Enterprise Architect (EA) offers two complementary ways to “simulate” BPMN, with different goals:
BPMN Simulation (built-in / Behavioral simulation) in EA is primarily for dynamic walkthrough and validation of the process logic: you can run and step through the BPMN flow to check gateways, events, alternative paths, and basic timing/resource annotations to validate the model before implementation. It’s tightly integrated with EA’s general, script-driven simulation environment (Execution Analyzer), but it’s mainly a model-behavior check rather than a full-blown business simulation.
BPSim-based BPMN Simulation (MDG BPSim add-in + execution engine) adds the BPSim configuration layer on top of a BPMN model so you can run scenario-based, repeatable business simulations and collect results across perspectives such as Control/branch probabilities, Time/durations, Resources, and custom Properties, then write standard/custom reports and compare runs. Configuration is managed via a dedicated “Configure BPSim” workflow (Configure/Execute/Step/Review tabs). This is the approach you use when you want what-if analysis (e.g., staffing ratios, probability changes, bottleneck exploration) rather than just validating control flow.
In short: EA’s built-in BPMN simulation = interactive flow validation, while EA + BPSim = parameterized, repeatable scenario simulation with structured reporting.
This course focuses on BPSim!