Definitions
Routings are lines that connect the locations (activities, storages, etc.) in the model. Ten different kinds of routings allow for great flexibility in how entities move through a model. These routing types include
In Lesson 1 – Call Center model, there is only 1 routing type, the 3 percentage routes.

Note: The numbers 25% and 75% shown on the routes above are text labels used for clarity and have no effect on the actual percentages used.
Percentage
These routes cause a specified percentage of the entities leaving a location to select that route when moving to the next location. With the exception of Create routes, no other routing type may be combined with percentage routes leaving a location. The sum of all percentage routes at a given location must equal 100%.

Move Time
This is the time it takes the entity to move across the route to the new location. Any expression is valid.
Percent
The percentage of entities that should use this route. Only constants are allowed in this field.
New Name
This optional field allows you to rename an entity. If you have placed an icon in your model for this new entity, its name will appear in the drop-down list, and the name should be selected from that list rather than typed in. If no new icon exits, you may type a new name, and the previous entity’s icon will continue to be used.
Unique statistics are kept for each named entity exiting the model. Thus, in the call center example, ProcessModel shows different statistics for Call and Difficult. When renaming an entity, all attributes and statistics are inherited from the previously named entity.
Since cycle time, the time an entity spends in the model can only be accurately reported if the entity has left the model; stats are not collected on entities that don’t exit.
Create
This route is used when you want to create additional entities to be processed. Often this route is used for parallel processing such as a customer placing an order which generates additional tasks such as data entry, credit approval, etc. In the example below, the Truck entity would be considered the parent entity, and the Pallet entity would be the child.

Create “after activity” or “before activity“
The new entity can be created before processing the activity from which originates or after activity processing is complete.
Move time
This is the time it takes the entity to move across the route to the new location. Any expression is valid.
Quantity
This is the number of entities to be created (0 – 9999). Any expression is valid.
Created Entity Name
The new entity must have a name given to it. If you have placed an icon in your model for this new entity, its name will appear in the drop-down list, and the name should be selected from that list rather than typed in. If no new icon exits, you may type a new name, and the previous entity’s icon will continue to be used.
Attach
Attach routes are typically used in conjunction with Create routes. This route will attach one or more entities, known as child entities, to another single entity, known as a parent entity, which is waiting at the attach location. Once attached, the combined group of entities continues through the model as a single unit, with the parent entity’s graphic and attributes. Attributes of the child entity are masked by the parent and not accessible unless the entities are later detached.
It is best to either hold the attaching child entities in a storage, or make sure the child activity has an output queue of sufficient size to hold all waiting entities. That way if the parent and children somehow get out of sequence, the attach route won’t keep other waiting child entities from getting passed the entities first in line waiting for their parent.

Move Time
This is the time it takes the entity to move across the route to the new location. Any expression is valid.
Quantity
This indicates the number of child entities to attach to the parent entity. Any expression is valid.
The word All can be a useful attach quantity. Let’s talk about two examples.
1. You have created a variable number of child entities using a Create route. You then want to attach all the children which that parent created.
2. You have a varying number of test samples waiting to be picked up by a technician who does a collection run every 2 hours.
Attach to
The child entity may be attached to any entity or to the entity that created it.

Download Lesson 4 – Create and Attach model here.
Open the model Lesson 4 – Create and Attach model. Double click on the create route between Lab and Document Results.
Review
A patient comes into the hospital for a lab test. After taking the test he (the parent entity) takes the 100% route to wait for his results at Release Patient. The test results are created and move to Document Results across the Create route, getting their new name of Results. The results then attach back to the entity that created it (Patient). After all, we don’t want the patient getting the wrong test results. Through the attach route, the patient receives his results and he is released.
As soon as the results have been documented, another create occurs, creating the Notification entity which goes to the doctor.
Double click the attach route between Document Results and Release Patient and review the settings for that route.
Conditional
Conditional routes determine the selected route based on a Boolean expression in the route’s Condition field.

Review
Conditions can contain any Boolean expression and typically include at least one entity attribute. User-defined variables may also be used. In the example above, the value of the attribute a_Priority is checked. If the value is 1, then the route is selected.
Conditional routes are te