An Intermediate Event in ELMA BPM is a checkpoint of the process. Depending on the setting, an intermediate event can suspend a process for a certain time, or indicate a point for calculating metrics and KPIs of the process instance. The number of intermediate events in a process is not limited.
Common Tab
Fig. 1. The Intermediate Event settings. The Common tab.
Name — An Intermediate Event name. The text that you type in this field is displayed in the process documentation and in the header of the settings window. If the incoming connector name is not specified, the event name is used as a name of the transition button that activates the next process step in Web Application. By default, the system generates the Intermediate Event name by the following template: Event and the event sequence number in the graphic model. The name generated by the template is not displayed in the graphic model.
Description — An event description. The text that you type in this field is displayed in the process documentation.
Event Type — Shows the selected event type. The Change Type button allows you to select any of the available event types.
Trigger – Shows the selected event trigger. The Change Trigger button allows you to select the way the process is started. In ELMA BPM, you can start a process using three methods and three respective triggers:
N/A — Since the trigger for the event is not specified, it does not trigger any activity. When reaching this event, the process automatically moves down the outgoing connector. It does not affect the process execution, but increases the graphic model readability.
Timer — The process is paused until the time specified in the timer settings. If you select this trigger, a new Timer Settings tab appears in the event settings window.
Calculate Metric — Allows you to set a point to calculate metrics and KPIs of the process instance.
Timer Settings Tab
On this tab, you can specify when a timer goes off and the process continues. You can set the timer to go off:
at an exact time, (according to the time of the server on which the process is executed);
at a relative time, (the timer triggers some time after the intermediate event occurs);
Select this option, if you want to specify the exact time when the process must continue.
You can set the time manually, by specifying the exact time values (fig. 2) or by selecting the context variable (fig. 3) (Date/Timetype).
Fig. 2. Timer settings. The exact time values.
Fig. 3. Timer settings. The context variable.
If an exact time is set (in the Exact Value/Context Variable field) and that time has already passed before the Timer Intermediate Event is active (before the process arrives at that point), then the event will never occur and the process will continue without delays.
Relative time
Select this option, if you want to specify the time interval within which the process must be suspended.
You can set the time manually, by specifying the time interval (fig. 4) or by selecting the context variable (fig. 5) (Time Intervaltype).
Fig. 4. Relative Time option. The Time Interval is set manually.
Fig. 5. Timer settings. The Time Interval is defined by the context variable.
Loop
If you select this option, the timer will trigger regularly according to the calendar. If a time condition is set and that time condition has already occurred before the Timer Intermediate Event is active, then the process will be suspended until the specified time condition is true again.
The Change Loop Type button allows you to select one of the three available options: day, week, month. Depending on the loop type you can set the timer to go off:
every day, at the specific time.
every week, on a specific day of the week and at the specific time.
every month, on a specific day of the month and at the specific time.
You can trigger the Timer an unlimited number of times during a day. For each loop type you can create a one-day schedule. To do this, in the Time section, click the Add button, then in the new line enter a time value in the format HH:MM:SS, where H = Hours 0-23; M = Minutes 0-59; S = Seconds 0-59 (fig. 6).
