> ### 5.2 About Process Definitions and Process Instances

> #### 5.2.1 Process Definitions vs. Process Instances

> Process definitions contain the entire structure of a process, but they are not active. They are static entities, which define the behavior, and properties of the process instances created from them, including which activity is first, and which become active next, based on the assignee's response to the first activity. For information on creating and modifying process definitions, see the sections following "Creating and Modifying Process Definitions".

> You can regard a process instance as a running process definition. As soon as a process instance is started, the first activity in the process instance appears as an active activity in the Activity List of its assignees. For information on starting a process instance from a process definition, see "Starting a New Process".

> Finally, active process instances can be suspended and placed into a process edit mode. In process edit mode, you can modify the structure and logic in the process instance as if it were a process definition. To accomplish this, Interstage BPM creates a private process definition, which is used exclusively to store the changes in the process instance. None of these changes are passed back to the original process definition from which the process instance was first created. For information on modifying active process instances, see "Editing Active Process Instances".

> Process instances and process definitions have two key characteristics:

> - activities - the building blocks of a process. Activities define the tasks to be performed in the process instance, data required for the task, and the personnel assigned to perform the task.
> - flow control - the operators, which control the order and timing for activities.

Business Process Manager Help-Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation Interstage Website Voice: (888) 248-9273 Interstage BPM Information