Create, Upload, or Generate Your Process Model

How to Create Your First Process

When you create a new process, ProcessMind asks “How do you want to start your process?” The wizard offers four starting points:

• Process Modeling: design a process with BPMN. Import an existing model, generate one with AI, or start from an empty canvas.
• Process Mining: upload your event log and let ProcessMind discover how your process actually runs.
• Generate Process and Simulate data: get a sample process with simulated data and ready-made dashboards, so you can see ProcessMind in action without preparing data.
• Build my process architecture: set up your organization’s process architecture and roles with AI. ProcessMind offers this card while your organization has no other processes yet.

Based on the role you chose during onboarding, the card that fits you best carries a ★ Recommended for you badge. The badge is a shortcut, not a restriction: every other path stays open.

Choose the method that fits your style: you can always add data, charts, and AI insights later.

Path 1: Process Modeling

Process Modeling opens a second panel with three methods: Import model, Generate Model, or Empty Canvas.

Generate Model

What it does: Describe your process in plain language and AI drafts the BPMN model. ProcessMind then simulates the draft with sample data, so you land in a model you can explore right away.

How to use it:

• Select Process Modeling, then Generate Model
• Type your description under Describe your process (for example, “customer onboarding with email verification and approval flow”), or click Examples for a starting point
• Optionally click Use files as context to give the AI extra material
• Pick Model Layout (Horizontal or Vertical) and Model Size (Compact, Normal, or Large), then click Create model
• Generation and simulation run in one flow. Once the simulation has started, you can click Go to model (simulation will continue in background) and review the draft while the sample data is built.

Import model

What it does: Import an existing BPMN model, for example from another tool or a template.

How to use it:

• Select Process Modeling, then Import model
• Drag your BPMN file into the upload box. ProcessMind imports BPMN 2.0 XML; see the supported BPMN elements list for what it round-trips.
• Give your process a name, choose a Model Layout (Keep Original, Horizontal, or Vertical), and click Create model

Empty Canvas

What it does: Start from a blank canvas for full control over every element.

How to use it:

• Select Process Modeling, then Empty Canvas
• Give your process a name and click Start modeling

If you’re new to BPMN, read Constructing a BPMN Diagram to learn the palette and canvas basics. For a hands-on walkthrough of adding, naming, and connecting elements, see Build Your Process Model Manually. You can find examples in the Example Files section.

Path 2: Process Mining

What it does: Upload your event log or operational data, and ProcessMind will mine it to create a visual model of how your process actually runs.

How to use it:

• Select Process Mining
• Drop a CSV or Excel file containing your event log data (Case ID, Activity, Timestamp). Other formats work too; see below.
• Review what ProcessMind detected: Process Type, Source System, and the Column Mapping. Adjust anything that does not match your data, then click Confirm & Continue.
• ProcessMind analyzes the flows and builds the process model. When it’s done, click Open Dashboards.

Supported File Formats

• .xes: Standard format for event logs used in process mining tools. Ideal for detailed activity tracking with timestamps and case IDs.
• .csv: Comma-separated values. Common and lightweight, and most systems (Excel, ERP, etc.) can export it.
• .tsv: Tab-separated values. Similar to CSV but uses tabs instead of commas; helpful when data contains commas.
• .txt: Plain text files. Can be used if structured in a consistent, delimited format.
• .xls: Excel spreadsheet format (older version). Supported but may load slower than newer formats.
• .xlsx: Modern Excel format. Widely used and fully supported, often preferred for structured data.
• .xlsb: Excel Binary Workbook. Loads faster and handles large datasets better than .xlsx, but not as universally supported.
• .parquet: Apache Parquet format. Columnar storage format optimized for analytics workloads. Excellent for large datasets.
• .orc: Optimized Row Columnar (ORC) format. Another efficient columnar format common in Hadoop/Spark ecosystems.
• .jsonl / .ndjson: JSON Lines format. Each line is a separate JSON object. Great for streaming data exports from APIs and logging systems.
• .gz: Gzip-compressed files. Any of the above formats can be gzip-compressed (for example, data.csv.gz).

Learn more about the supported file formats.

Path 3: Generate Process and Simulate Data

What it does: ProcessMind builds a sample process, fills it with simulated data, and prepares dashboards. No data or modeling required.

How to use it:

• Select Generate Process and Simulate data
• Search or filter the sample processes and pick the one you want
• Click Generate & Simulate
• When the process is ready, click Open Your Process to explore it, or Try it with your own data to start from your own dataset

The wizard can also guide you through the generated process and simulation setup:

This is ideal for evaluating ProcessMind before you invest time in your own process or dataset.

Set Up an Architecture in Catalog

What it does: Opens the Process Catalog, where you can set up your organization’s process architecture (the hierarchy of processes for your organization) and roles. Start it from the Process Catalog’s top-right menu by selecting Set up Architecture.

How to use it:

• Open the Process Catalog, open the top-right menu, and select Set up Architecture.
• Choose one of the four setup options: Add processes manually, Generate architecture with AI, Import a catalog, or Import processes from BPMN files.

Add Processes Manually

Create processes and folders one by one in the catalog.

Generate Architecture with AI

Describe your organization and let AI draft a complete process architecture. Review the result before applying it to the catalog.

Import a Catalog

Import processes and folders from a CSV file into your catalog.

Import Processes from BPMN Files

Select one or more BPMN files. Each file becomes a process with its model in your catalog.

You can re-run the setup from the catalog whenever you need it. See the Architecture Path for the full journey from landscape to portal.

Just Want a Blank Page?

Use Start with an empty canvas at the bottom of the wizard: name the process and click Start modeling. You can fill in the model later and add data whenever it’s ready.

Why it matters:

Choosing the right starting point helps ProcessMind tailor your experience and recommend the best tools for your goals. Once you have a process, follow the path that matches your role: Foundation (designers, modelers, and analysts), Architecture (architects and transformation managers), or Intelligence (analysts and operational excellence).