The structure diagram for business objects is for the initial business-related entry of structures into a kind of input mask. The analysis of the structures and their decomposition then takes place in the form of a class model or entity relationship model.
You can use the established MID modeling tool to create a Structure Diagram for Business Objects.
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Definition
Object structures fuse the BPMN concept of item definition with the description of their structure so that you don't have to get to grips with two elements, the object and a separate structure description.
The diagram is targeted towards showing you a structure and input mask, which means you can have a notation which can be easily understood and where you can include structures with technical uses.
Object structure and structure diagram complement the concepts of classes and class diagrams and/or entities and entity diagrams. Object structures are primarily used for capturing the business side of structures.
Analysis of structures and their decomposition should really take place as a UML class model or entity relationship model.
The icon is of a diagram with a structure in it.
Use
The structure diagram can be added to a whiteboard diagram as a node. New structure diagrams cannot be created in the whiteboard diagram.
Dependencies between structure elements and elements from other diagrams are shown in the whiteboard diagram.
Elements in a Structure Diagram
The following model elements can be shown as nodes in the structure diagram:
| Icon | Element | Brief Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Structure Definition | Use a structure definition to describe a business object's structure. You can define structure definitions as views of an existing class or data model. Instead of using structure definitions, you can directly describe the structure of a business object using a structure from the class or data model. |
|
Structure Group | A structure group combines structure entries within one structure definition. You can define structure groups as views of an existing class or data model. |
|
Structure Entry | A structure entry defines a structure property of a business object. You can assign a type to the structure entry. The type can be a complex structure definition or a structure from the class or data model. |
The structure diagram contains not only those elements which can be seen but also those which can be shown linked to the visible elements. These dependent elements can often be made visible using the display options.
Example for a Structure Diagram
