signifies that the process is at an end.

Why draw a Business Process diagram?Drawing Business Process diagrams allow you to understand and analyze your business. Understanding and analyzing your business processes allows you to streamline and improve your business performance.

16. Illustration of a Business Process diagram

To understand what a Business Process diagram is, explore the following diagram in the training model:

Module 02 - Diagram 01 - Definition of a Business Process diagram


This diagram represents a complete process, from a triggering event that starts it off, through several tasks, to a final concluding result that signifies that the process is at an end.

Objects are connected to each other in an order to show that - for example - the process 'Pick goods' must be completed before the process 'Wrap goods' can begin (you cannot wrap something that you do not yet have!).

The diagram describes a process that is itself made up of sub-processes.

16.1. Illustration of a Business Process model

A Business Process can be very complex and it is normal to have lots of Business Process diagrams stored in a single Business Process model. Each diagram within this model may show different parts of the business or information visualized at different levels of granularity - with some diagrams showing lots of detail about a process, and some showing only which teams are responsible for each area, or which building they occur in.

To represent this granularity in our diagrams we use a technique called Exploding. We explode an object on a diagram to look inside it and see the details it is made up of - these details are shown on another diagram. We call this second diagram a Detail diagram as it shows the details of the original exploded object.

Exercise: Look at a diagram


Module 02 - Diagram 02 - Illustration of a Business Process model


The first diagram you look at shows very high level information (information that is not very detailed).

The diagram you 'Explode to' from this diagram, shows more detail about the same process (in fact it shows the processes that you have to perform to have completed the original process).

HYPERLINK "http://www.casewise.com/SupportingInformation/support/online_training/cm10.3/english/draw_diagrams/popup/what_is_an_explosion_illustration.htm" What is an Explosion? (illustration)16.2. What is an Explosion? (illustration)

An Explosion is a link from an object on one diagram to another diagram.

If you click on an exploded object (these can be identified easily, as they show a plus + symbol), you can navigate directly from the parent object to the child diagram.

An explosion created from a Process normally opens a diagram that shows the process in more detail. For example, the process Despatch Goods may explode to a diagram that is also called Despatch Goods, and that includes the sub-processes: 'Address Goods', 'Weigh Goods', 'Send to Post Room' and so on. The lower-level processes must be completed before the goods can be despatched (that is, the child diagram breaks the process Despatch Goods down into more detail, or sub-processes).

An explosion created from an object on a Hierarchy diagram (for example, the Organization 'Warehouse') can provide a link to any related diagram (for example, a diagram detailing any process that occurs at the Warehouse).

The linked diagrams are be used to show more detailed information about the exploded object.

You can move between the objects using the explode and return buttons on the toolbar.

16.3. Explode an object on this diagram

An explosion allows us to connect one object on a diagram to another diagram. We often use - and have previously explored - both exploding objects to show more detail and using a Hierarchy diagram as the 'front page' of a series of diagrams and exploding from the objects on that diagram to all related diagrams as navigational tool.

In this exercise we will be creating an explosion from our newly created Hierarchy diagram, thereby making this diagram into a 'front page' for a model containing marketing information.

If you do not fully understand what an explosion is, please read this topic before you begin:

HYPERLINK "http://www.casewise.com/SupportingInformation/support/online_training/cm10.3/english/draw_diagrams/popup/what_is_an_explosion_illustration.htm" What is an Explosion? (illustration)How to... Explode an object on the diagram 'My Business'

1. On a diagram, select the object that you want to explode.

2. Right-click and select Explode New > Diagram.

The New Diagram dialog opens.

3. Enter a Name for the new diagram.

Note: By default your new diagram will be given the name of the object it is an explosion of. This is because the exploded object and the detail diagram often represent the same information, just at a different level of detail.

4. Select that you wish to create a diagram that is based on a Template, and choose the template Template 02: Explode an object from those available.

5. Click OK.The diagram is created and opens.

17. FAQs: About DFD explosions

When you explode a process object on a DFD, the following rules apply:

1. the exploded process object displays much larger on the child diagram

2. any objects which are the direct inputs or outputs of the exploded process and their connectors - are replicated on the child diagram.

Note: DFD rules dictate that such objects can only be of type Process, Data Store or External Entity

3. objects not directly connected to the exploded process on the parent diagram are not replicated on the child diagram

For the above behavior to apply the diagram you are exploding from must be subject to DFD rules and you must choose a DFD template for your child diagram. If you explode from a non-DFD diagram to a DFD diagram then only the exploded object (e.g. a process) appears on the child diagram. If you explode to a non-DFD diagram then no objects are replicated on the child diagram.

The diagram below shows an example of how DFD explosions work.

17.1. Create a detail diagram

There is a concept in the Corporate Modeler Suite called "explosions". This is when a process shown on a high level diagram is "decomposed" into a detail diagram. The idea of this detail diagram is that it shows a more detailed picture of the parent object.

For example, the Process "Despatch Goods" that appears on a high level diagram may be decomposed to a diagram containing the processes: "Wrap Goods", "Print Labels", and "Send to Post Room". These three processes all need to be completed to complete the Process "Despatch Goods".

What do you want to do?

To select an object that you want to detail and create an explosion to a new diagram from it, see:

HYPERLINK "javascript:kadovTextPopup(this)" Create a new diagram by exploding an object on a diagram .


2. Right-click Explode New > Diagram.


3. Type a name for the new diagram.

(By default your New diagram will be given the name of the object it is an explosion of. This is because the exploded object and the detail diagram represent the same information, just at a different level detail.)

4. Select the type of diagram you wish to create: a diagram that is based on a Template, or one that is based on Diagramming Rules.

5. Click OK.The diagram is created.

Notes

-Any text in the description field for an exploded object is copied into the description field for its detail diagram when it is created.

-If you explode to a diagram with Hierarchy Rules (by selecting to base the new diagram on a template which itself has hierarchy rules, or by selecting to use hierarchy rules) the new diagram will include an occurrence of the parent object.

HYPERLINK "javascript:kadovTextPopup(this)" Create a new diagram by exploding an object in Model Explorer .

1. In the left-hand (tree) view of Model Explorer, navigate to the Object Type for the object you want to explode.

2. In the right-hand (list) view, select the object that you want to explode.

3. Right-click Explode New > Diagram.


4. Type a name for the new diagram.

(By default your New diagram will be given the name of the object it is an explosion of. This is because the exploded object and the detail diagram represent the same information, just at a different level detail.)

5. Select the type of diagram you wish to create: a diagram that is based on a Template, or one that is based on Diagramming Rules.

6. Click OK.The diagram is created.

Notes

-Any text in the description field for an exploded object is copied into the description field for its detail diagram when it is created.

-If you explode to a diagram with Hierarchy Rules (by selecting to base the new diagram on a template which itself has hierarchy rules, or by selecting to use hierarchy rules) the new diagram will include an occurrence of the parent object.

To take an existing diagram and set it to be the explosion of an existing object, see:

HYPERLINK "javascript:kadovTextPopup(this)" Make an existing diagram into a detail diagram or change the parent object of a detail diagram .

1. Open the Diagram Properties dialog .

2. On the General tab, find the Parent object drop-down list and choose the Object Type (e.g. process, organization, etc) of the object that you want to make into this diagram's parent.

3. From the drop-down list below, choose the actual object that you want to become the parent object.

4. Click OK.

To use these explosions to navigate around the diagram ("drill-down" to see extra detail, or "drill up" to see the context of the process), see:

Open a parent or detail diagram.

When you explode a process object on a DFD (Data Flow Diagram) the behavior is slightly different. Click here for further details.

Tips and Additional Information

It is also possible to explode an object into a matrix. To do this follow the procedure for exploding to a new diagram with the following minor change:

Click Explode New > Matrix.

Note that an exploded object can be easily identified on an open diagram, as it contains a plus sign (+). You can also navigate to the detail diagram easily, by clicking the plus sign (+).

Note: If you want to create a new diagram that neither: conforms to any pre-set diagramming rules, nor has any objects in the palette when it is first opened; you must select to create a blank diagram based on diagramming rules, and select No Rules from the drop-down list. This may be useful if you are responsible for creating templates.

18. Open a parent or detail diagram

There is a concept in the Corporate Modeler Suite called "explosions", also known as "drill-downs". This is when a process shown on a high level diagram is "decomposed" into a detail diagram. The idea of this detail diagram is that it shows the lower level processes that comprise the process on the higher level diagram it is decomposed from.

For example, the Process "Despatch Goods" that appears on a high level diagram may be decomposed to a diagram containing the processes: "Wrap Goods", "Print Labels", and "Send to Post Room". These three processes all need to be completed to complete the Process "Despatch Goods".

This topic describes the process of navigation from a parent object to its detail diagram and from a detail diagram to its parent.


If (in either Corporate Modeler or Model Explorer) you can see an exploded object and you wish to open the diagram this object explodes to, see:

Open a parent diagram . Click File > Return.

If only 1 diagram contains the object that is this diagram's parent: the selected diagram opens.

If more than 1 diagram contains the object that is this diagram's parent: the diagram selector opens, select the diagram you wish to open from the list presented and click OK.

19. Automatic Drill Down Depth

In the Choose Diagram screen of the Corporate Publisher Wizard, the diagrams can be listed in a hierarchy (tree) format (as determined by the setting of 'Diagram List' option in the 'General' folder).

In this type of listing, if you double click on a diagram, some of its descendent diagrams are selected along with it.

How many levels of descendent diagrams are selected depends on this Automatic Drill Down Depth setting, as shown below (Note that the setting is shown in brackets, and that the level of a descendent diagram is reflected in how far it is indented from the left):

Diagram

Child diagram (1)

Descendent diagram (2)

Descendent diagram (3)

and

so

on

All descendent levels (not specified or 0)

19.1. Choose Diagrams screen

Select diagrams to output. The output can only include the diagrams you select, the objects on these diagrams and objects associated with the objects on these diagrams.

Which of these are actually outputted is determined by the settings you make in the next (Properties) screen. These options are the 'Include ' options, the 'Diagram Page Properties' and the 'Object Page Properties'.

If the diagram hierarchy is unusually complex then an alphabetical list displays instead.

19.1.1. Select diagrams

Click on a diagram's 'not selected' symbol (see below) to select it; click on a diagram's 'selected' symbol (see below) to deselect it.

In a Hierarchy type list (tree), you can double click on a diagram to simultaneously select the diagram and some of its descendent diagrams. The number of levels of descendent diagrams that are selected is set by the Automatic Drill Down Depth option - this option is accessible from the next (Properties) screen; see the option's What's This? help for more details.

Note that in a Hierarchy type list (tree), the order of the child diagrams listing is determined by the 'Hierarchy Drill Down Ordering' and 'Non-Hierarchy Drill Down Ordering' options (in the Publication Set Editor's General tab).

Any red italic entries are due to recursive hierarchies.

Each of the symbols you might see in the list has a meaning.

You can select or deselect all the diagrams in one operation:

1. Display the shortcut menu from the right-hand mouse button.

2. Select Select All or Deselect All.

You can only continue to the next screen if you have selected at least one diagram.

19.1.2. Save Diagram Selections

Click Save Diagram Selections to save the currently selected diagrams to the Diagrams to Publish property in the Publication Set.

If there is already a list of diagrams specified in the Diagrams to Publish property, a message box will appear. Click Yes to replace that list by the diagrams currently selected in the Wizard. Otherwise click No.

If there is not already a list of diagrams specified, or if there is and Yes is selected then a message will appear confirming the action and asking whether the list is to be used by default.

If Yes is selected on this second message box then the value of the Diagram Selection Method property will be set to Select Some. If No is selected then the value of Diagram Selection Method will be set to Select in Wizard (although the list of currently selected diagrams will be saved for future activation if you change the value of Diagram Selection Method to Select Some).

20. Create an Entity diagram

Creating an Entity diagram means adding Entities to that diagram, to create relationships between those Entities, and to associate Attributes or Keys with your Entities.


To add Entities to your diagram, and then to draw the relationships between them as lines, see:

HYPERLINK "javascript:kadovTextPopup(this)" Add Entities and Relationships to a diagram .

You add Entities to a diagram, as you would any other modeling object - see Add Corporate Modeler objects to your diagram.

Relationships are reusable objects, so you can add either New or Existing Relationships using the object palette. Select your source Entity (the Entity that you want to be the parent in the relationship), drag a Relationship from the palette to the target Entity (the Entity you want to be the child in this relationship).

Note that a relationship must be connected to objects at both ends.

Tips

To edit the Properties of a Relationship (that is, specify its cardinality), double-click it. Use the Help button to find out what each field represents.

To associate Attributes with your Entities, see:

HYPERLINK "javascript:kadovTextPopup(this)" Add an Attribute to an Entity .

From the Entity Properties dialog:1. Select Associations > Attributes.

The Attributes dialog opens. Any existing Attributes for this Entity are shown in the list.

2. Click New ...The Attribute Properties dialog opens.

3. Enter Properties for the new Attribute.

4. Click OK.

Tips

To edit the properties of an already existing Attribute, click Edit ... in the Attributes dialog.

To delete an Attribute (remove it so that it is no longer associated with this Entity), select the row and click Delete.

To change the Entity that an existing Attribute is associated with, see:

HYPERLINK "javascript:kadovTextPopup(this)" Move Attributes from one Entity to another .

1. Open the Attribute Properties dialog.

2. From the Entity drop-down list, select the Entity you want the Attribute to be associated with.

20.1. Create a Business Process diagram

The pages in this section describe how to create a diagram that models a simple business process.

We recommend that you launch Corporate Modeler now.The lessons in this section are mostly hands-on, and teach you how to:

create a diagram.

add objects to a diagram.

connect two objects (such as processes) to each other.

move objects around the canvas once they're on a diagram.

remove objects from a diagram.

save your changes to a diagram.

Add objects to your diagram

In a previous module, we created a new object called Shape from the object type Geometric Shape in the New Objects palette.

Now, you need to use the new objects palette (to the left of the diagram) to drag and drop the following objects onto the diagram:

Drag the Event object from the New Objects palette to create a new object, and call it: Start the process.

Tip: If you edit the name on the object itself, you can save it by pressing Enter.

Drag the Process object from the New Objects palette to create a new object, and call it: First step in the process.

Tip: If you want to change the name, after you've saved it, select the shape and press Enter to see and edit the object's properties.

Drag the Process object from the New Objects palette to create a new object, and call it: Second step in the process.

Tip: Notice that when you drop the shapes near to one another they form an orderly line (they are snapping to a grid in Corporate Modeler).

Drag the Result object from the New Objects palette to create a new object, and call it: Finish the process.

Tip: All of these objects are now available in the Existing Objects palette (if you select Result from the drop-down list, then right-click the list below and click Refresh).

20.2. How to connect two objects to each other

Connecting the objects on your diagram (drawing arrows between them) is very important to your diagrams. The arrows, or 'connectors', show that one process or event occurs before another chronologically - for example, a bank account is opened before money can be paid into it.

How to ... Connect objects on your diagram:1. Select the Event: Start the process.

2. 3. Press F12.

4. Select First step in the process (that is, the object you want to connect to).

5. A line is drawn connecting the two objects.

Tips:

Pressing F12 is a shortcut. You can also select the Event, drag the connector from the palette, and drop it over the Process to connect the Event to the Process.

By default, the connector is drawn as a straight line. If you want to draw the line as a dog leg (bent) in the first instance, you must change the Line Behavior to Bent. Select Tools > Options ... and then select the Diagram tab.

20.3. Move objects around on a diagram

All of the objects on your diagram can be moved around the canvas by selecting and dragging them.

To get a feel of how this works, return to your diagram in the training model (you called this diagram My First Diagram), and drag some of the objects around.


The objects remain connected when you drag them around.

Quick tip: if you move an object and do not like the way the line has changed, you can select the line and press F11 to redraw it.

To grab a series of objects on your diagram, use your mouse to draw a rectangle around the shapes that you want to move. When all the objects are selected, drag them to a new position.

Quick tip: to select all of the objects on your diagram:

Press Ctrl + A.

20.4. Remove objects from a diagram

There are two ways that you can remove an object from your diagram:

1. If you want to delete an object from the diagram, and you are certain that you will not want to reinstate it later or add it to another diagram, select the object on your diagram, right-click and choose Delete.

Note that you will not be able to delete any object that appears on more than one diagram already.

2. If you want to remove the object from the diagram, but you might want to add it to this or other diagrams later, select the object on your diagram, right-click and choose Clear.

We look at the differences between Clearing and Deleting later in this training course, when we look at the principles of object reuse.

To get a feel of how this works, return to your diagram in the training model (you called this diagram My First Diagram), and remove the object First step in the process.


20.5. Save the diagram

You are probably used to saving anything you create on a computer using File > Save.

However, with Corporate Modeler, you do not have to explicitly save changes to your diagrams. This is done automatically during your session and when you close the diagram. Note that you can undo any changes you have made to your diagram during your session by pressing Ctrl + Z.

The File > Save As command creates a copy of the diagram

Any connectors running to or from this object are also removed.

20.6. Understanding the objects that you add to diagrams

This section describes the different objects (for example, Events, Processes, Organizations) that you can use on a Process Dynamics diagram and the rules that govern their use.

This section teaches you:

What the objects that appear in the palette of a Business Process diagram represent.

How to add other objects, and what they are used for.

How to create new diagrams with different objects in the palette.

Understand the objects in a Business Process diagram's palette

The object types that you can see here are what you typically use to create Business Process (Process Dynamics) diagrams.

Click the object for a detailed explanation of what it is, and what it should be used to represent on your diagram.

Connector sets

It is also possible to add connector set objects to your diagrams from the palette. These objects signify a decision or fork in a process.

Example: This XOR set (represented XOR circle) represents a credit check, which results in EITHER the users goods being sent OR the user sale being declined. It can never result in both results.

20.7. Other objects and their uses

There are other types of object that you can add to your diagram; these are described below.

Apart from the Free Text and Issue objects, these objects cannot appear on the Object Palette, so you must use the Insert menu to add them to a diagram (for example, Insert > Title adds a diagram title object to your diagram).

HYPERLINK "javascript:kadovTextPopup(this)" Issues.

These are objects that you can create while a model is under development. Typically, you use them to keep track of outstanding issues and other supplementary information.

You can then associate these Issues to specific objects or whole diagrams. You can also add your Issue objects to the diagram.

These are objects that you can create while a model is under development. Typically, you use them to keep track of outstanding issues and other supplementary information.

You can then associate these Issues to specific objects or whole diagrams. You can also add your Issue objects to the diagram.

HYPERLINK "javascript:kadovTextPopup(this)" Free Text.

This is a text box that you can use to annotate your diagram.

This is a text box that you can use to annotate your diagram.

HYPERLINK "javascript:kadovTextPopup(this)" Title.

This is a title that you can give to your diagram. Note that this does not have to be the same as the diagram's Name.

A diagram's Name is what identifies it in the repository. You enter a name on the Diagram Properties 'General' tab.

A diagram's Title, on the other hand, can be an unlimited text description that is recorded on the Diagram Properties 'Title' tab.

This is not part of the notation for this type of diagram, but is a kind of textual annotation - like free text - that allows you to enrich your diagram.

HYPERLINK "javascript:kadovTextPopup(this)" Version Control.

This shows the information that is stored on the Version tab of the Diagram Properties dialog.


This shows the information that is stored on the Version tab of the Diagram Properties dialog.


HYPERLINK "javascript:kadovTextPopup(this)" Gallery Picture.

Pictures, or graphics, can enhance the presentation of your diagram or can be used as annotations or additions to the diagram's content.

You can either: add a picture from the gallery by clicking Insert > Gallery Picture, or you can add a picture by copying it from another program and pasting it directly onto the canvas.

Pictures, or graphics, can enhance the presentation of your diagram or can be used as annotations or additions to the diagram's content.

You can either: add a picture from the gallery by clicking Insert > Gallery Picture, or you can add a picture by copying it from another program and pasting it directly onto the canvas.

HYPERLINK "javascript:kadovTextPopup(this)" Object Link.

Object Links allow you to create a shortcut to an external application or document or to another diagram (this includes diagrams in other models).

For example, you could link to a Word or Excel document, which would then allow you to launch that document directly from the diagram.

You can also assign graphics to your Object Links so that they have a distinctive appearance on your diagram.

20.8. Create new diagrams with different objects in the palette

The palette you see when you create a diagram is determined by the template you chose when you created your diagram. So if you want to see different objects in your palette, you should pick a different template.

How does this work?When a new diagram is created from a template diagram, that template is copied (as though you selected Copy and Paste) to create the new diagram.

This means that the new diagram contains any objects created in the New Objects palette, any objects drawn on the template's canvas, and any rules set against the diagram template on creation.

Note: When you create new diagrams from a template, the template diagram is copied. The new diagram is not linked to the template, so if you change the properties of the template diagram, these changes do not flow through to the existing diagrams based on that template.

In the sample model provided - Casewise Framework Example - open each of these Template diagrams:

Template: Business Dynamics Model

Template: Function Dynamics Model

Template: System Dynamics Model

Each of these templates is used as the basis for a particular type of Business Process diagram. When you create a new diagram, you should be very careful to select the correct template and thereby get the right objects in your palette.

20.9. Some basic diagramming techniques

In this section, we shall look at some techniques used for managing a diagramming session, such as how to zoom in and out and what format you want for the Connectors on your diagram.

This is a very brief section that runs you through some very basic actions / activities will help you to optimize your use of the software.

20.10. Techniques: diagrams


Module 02 - Diagram 03 - Identify / Build Product

Techniques to try while you are exploring this diagram:

Double-click an empty part of the diagram.

What happens?The Properties dialog for the diagram itself opens. Like all objects, you can enter a long description about what the diagram represents on the Description tab.

Try experimenting with these toolbar buttons:

What happens?The background color of the whole diagram changes.

If you place your mouse over each button (in the actual product, not in the illustration here), you will find a brief explanation for what each toolbar button does.

They all deal with controlling how much detail you see on your diagram, for example, zooming in and out.

Click to zoom in to a detail on the diagram.

Click to zoom out and see more of the diagram.

Click to show the whole diagram in the available area.

Select Format > Background color ... and choose a color.

20.11. Techniques: objects

Reopen the following diagram (if it is not already open) in the training model:

Module 02 - Diagram 03 - Identify / Build Product

Techniques to try while you are exploring this diagram:

Double-click an object.

What happens?The Properties dialog for that object opens.

You can use these panes to record information about your model: all objects have a Description tab, and if you are looking at a Process or an Event object, you can enter metrics that describe how long it takes to complete each process, or what costs are accrued.

These metrics can be used to simulate your diagrams.

Click an object twice slowly.

What happens?You can edit the object's name directly on the diagram without having to open its Properties dialog.

Select an object and right-click.

What happens?A popup menu opens that contains the most commonly used commands for that object.

Try the What's This? command. You will be pleased to know that you - or the System Manager - can customize the help text that opens, even replacing our supplied text altogether.

Move an object so that it overlays another object, for example, place an Organization on top of a Process, then, right-click and use the Draw options.

What happens?You can use the Move to Front and Move to Back options to hide and reveal objects.

When you have Processes in swim lanes, you can use these commands to ensure that you do not accidentally hide your Processes behind the swim lanes.

Nudge, Align and Resize can be used to modify the objects and their locations.

20.12. Module 3: Create a Hierarchy diagram

This module looks at the use of Hierarchy diagrams in business process modeling. We investigate what they are used for and how they can be used to complement the Business Process (or Dynamics) diagrams we looked at in the last module.

The module consists of the following topics:

1. What is a Hierarchy diagram? - In this section you will learn what a Hierarchy diagram is, and what you use it to represent in your model.

2. Create a Hierarchy diagram - In this section you will learn how to draw a typical Hierarchy diagram from a template in the training model.

3. Some basic diagramming techniques - This section teaches you a few handy techniques for diagramming. These techniques are useful to learn for all users.

4. Before you begin this section you are advised to complete the module: Create a Business Process (Process Dynamics) diagram.

20.13. What is a Hierarchy diagram?

As the name suggests, Hierarchy diagrams show hierarchical relationships between things in your business.

Example: On an Organogram (a diagram showing the employees of a company), the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) is at the top. The CEO's immediate employees (the CEO's PA, for example) are placed beneath the CEO and connected to the CEO object via a hierarchy link.

Another example of a Hierarchy diagram is a Process Hierarchy, which is sometimes referred to as a Functional Decomposition chart. This type of diagram shows organizations (for example, departments) within your business, and links them to the processes they are responsible for, thus showing a hierarchy of responsibility.

The next topic shows some examples of Hierarchy diagrams.

20.14. Types of Hierarchy diagram

Hierarchy diagrams are typically used for Organization Charts (Organograms), Process Hierarchy diagrams (also known as Functional Decomposition charts), or even for a complete view of how all your business and system objects relate to each other.

Look at some examples:

The most common Hierarchy diagram shows the organization of your business. For example, the status of your staff in the organization.

See an example of an Organogram.

Process Hierarchy diagrams, or Functional Decomposition charts, show the organization of your business with regards to who is responsible for high-level processes.

See an example of a Functional Decomposition chart.

You can also use Hierarchy diagrams in a more flexible way, to show overviews of any unit that is constructed as a hierarchy. The most common example of this would be a company overview.

See an example of a company overview.

To see an example of a hierarchy diagram, you are asked to explore the following diagram in the training model:

Module 03 - Diagram 01 - Types of Hierarchy diagram


The New Objects palette for this diagram contains: a Hierarchy Link (the line used to connect objects on a Hierarchy diagram), a Process, an Organization, a Location, an Issue, and a Free Text object.

The Existing Objects palette can be filtered by object type or category. The object types or categories in this list reflect those in the New Objects palette (if you right-click the process in the new objects palette and remove it, then Process isn't available from the drop-down list below).

The hierarchy on this diagram shows: The location of the business, then the departments within that business (drawn as Organization objects), then the processes that those businesses are responsible for.

You can't open a properties dialog for a Hierarchy Link, this is because a Hierarchy Link has no properties.

20.15. When to use Hierarchy diagrams

As Hierarchy diagrams enable you to quickly describe very high-level information, they are often used for brainstorming or identifying the scope of a project.

You can quickly capture - for example - the organizational units (or departments) in your business, and the very high-level processes that those units are responsible for.

Note that this information is very helpful for senior managers, who are not necessarily interested in the details of your processes but who want to understand the structure of your business.

Tips and Additional information

Processes and Organizations added to your Hierarchy diagrams can be re-used (shown again) on your Business Process diagrams. This means that you could show that a process is performed by the marketing department on the Hierarchy diagram, and then show its context, or the steps it's comprised of on a Business Process diagram.

The objects on a Hierarchy diagram could be Exploded to show their details on a Business Process diagram. So, you could click on the process objects in the hierarchy and explode to diagrams showing more information about how those processes are performed.

20.16. Use a Hierarchy diagram as the 'front page' of your model

It is often difficult to organize the diagrams in your model so that other users can find the diagrams that interest them, and so that it is easy to know when you have captured all of the information about your processes as diagrams.

One way that you can do this is by using a Hierarchy diagram as the 'front page' or overview of your model.

For example, if your diagram shows the departments that your business is comprised of (shown as Organization objects) you could Explode each organization to show all of the business processes that department is responsible for.

This diagram shows the object warehouse (on a Hierarchy diagram) exploding to a diagram that shows a process the warehouse is responsible for, such as: Dispatch customer goods.

You could have similar explosions for every object on the hierarchy, so you click on Marketing to see processes such as: Design and Create Packaging and Create Newsletter.

This sort of structure enables users with only the most basic understanding of your business to locate diagrams. All they have to know is which department the process they are interested in relates to.

Tips and Additional information:

The objects on your Hierarchy diagram can explode to any number of detail diagrams.

You navigate to a detail diagram by clicking the plus symbol (+) on the exploded object.

If you want to use a diagram as the 'front page' of your model, you should make sure its name is first alphabetically (perhaps by leaving a space in the name, or by prefixing all diagram names with a number denoting the order they should appear in). This will result in your diagram appearing first in the list in the Open Diagram dialog, and in Model Explorer.

20.17. Objects on Hierarchy diagrams

As you can see from the examples in this section, Hierarchy diagrams support all object types. So, you can draw any object on any Hierarchy diagram.

If you want to draw a diagram of a particular type (for example, you want to draw an Organization Hierarchy and only want organizations on it) you should use a template to control the objects that appear in the New Objects palette.

Note: You connect objects on a Hierarchy diagram using Hierarchy Links. These lines have no properties (no names, no description etc.), and are added to the diagram in the same way as connectors on Business Process diagrams.

Which objects are available in the palettes of Hierarchy diagrams are dictated by the diagram's template. In the Casewise Framework model the following diagram templates are available for creating Hierarchy diagrams:

Template: Application Hierarchy - Diagrams created from this template will display a hierarchy of applications used by your corporation. A good example of a parent-child relationship on this type of diagram might be to show Microsoft Office as the parent of the applications in the Office Suite.

Template: Business Logistics - Diagrams created from this template display a hierarchy of your business's locations, and the departments based at those locations. Note that the Organization objects in the palette of this template are titled: Department Type and Department, and the Location is called City. This is because the object types that appear in this palette have Categories.

Template: Location Hierarchy - Again, this shows the locations of your business using Organization objects. Again, the objects in the palette are categorised as: Country, City, State and Region and would be shown in a hierarchy accordingly. So, the Country object UK would appear above the City object Manchester, connected by a Hierarchy Link.

Template: Organization / Process - Draw the organizational units (representing the departments in your business), and connect them to the processes for which they are responsible.

Tips and Additional Information

Hierarchy diagrams do not have connectors in the palette, objects are connected using Hierarchy Links.

An object that appears above another object, and is connected via a hierarchy link, is the parent object (it is higher up in the hierarchy).

Example: On an Organogram (a diagram showing the employees of a company), the CEO is at the top. The CEO's immediate employees (the CEO's PA, for example) are placed beneath the CEO and connected to the CEO object via a Hierarchy Link.

20.18. Create a Hierarchy diagram: Exercise

From your experience in previous modules you will create a simple organization hierarchy, add some objects, and connect them together using Hierarchy Links.

How to ... Create a New Diagram:

Follow the steps for creating a Business Process diagram, but select the template: Template: Organization / Process to base the new diagram on. Name the new diagram: My Business.

If you do not remember how to do this, you should return to the appropriate topic now:

HYPERLINK "http://www.casewise.com/SupportingInformation/support/online_training/cm10.3/english/draw_diagrams/module02/create_a_diagram.htm" Create a diagram.

When you are creating your new diagram, the New Diagram dialog should be completed in the manner described in this graphic.

(Click the graphic on the left to see a full size version.)

20.19. Add objects to your diagram

In a previous module, we created new objects by dragging them onto the diagram from the New Objects palette. In this topic, we will drag existing objects (objects that have already been created in this model and may appear on other diagrams) onto the diagram.

The diagram you are creating shows the organization Marketing and - beneath this organization - the processes: Monitor Advertising, Organize Advertising, and Organize Exhibitions. It is showing the organization that is responsible for an activity (a process), and the hierarchy within the processes.

What are you supposed to do?

On the Existing Objects Palette:

1. From the Object Type or Category drop-down, select Organization.

2. Select the object Marketing and drag it with your mouse onto the diagram canvas.

3. From the Object Type or Category drop-down, select Process.4. Drag the following processes onto the diagram:

5. Monitor Advertising,Organize Advertising,Organize Exhibitions.

Your diagram should now look like this.


The objects will be located wherever you released the mouse on the canvas.


If you cannot see the Existing Objects palette, it may not be visible or it may be obscured by other palettes (such as the New Objects palette).

To open the Existing Objects palette, select View > Existing Objects.

If the Existing Objects palette is open but you cannot see it, try dragging the other palettes (to the left of the program) to different locations.

20.20. Move objects around on a diagram

On a Hierarchy diagram the layout of the objects is extremely important, this is because the position of the objects on the diagram determines their position in the hierarchy.

So in an organization hierarchy you would position the CEO above the General Manager, as the CEO is more senior in the chain of command.

What are you supposed to do?

We are now going to move the objects on the diagram to signify their position in the hierarchy.On the diagram itself:

1. Drag the object Marketing so that it is in the middle of the diagram, beneath the diagram title.

2. Drag the Organize Advertising object and place it beneath the Marketing object, and to the left.

3. 4. Drag the Organize Exhibitions object and place it to the right of the Organize Marketing object.

5. Drag the Monitor Advertising object and place it directly beneath the Organize Advertising object.

Note: the Monitor Advertising object could be placed below the Organize Advertising object either because it is not as important a task for the Marketing team, or simply because it allows you to see that both of these tasks relate to a common area - advertising.



20.21. Connect two objects to each other using a Hierarchy Link

Connecting the objects on your diagram (drawing lines between them) is very important to your Hierarchy diagrams. The lines (or Hierarchy Links) show that one object takes precedence over another in the hierarchy.

(The process of connecting objects with Hierarchy Links is the same as the process of connecting objects on a Business Process diagram.)

How to ... Connect objects on your diagram:1. Select Marketing.

2. 3. Press F12.

4. Select Organize Advertising (the object you want to connect to).

5. A line is drawn connecting the two objects.

6. Press F12.

7. Select Monitor Advertising.

8. Press F12.

9. Select Organize Exhibitions.



Note that all of the objects were connected to the object marketing. This means the object Marketing is the parent of all the other objects on the diagram.If I wanted to make Monitor Advertising subordinate to Organize Advertising(to show that one has precedence over the other) I would link these directly.

Tips:

Pressing F12 is a shortcut. You can also select the parent object, drag the Hierarchy Link from the palette, and drop it over the child object.

F12 ONLY works if the line in the New Objects palette is set as the default connection object. Please right-click the Hierarchy Link in your New Objects palette and select Edit Properties ... to see if this is the case.

20.22. Explode an object on this diagram

An explosion allows us to connect one object on a diagram to another diagram. We often use - and have previously explored - both exploding objects to show more detail and using a Hierarchy diagram as the 'front page' of a series of diagrams and exploding from the objects on that diagram to all related diagrams as navigational tool.

In this exercise we will be creating an explosion from our newly created Hierarchy diagram, thereby making this diagram into a 'front page' for a model containing marketing information.

If you do not fully understand what an explosion is, please read this topic before you begin:

HYPERLINK "http://www.casewise.com/SupportingInformation/support/online_training/cm10.3/english/draw_diagrams/popup/what_is_an_explosion_illustration.htm" What is an Explosion? (illustration)20.23. What is an Explosion? (illustration)

An Explosion is a link from an object on one diagram to another diagram.

If you click on an exploded object (these can be identified easily, as they show a plus + symbol), you can navigate directly from the parent object to the child diagram.

An explosion created from a Process normally opens a diagram that shows the process in more detail. For example, the process Despatch Goods may explode to a diagram that is also called Despatch Goods, and that includes the sub-processes: 'Address Goods', 'Weigh Goods', 'Send to Post Room' and so on. The lower-level processes must be completed before the goods can be despatched (that is, the child diagram breaks the process Despatch Goods down into more detail, or sub-processes).

An explosion created from an object on a Hierarchy diagram (for example, the Organization 'Warehouse') can provide a link to any related diagram (for example, a diagram detailing any process that occurs at the Warehouse).

The linked diagrams are be used to show more detailed information about the exploded object.

How to... Explode an object on the diagram 'My Business'


2. Right-click and select Explode New > Diagram.


3. Enter a Name for the new diagram.

Note: By default your new diagram will be given the name of the object it is an explosion of. This is because the exploded object and the detail diagram often represent the same information, just at a different level of detail.

4. Select that you wish to create a diagram that is based on a Template, and choose the template Template 02: Explode an object from those available.

5. Click OK.The diagram is created and opens.

20.24. Techniques: Nudge objects on your diagram

Nudge moves selected objects by small increments on the canvas, enabling you to place the objects on your diagram exactly where you want them. This feature helps you to make your output diagrams look really professional.

20.24.1. What does Nudge do?You can nudge the lines or shapes on your diagram according to the Grid Snap value (set on the diagram tab, under Tools > Options), or by pixel. In the first instance the shape will move in the selected direction by the value this diagram has its Grid Snap set to, and in the second instance the shape will move in the selected direction by exactly one pixel.

The following images show a shape being nudged upwards by one Grid Snap value (in this case the Grid Snap value has been set to 16mm).

20.24.2. How To...20.24.2.1. Nudge to grid

To move a shape up by one grid snap:1. Select a shape, or a group of shapes or lines on the canvas.

2. Press the UP arrow on your keyboard.

The selected shape or shapes move up by one grid snap value.

20.24.2.1.1. Keyboard controls for Nudge to GridUpNudge shape by a Grid value Up

DownNudge shape by a Grid value Down

LeftNudge shape by a Grid value Left

RightNudge shape by a Grid value Right

20.24.2.2. Nudge to pixelTo move a shape up by one pixel:1. Select a shape, a line, or a group of shapes or lines on the canvas.

2. Press the Shift + Up keys.

The selected shape or shapes move up by one pixel.

Keyboard controls for Nudge to pixel

Shift + UpNudge shape by a pixel: Up

Shift + DownNudge shape by a pixel: Down

Shift + LeftNudge shape by a pixel: Left

Shift + RightNudge shape by a pixel: Right

20.25. Techniques: Align objects on your diagram

Align moves selected objects so that they are in line with another object on the canvas, enabling you to place the objects on your diagram in a neat row in one easy move.

Aligning shapes on a Corporate Modeler diagram is done in reference to another object, meaning that you know exactly where the objects will be placed once they have been aligned.

20.25.1. What does Align do?The following diagrams show how the layout of a diagram will change if objects B and C are aligned with the top of shape A.

BeforeAfter

Note: In this case the Align Top command required that object B had to move upwards and object C downwards in order to be horizontally aligned to the top of object A.

20.25.2. How To... Align Objects1. Select an object, or a group of objects.

2. Select Draw > Align [Shape Edge].

Where [Shape Edge] is: top, middle, bottom, left, right or center.

The cursor becomes a crosshair.

3. Select the shape you want the previously selected shapes to align to.

The initially selected objects shift to be aligned with the [Shape Edge] of the target shape.

20.25.2.1. What happens if I select a different shape edge to align to?The example above shows what happens if objects of the same shape and size are aligned using: Align Top.

This table shows what alternative behavior is expected when aligning shapes. The black line shows the alignment of the shapes and is not apparent on the diagram itself.

NameExampleDescription

Align LeftAligns the selected shape(s) with the left hand edge of the source shape.

Align CenterAligns the selected shape(s) with the vertical center of the source shape.

Align RightAligns the selected shape(s) with the right hand edge of the source shape.

Align TopAligns the selected shape(s) with the top edge of the source shape.

Align MiddleAligns the selected shape(s) with the horizontal center of the source shape.

Align BottomAlign the selected shape(s) with the bottom edge of the source shape.

20.26. Module 4: Advanced diagramming

Now that you have created a Business Process diagram and a Hierarchy diagram, you have most of the skills required for drawing diagrams of any kind.

This short module provides a glance at some of the more advanced features available in the Corporate Modeler Suite. For more information about any of these areas, please look at the Corporate Modeler Help file.

The module consists of the following topics:

1. Categories in the Casewise Framework Example model - in this section you will learn about multi-level models in the Casewise Framework Example model (the model you receive with Corporate Modeler) and how to use categories to group information according to the granularity of its content.

2. Associate objects on a diagram - in this section you will learn how to create associations between the objects on your diagram, and thereby how to enhance the meaning of your diagrams.

3. Publish your model - in this section you will learn some of the key features of publishing your model. Note that publishing is a huge area and will not be covered to any level of detail here.

4. Some basic diagramming techniques - this section teaches you a few handy techniques for diagramming. These techniques are useful to learn for all users.

20.27. Categories in the Casewise Framework model

In this section we consider the principle of 'zooming in' or Exploding to ever more detail on your diagrams (creating multi-level models).

We also look at how diagrams on one level can be grouped (and thereby identified) using different diagram Categories.

In this section, you will look at:

What we mean by 'levels of detail'

How levels of detail can be represented by explosions in a multi-level model.

Which diagram Categories you might use for Business Process diagrams and why.

Which Categories objects can have, and when / where you may use those objects.

What are 'levels of detail'?

When you Explode an object, you are creating a new diagram that represents the same information as the original object, but in more detail. It shows a different level of detail to the first.

Each diagram in the sequence shows more detail but has a smaller scope.The easiest way to describe an explosion or the progression through levels of detail is through a simile. An atlas is an example of a model that shows different levels of detail (some maps have a wide scope, and others lots of detail).

Click on a map below to see what level of detail it shows.

Explodes to

Explodes to

Like these maps, exploded process diagrams show increasing levels of detail and decreasing scope.

The first level of detail shows a wide scope of information but has very little detail, the next level of detail shows more detail about the selected, smaller, area.

20.28. Levels of detail in a model

In the previous topic, we saw how maps show either a wide scope (contextualizing their information) or show more detail. This topic shows how diagrams can work in much the same way.

Each diagram in the sequence shows more detail but has a smaller scope.Click on a diagram below to see what level of detail it shows.

Explodes to

Explodes to

Note that the links are not from one diagram to another, but from a process on a diagram to a diagram

20.29. Diagram Categories in a multi-level model

In this section, we look at the role of diagram and object Categories in a multi-level model. A Category is a term used to subdivide (or categorize) diagrams and business objects.

Using Categories means that you can easily identify all diagrams, or all models with the same level of granularity; you can then publish all diagrams of one type for a particular audience.

The Casewise Framework model supplies templates for diagrams with the following categories:

Business Dynamics Diagram (BDM)A Business Dynamics or BDM diagram is the highest level diagram category.

These diagrams show the scope of your process model, they present an end-to-end overview of the business.

Explodes to

System Dynamics Diagram (SDM)A System Dynamics or SDM diagram is the next level of diagram.

It explodes a process on the parent Business Dynamics Diagram, and shows that process in much more detail and in terms of the real world process flow (X department does this then Y department does that).

Explodes to

Function Dynamics Diagram (FDM)A Function Dynamics or (FDM) diagram is the lowest level of diagram, and as such shows the most detail.

It explodes a process on the parent System Dynamics Diagram, and shows that process in much more detail describing the exact processes required to complete an activity in the SDM.

This type of diagram is said to present information at 'task level'. This is because it describes each task a member of staff will have to perform to complete the process.

Think of this as a progression through the concepts:

[BDM] What does the business do?

[SDM] Who, Where and When are the required acts performed?

[FDM] How is each specific act actually performed?

Which category of process should appear on each diagram?

The category of a process (process objects which can be dragged onto the diagram) does not necessarily specify what category of diagram that object is appropriate to, but does tell you what level of information that process represents.

For example: a category may be set to specify that the object is only appropriate for use in very detailed process diagrams which show the step-by-step behaviour for a user who is performing a task, or may tell us that it is very high-level information which may be of more interest to managers than to the staff performing the activity.

The picture below shows process categories in the Casewise Framework Example model, and describes the category of diagram they are likely to appear on.

20.30. Set the category for a diagram or object

As you can see, setting the category for an object or diagram helps you to identify what level of information it represents.

You can either set the category of an object or diagram by creating it from a template that already has the prescribed category, or by setting the category in the object properties dialog.

How to... Set the category for an existing object

1. Open the properties dialog for the object or diagram.

2. On the General pane, select a Category.

3. Click OK.

The object now has the selected Category.


More than one object type can appear in the New Objects palette, if they have different Categories.

20.31. Associate objects on a diagram

In addition to showing objects, you may want to describe their relationships to one another in a very visual way. You can do this by associating objects on a diagram.


What an association actually is.

How to associate objects using swim lanes.

How to associate objects using an association drawn as a line.

What an intersection object is.

20.32. Associate objects using swim lanes

This topic describes how you can make associations on diagrams by dragging Processes into swim lane objects such as Organizations and Locations.

A so-called swim lane object is an Organization, or a Location.

They are known as 'swim lanes' because they are typically represented as elongated rectangles, which, when placed on a diagram, look like the lanes of a swimming pool.

Process objects are then placed inside them showing that they share an association. In the diagram below, A is an Organization, B is a Location, and C, D, and E are Processes:

We can then read this as: A is who or what performs C, while B is where D and E are performed.

20.32.1. Make the AssociationWhen you drag a process into a swim lane, an association between those objects is made automatically.

Note that this does not work if you place the swim lane on top of the Process.


You can also use this process to show an association between a Technology and an Application (an application being stored and used on a computer), but the 'association' will not be created as data in the database.

20.33. Associate objects using an association drawn as a line

To associate two objects on a Business Process diagram and understand what the resulting layout means, you are asked to create a new association on the following diagram in the training model:

Module 04 - Diagram 01 - Associate objects using an association drawn as a line

How to... Associate objects using an association drawn as a line

1. Select the parent object in the association (in this case the Organization HR Department).

2. From the New Objects palette, drag the line named Organization - Processes to the Process Hire Staff (that is, the target object, or the object you want to connect to).

Associations appear on the object type list in the Palette Lines Propertiesdialog as the name of the objects that can be connected using that object. For example: the object type list may say Hierarchy Link, Connector, Process - Organization. In this case the user can create a Hierarchy Link, a Connector, or an Association which connects Process objects to Organization objects.20.34. What is an intersection object?

An intersection object is an object that records information about an association. It is an object that tells us WHY one object is associated with another and that stores any information about that association.

The following example shows an intersection object that describes the association between Business Goals and Processes. The intersection object is titled Fulfillment.

This association shows how Business Goals are fulfilled by Processes and conversely, how Processes fulfil Business Goals.

If there were no intersection object, we would not be able to store any information about why the two objects are associated. In the case above, we would be able to say that there was some reason why a Business Goal is associated with a Process, but we could not say why that association exists, or provide the association with any properties of its own.

In the example above, if the Association Type were originally created with the Source Object: Business Goal, the Name of the Association Type would be: Are fulfilled by, the Reverse Name would be: Fulfill, and the name of the intersection object would be: Fulfillment. All of these properties are stored against the intersection object.


You can only access the intersection object by opening the object properties dialog, selecting Associations > Object Type and then clicking the Edit Link button.

20.35. Publish your model

This section briefly describes how Corporate Publisher can be used to produce HTML pages containing your diagrams, and the objects and descriptions they contain.


What Corporate Publisher is.

What a publication set is.

How to create HTML output (how to run a publication set).

20.36. What is a publication set?

A publication set is a data file that determines the model information (the diagrams and objects) that will be published and the appearance of that information when output (the color and size of fonts, the format of images).

To understand better, open a publication set from Model Explorer and have a look around.

How to... View a publication set's properties

1. With the training model expanded In Model Explorer's left-hand (tree) pane, select Publication Set2. In the right-hand (list) pane, right-click Default, and select EditAfter a few seconds, the Publication Set Editor opens.

Things to notice while you are exploring your publication set:

There are three tabs (along the bottom of the dialog), that allow you to set information about the General properties, Layout Properties and Language properties used in your output content.

The General pane allows you to set the properties of most of the things you may want to change - such as the picture format your diagrams will be published as, and which diagram types to include.

20.37. Publish the training model as HTML

This topic guides you through publishing the diagrams you have created in your model in HTML format.

How to... Run the Default publication set

1. In Model Explorer's left-hand (tree) pane, select Publication Sets.

2. In the right-hand (list) pane, right-click Default, and select Run....

3. Corporate Publisher opens.

4. Click Next.

5. Click Next.

6. Select any diagrams you want to publish.

7. Click Next until the Next button is disabled, then click Create.

8. The selected diagrams are published and opened in Internet Explorer.

Things to notice while you are exploring your published diagrams:

It takes a while to build. This is because it is extremely large and contains a lot of settings.

The diagrams are published as images in standard web formats.

Any properties your objects or diagrams have are published.

Some basic diagramming techniques

In this section, we will look at some techniques that improve your ability to draw and edit diagrams. This section describes how you can clean up the lines drawn on your diagram, and resize objects on your diagram to match others.

This is a very brief section that runs you through some very basic actions / activities that will help you to optimize how you use the software.

20.38. Techniques: Cleaning up the lines on a diagram

This technique is only applicable to connectors, Associations and Relationships (which we have not looked at). The option is not available for Hierarchy Links. This means that you will only be able to try this function out on your Business Process diagrams at this point.1. Select a line on an open diagram.

2. Either press the F11 key, or right-click and select Draw > Redraw Line.

The line is redrawn.

Example:

when redrawn (if the user has line behavior set to straight), becomes:

If you have lots of lines that need to be redrawn, you can select one or more objects, press F11, and redraw all of the lines connected to or from the selected objects.


If you do not like how your lines are redrawn, you can press Ctrl + Z and return your diagram to its original state.

The shortcut for Redraw Lines is F11.

20.39. Techniques: Resize objects on your diagram

Resize allows you to standardize the size of objects on your diagram, thereby ensuring that your objects are all equal and appear tidy in the finished output.

This function changes the size (or proportions) of objects on your diagram to be equal to that of another existing object.

20.39.1. What does Resize do?There are three Resize options: Same Size, Same Width, and Same Height. The following table shows the expected behavior for each (object 2 is resized to match object 1 in each example).

NameExample (Before >> After)Description

Same SizeMatches the size of the selected shape(s) to that of the source shape.

Same WidthMatches the width of the selected shape(s) to that of the source shape, retains the selected shape's height.

Same HeightMatches the height of the selected shape(s) to that of the source shape, retains the selected shape's original width.

20.39.2. How To... Resize objects1. Select an object, or a group of objects, on the canvas.

2. Select Draw > Resize > Same [Dimension].

Where [Dimension] is replaced by: size, height or width.

The cursor becomes a crosshair.

3. Select the shape that is to provide the source dimensions.

The [Dimension] of the initially selected objects resize to match the [Dimension] of the source object.

20.39.3. See an example of shapes being resizedThe following diagrams show how the layout of a diagram will change if objects B and C are resized to be the Same Size as shape A.

BeforeAfter

Note: The center point of automatically re-sized objects remains constant. This means that gaps / lines may increase or decrease in size, and objects may overlap.

20.40. Module 5: Simulation

This module is concerned with simulation. Simulations are diagrams that represent processes dynamically. The module consists of the following sections:

1. Preparing for Simulation - this section describes the concepts behind simulation and how to prepare the objects on your diagram

2. Running a Simulation - this section describes how to launch a simulation, and the parameters you can specify

20.41. Preparing for Simulation

Simulations are diagrams that represent processes dynamically, at the layer where business metrics are available and well understood.

This section explains:

1. some background information about simulation

2. how to configure your diagram objects to ensure a meaningful simulation

3. the various simulation parameters - for example: Time Period, Calendar and Break Point20.42. Background information about simulation

You can only simulate diagrams which are based on dynamics diagramming rules

HYPERLINK "javascript:kadovTextPopup(this)" Why simulate? to identify and eliminate bottlenecks

to identify and eliminate unacceptable delays

to identify ways to process in parallel where possible

to identify, assess and replace inefficient activities

it is too expensive to implement the wrong solution

it is unacceptable to implement a change and try again

to analyze the impact if you change who or what performs a process

to communicate process knowledge

HYPERLINK "javascript:kadovTextPopup(this)" Under what circumstances do simulations work best? the process diagram is a good representation

the metrics are entered and are reasonably accurate

you have a rough idea about the things that you want to achieve

HYPERLINK "javascript:kadovTextPopup(this)" What will simulation help me to understand?How to increase:

Service Level

Throughput

How to decrease:

Total Process Cycle Time

Waiting Time

Inventory Cost

Activity Cost

To see an example of a diagram which can be simulated, open the diagram Deliver Order (the one with the Category Function Dynamics Model) in the Casewise Framework Example model:

1. from the left-hand tree view in Model Explorer, expand the Casewise Framework Example model

2. click Diagram. The diagrams in the model are listed in the right-hand list pane

3. double-click on the diagram Deliver Order to open it. Note: there are two diagrams having this name so make sure that you select the one with the Category Function Dynamics Model20.43. Which object

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