Modeling Tutorial

Introduction

This tutorial is designed to build an application to perform order management for a company. The requirements are that employees can register purchase orders, and have them follow an approval flow.

Prerequisites

This tutorial assumes that you have created a tenant based on the myMIS Modeling Template, and are using a user with modeling privileges (preferably not the subscription's master account) to access this tenant. See this page to assist in tenant creation.

Furthermore, the platform's new installations come with a demonstration template that contains a completed version of this tutorial. Follow the tenant creation documentation to create a new tenant based off the template ModelingTutorial_Completed in order to see this.

This tutorial also requires an understanding of the concepts driving the platform, which are described in this page.

Modeling the problem

1. Start by accessing the Modeler.

1.1. Open the user menu (click in the user name, placed in the top-right corner);

1.2. Choose the option Modeler.

2. Follow the prompts to create an Agent called Supplier, and a Resource called Item, using the option Create now to Agents and Resources. You do not need to customize them for now.

3. Through the top navigation menu, access Processes and Interactions, click the Add new Process button and create a process with the code "PurchasesManagement" and the name "Purchases Management".

4. When the process is created, using the option Add Interaction create an interaction under it, with the code PurchaseRequest and name Purchase Request.

5. Under the Details section, use the option Add new to create a Commitment, with code GoodsPurchaseRequest and name Goods Purchase Request.
   It should be of Increment kind, representing a transaction of the resource Item between the provider Supplier and the receiver myCompany.

6. Save the interaction.

7. Leave the modeler by entering the application, clicking at your username at the navigation bar and then option Application. We will now proceed to add some data.

8. Create a myCompany, in Configurations > myCompany > Create.

9. Follow the same process to also create an Item (Configurations > Item) and a Supplier (Configurations > Supplier).

10. After creating the company, the Purchase Management section will show up in the menu. Access the Purchase Management > Purchase Request > Create option. Verify that the entities you just created are possible to select in the relevant fields (click to expand).

Improving usability

1. Next, we will improve the application's usability. Go back to the modeler, and edit the PurchaseRequest interaction, through Processes and Interactions in the menu.

2. Add a new attribute (option Add Attribute in the Attributes section) to this interaction, with the Code and Name Supplier. This attribute should be of type Other Entity, with the entity kind being Agent and type being Supplier.

3. In the side navigation, select GoodsPurchaseRequest. In the Attributes section find the attribute ProviderAgent and edit it:

• In the Behaviour tab, define a formula in its Formula field to assign the value of the previously created Supplier attribute. It's possible to do that in two different ways:
  • Just type in =[Document.Supplier]
  • Use the field selector, by clicking in the Add Attribute button and navigate to the field (PurchaseRequest > Supplier)

• In the Interface tab, make it not visible.

4. Set the ReceiverAgent field also to be not visible.

5. Save the changes to the interaction.

6. Go back to the application and verify that it looks much more readable (click to expand).

Adding an approval flow

1. Go back to the modeler, and start by creating a new Agent, Employee, through Entities > Agents.

2. Prepare it for approvals, by marking the Allow Users checkbox at the Other configurations tab.

This will allow a user's account on the platform to be automatically mapped to an instance of this entity.

3. Save the Employee entity.

4. Also in Entities > Agents, edit the myCompany agent.

5. Add a new attribute to it, of type Other Entity and representing an Employee agent. Name the attribute Manager.

6. Save the changes

7. Go back to the application, and create an Employee, in Configurations > Employee > Create.

8. Edit the company you are using (Configurations > myCompany > List), and make its Manager the Employee you just created.

9. Access Administration > Security Configurations > Users > List, and edit your current user to be associated with the Employee (If you are using the platform's administrator account, you will need to create a new user for this step).

10. Go back to the modeler and through the top navigation menu access Processes and Interactions. Using the context menu to PurchaseRequest interaction, select the Configure Approval Stages option.

We are going to add a flow of approvals consisting of three distinct approval stages.

11. Add an Approval Stage with Code and Name "Pending" and click the option Add.

12. Add an Approval Stage with Code and Name "ManagerApprove" and click the option Add.

13. Add an Approval Stage with Code and Name "Completed" and click the option Add.

14. Configure the "Pending" approval stage:

• Set it as the Start Stage;

• Set its Next Stage When Approved to "ManagerApprove".

15. Configure the "ManagerApprove" approval stage:

• Define an approval rule here, with the Assign To to Company.Manager.User;
  With the field selector, use the following path: PurchaseRequest > CompanyCode > Manager > User

• In To Approve, mark Goods Purchase Request as the commitment to approve;

• Set its Next Stage When Approved to Completed.

16. Configure the "Completed" approval stage:

• Set it as an End Stage.

17. Save the approval flow configuration

18. Go back to the application, and create a new Purchase Request (Purchase Management > Purchase Request > Create). Here, the button Submit for Approval will appear. Submit an interaction for approval.

19. Access the Manager Approve option under the Purchase Request (Purchase Management > Purchase Request > ManagerApprove) and select the request you just submitted.
    Mark all lines as Approved and save.

Next Steps

You can continue this tutorial into the advanced modeling elements, through the Advanced Modeling tutorial, or follow to the next one, the SQL tutorial.

See the Primavera tutorial if you want to add integration into a Primavera ERP external system to this tutorial.