QPR ProcessAnalyzer Wiki - User contributions [en]

QPR ProcessAnalyzer Wiki

2018-10-03T07:41:52Z

Jarrepo: /* Analysts */

== Introduction ==
This wiki contains documentation for QPR ProcessAnalyzer - the tool for turning event data into visual process intelligence. Read [[What is QPR ProcessAnalyzer]] for an introduction of the tool. If you are new to process mining, you can start by learning about [[Process Mining Concept| concepts of process mining]].

== Analysts ==
QPR ProcessAnalyzer is used via web browser. In QPR ProcessAnalyzer application you can perform various analyses on your process model. If you prefer standalone installation, you can use excel client for analyses.

<table style="width:100%; display: table;border-spacing: 10px;">
<tr>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word; border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:33%; min-width: 200px;display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">
=== Using ProcessAnalyzer ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:100%;">
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer Presentation Object (PAPO)|QPR ProcessAnalyzer UI]]
</div>
</td>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word; border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:33%; min-width: 200px;display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">
=== Available analyses ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:40%;">
* [[Case_Analysis (PAPO)|Case Analysis]]
* [[Duration_Analysis (PAPO)|Duration Analysis]]
* [[Event_Analysis (PAPO)|Event Analysis]]
* [[Event_Type_Analysis (PAPO)|Event Type Analysis]]
* [[Flowchart_Analysis (PAPO)|Flowchart Analysis]]
</div>
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:60%;">
* [[Flowchart_Influence_Analysis (PAPO)|Flowchart Influence Analysis]]
* [[Influence_Analysis_for_Case_Attributes (PAPO)|Influence Analysis for Case Attributes]]
* [[KPI Analysis]]
* [[Profiling_Analysis (PAPO)|Profiling Analysis]]
* [[Variation_Analysis (PAPO)|Variation Analysis]]
</div>
</td>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word; border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:33%; min-width: 200px;display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">
=== Excel client ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:100%;">
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel Client|QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel Client]]
* [[Installing QPR ProcessAnalyzer|Install QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel client]]
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

== Developers ==
To create QPR ProcessAnalyzer models, you need to Extract data from source system(s), transform data to a format compatible with QPR ProcessAnalyzer and finally load data as process model(s). To perform these tasks, you can use T-SQL and QPR ProcessAnalyzer scripting commands. When you have created a model, end-users can analyze it easily by using QPR UI’s ProcessAnalyzer application. If needed, there are plenty of tools to customize the end-user experience in QPR UI.

<table style="width:100%; display: table;border-spacing: 10px;">
<tr>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word; border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:25%; display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">
=== Manage Environment ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:100%;">
* [[Get Started with QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel Client|Get Started]]
* [[User Roles and Permissions in QPR ProcessAnalyzer|Security and Permissions]]
* [[Manage Users in QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel Client|Manage Users]]
* [[Project Workspace in QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel Client|Project Workspace]]
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer Logs|Logging]]
</div>
</td>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word; border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:25%; display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">
=== Integrating with Data ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:100%;">
* [[Data Extraction, Transformation, and Loading|Concept of ETL]]
* [[Manage Scripts in QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel Client|Manage Scripts]]
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer Scripting Commands|Scripting commands]]
* [[QPR_ProcessAnalyzer_Model_JSON_Settings#Model_Datasources|ODBC datasources]]
* [[HTML Presentation Object: QPR ProcessAnalyzer CSV Data Import|CSV Data Import into QPR ProcessAnalyzer]]
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer Web Service API|Web API]]
</div>

</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:25%; display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">

=== Working with model data ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:100%;">
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer Model JSON Settings|Model JSON Settings]]
* [[Open R in QPR ProcessAnalyzer|Analytics using Open R Language]]
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer KPI Analysis|QPR ProcessAnalyzer KPI Analysis]]
* [[Filtering_in_QPR_ProcessAnalyzer_Queries|Filtering in QPR ProcessAnalyzer queries]]
* [[Conformance_Checking_in_QPR_ProcessAnalyzer|Conformance checking using BPMN models]]
</div>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:25%; display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">

=== Tutorials ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:100%;">
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer ETL Tutorial | ETL Tutorial]]
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer Certification]]
* [[Media:QPR_ProcessAnalyzer_training.pdf|QPR ProcessAnalyzer training material]]
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

== Installation ==
QPR ProcessAnalyzer installation requires installing a server component and two databases. It is recommended to install also QPR UI server to fully utilize the power of QPR ProcessAnalyzer. With QPR UI installed, QPR ProcessAnalyzer can be used via web browser for analyzing process models and analyzer users do not need any additional software installed on their workstations. Developer users need also to have QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel client installed.

<table style="width:100%; display: table;border-spacing: 10px;">
<tr>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word; border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:50%; display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">
=== Installing ProcessAnalyzer ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:100%;">
* [[Installing QPR ProcessAnalyzer Server|Installing and upgrading QPR ProcessAnalyzer server]]
* [[Installing QPR ProcessAnalyzer|Installing and upgrading QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel client]]
</div>
</td>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word; border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:50%; display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">
=== Installing QPR UI ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:100%;">
* [[QPR UI Installation Checklist|Installing and upgrading QPR UI]]
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

== [[QPR End User Software License Agreement|Agreements]] ==
See the [[QPR End User Software License Agreement]] and [[QPR Software as a Service Agreement]].

__NOTOC__

QPR ProcessAnalyzer Wiki

2018-10-02T11:25:24Z

Jarrepo:

== Introduction ==
This wiki contains documentation for QPR ProcessAnalyzer - the tool for turning event data into visual process intelligence. Read [[What is QPR ProcessAnalyzer]] for an introduction of the tool. If you are new to process mining, you can start by learning about [[Process Mining Concept| concepts of process mining]].

== Analysts ==
QPR ProcessAnalyzer is used via web browser. In QPR ProcessAnalyzer application you can perform various analyses on your process model. If you prefer standalone installation, you can use excel client for analyses.

<table style="width:100%; display: table;border-spacing: 10px;">
<tr>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word; border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:33%; display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">
=== Using ProcessAnalyzer ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:100%;">
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer Presentation Object (PAPO)|QPR ProcessAnalyzer UI]]
</div>
</td>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word; border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:33%;display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">
=== Available analyses ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:40%;">
* [[Case_Analysis (PAPO)|Case Analysis]]
* [[Duration_Analysis (PAPO)|Duration Analysis]]
* [[Event_Analysis (PAPO)|Event Analysis]]
* [[Event_Type_Analysis (PAPO)|Event Type Analysis]]
* [[Flowchart_Analysis (PAPO)|Flowchart Analysis]]
</div>
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:60%;">
* [[Flowchart_Influence_Analysis (PAPO)|Flowchart Influence Analysis]]
* [[Influence_Analysis_for_Case_Attributes (PAPO)|Influence Analysis for Case Attributes]]
* [[KPI Analysis]]
* [[Profiling_Analysis (PAPO)|Profiling Analysis]]
* [[Variation_Analysis (PAPO)|Variation Analysis]]
</div>
</td>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word; border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:50%; display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">
=== Excel client ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:100%;">
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel Client|QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel Client]]
* [[Installing QPR ProcessAnalyzer|Install QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel client]]
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

== Developers ==
To create QPR ProcessAnalyzer models, you need to Extract data from source system(s), transform data to a format compatible with QPR ProcessAnalyzer and finally load data as process model(s). To perform these tasks, you can use T-SQL and QPR ProcessAnalyzer scripting commands. When you have created a model, end-users can analyze it easily by using QPR UI’s ProcessAnalyzer application. If needed, there are plenty of tools to customize the end-user experience in QPR UI.

<table style="width:100%; display: table;border-spacing: 10px;">
<tr>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word; border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:25%; display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">
=== Manage Environment ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:100%;">
* [[Get Started with QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel Client|Get Started]]
* [[User Roles and Permissions in QPR ProcessAnalyzer|Security and Permissions]]
* [[Manage Users in QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel Client|Manage Users]]
* [[Project Workspace in QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel Client|Project Workspace]]
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer Logs|Logging]]
</div>
</td>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word; border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:25%; display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">
=== Integrating with Data ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:100%;">
* [[Data Extraction, Transformation, and Loading|Concept of ETL]]
* [[Manage Scripts in QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel Client|Manage Scripts]]
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer Scripting Commands|Scripting commands]]
* [[QPR_ProcessAnalyzer_Model_JSON_Settings#Model_Datasources|ODBC datasources]]
* [[HTML Presentation Object: QPR ProcessAnalyzer CSV Data Import|CSV Data Import into QPR ProcessAnalyzer]]
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer Web Service API|Web API]]
</div>

</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:25%; display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">

=== Working with model data ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:100%;">
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer Model JSON Settings|Model JSON Settings]]
* [[Open R in QPR ProcessAnalyzer|Analytics using Open R Language]]
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer KPI Analysis|QPR ProcessAnalyzer KPI Analysis]]
* [[Filtering_in_QPR_ProcessAnalyzer_Queries|Filtering in QPR ProcessAnalyzer queries]]
* [[Conformance_Checking_in_QPR_ProcessAnalyzer|Conformance checking using BPMN models]]
</div>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:25%; display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">

=== Tutorials ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:100%;">
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer ETL Tutorial | ETL Tutorial]]
* [[QPR ProcessAnalyzer Certification]]
* [[Media:QPR_ProcessAnalyzer_training.pdf|QPR ProcessAnalyzer training material]]
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

== Installation ==
QPR ProcessAnalyzer installation requires installing a server component and two databases. It is recommended to install also QPR UI server to fully utilize the power of QPR ProcessAnalyzer. With QPR UI installed, QPR ProcessAnalyzer can be used via web browser for analyzing process models and analyzer users do not need any additional software installed on their workstations. Developer users need also to have QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel client installed.

<table style="width:100%; display: table;border-spacing: 10px;">
<tr>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word; border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:50%; display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">
=== Installing ProcessAnalyzer ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:100%;">
* [[Installing QPR ProcessAnalyzer Server|Installing and upgrading QPR ProcessAnalyzer server]]
* [[Installing QPR ProcessAnalyzer|Installing and upgrading QPR ProcessAnalyzer Excel client]]
</div>
</td>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word; border:1px solid #dfdfdf; padding:0 1em 1em 1em; align:left; font-size:1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; width:50%; display: table-cell; vertical-align:top;">
=== Installing QPR UI ===
<div style="align:left; font-size:1em; float:left; width:100%;">
* [[QPR UI Installation Checklist|Installing and upgrading QPR UI]]
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

== [[QPR End User Software License Agreement|Agreements]] ==
See the [[QPR End User Software License Agreement]] and [[QPR Software as a Service Agreement]].

__NOTOC__

Process Mining Concepts

2018-10-02T11:16:33Z

Jarrepo:

== Concepts ==

[[File:ProcessMiningConcept.png|center|frame|Figure 1: Basic elements Process Mining]]

=== Business object ===
A business object is an instance of structured information, or an entity, representing data about real world that is meaningful in a business context. Business objects are discovered and identified via various problem domain models as part of the information architecture of an organization, for example
* Customer
* Supplier
* Product
* Transaction
* Shipment
* Person
* Organization unit
It has a collection of attributes, which are relevant in a particular context. Business objects may have also various types of relationships with each other. Execution of software functions may change the attribute values as well as the relationships.
Certain unique combinations of attribute values can be referred to as constituting the state of a business object. The business object can be associated with a state model describing the set of legitimate states and transitions between them. When a software function operates on a business object, it changes the state according to the programmed business logic and the constraints of the state model.
Among different business object categories, transactions of various sorts are of particular interest in process mining.
=== Process ===
In an organizational context, a process is the way that people work together and apply methods and tools, to accomplish predefined common objectives. The objectives include the value that the output of the process is expected to produce to its stakeholders.
A process model is an abstraction representing a process. It is the organization of work in terms of a functionally cohesive or causally connected set of activities triggered by a common event, executed by work roles, and creating or altering the state of some business object(s).
A process case is a particular execution instance or an execution trace of a process. In process modeling context, a simple case contains a linear sequence of activities. A more complex case may contain parallel execution paths. In process mining context, the case contains only the end events of activities, not the activities themselves.
Relevant attributes of a process case depend on the context. They apply to a case and the contained events as a whole. For example, in insurance claims processing, relevant case attributes could include:
* Customer
* Insurance policy
* Vehicle registration id
* Location of accident
* Claims handler
Every case attribute has a type, which defines what kind of data can be represented by the attribute, for example:
* Integer
* Logical truth (TRUE or FALSE)
* Date and time
Among different process categories, transactional processes are of particular interest, for example:
* Purchase-to-pay
* Quote-to-cash
* Request-to-resolution
* Idea-to-product
=== Activity ===
An activity is the basic building block of a process model. All human work is modeled as being performed within activities. An activity is executed by a work role. The purpose of an activity is to produce value adding output. Input from preceding activities and output to succeeding activities are provided in the form of business objects in well-defined states. In a digitalized business process, execution of an activity results in changing the state of business objects.
An activity has a duration, and there may be waiting time or slack between the end of an activity and the start of the next activity.

[[File:FlowDurationBusinessProcessModel.png|400px|center|frame|Figure 2: Flow and duration in typical business process models]]

In computerized or digital transaction systems, event logs typically contain the end events only and the start events of activities are not necessarily recorded. Durations are calculated from the time between the end events. Flows are used to represent both the causality and the duration.

[[File:FlowDurationProcessMining.png|200px|center|frame|Figure 3: Flow and duration in event log based process mining]]

=== Event ===
An event is a change in the state of matters that has happened or is expected to happen, having a meaning in a particular context. The word event is also used to mean a software object inside a computer program that represents such an occurrence in a computing system, typically causing a state transition.
An event does not have a duration. Durations are expressed in terms of the time between two events. An event typically signifies the beginning or completion of an activity or the state change of a business object. Process mining typically deals with these events.
Relevant attributes of an event can be derived from the context and corresponding activity. Mandatory attributes for an event include a timestamp and an identifier associating it with a process case. Several optional attributes can be identified, depending on the context, for example:
* Person and work role that triggered the event
* Location where it was done
* Cost incurred by the event
* Work effort expended
* Environmental conditions
* Any activity specific factor that might affect the outcome
A process case may contain different types of events. Each event type has a special meaning related to the particular activity and business object state transition it is associated with.
=== Flow ===
In process mining context, a flow represents an identified causal relationship between state changes in a process model or business object. Typically, it signifies the transition from one state to the next state of a transaction. The duration of a flow is defined as the time between the events it connects. Note that in process mining, the analyst may choose the events included in the analysis using selection and filtering features of the tool, and the flows will be identified based on the included events only. In terms of a sate model, this equals to skipping uninteresting intermediate states in favor of a simpler or more focused analysis model.
Flow occurrence is a historical fact or actual instance of a flow. A timestamp and identifiers of the related events are needed for distinct identification. Note that the flow occurrence is an artificial concept. It is the events that actually occur, and the flow is just a relationship between the events.
=== Variation ===
Process variations (or variants) divide a set of process cases into non-overlapping partitions based on their unique configuration of events, flows, and execution path they have taken. All cases in a variation have the same sequence of events and flows. The durations between the events may be different, though.
=== Transaction ===
A transaction is a protocol between participating entities intended to transfer value between the participants. Purchasing a product from a retail shop is an example of a simple transaction, where product of value is transferred from the seller to the buyer and money of equal value is transferred from the buyer to the seller.
Transactions can be far more complex than buying a soda can. However, all parties of a transaction should have the same understanding about the protocol and current state of the transaction. It is important to know, whether or not an irrevocable commitment has been achieved by the parties. Transaction state models are a convenient way of explicating the protocol and communicating the current state.
When a transaction is proceeds through its state model, it leaves an execution trace. The trace consists of events signifying the transitions of the transaction from one state to another. It is these events that are typically used in process mining work, processed by the various analysis algorithms.
Transaction processing systems (like ERP) are usually state oriented, meaning that they do not reflect the way processes are modeled. They do not record the time it takes to perform an activity, but only the significant events i.e. state transitions of the transaction objects. However, the state transitions are usually the result of someone performing an activity, which then causes an event in the transaction processing system.

[[File:TransactionStateModel.png|center|frame|Figure 4: A transaction business object and the corresponding state model.]]

Process Mining Concepts

2018-10-02T09:11:01Z

Jarrepo:

== Concepts ==

[[File:ProcessMiningConcept.png|center|frame|Basic elements Process Mining]]

=== Business object ===
A business object is an instance of structured information, or an entity, representing data about real world that is meaningful in a business context. Business objects are discovered and identified via various problem domain models as part of the information architecture of an organization, for example
* Customer
* Supplier
* Product
* Transaction
* Shipment
* Person
* Organization unit
It has a collection of attributes, which are relevant in a particular context. Business objects may have also various types of relationships with each other. Execution of software functions may change the attribute values as well as the relationships.
Certain unique combinations of attribute values can be referred to as constituting the state of a business object. The business object can be associated with a state model describing the set of legitimate states and transitions between them. When a software function operates on a business object, it changes the state according to the programmed business logic and the constraints of the state model.
Among different business object categories, transactions of various sorts are of particular interest in process mining.
=== Process ===
In an organizational context, a process is the way that people work together and apply methods and tools, to accomplish predefined common objectives. The objectives include the value that the output of the process is expected to produce to its stakeholders.
A process model is an abstraction representing a process. It is the organization of work in terms of a functionally cohesive or causally connected set of activities triggered by a common event, executed by work roles, and creating or altering the state of some business object(s).
A process case is a particular execution instance or an execution trace of a process. In process modeling context, a simple case contains a linear sequence of activities. A more complex case may contain parallel execution paths. In process mining context, the case contains only the end events of activities, not the activities themselves.
Relevant attributes of a process case depend on the context. They apply to a case and the contained events as a whole. For example, in insurance claims processing, relevant case attributes could include:
* Customer
* Insurance policy
* Vehicle registration id
* Location of accident
* Claims handler
Every case attribute has a type, which defines what kind of data can be represented by the attribute, for example:
* Integer
* Logical truth (TRUE or FALSE)
* Date and time
Among different process categories, transactional processes are of particular interest, for example:
* Purchase-to-pay
* Quote-to-cash
* Request-to-resolution
* Idea-to-product
=== Activity ===
An activity is the basic building block of a process model. All human work is modeled as being performed within activities. An activity is executed by a work role. The purpose of an activity is to produce value adding output. Input from preceding activities and output to succeeding activities are provided in the form of business objects in well-defined states. In a digitalized business process, execution of an activity results in changing the state of business objects.
An activity has a duration, and there may be waiting time or slack between the end of an activity and the start of the next activity.

[[File:FlowDurationBusinessProcessModel.png|400px|center|frame|Figure X: Flow and duration in typical business process models]]

In computerized or digital transaction systems, event logs typically contain the end events only and the start events of activities are not necessarily recorded. Durations are calculated from the time between the end events. Flows are used to represent both the causality and the duration.

[[File:FlowDurationProcessMining.png|200px|center|frame|Figure X: Flow and duration in event log based process mining]]

=== Event ===
An event is a change in the state of matters that has happened or is expected to happen, having a meaning in a particular context. The word event is also used to mean a software object inside a computer program that represents such an occurrence in a computing system, typically causing a state transition.
An event does not have a duration. Durations are expressed in terms of the time between two events. An event typically signifies the beginning or completion of an activity or the state change of a business object. Process mining typically deals with these events.
Relevant attributes of an event can be derived from the context and corresponding activity. Mandatory attributes for an event include a timestamp and an identifier associating it with a process case. Several optional attributes can be identified, depending on the context, for example:
* Person and work role that triggered the event
* Location where it was done
* Cost incurred by the event
* Work effort expended
* Environmental conditions
* Any activity specific factor that might affect the outcome
A process case may contain different types of events. Each event type has a special meaning related to the particular activity and business object state transition it is associated with.
=== Flow ===
In process mining context, a flow represents an identified causal relationship between state changes in a process model or business object. Typically, it signifies the transition from one state to the next state of a transaction. The duration of a flow is defined as the time between the events it connects. Note that in process mining, the analyst may choose the events included in the analysis using selection and filtering features of the tool, and the flows will be identified based on the included events only. In terms of a sate model, this equals to skipping uninteresting intermediate states in favor of a simpler or more focused analysis model.
Flow occurrence is a historical fact or actual instance of a flow. A timestamp and identifiers of the related events are needed for distinct identification. Note that the flow occurrence is an artificial concept. It is the events that actually occur, and the flow is just a relationship between the events.
=== Variation ===
Process variations (or variants) divide a set of process cases into non-overlapping partitions based on their unique configuration of events, flows, and execution path they have taken. All cases in a variation have the same sequence of events and flows. The durations between the events may be different, though.
=== Transaction ===
A transaction is a protocol between participating entities intended to transfer value between the participants. Purchasing a product from a retail shop is an example of a simple transaction, where product of value is transferred from the seller to the buyer and money of equal value is transferred from the buyer to the seller.
Transactions can be far more complex than buying a soda can. However, all parties of a transaction should have the same understanding about the protocol and current state of the transaction. It is important to know, whether or not an irrevocable commitment has been achieved by the parties. Transaction state models are a convenient way of explicating the protocol and communicating the current state.
When a transaction is proceeds through its state model, it leaves an execution trace. The trace consists of events signifying the transitions of the transaction from one state to another. It is these events that are typically used in process mining work, processed by the various analysis algorithms.
Transaction processing systems (like ERP) are usually state oriented, meaning that they do not reflect the way processes are modeled. They do not record the time it takes to perform an activity, but only the significant events i.e. state transitions of the transaction objects. However, the state transitions are usually the result of someone performing an activity, which then causes an event in the transaction processing system.

[[File:TransactionStateModel.png|center|frame|Figure X: A transaction business object and the corresponding state model.]]

Process Mining Concepts

2018-10-02T09:02:16Z

Jarrepo: /* Concepts */

== Concepts ==
[[File:ProcessMiningConcept.png|frame|Basic elements Process Mining]]

=== Business object ===
A business object is an instance of structured information, or an entity, representing data about real world that is meaningful in a business context. Business objects are discovered and identified via various problem domain models as part of the information architecture of an organization, for example
* Customer
* Supplier
* Product
* Transaction
* Shipment
* Person
* Organization unit
It has a collection of attributes, which are relevant in a particular context. Business objects may have also various types of relationships with each other. Execution of software functions may change the attribute values as well as the relationships.
Certain unique combinations of attribute values can be referred to as constituting the state of a business object. The business object can be associated with a state model describing the set of legitimate states and transitions between them. When a software function operates on a business object, it changes the state according to the programmed business logic and the constraints of the state model.
Among different business object categories, transactions of various sorts are of particular interest in process mining.
=== Process ===
In an organizational context, a process is the way that people work together and apply methods and tools, to accomplish predefined common objectives. The objectives include the value that the output of the process is expected to produce to its stakeholders.
A process model is an abstraction representing a process. It is the organization of work in terms of a functionally cohesive or causally connected set of activities triggered by a common event, executed by work roles, and creating or altering the state of some business object(s).
A process case is a particular execution instance or an execution trace of a process. In process modeling context, a simple case contains a linear sequence of activities. A more complex case may contain parallel execution paths. In process mining context, the case contains only the end events of activities, not the activities themselves.
Relevant attributes of a process case depend on the context. They apply to a case and the contained events as a whole. For example, in insurance claims processing, relevant case attributes could include:
* Customer
* Insurance policy
* Vehicle registration id
* Location of accident
* Claims handler
Every case attribute has a type, which defines what kind of data can be represented by the attribute, for example:
* Integer
* Logical truth (TRUE or FALSE)
* Date and time
Among different process categories, transactional processes are of particular interest, for example:
* Purchase-to-pay
* Quote-to-cash
* Request-to-resolution
* Idea-to-product
=== Activity ===
An activity is the basic building block of a process model. All human work is modeled as being performed within activities. An activity is executed by a work role. The purpose of an activity is to produce value adding output. Input from preceding activities and output to succeeding activities are provided in the form of business objects in well-defined states. In a digitalized business process, execution of an activity results in changing the state of business objects.
An activity has a duration, and there may be waiting time or slack between the end of an activity and the start of the next activity.

[[File:FlowDurationBusinessProcessModel.png|frame|Figure X: Flow and duration in typical business process models]]

In computerized or digital transaction systems, event logs typically contain the end events only and the start events of activities are not necessarily recorded. Durations are calculated from the time between the end events. Flows are used to represent both the causality and the duration.

[[File:FlowDurationProcessMining.png|frame|Figure X: Flow and duration in event log based process mining]]

=== Event ===
An event is a change in the state of matters that has happened or is expected to happen, having a meaning in a particular context. The word event is also used to mean a software object inside a computer program that represents such an occurrence in a computing system, typically causing a state transition.
An event does not have a duration. Durations are expressed in terms of the time between two events. An event typically signifies the beginning or completion of an activity or the state change of a business object. Process mining typically deals with these events.
Relevant attributes of an event can be derived from the context and corresponding activity. Mandatory attributes for an event include a timestamp and an identifier associating it with a process case. Several optional attributes can be identified, depending on the context, for example:
* Person and work role that triggered the event
* Location where it was done
* Cost incurred by the event
* Work effort expended
* Environmental conditions
* Any activity specific factor that might affect the outcome
A process case may contain different types of events. Each event type has a special meaning related to the particular activity and business object state transition it is associated with.
=== Flow ===
In process mining context, a flow represents an identified causal relationship between state changes in a process model or business object. Typically, it signifies the transition from one state to the next state of a transaction. The duration of a flow is defined as the time between the events it connects. Note that in process mining, the analyst may choose the events included in the analysis using selection and filtering features of the tool, and the flows will be identified based on the included events only. In terms of a sate model, this equals to skipping uninteresting intermediate states in favor of a simpler or more focused analysis model.
Flow occurrence is a historical fact or actual instance of a flow. A timestamp and identifiers of the related events are needed for distinct identification. Note that the flow occurrence is an artificial concept. It is the events that actually occur, and the flow is just a relationship between the events.
=== Variation ===
Process variations (or variants) divide a set of process cases into non-overlapping partitions based on their unique configuration of events, flows, and execution path they have taken. All cases in a variation have the same sequence of events and flows. The durations between the events may be different, though.
=== Transaction ===
A transaction is a protocol between participating entities intended to transfer value between the participants. Purchasing a product from a retail shop is an example of a simple transaction, where product of value is transferred from the seller to the buyer and money of equal value is transferred from the buyer to the seller.
Transactions can be far more complex than buying a soda can. However, all parties of a transaction should have the same understanding about the protocol and current state of the transaction. It is important to know, whether or not an irrevocable commitment has been achieved by the parties. Transaction state models are a convenient way of explicating the protocol and communicating the current state.
When a transaction is proceeds through its state model, it leaves an execution trace. The trace consists of events signifying the transitions of the transaction from one state to another. It is these events that are typically used in process mining work, processed by the various analysis algorithms.
Transaction processing systems (like ERP) are usually state oriented, meaning that they do not reflect the way processes are modeled. They do not record the time it takes to perform an activity, but only the significant events i.e. state transitions of the transaction objects. However, the state transitions are usually the result of someone performing an activity, which then causes an event in the transaction processing system.

[[File:TransactionStateModel.png|frame|Figure X: A transaction business object and the corresponding state model.]]

Process Mining Concepts

2018-10-02T09:00:33Z

Jarrepo: /* Activity */

== Concepts ==

=== Business object ===
A business object is an instance of structured information, or an entity, representing data about real world that is meaningful in a business context. Business objects are discovered and identified via various problem domain models as part of the information architecture of an organization, for example
* Customer
* Supplier
* Product
* Transaction
* Shipment
* Person
* Organization unit
It has a collection of attributes, which are relevant in a particular context. Business objects may have also various types of relationships with each other. Execution of software functions may change the attribute values as well as the relationships.
Certain unique combinations of attribute values can be referred to as constituting the state of a business object. The business object can be associated with a state model describing the set of legitimate states and transitions between them. When a software function operates on a business object, it changes the state according to the programmed business logic and the constraints of the state model.
Among different business object categories, transactions of various sorts are of particular interest in process mining.
=== Process ===
In an organizational context, a process is the way that people work together and apply methods and tools, to accomplish predefined common objectives. The objectives include the value that the output of the process is expected to produce to its stakeholders.
A process model is an abstraction representing a process. It is the organization of work in terms of a functionally cohesive or causally connected set of activities triggered by a common event, executed by work roles, and creating or altering the state of some business object(s).
A process case is a particular execution instance or an execution trace of a process. In process modeling context, a simple case contains a linear sequence of activities. A more complex case may contain parallel execution paths. In process mining context, the case contains only the end events of activities, not the activities themselves.
Relevant attributes of a process case depend on the context. They apply to a case and the contained events as a whole. For example, in insurance claims processing, relevant case attributes could include:
* Customer
* Insurance policy
* Vehicle registration id
* Location of accident
* Claims handler
Every case attribute has a type, which defines what kind of data can be represented by the attribute, for example:
* Integer
* Logical truth (TRUE or FALSE)
* Date and time
Among different process categories, transactional processes are of particular interest, for example:
* Purchase-to-pay
* Quote-to-cash
* Request-to-resolution
* Idea-to-product
=== Activity ===
An activity is the basic building block of a process model. All human work is modeled as being performed within activities. An activity is executed by a work role. The purpose of an activity is to produce value adding output. Input from preceding activities and output to succeeding activities are provided in the form of business objects in well-defined states. In a digitalized business process, execution of an activity results in changing the state of business objects.
An activity has a duration, and there may be waiting time or slack between the end of an activity and the start of the next activity.

[[File:FlowDurationBusinessProcessModel.png|frame|Figure X: Flow and duration in typical business process models]]

In computerized or digital transaction systems, event logs typically contain the end events only and the start events of activities are not necessarily recorded. Durations are calculated from the time between the end events. Flows are used to represent both the causality and the duration.

[[File:FlowDurationProcessMining.png|frame|Figure X: Flow and duration in event log based process mining]]

=== Event ===
An event is a change in the state of matters that has happened or is expected to happen, having a meaning in a particular context. The word event is also used to mean a software object inside a computer program that represents such an occurrence in a computing system, typically causing a state transition.
An event does not have a duration. Durations are expressed in terms of the time between two events. An event typically signifies the beginning or completion of an activity or the state change of a business object. Process mining typically deals with these events.
Relevant attributes of an event can be derived from the context and corresponding activity. Mandatory attributes for an event include a timestamp and an identifier associating it with a process case. Several optional attributes can be identified, depending on the context, for example:
* Person and work role that triggered the event
* Location where it was done
* Cost incurred by the event
* Work effort expended
* Environmental conditions
* Any activity specific factor that might affect the outcome
A process case may contain different types of events. Each event type has a special meaning related to the particular activity and business object state transition it is associated with.
=== Flow ===
In process mining context, a flow represents an identified causal relationship between state changes in a process model or business object. Typically, it signifies the transition from one state to the next state of a transaction. The duration of a flow is defined as the time between the events it connects. Note that in process mining, the analyst may choose the events included in the analysis using selection and filtering features of the tool, and the flows will be identified based on the included events only. In terms of a sate model, this equals to skipping uninteresting intermediate states in favor of a simpler or more focused analysis model.
Flow occurrence is a historical fact or actual instance of a flow. A timestamp and identifiers of the related events are needed for distinct identification. Note that the flow occurrence is an artificial concept. It is the events that actually occur, and the flow is just a relationship between the events.
=== Variation ===
Process variations (or variants) divide a set of process cases into non-overlapping partitions based on their unique configuration of events, flows, and execution path they have taken. All cases in a variation have the same sequence of events and flows. The durations between the events may be different, though.
=== Transaction ===
A transaction is a protocol between participating entities intended to transfer value between the participants. Purchasing a product from a retail shop is an example of a simple transaction, where product of value is transferred from the seller to the buyer and money of equal value is transferred from the buyer to the seller.
Transactions can be far more complex than buying a soda can. However, all parties of a transaction should have the same understanding about the protocol and current state of the transaction. It is important to know, whether or not an irrevocable commitment has been achieved by the parties. Transaction state models are a convenient way of explicating the protocol and communicating the current state.
When a transaction is proceeds through its state model, it leaves an execution trace. The trace consists of events signifying the transitions of the transaction from one state to another. It is these events that are typically used in process mining work, processed by the various analysis algorithms.
Transaction processing systems (like ERP) are usually state oriented, meaning that they do not reflect the way processes are modeled. They do not record the time it takes to perform an activity, but only the significant events i.e. state transitions of the transaction objects. However, the state transitions are usually the result of someone performing an activity, which then causes an event in the transaction processing system.

[[File:TransactionStateModel.png|frame|Figure X: A transaction business object and the corresponding state model.]]

Process Mining Concepts

2018-10-02T08:59:53Z

Jarrepo: /* Transaction */

== Concepts ==

=== Business object ===
A business object is an instance of structured information, or an entity, representing data about real world that is meaningful in a business context. Business objects are discovered and identified via various problem domain models as part of the information architecture of an organization, for example
* Customer
* Supplier
* Product
* Transaction
* Shipment
* Person
* Organization unit
It has a collection of attributes, which are relevant in a particular context. Business objects may have also various types of relationships with each other. Execution of software functions may change the attribute values as well as the relationships.
Certain unique combinations of attribute values can be referred to as constituting the state of a business object. The business object can be associated with a state model describing the set of legitimate states and transitions between them. When a software function operates on a business object, it changes the state according to the programmed business logic and the constraints of the state model.
Among different business object categories, transactions of various sorts are of particular interest in process mining.
=== Process ===
In an organizational context, a process is the way that people work together and apply methods and tools, to accomplish predefined common objectives. The objectives include the value that the output of the process is expected to produce to its stakeholders.
A process model is an abstraction representing a process. It is the organization of work in terms of a functionally cohesive or causally connected set of activities triggered by a common event, executed by work roles, and creating or altering the state of some business object(s).
A process case is a particular execution instance or an execution trace of a process. In process modeling context, a simple case contains a linear sequence of activities. A more complex case may contain parallel execution paths. In process mining context, the case contains only the end events of activities, not the activities themselves.
Relevant attributes of a process case depend on the context. They apply to a case and the contained events as a whole. For example, in insurance claims processing, relevant case attributes could include:
* Customer
* Insurance policy
* Vehicle registration id
* Location of accident
* Claims handler
Every case attribute has a type, which defines what kind of data can be represented by the attribute, for example:
* Integer
* Logical truth (TRUE or FALSE)
* Date and time
Among different process categories, transactional processes are of particular interest, for example:
* Purchase-to-pay
* Quote-to-cash
* Request-to-resolution
* Idea-to-product
=== Activity ===
An activity is the basic building block of a process model. All human work is modeled as being performed within activities. An activity is executed by a work role. The purpose of an activity is to produce value adding output. Input from preceding activities and output to succeeding activities are provided in the form of business objects in well-defined states. In a digitalized business process, execution of an activity results in changing the state of business objects.
An activity has a duration, and there may be waiting time or slack between the end of an activity and the start of the next activity.

[[File:FlowDurationBusinessProcessModel.png]]
Figure X: Flow and duration in typical business process models

In computerized or digital transaction systems, event logs typically contain the end events only and the start events of activities are not necessarily recorded. Durations are calculated from the time between the end events. Flows are used to represent both the causality and the duration.

[[File:FlowDurationProcessMining.png]]
Figure X: Flow and duration in event log based process mining

=== Event ===
An event is a change in the state of matters that has happened or is expected to happen, having a meaning in a particular context. The word event is also used to mean a software object inside a computer program that represents such an occurrence in a computing system, typically causing a state transition.
An event does not have a duration. Durations are expressed in terms of the time between two events. An event typically signifies the beginning or completion of an activity or the state change of a business object. Process mining typically deals with these events.
Relevant attributes of an event can be derived from the context and corresponding activity. Mandatory attributes for an event include a timestamp and an identifier associating it with a process case. Several optional attributes can be identified, depending on the context, for example:
* Person and work role that triggered the event
* Location where it was done
* Cost incurred by the event
* Work effort expended
* Environmental conditions
* Any activity specific factor that might affect the outcome
A process case may contain different types of events. Each event type has a special meaning related to the particular activity and business object state transition it is associated with.
=== Flow ===
In process mining context, a flow represents an identified causal relationship between state changes in a process model or business object. Typically, it signifies the transition from one state to the next state of a transaction. The duration of a flow is defined as the time between the events it connects. Note that in process mining, the analyst may choose the events included in the analysis using selection and filtering features of the tool, and the flows will be identified based on the included events only. In terms of a sate model, this equals to skipping uninteresting intermediate states in favor of a simpler or more focused analysis model.
Flow occurrence is a historical fact or actual instance of a flow. A timestamp and identifiers of the related events are needed for distinct identification. Note that the flow occurrence is an artificial concept. It is the events that actually occur, and the flow is just a relationship between the events.
=== Variation ===
Process variations (or variants) divide a set of process cases into non-overlapping partitions based on their unique configuration of events, flows, and execution path they have taken. All cases in a variation have the same sequence of events and flows. The durations between the events may be different, though.
=== Transaction ===
A transaction is a protocol between participating entities intended to transfer value between the participants. Purchasing a product from a retail shop is an example of a simple transaction, where product of value is transferred from the seller to the buyer and money of equal value is transferred from the buyer to the seller.
Transactions can be far more complex than buying a soda can. However, all parties of a transaction should have the same understanding about the protocol and current state of the transaction. It is important to know, whether or not an irrevocable commitment has been achieved by the parties. Transaction state models are a convenient way of explicating the protocol and communicating the current state.
When a transaction is proceeds through its state model, it leaves an execution trace. The trace consists of events signifying the transitions of the transaction from one state to another. It is these events that are typically used in process mining work, processed by the various analysis algorithms.
Transaction processing systems (like ERP) are usually state oriented, meaning that they do not reflect the way processes are modeled. They do not record the time it takes to perform an activity, but only the significant events i.e. state transitions of the transaction objects. However, the state transitions are usually the result of someone performing an activity, which then causes an event in the transaction processing system.

[[File:TransactionStateModel.png|frame|Figure X: A transaction business object and the corresponding state model.]]

Process Mining Concepts

2018-10-02T08:56:41Z

Jarrepo: /* Activity */

== Concepts ==

=== Business object ===
A business object is an instance of structured information, or an entity, representing data about real world that is meaningful in a business context. Business objects are discovered and identified via various problem domain models as part of the information architecture of an organization, for example
* Customer
* Supplier
* Product
* Transaction
* Shipment
* Person
* Organization unit
It has a collection of attributes, which are relevant in a particular context. Business objects may have also various types of relationships with each other. Execution of software functions may change the attribute values as well as the relationships.
Certain unique combinations of attribute values can be referred to as constituting the state of a business object. The business object can be associated with a state model describing the set of legitimate states and transitions between them. When a software function operates on a business object, it changes the state according to the programmed business logic and the constraints of the state model.
Among different business object categories, transactions of various sorts are of particular interest in process mining.
=== Process ===
In an organizational context, a process is the way that people work together and apply methods and tools, to accomplish predefined common objectives. The objectives include the value that the output of the process is expected to produce to its stakeholders.
A process model is an abstraction representing a process. It is the organization of work in terms of a functionally cohesive or causally connected set of activities triggered by a common event, executed by work roles, and creating or altering the state of some business object(s).
A process case is a particular execution instance or an execution trace of a process. In process modeling context, a simple case contains a linear sequence of activities. A more complex case may contain parallel execution paths. In process mining context, the case contains only the end events of activities, not the activities themselves.
Relevant attributes of a process case depend on the context. They apply to a case and the contained events as a whole. For example, in insurance claims processing, relevant case attributes could include:
* Customer
* Insurance policy
* Vehicle registration id
* Location of accident
* Claims handler
Every case attribute has a type, which defines what kind of data can be represented by the attribute, for example:
* Integer
* Logical truth (TRUE or FALSE)
* Date and time
Among different process categories, transactional processes are of particular interest, for example:
* Purchase-to-pay
* Quote-to-cash
* Request-to-resolution
* Idea-to-product
=== Activity ===
An activity is the basic building block of a process model. All human work is modeled as being performed within activities. An activity is executed by a work role. The purpose of an activity is to produce value adding output. Input from preceding activities and output to succeeding activities are provided in the form of business objects in well-defined states. In a digitalized business process, execution of an activity results in changing the state of business objects.
An activity has a duration, and there may be waiting time or slack between the end of an activity and the start of the next activity.

[[File:FlowDurationBusinessProcessModel.png]]
Figure X: Flow and duration in typical business process models

In computerized or digital transaction systems, event logs typically contain the end events only and the start events of activities are not necessarily recorded. Durations are calculated from the time between the end events. Flows are used to represent both the causality and the duration.

[[File:FlowDurationProcessMining.png]]
Figure X: Flow and duration in event log based process mining

=== Event ===
An event is a change in the state of matters that has happened or is expected to happen, having a meaning in a particular context. The word event is also used to mean a software object inside a computer program that represents such an occurrence in a computing system, typically causing a state transition.
An event does not have a duration. Durations are expressed in terms of the time between two events. An event typically signifies the beginning or completion of an activity or the state change of a business object. Process mining typically deals with these events.
Relevant attributes of an event can be derived from the context and corresponding activity. Mandatory attributes for an event include a timestamp and an identifier associating it with a process case. Several optional attributes can be identified, depending on the context, for example:
* Person and work role that triggered the event
* Location where it was done
* Cost incurred by the event
* Work effort expended
* Environmental conditions
* Any activity specific factor that might affect the outcome
A process case may contain different types of events. Each event type has a special meaning related to the particular activity and business object state transition it is associated with.
=== Flow ===
In process mining context, a flow represents an identified causal relationship between state changes in a process model or business object. Typically, it signifies the transition from one state to the next state of a transaction. The duration of a flow is defined as the time between the events it connects. Note that in process mining, the analyst may choose the events included in the analysis using selection and filtering features of the tool, and the flows will be identified based on the included events only. In terms of a sate model, this equals to skipping uninteresting intermediate states in favor of a simpler or more focused analysis model.
Flow occurrence is a historical fact or actual instance of a flow. A timestamp and identifiers of the related events are needed for distinct identification. Note that the flow occurrence is an artificial concept. It is the events that actually occur, and the flow is just a relationship between the events.
=== Variation ===
Process variations (or variants) divide a set of process cases into non-overlapping partitions based on their unique configuration of events, flows, and execution path they have taken. All cases in a variation have the same sequence of events and flows. The durations between the events may be different, though.
=== Transaction ===
A transaction is a protocol between participating entities intended to transfer value between the participants. Purchasing a product from a retail shop is an example of a simple transaction, where product of value is transferred from the seller to the buyer and money of equal value is transferred from the buyer to the seller.
Transactions can be far more complex than buying a soda can. However, all parties of a transaction should have the same understanding about the protocol and current state of the transaction. It is important to know, whether or not an irrevocable commitment has been achieved by the parties. Transaction state models are a convenient way of explicating the protocol and communicating the current state.
When a transaction is proceeds through its state model, it leaves an execution trace. The trace consists of events signifying the transitions of the transaction from one state to another. It is these events that are typically used in process mining work, processed by the various analysis algorithms.
Transaction processing systems (like ERP) are usually state oriented, meaning that they do not reflect the way processes are modeled. They do not record the time it takes to perform an activity, but only the significant events i.e. state transitions of the transaction objects. However, the state transitions are usually the result of someone performing an activity, which then causes an event in the transaction processing system.

Figure X: A transaction business object and the corresponding state model.

Process Mining Concepts

2018-09-28T04:31:19Z

Jarrepo: Created page with "== Concepts == === Business object === A business object is an instance of structured information, or an entity, representing data about real world that is meaningful in a b..."

== Concepts ==

=== Business object ===
A business object is an instance of structured information, or an entity, representing data about real world that is meaningful in a business context. Business objects are discovered and identified via various problem domain models as part of the information architecture of an organization, for example
* Customer
* Supplier
* Product
* Transaction
* Shipment
* Person
* Organization unit
It has a collection of attributes, which are relevant in a particular context. Business objects may have also various types of relationships with each other. Execution of software functions may change the attribute values as well as the relationships.
Certain unique combinations of attribute values can be referred to as constituting the state of a business object. The business object can be associated with a state model describing the set of legitimate states and transitions between them. When a software function operates on a business object, it changes the state according to the programmed business logic and the constraints of the state model.
Among different business object categories, transactions of various sorts are of particular interest in process mining.
=== Process ===
In an organizational context, a process is the way that people work together and apply methods and tools, to accomplish predefined common objectives. The objectives include the value that the output of the process is expected to produce to its stakeholders.
A process model is an abstraction representing a process. It is the organization of work in terms of a functionally cohesive or causally connected set of activities triggered by a common event, executed by work roles, and creating or altering the state of some business object(s).
A process case is a particular execution instance or an execution trace of a process. In process modeling context, a simple case contains a linear sequence of activities. A more complex case may contain parallel execution paths. In process mining context, the case contains only the end events of activities, not the activities themselves.
Relevant attributes of a process case depend on the context. They apply to a case and the contained events as a whole. For example, in insurance claims processing, relevant case attributes could include:
* Customer
* Insurance policy
* Vehicle registration id
* Location of accident
* Claims handler
Every case attribute has a type, which defines what kind of data can be represented by the attribute, for example:
* Integer
* Logical truth (TRUE or FALSE)
* Date and time
Among different process categories, transactional processes are of particular interest, for example:
* Purchase-to-pay
* Quote-to-cash
* Request-to-resolution
* Idea-to-product
=== Activity ===
An activity is the basic building block of a process model. All human work is modeled as being performed within activities. An activity is executed by a work role. The purpose of an activity is to produce value adding output. Input from preceding activities and output to succeeding activities are provided in the form of business objects in well-defined states. In a digitalized business process, execution of an activity results in changing the state of business objects.
An activity has a duration, and there may be waiting time or slack between the end of an activity and the start of the next activity.

Figure X: Flow and duration in typical business process models
In computerized or digital transaction systems, event logs typically contain the end events only and the start events of activities are not necessarily recorded. Durations are calculated from the time between the end events. Flows are used to represent both the causality and the duration.

Figure X: Flow and duration in event log based process mining
=== Event ===
An event is a change in the state of matters that has happened or is expected to happen, having a meaning in a particular context. The word event is also used to mean a software object inside a computer program that represents such an occurrence in a computing system, typically causing a state transition.
An event does not have a duration. Durations are expressed in terms of the time between two events. An event typically signifies the beginning or completion of an activity or the state change of a business object. Process mining typically deals with these events.
Relevant attributes of an event can be derived from the context and corresponding activity. Mandatory attributes for an event include a timestamp and an identifier associating it with a process case. Several optional attributes can be identified, depending on the context, for example:
* Person and work role that triggered the event
* Location where it was done
* Cost incurred by the event
* Work effort expended
* Environmental conditions
* Any activity specific factor that might affect the outcome
A process case may contain different types of events. Each event type has a special meaning related to the particular activity and business object state transition it is associated with.
=== Flow ===
In process mining context, a flow represents an identified causal relationship between state changes in a process model or business object. Typically, it signifies the transition from one state to the next state of a transaction. The duration of a flow is defined as the time between the events it connects. Note that in process mining, the analyst may choose the events included in the analysis using selection and filtering features of the tool, and the flows will be identified based on the included events only. In terms of a sate model, this equals to skipping uninteresting intermediate states in favor of a simpler or more focused analysis model.
Flow occurrence is a historical fact or actual instance of a flow. A timestamp and identifiers of the related events are needed for distinct identification. Note that the flow occurrence is an artificial concept. It is the events that actually occur, and the flow is just a relationship between the events.
=== Variation ===
Process variations (or variants) divide a set of process cases into non-overlapping partitions based on their unique configuration of events, flows, and execution path they have taken. All cases in a variation have the same sequence of events and flows. The durations between the events may be different, though.
=== Transaction ===
A transaction is a protocol between participating entities intended to transfer value between the participants. Purchasing a product from a retail shop is an example of a simple transaction, where product of value is transferred from the seller to the buyer and money of equal value is transferred from the buyer to the seller.
Transactions can be far more complex than buying a soda can. However, all parties of a transaction should have the same understanding about the protocol and current state of the transaction. It is important to know, whether or not an irrevocable commitment has been achieved by the parties. Transaction state models are a convenient way of explicating the protocol and communicating the current state.
When a transaction is proceeds through its state model, it leaves an execution trace. The trace consists of events signifying the transitions of the transaction from one state to another. It is these events that are typically used in process mining work, processed by the various analysis algorithms.
Transaction processing systems (like ERP) are usually state oriented, meaning that they do not reflect the way processes are modeled. They do not record the time it takes to perform an activity, but only the significant events i.e. state transitions of the transaction objects. However, the state transitions are usually the result of someone performing an activity, which then causes an event in the transaction processing system.

Figure X: A transaction business object and the corresponding state model.