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Simulating Process Behavior

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Simulating Process Behavior

This provide information on using Oracle Business Process Composer to run simulations to improve the performance of your business processes. It describes how to create simulation models and simulation denitions. It also describes how to run a simulation and analyse the results. This chapter contains the following sections: Introduction to Simulations Working with Simulation Denitions Working with Simulation Models Conguring Boundary Events Running Simulations Analyzing the Results of a Simulation

Introduction to Simulations
Oracle BPM provides functionality for simulating the behavior and performance of your business processes. Using Business Process Composer, process designers can run simulations as they are designing business processes. After creating and conguring a simulation, you run it in Business Process Composer to determine the eciency of process using the resources allocations you have dened. Using simulations, you can: Dene multiple simulation models for a given process so that dierent conditions can be analyzed Run multi-process simulations to learn how working in dierent business processes can aect shared resources such as human participants

Note: In Business Process Composer you can only run simulations based on test data you dene using Business Process Composer. You can run simulations on real-world data using Oracle Business Process Management Studio.

Simulation Models and Simulation Denitions

Before running a simulation, you must dene the simulated behavior of each element of your process. To dene a simulation you must create and congure the following in your BPM Project: Simulation denition Use simulation denitions to dene the processes and resources that dene a simulation scenario. In a simulation denition you specify the processes included in the simulation by selecting the simulation models associated to those processes. A process can have multiple simulation models dened for it. If a process has multiple simulations models dened, then you must select one of those models to use in the simulation denition.

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Simulation model Use simulation models to dene the behavior of an individual process model. Note that, for any given process model, you can have multiple simulation models, so that you can mimic a variety of scenarios. Simulations do not call each individual task within a process. For example, they do not run the service associated to a service task, variables are not assigned values, and external resources are not updated. However, simulations mimic the behavior of an activity using the following simulation variables that you can dene using the Simulation Editor: duration resources cost queue information probability of the instance passing through an outgoing ow

Working with Simulation Denitions

You can create a simulation denition to represent a simulation scenario for a group of simulation models. You can select which simulations model to run from the group of simulation model contained in the simulation denition. You can also create a simulation denition after you create a simulation model.

How to Create a Simulation Denition

In a simulation denition, you can customize the following parameters to see how they inuence the performance of your project: Start time and duration of the simulation Which process simulation models you want to include in the project simulationParticipant resources you want to include in the simulation

To create and congure a simulation dention from the Project Welcome Page:
1. In the Project Welcome Page toolbar, click Simulate as shown in Figure: The Simulation Panel - Before Creating a Simulation Denition.

The Simulation Panel - Before Creating a Simulation Denition

2. Click the New Simulation Denition icon as shown in [[Fig x-x]]. 3. Provide information for the following elds: Simulation denition: denes the name of the simulation denition. Duration: denes the start time for the simulation. This time is used only for logging. It is not used for scheduling purposes. Start time: denes the period the simulation runs. This interval is specied in months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds. Let in-ight instances nish before simulation ends: If selected, simulation ends only when the

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specied number of instances completes. If unselected, simulation stops after the simulation duration is completed. At that point, all incomplete instances are shown in either in-process or queue status. 4. Click Next. 5. Create a new simulation model. The rst time you create a simulation denition, you must create at least one simulation model. a. Click the Add icon to create a new simulation model as shown in Figure: The Simulation Model Chooser.

The Simulation Model Chooser

A simultation model denes the simulated behavior of a process. You can dene multiple simulation models for a process, however only one simulation model is used for each process withing a simulation denition. b. Provide information for each of the elds. c. Click Add. Create additional simulation models as necessary. It is recommended that you create at least one simulation model for each process in your project. This enables you to create additional simulation models later and add them to your simulation denition. 6. Select the check box next to each process whose simulation model you want to include in the simulation denition. If you have not created a simulation model for a process, you cannot select it. 7. Click Next. 8. Click the Add resource icon to add resources to the simulation denition, then modify the following elds as necessary: Name: denes the name used to identify this resource. Cost per hour ($): Eciency (%): Capacity:

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Availability (%): Roles: 9. Click Finish.

What Happens When You Create a Simulation Denition

After creating a new simulation the simulation player panel appears as shown in Figure: The Simulation Panel After Creating a Simulation Denition.

The Simulation Panel - After Creating a Simulation Denition

This pane displays the simulation denitions dened for the project and the simulation models that are part of the simulation denition. If you select a dierent simulation denition from the dropdown list, the welcome page displays the simulation models dened for that simulation denition. From this pane you can perform the following tasks: Edit a simulation denition Run a simulation Edit a simulation model

How to Edit a Simulation Dention

After creating a simulation denition, you can edit it from the Project Home Page.

To edit a simulation denition:

1. From the Project Welcome page toolbar, click Simulate. After clicking Simulate, the simulation panel appear as shown in Figure: The Simulation Panel - After Creating a Simulation Denition. 2. From the drop down list, select the simulation denition you want to edit, then click the Edit icon. The simulation denition editor appear in a tabbed pane.

The Simulation Denition Editor

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From this editor, you can add or remove simulation models from the simulation denition, add resources, and run simulations. 3. Edit the Start Time, Duration, and End Time as necessary. 4. To add resources to a simulations denition, click the Add Resource icon, then edit the elds of the Resources table as necessary.

How to Add a Simulation Model to a Simluation Denition

Before creating a new simulation model, you need to create at least one simulation denition. See Working with Simulation Denitions for more information.

To add a simulation model to a simulation denition:

1. From the Project Welcome page toolbar, click Simulate. 2. From the drop down list, select the simulation denition where you want to add a simulation model. New simulation models are created from the simulation denition editor. However after creating a simulation model for a process, it can be shared with multiple simulation denitions. 3. Click the Edit icon. 4. Click the Add Model Simulation icon in the Model pane. 5. Select a process from the drop down list, then select a simulation model, then click Add. 6. The new simulation model appears in the list.

Working with Simulation Models

Simulation models enable you to simulate the behavior of an individual process. They enable you to dene how a process behaves as part of a simulation denition. You can dene multiple simulation models for each process, creating dierent simulations based on dierent combinations of resource allocation and activity behavior.

How to Create a New Simulation Model

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To Create a New Simulation Model

1. Open the business process where you want to create a new simulation model.

How to Edit a Simulation Model To edit a simulation model

1. From the Project Welcome page toolbar click Simulate. 2. From the drop down list, select the name of the simulation denition containing the simulation model you want to edit. 3. Click the Edit icon next to the simulation model you want to edit. The process is displayed in the simulation canvas. This canvas appears similar to the process editor canvas. However you cannot edit the ow objects and sequence ows within the process. 4. Hover the mouse over the ow object whose simulation information you want to congure, then click the Edit icon of the ow object where you want to dene resources. The simulation denition pane appears as shown in Figure: The Simulation Model Editor Showing the Resource Denition Panel.

The Simulation Model Editor Showing the Resource Denition Panel

5. Edit the simulation parameters for the ow object by clicking the tab and editing the appropriate parameters. 6. When you have nished editing the paramters, click outside the popup window to save your changes.

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Conguring Boundary Events

If the BPMN process you want to simulate contains boundary events, then you must specify the probability of these events happening. You can specify the probabilities for the dierent boundary events in the Outgoing Flows page. The way you specify the probability of a boundary event varies according to the type of the event: Interrupting Boundary Message and Error Events The probabilities of all the interrupting boundary message and error events for an activity are related. If you add these probabilities the result must always be 1. The simulation model editor displays a set of sliders to congure these activities. If you move a slider, the values in the other sliders automatically adjust. You can lock the values by clicking the lock icon next to the slider. When you lock a value the simulations model editor does not modify it when you move the other sliders. The simulation model editor forces you to leave at least two values unlocked. Non-Interrupting Boundary Message and Error Events The probability of a non-interrupting boundary message or error event is independent from the probability of other events happening. This value of this probability can vary between 0 and 1. The simulation model editor displays a slider for each non-interrupting boundary message or error event. You can move this slider to specify any value between 0 and 1. Timer Events To specify the probability of a boundary timer event, you must dene the time interval between occurrences of the event. If the implementation of the timer event in the BPMN process uses an expression, then you must dene a xed time interval to use during the simulation. If the implementation of the timer event in the BPMN processes uses a xed time interval, then redening the time interval is optional because you can use the interval dened in the BPMN process for the simulation. The simulation model editor displays a table for interrupting timer events and another one for non-interrupting timer events. You can redene the time intervals for each of the events using these tables. [[g x-x]] shows the Approve Quote user task with dierent types of boundary events. [[g x-x]] shows the simulation conguration page for the Approve Quote user task.

Running Simulations
You can pause, stop, or run a simulation to the end. If you stop the simulation, you must restart it from the beginning.

How to Run a Simulation

To run a simulation, you must have created simulation models and at least one simulation denition.

To run a simulation:
1. From the Project Welcome page toolbar, click Simulate. 2. Click the Run icon.

What Happens When You Run a Simulation

The animation of the simulation appears in the simulation denition editor.

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Note: If you place the mouse pointer over a column in the chart, a tooltip with the value of the activity or indicator appears.

Analyzing the Results of a Simulation

You can display simulation results either as a chart or as a log le by clicking either the Chart tab or the Log tab in the Simulations window. The Log tab displays a log that tracks the movements of all the instances in the simulated process. Each line in the log contains the following information: Date and Time Process Instance Instance path

How to Analyze the Results of a Simulation Using a Chart

The Chart tab enables you to select a type of chart to display the result of the simulation. You can congure this chart to display the resources to monitor. You can also select the units the chart uses to measure the resources use. In the Chart tab you can congure how to display the chart with the results of the simulation by conguring the following: Type of chart Activities or resources to monitor Indicators

To analyze the results of the simulation using a chart:

1. From the list below the Chart tab, select the type of chart to display. They available types are: Column Bar Bar 3D Column 3D Table 2. Click the Congure icon located on the right hand side of the Charts tab. A Conguration dialog box appears. 3. Select a resource or an activity to monitor. 4. Select the axis where to display the activities or resources. 5. From the list below the Show list, select the activities or resources to monitor in the simulation.

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6. From the Indicators list, select the type of indicators to monitor. The available types of indicators are: Cost Time Units 7. From the list below the indicators list, select the indicators to monitor. The chart displays the variables and indicators you selected. 8. Click Close. 9. Optionally, click the drill up and drill down icons located next to the Types list to increase or reduce the level of detail in the chart.

How to Generate a Simulation Report

You can generate a simulation report that contains the result of the simulation.

What Happens when You Generate a Simulation Report

The HTML le contains: a graphic that displays the result of the simulation a link to a CSV le with the simulation data a link to a CSV le with the simulation resources data You can view the CSV les with the simulation data and resources data in a spreadsheet application.
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