Which statement about data stores in BPMN is true?

• A. Data stores are optional for all processes.
• B. Data stores can be read from and written to by process data.
• C. Data stores are only for storing configuration data.
• D. Data stores are the same as data objects.

Answer: (B)

In BPMN, data stores represent persistent storage that a process can access, allowing data to survive beyond a single task or even a single process instance. They are linked to activities through data associations, so a process can read information from the store and also write results back to it as work progresses. This dual capability—reading from and writing to the storage—captures why the statement about data stores being readable and writable by process data is accurate.

Data stores are not merely for optional use in every process, nor are they limited to configuration data. They also aren’t the same thing as data objects, which represent data used within a process flow and do not persist on their own.