Import BPMN and Generate Executable Process with SAP Build Process Automation

[Rama-Murari]

Introduction :

• Import Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) models and generate process artifacts automatically, for example, from SAP Signavio solutions or Netweaver BPM tools or any tool which supports process model creation as BPMN and export of the BPMN files.
• Convert BPMN process models into an executable business process within SAP Build Process Automation

Enterprise automation with SAP Solutions:

To help customers stay ahead of the competition, SAP offers enterprise automation, a framework that combines the value of SAP Integration Suite, SAP Signavio, and SAP Build. Enterprise Automation allow customers to identify, model, integrate and automate processes end to end across heterogeneous landscapes. For more details on Enterprise Automation, please refer here.

Lets take an example of a process modelled in Signavio Process Manager and see how the export of the process model from Signavio Process Manager as BPMN file can be done and import of the same BPMN  file to SAP Build Process Automation helps customers with the Model to Execute pattern. This important feature helps customers to migrate their processes easily to SAP Build Process Automation without having to recreate the process from scratch.

Process Model  :

Lets take a typical use case,   Capital expenditure or capital expense (abbreviated capex, CAPEX, or CapEx), which is the money an organization or corporate entity spends to buy, maintain, or improve its fixed assets, such as buildings, vehicles, equipment, or land .

The CapEx approval process helps companies decide if big purchases are worthwhile. Most companies require multiple authorizations to approve capital expenditures, or at least those over a certain amount. This system helps prevent fraud and unnecessary purchases.

It starts off when a person or team submits a  CapEx Request Form. From there, the request usually goes through many departments on its way to the CFO/CEO. Once the CFO/CEO receives it, they take a close look and make the final call on whether to approve the purchase.

An existing Signavio customer would have modelled this process in Signavio Process Manager and executed in Signavio Process Governance. Now to switch to a low code tool SAP Build Process Automation, all that the customer has to do are outlined below :

1.  Export process from Signavio Process Manager/Signavio Process Governance as bpmn file 
2. Import the bpmn file to SAP Build Process Automation.(Note: If you would like to do everything yourself, you can just create a Build process automation project and proceed to Point 5. Point 1-4 helps you with a base project with some required artifacts)
   1. Go to https://github.com/SAP-samples/process-automation-enablement/tree/main/Project and download the "BPMN Import.zip" file and "CapEx_Process.bpmn" file which is exported in the previous step from Signavio Process Manager.
   2. Extract the BPMN Import.mtar file inside BPMN Import.zip
   3. Go to your Build Lobby and import the mtar file 
   4. The base project with the required artifacts are created for you .
   5. Import the CapEx_Process.bpmn file with the Import -> BPMN Process feature
3. Do the manual configurations to make it executable ready 
   1. The imported CapEx process in Build Process Automation will have placeholders for forms, approval forms and subprocess etc., as the compatibility of the artifacts may not be one-one match with the other tool from where the process is modelled originally, in this case, Signavio Process Manager. 
   2. These placeholders will have to replaced with actual artifacts in Build Process Automation to make it executable ( Note : If the placeholders are not replaced with actual artifacts, process cannot be executed) 
   3. Guidance on what is the actual artifact is provided in placeholders . For example, if the placeholder will have to replaced with a Form, the option will say "Replace with Form", or if it has to be replaced with Action (for Service Task), it will read "Replace with Action" so on and so forth.
   4. Artifacts where there is direct compatibility like script task , mail task, conditions branch will be replaced with appropriate artifacts and content wherever applicable . 
   5. Replace the "Create Request Form" placeholder with Form
   6. Check and adjust Script task - Check Total Price of Items 
   7. Replace the "Procurement Review Subprocess" placeholder with Subprocess
   8. Replace the "Procurement Review" placeholder with Approval form 
   9. Replace the "Finance Review Approval" placeholder with Approval Form similar to the above step
   10. Check the Condition for Total price based on which CEO Approval is triggered 
   11. Replace the "CEO Approval" placeholder with Approval form similar to steps 8 and 9.
   12. Check the Mail task "CapEx Approval Status Mail" and adjust the body of the email and add recipients to make it ready for execution 
4. Execute the process .
   1. Save and Release the project
   2. Deploy the project 
   3. Now the project is ready to be executed.
   4. Run the project from Monitoring page 

Happy Migration of your process to SAP Build Process Automation with reduced Model to Execution time !