Architecting and designing : Business Process Analysis (BPA) : Simulation of Process Models : Simulating business process diagrams : Simulation properties of BPMN symbol types : Gateways
  
Gateways
A gateway is used to model decisions, merges, forks, and joins on a BPMN Business Process diagram. A Gateway operates in the same ways as Junctions. The primary function of a Gateway symbol is to supply the flow logic of the process described in the Business Process Flow diagrams. Each Gateway has a condition specified for it, and an outgoing Sequence Flow. When a Gate is chosen, the corresponding Sequence Flow path is taken. When you draw a gateway in System Architect, it determines whether the gateway is a fan in gateway or fan out gateway. For more information on Gateways click Gateways.
You may set the stereotype of a gateway, and change the logic specified by the Decision point. Gateways are used to specify all types of business process Sequence Flow behavior, as follows:
Exclusive Decision/Merge (XOR)
You may model data-based decisions and merges, and event-based decisions. In general, exclusive means only one output (for example, one or the other but not both).
Inclusive OR Decision/Merge
You model OR-joins. In general, inclusive means more than one output for a decision (for example, one or the other or both).
Complex Decision/Merge
You model complex decisions and merging.
Parallel Forking and Joining
You model AND-splits (for forking) and AND-joins (for joining).
Note Complex Gateways are not recommended for Simulation.
See also
Simulation properties of BPMN symbol types