CHAPTER 1 SIMPROCESS Metadata

CHAPTER 1
SIMPROCESS Metadata

This chapter presents an overview of metadata and SIMPROCESS metamodels.

What is Metadata?

Metadata is data about data. From a SIMPROCESS perspective, metadata is a collection of customer specific unique data attributes for SIMPROCESS model components (Activity, Entity Type, Resource, Pad, Connector, Model, and Swimlane). (See the SIMPROCESS User's Manual for more information on SIMPROCESS models.)

What are Metamodels?

Metamodels are collections of metadata definitions. The key functional value that metamodels offer is the capability to define unique sets of data definitions associated with SIMPROCESS model components. For example, a metamodel could be created specifying data routinely used in an organization. The metadata within the metamodel could relate to SIMPROCESS Activities that represent activities within the organization. These data definitions could then be used in SIMPROCESS Activities to capture values for those data items. Another example is the definition of industry-standard data such as DOD's CADM for DODAF views. Likewise, a vertical industry may also have specific data that is pertinent to a process model such as Sarbanes-Oxley financial requirements or HIPAA health care requirements.

Metamodels are independent of any given SIMPROCESS model so that they can be associated with multiple SIMPROCESS models. Likewise, multiple metamodels can be used within a single SIMPROCESS model. It is a many-to-many relationship.

Metamodel - Metadata Relationship

A SIMPROCESS metamodel consists of data item definitions. Metamodels are created using the SIMPROCESS Metamodel Editor (Chapter 2). The data item definitions in metamodels are used within a SIMPROCESS model to create metadata for a SIMPROCESS model component (Activity, Entity Type, Resource, Pad, Connector, Model, or Swimlane). One or more metamodels can be assigned to a SIMPROCESS model (Chapter 3). This means that the data item definitions in the assigned metamodels are applied to the appropriate SIMPROCESS model components. When the properties of a SIMPROCESS model component (for which data item definitions exist) are edited, metadata based on the data item definitions for that component can be entered (Chapter 4).