When drawing a workflow diagram it is important to place Step icons and connect flows so that the workflow diagram is easy to read and understand. A clear and highly readable workflow diagram will help the person in charge of the work to accurately grasp the flow and to understand the details. Also, when the workflow design is handed over to another person, if the workflow diagram is easy to read, the new person can easily understand the workflow App definitions.
Especially in workflow diagrams where flow branching and merging are performed, it is important to clearly depict where the branching flows are merged. Ver. 14.2 adds three merge gateways corresponding to the type of branching (XOR / OR / AND) so that the gateways where the flows merged can be easily identified.
◆ Changes Regarding Gateways (Ver. 14.2)
The unmarked Join Gateway used until Ver. 14.1 will be discontinued, and three new merge gateways, XOR / OR / AND will be added in Ver. 14.2.
By using a merge gateway according to the type of branching, the beginning and end of the branch can be easily identified. As a result, the visibility of the workflow diagram is enhanced and the flow structure becomes easier to understand.
Note that the use of an OR / AND merge gateway will be required at the merge point of flows diverged by an OR / AND gateway. Be sure to use the appropriate merge gateway for the branching type.
In addition, in conjunction with the addition of merge gateways, the merging of flows at branch gateways will be prohibited. In other words, the role of a gateway will be clarified as either branching or merging. Previously, a workflow diagram that used a single gateway for both merging and branching (connecting multiple input flows and multiple output flows) was allowed, but starting with Ver. 14.2, it will no longer be possible to use a single gateway for both.
If multiple input and output flows are connected to a single gateway, separate the gateways for merging and branching and place them independently.
In addition the number of process icons that can be placed on the workflow diagram will be expanded from 150 to 170.
◆ Ver. 14.2 Support at the Time of Update
When the workflow platform is updated to Ver. 14.2, the following changes will be made to existing workflow diagrams.
- Automatic replacement of merge gateways
- Check for gateways that are both merged and branched
Automatic Replacement of Merge Gateways
If the (unmarked) Join Gateway is used in a workflow diagram, it will be automatically replaced with one of the XOR / OR / AND merge gateways at the time of update.
The replacement will not cause the App to fail (it will be replaced with the appropriate merge gateway to avoid errors).
Example 1: When divergent flows are merged at a single gateway
It is replaced by a merge gateway of the same type as the gateway used in the branching.
Example 2: When flows from multiple start points are combined into one
In cases where multiple flows merge into one, it is replaced by an XOR merge gateway.
Example 3: Flows branching at several different gateways merge at a single merge gateway
When flows branching at multiple gateways of different types (e.g. XOR and AND) merge at one location, they are replaced by the merge gateway of the higher branching type used (AND > OR > XOR). In this example, it is replaced with an [AND Merge Gateway].
If multiple branching gateways are used, it is preferable to draw a workflow diagram in which the same number of merge gateways are located and the start and end of branching are clearly defined in a corresponding manner. For example, the workflow diagram above would be easier to read and understand if it were drawn in the following form.
Check for Gateways with Both Merging and Branching
If a single gateway is used for both merging and branching, an application definition error will occur when updating to Ver. 14.2.
The application definition error does not affect the operation of the running application (it does not become a runtime error), but please correct the error when releasing a new version of the App.
In this workflow diagram, the error can be resolved by splitting the XOR gateway that is causing the error into two separate gateways: the XOR Merge Gateway and the XOR Gateway.
The more types of merge gateways you have, the easier it will be to represent the structure of the workflow diagram in an understandable way. When drawing a workflow diagram, be sure to draw a workflow diagram that is easy for everyone to read and understand.