Data objects

Data objects are a mechanism to show how data is required or produced by activities. They are connected to activities through Associations. In BPMN, a Data Object is considered an Artifact and not a Flow Object. A Data Object is considered an Artifact because it does not have any direct effect on the sequence flow or message flow of the process, but it does provide information about what the process does; that is, how documents, data, and other objects are used and updated during the process. While the name Data Object may imply an electronic document, it can be used to represent many different types of objects, both electronic and physical.

A symbol representing a Data Object is a portrait-oriented rectangle with its upper-right corner folded over that must be drawn with a solid single black line.