vocabulary: name: Flowable API Vocabulary description: >- Common terms, concepts, and resource types used across the Flowable BPM and workflow REST APIs including BPMN, CMMN, DMN, Form, Content, IDM, and External Worker APIs. version: '2025.2' url: https://www.flowable.com terms: # Core Process Concepts - term: processDefinition label: Process Definition description: >- A BPMN 2.0 process model that defines the sequence of activities, gateways, and events in a business process workflow. type: Resource api: BPMN endpoint: /process-definitions - term: processInstance label: Process Instance description: >- A running execution of a process definition, representing one active invocation of the workflow with its own state and variables. type: Resource api: BPMN endpoint: /process-instances - term: task label: Task description: >- A unit of work assigned to a user or group within a running process or case instance. Tasks can be claimed, completed, and delegated. type: Resource api: BPMN endpoint: /tasks - term: deployment label: Deployment description: >- A package of process, case, or decision definitions uploaded to the Flowable engine. Deployments can contain BPMN, CMMN, DMN, and form definition files. type: Resource api: BPMN, CMMN, DMN endpoint: /deployments - term: execution label: Execution description: >- A pointer to a specific point within an active process instance, representing the current state of one path through the process. type: Resource api: BPMN endpoint: /executions - term: variable label: Variable description: >- A named value stored on a process instance, execution, task, or case instance. Variables carry data through the workflow. type: Concept api: BPMN, CMMN - term: job label: Job description: >- An asynchronous unit of work scheduled or triggered by a timer, message, or async continuation within a process or case. type: Resource api: BPMN endpoint: /jobs - term: deadLetterJob label: Dead Letter Job description: >- A job that has failed the maximum number of retry attempts and been moved to the dead letter queue for manual inspection and replay. type: Resource api: BPMN endpoint: /deadletter-jobs # CMMN Case Concepts - term: caseDefinition label: Case Definition description: >- A CMMN case model that defines adaptive, event-driven case lifecycle with plan items, milestones, stages, and discretionary tasks. type: Resource api: CMMN endpoint: /cmmn-repository/case-definitions - term: caseInstance label: Case Instance description: >- A running instance of a case definition with its own plan item instances, milestones, and associated data. type: Resource api: CMMN endpoint: /cmmn-runtime/case-instances - term: planItem label: Plan Item description: >- An element within a CMMN case that can be a task, stage, milestone, or event listener with lifecycle-controlled activation. type: Resource api: CMMN endpoint: /cmmn-runtime/plan-item-instances - term: milestone label: Milestone description: >- A CMMN plan item representing an achievable objective within a case that, when reached, indicates a significant phase of the case. type: Concept api: CMMN # DMN Decision Concepts - term: decisionDefinition label: Decision Definition description: >- A DMN decision table or decision requirements diagram defining business rules and decision logic for automated evaluation. type: Resource api: DMN endpoint: /dmn-repository/decision-definitions - term: decisionExecution label: Decision Execution description: >- The result of evaluating a decision table against a set of input values, returning one or more output row results. type: Concept api: DMN # Form Concepts - term: formDefinition label: Form Definition description: >- A structured definition of a user form used within tasks and start events for capturing and displaying data. type: Resource api: Form endpoint: /form/form-definitions - term: formInstance label: Form Instance description: >- A completed submission of a form definition, capturing the data entered by a user during a task or process start. type: Resource api: Form endpoint: /form/form-instances # Content Concepts - term: contentItem label: Content Item description: >- A binary attachment or file associated with a task, process instance, or case instance stored in the content repository. type: Resource api: Content endpoint: /content/content-items # IDM Concepts - term: user label: User description: >- An individual identity within the Flowable IDM system that can be assigned tasks, added to groups, and granted privileges. type: Resource api: IDM endpoint: /idm/users - term: group label: Group description: >- A named collection of users used for candidate group assignment on tasks and access control within Flowable. type: Resource api: IDM endpoint: /idm/groups - term: privilege label: Privilege description: >- A named permission granted to users or groups to control access to specific features or administrative functions in Flowable. type: Resource api: IDM endpoint: /idm/privileges # External Worker Concepts - term: externalWorkerJob label: External Worker Job description: >- A service task in a BPMN or CMMN process designed to be acquired and completed by an external worker process using polling. type: Resource api: External Worker endpoint: /acquire/jobs - term: acquireJob label: Acquire Job description: >- The act of an external worker client locking an available external job for exclusive processing within a specified lock duration. type: Operation api: External Worker - term: bpmnError label: BPMN Error description: >- A signal sent from an external worker indicating a business error occurred during job processing, triggering a BPMN error boundary event. type: Concept api: External Worker # Common Cross-API Terms - term: tenantId label: Tenant ID description: >- An identifier that partitions Flowable resources for multi-tenancy, scoping definitions, instances, and queries to a specific tenant. type: Property api: BPMN, CMMN, DMN, Form, Content, IDM - term: businessKey label: Business Key description: >- A user-defined identifier on a process or case instance providing a business-meaningful reference independent of the system-generated ID. type: Property api: BPMN, CMMN - term: historicProcessInstance label: Historic Process Instance description: >- A completed or terminated process instance record retained in the history tables for audit, reporting, and compliance purposes. type: Resource api: BPMN endpoint: /history/historic-process-instances - term: historicTask label: Historic Task description: >- A completed task record stored in history, capturing completion time, assignee, duration, and outcome data. type: Resource api: BPMN endpoint: /history/historic-task-instances