IBM FileNet P8, Version 5.2.1            

Import Microsoft Visio diagrams

You can use Microsoft Visio to create diagrams of business processes, and then import these Visio documents into Process Designer as a starting point for creating workflow processes.

The functionality described in this topic is available as an extension to Process Designer. See the ReadMe file provided with the IBM® FileNet® P8 Connector for Microsoft Visio package for instructions for enabling this functionality in Process Designer and installing the Visio BPMN template and stencil to work with your Visio application.

For Business Analysts familiar with Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), a Visio stencil of BPMN shapes is provided with each shape mapped to a corresponding Process Designer object—a step, route, text annotation, data object, Workflow Group, submap, and so on. Shapes in other stencils are also mapped to Process Designer objects, and you can customize the mapping for shapes on existing Visio diagrams.

Preparing Visio diagrams for import

To prepare an existing Visio diagram for import into Process Designer, use Visio to save the diagram in Visio XML format (.VDX).

Process Designer can import Visio diagrams with one or more pages. During the import process, you can choose which pages to import. See Import Visio files in the online Help for Process Designer.

If you are using existing Visio diagrams that contain standard Visio shapes, many of the shapes are mapped to Process Designer objects in the default mapping file. If the default mapping is not appropriate for your application, you can change the mapping for each shape during the import process, and you can save your custom mapping for future use.

For best import results...
  • For each map, specify one step as the start step in the Visio diagram by using a shape that will map to a Start step Process Designer object. If you do not use a Start shape, you can map the appropriate shape/text combination as the Start step during the import process.
  • To create routes between steps, use the Sequence flow shape on the BPMN stencil or any of the arrow shapes on other stencils that are mapped to routes. Be sure to snap each end of the route to the connection points on the preceding and next steps. To associate Data shapes with a task, use the Association shape or map the shape you use to Association during the import process.
  • Be aware that some Visio shapes either map to Nothing, or they map to an unexpected object in Process Designer. For example, text in a Visio diagram is interpreted as a rectangle, which maps to a General step in Process Designer. Always check the mapping for the imported objects on the Mapping Specification page during import.


Last updated: October 2015
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