Add or manage BPM
Unlock complete end-to-end process visibility by creating and managing Business Process Models (BPMs) in Nodinite. This guide shows you how to visualize business workflows with swimlane diagrams, organize by organizational domains, monitor services in real-time, and empower teams with actionable process intelligence.
✅ Create visual BPM diagrams with the intuitive Designer
✅ Organize processes with Domain swimlanes (departments/teams)
✅ Add Services and Resources for real-time monitoring
✅ Track milestone-based logging across process steps
✅ Enable Remote Actions for instant service management
✅ Deliver end-to-end visibility from business to technical teams
This guide teaches how to add or manage a Business Process Model (BPM).
Tutorial overview
Use the following table as your to-do list for managing Business Process Models. Stay organized and ensure every BPM is complete, well-structured, and operationally valuable.
Step 1: Add or Manage BPM
Click the Add/New button to create a new Business Process Model from the BPM Overview page in the Repository menu.
Click the 'Add BPM' button to create a new Business Process Model.
Step 2: Name and Describe the BPM
Give your BPM a clear, descriptive name that reflects the business process it represents. The name appears in BPM lists, Log Views, and throughout Nodinite.
Enter the BPM name and optional description.
Mandatory fields
- Name: Every BPM must have a unique, descriptive name. Examples: "Order-to-Cash," "Procure-to-Pay," "Quote-to-Order," "Customer Onboarding"
Optional fields
- Description – Provide a clear summary of the business process, its purpose, and scope. This helps users understand what the BPM covers and when to use it.
- Web Site – Add a link to external documentation, wiki pages, or business process documentation for additional context.
Step 3: Create Domain Swimlanes
Domains represent organizational boundaries (departments, business units, teams) and appear as horizontal swimlanes in your BPM diagram. Each Domain groups related services and shows organizational accountability.
Add Domains as horizontal swimlanes to represent organizational structure.
How to add Domains
- In the BPM Designer, click Add Domain
- Select an existing Domain from the dropdown or create a new one
- Repeat to add multiple Domains (e.g., Sales, Finance, Logistics, IT)
- Reorder Domains by dragging rows up or down
Domain examples
- Sales Domain – Order entry, CRM, customer contact services
- Finance Domain – Credit checks, invoicing, payment processing
- Logistics Domain – Warehouse management, shipping, inventory
- Customer Service Domain – Support tickets, notifications, feedback
- IT Operations Domain – Monitoring, infrastructure, databases
Tip
Reuse Domains across multiple BPMs for consistency. Define "Sales Domain" once and use it in all relevant processes—ensuring organizational alignment across your entire process landscape.
Step 4: Define Process Steps
Process steps represent the columns in your BPM diagram—the sequential milestones your business process moves through from start to finish.
Right-click to open the context menu and insert steps before/after, insert domains above/below, or split steps.
How to add steps
- Right-click on an existing step (or the BPM canvas) to open the context menu
- Select from the available options:
- Insert Step Before – Add a new step column before the selected step
- Insert Step After – Add a new step column after the selected step
- Insert Domain Above – Add a new domain row above the selected domain
- Insert Domain Below – Add a new domain row below the selected domain
- Split Steps At Cursor – Divide the current step into two steps
- Delete – Remove the selected step or domain
- Name the step clearly (e.g., "Receive Order," "Validate Payment," "Ship Product")
- Repeat to add as many steps as needed to represent the complete process flow
Step naming best practices
- Use business terminology – Not technical service names ("Process Order" not "OrderAPI.ProcessMessage")
- Focus on outcomes – What business milestone does this step achieve?
- Keep names short – 2-4 words is ideal for visual clarity
- Be consistent – Use similar naming patterns across all BPMs
Note
The intersection of a Domain (row) and a Step (column) creates a cell where you can add one or more Services.
Step 5: Add Services to Cells
Services are the integration capabilities that execute within each process step and domain. Adding Services to BPM cells connects your visual process diagram to real operational components.
Drag and drop service icons from the toolbox onto cells at the intersection of a Domain and Step.
How to add Services to cells
- Locate the Services section in the left-side toolbox
- Drag a service icon from the toolbox (e.g., Receive, Send, Request/Response)
- Drop it onto a cell (intersection of Domain row and Step column)
- The Service to use in BPM dialog opens with the Select existing Service tab active
Use filters to locate the service, then click "Use" to add it to the cell. - The service icon you dragged automatically filters the Direction dropdown (e.g., "Receive")
- Use additional filters to narrow your selection:
- Filter the result – Search by service name
- Filter by Direction – Pre-filled based on the dragged service icon
- Filter by System – Select a specific system
- Include deleted – Show deleted services if needed
- Click "Use" on the desired service to add it to the cell
- The dialog closes and the selected service appears in the cell with its current operational state
- Optionally rename the Service display name using artifact renaming for clarity in the BPM view
Tip
You can drag and drop multiple services into the same cell. Each service icon represents a different service type (request/response, one-way, etc.).
Service selection strategy
- Single responsibility – Each Service should have a clear purpose within the process step
- Domain alignment – Place Services in the Domain (department) that owns or operates them
- Real monitoring – Only add Services that are actively monitored and have Resources associated
Tip
You can add the same Service to multiple cells if it participates in different process steps or domains. The BPM provides a business view—how you organize services is independent of technical implementation.
Step 6: Monitor Resources and Enable Remote Actions
Each Service in a BPM cell is connected to one or more Resources—the actual monitored components (APIs, queues, databases, file shares) that execute the business logic.
Services in the BPM show status indicators. Click the status icon to view associated Resources.
Real-time operational visibility
Once Services are added to cells, the BPM automatically displays status indicators on each service:
- Resource status icon – Green (healthy), yellow (warning), red (error), gray (no data)
- Click the status icon on any service to open the Resources list
Click the status indicator to view all Resources associated with the Service.
The Resources dialog displays:
- Name – Resource name
- Monitor Agent – Monitoring agent collecting the data
- Category – Resource category
- Application – Associated application
- Log Text – Current status message or error details
- Recent activity – When the resource last processed a transaction
Execute Remote Actions
If Resources support Remote Actions, you can execute operational commands directly from the Resources dialog:
- Click the Action dropdown button on the desired resource
- Select the Remote Action to perform:
- Start/Stop Services – Control service execution
- Restart Services – Recover from failures
- Clear Queues – Manage message backlogs
- Execute Custom Actions – Run predefined operational scripts
Use the Action dropdown to execute Remote Actions on Resources.
Important
Remote Actions require proper Access Management permissions. Ensure users have appropriate roles before granting operational control.
Step 7: Enrich with Custom Metadata
As part of the Repository Model, you can add Custom Metadata to your BPM for enhanced governance, documentation, and business context. Each BPM can have zero or more custom metadata attributes configured based on your organizational needs.
Example showing an SLA custom metadata attribute set to "Gold".
Common Custom Metadata examples for BPMs include:
- SLA – Service-level agreement tier (e.g., Gold, Silver, Bronze)
- Owner – Assign BPM owners, process architects, or responsible teams
- Uptime Target – Record uptime targets and performance KPIs
- Compliance – Add regulatory requirements, audit notes, or certification details (e.g., SOX, GDPR, HIPAA)
- Documentation Link – Reference runbooks, training materials, or business process specifications
- Review Date – Track when the BPM should be reviewed or updated
- Approval Status – Track BPM approval status (Draft, Approved, In Review)
Tip
Use Custom Metadata instead of Custom Fields for better flexibility, advanced querying, and integration with reporting.
Using BPMs Operationally
Once created, your BPMs become powerful operational tools accessible throughout Nodinite:
BPM Designer View
The BPM Designer provides the interactive swimlane diagram with:
- Domain swimlanes showing organizational structure
- Process steps showing workflow sequence
- Services in cells with real-time status
- Click-through to detailed Resource monitoring
- Remote Actions for immediate operational control
Grouped Log Views
Associate your BPM with Log Views to enable milestone-based logging:
- Events are grouped by process step and domain
- Visual Gantt-style timeline shows process progression
- Color-coded status indicators (green/yellow/red) show step health
- Click any step to drill into detailed log events
- Follow business transactions end-to-end across systems
Example: BPM shown in a grouped Log View with milestone-based process tracking.
Integration Landscape
View your BPM in the Integration Landscape to see how it relates to:
- Integrations – High-level business workflows
- Systems – Source and target systems
- Services – Integration capabilities
- Endpoints – Connection points and interfaces
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to define BPMs before deploying services?
No! Nodinite supports late binding—you can create BPMs after services are already running. Use historical log data to model processes retroactively, then refine the BPM as you gain insights.
Can I create multiple BPMs using the same Services?
Yes! Nodinite uniquely allows multiple BPM views over the same log data. Create different BPMs for different audiences:
- Executive BPM – High-level business milestones
- Operations BPM – Detailed technical steps
- Audit BPM – Compliance-focused process view
Same underlying data, different business perspectives.
How do I track business transactions across BPM steps?
Use Search Fields to extract business identifiers (order numbers, invoice IDs, customer IDs) from log events. Configure Search Field Expressions for each Message Type. Nodinite automatically correlates events across BPM steps using these identifiers.
Can I change a BPM after it's created?
Absolutely! Nodinite supports schema-free changes:
- Add or remove Domains and Steps at any time
- Reorganize Services between cells
- Rename steps and domains for clarity
- Historical log data remains accessible and can be reindexed with the new BPM structure
What happens if a Service appears in multiple cells?
This is normal and supported! A Service might participate in different process steps or be shared across domains. The BPM provides a business-centric view—you're showing where the Service is used in the process, not technical implementation details.
How do I delete a BPM?
From the BPM Overview, use the Actions menu to delete a BPM. Deleted BPMs can be restored later by enabling "Show deleted BPMs" and selecting Restore from the Actions menu. Deleting a BPM does not affect underlying Services, Resources, or log data.
Next Step
BPM Overview
Add or manage Domain
Log Views
Related Topics
Domains
Services
Resources
Custom Metadata
Remote Actions
Monitor Views
Integration Landscape
Integrations