Navigating the Explorer

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to navigate the Explorer to organize and manage your processes

The Explorer

Your Central Diagram Repository

When you open SAP Signavio Process Manager, the Explorer is where you’ll first find yourself. It acts as your workspace’s diagram repository and is one of the two main parts of SAP Signavio Process Manager, the second being the Editor. While the latter focuses on the creation of diagrams, the Explorer allows you to efficiently manage them with the help of a folder structure. Furthermore, you can access process analysis features from here. Take a look at the image below to see an overview of the modules integrated within the Explorer and its difference to the Editor.

Modules integrated with the Explorer include the Dictionary, version control, simulation, reporting, handbook creation, and import & export.

The Explorer's Features

Considering the Explorer’s functionalities, you can differentiate between its two main purposes:

  1. Managing content:
    • Create a suitable folder structure and control access rights.
    • Save, copy, delete and move all types of diagrams.
    • Share and publish diagrams to the Collaboration Hub.
    • Use the Dictionary to supplement processes with additional information.
    • Manage and restore diagram revisions.
    • Import and export diagrams.
  2. Analyzing content:
    • Create standard reports based on selected processes.
    • Simulate different instances of a process.
    • Compare different versions of process diagrams.

Note

The features mentioned above are covered in dedicated lessons later in the unit.

Using the Explorer

To learn how to use the Explorer, watch the following video. You’ll gain insights into its structure, the search function, the menu bar, as well as the Help section.

Hint

For further details consult the Help Portal. It contains additional information and explains every feature of the menu bar.

The Explorer in Practice

There are certain common questions coming from customers that we’d like to address now. Below, you’ll find some Best Practices regarding folder structure, access rights, and the search function.

Note

This overview is meant to make you familiar with the most common structures of user access. Access rights need to be assigned by the administrator. This topic is covered in the unit Administrating SAP Signavio Solutions for Business Process Management.

Which folder structure should I use?

Already mentioned in the video above, a functional or a divisional structure with subfolders for further classification is a good idea. Still, the correct choice depends on your company’s organization. Below you see an example in which all company-related processes are stored in department folders. Development, HR, and Procurement are subordinate to the ACME AG parent folder instead of just being in the Shared Documents. This way access rights can be granted for the parent folder, instead of each subfolder individually.

Example: Management parent folder, containing HR, Development, and Procurement department folders. Reading rights for All modelers.

How should sensitive processes be managed?

Sensitive processes should be managed separately. The following example shows a structure in which important information is stored in a different parent folder. Only a dedicated group of users would have access to it.

Example: First, department modelers with a Department processes parent folder, containing HR, Development, and Procurement department folders. Second, a dedicated group with Sensitive processes parent folder, containing Budgeting and Strategic planning.

How do I quickly find my processes?

As you have seen in the previous video, the Advanced Search function allows you to filter using various fields, including attributes. Consider them an additional information level of your content. While modeling, the process experts can add further details about the process in the attribute panel. By default, it includes the standard attributes but can also contain custom ones which have been set by the workspace administrator. Once set in the Editor, the attributes are then made use of in the Explorer, for example when creating reports or filtering. Watch the following video to see how the latter works.

Hint

One useful trait to select when filtering is the Publishing state of your model. It can prove especially helpful if you have multiple variants of the same process.
Find the search function and its features in the Explorer on the right side of the search bar.

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