Importing from Microsoft Visio to IBM WebSphere Business Modeler 6.0.2

Sometimes, we draw (or someone else do that) business process in Microsoft Visio and later, we want to make them available in WebSphere Business Modeler. Or, we already have business process in Microsoft Visio and want to create simulations in WebSphere Business Modeler. So, we need to import Visio files to WebSphere Business Modeler using Import feature of WebSphere Business Modele. However, there are some limitations, WebSphere Business Modeler is a modeling tool for creating valid processes, while you can draw anything in Visio without any constraints. And belive me, if you want to create simulations, you will spend some time fixing errors in WebSphere Business Modeler.
Let start with import by creating new project in  WebSphere Business Modeler where you will import your Visio file.
There is sample Visio file to import in your installation directory, so navigate to samples\import\Visio Sample1 in step 4, in order to try mappings from Visio to WebSphere Business Modeler.

If you are importing a Visio process that contains multiple pages which are connected by off-page reference elements, you only need to select one page of the process. The result is that all pages will be imported. If you select multiple connected pages for importing, WebSphere Business Modeler will create duplicate processes, one for each page that you select.
The following restrictions apply to importing Visio shapes:

1. Connections in Visio that are not attached to connection points on Visio shapes are not mapped to WebSphere Business Modeler. Ensure that you use the "Glue to Connection Point" option in Visio.
2. The Visio import always creates a single process without subprocesses.
3. In WebSphere Business Modeler, each node must have a unique name. If one or more shapes have the same name in Visio, the names will be differentiated by the addition of a number.

To import shapes from Visio files, complete the following steps:

1. In Visio, select File > Save As > XML Drawing (*.vdx).
2. In the Project Tree view of WebSphere Business Modeler, right-click your project and select Import. The Import wizard appears.
3. Select Microsoft Visio (.vdx) and click Next.
4. Click Browse to select the source directory that contains the VDX files you want to import.
5. In the Files list, select the file.
6. In the Target project field, select an existing project from the drop-down list or click New to create a new project.
7. Click Next. Select the Visio pages that you want to import, or click Select All to add all pages. Click Add.
8. When you have finished specifying pages, click Next and specify the mappings as follows:
   1. Any Visio shapes that you are importing that are not yet mapped are shown in the upper list. You can select each of them in turn (or select several by holding down the Ctrl key) and select the WebSphere Business Modeler element to which to map them. Click Add to add each mapping. 
   2. The current mappings are shown in the lower list. If you wish, you can click Save As to store these mappings in an XML file. 
   3. If you have previously saved mappings or created your own XML file, you can load the file by clicking Load. When you load a mapping XML file, the current mappings remain and the new ones are added. If there is a conflict, the new mappings replace the older ones.
   Any shape that you do not map is mapped to a task. You can click Clear to clear the list of current mappings, or Default to restore the mappings that WebSphere Business Modeler provides by default.
9. If you have functional band groups in the Visio file, click Next to get to the swimlane selection screen. Any functional band groups that you are importing are shown in the upper list. You can select each of them in turn (or select several by holding down the Ctrl key) and select the swimlane type to which they correspond in WebSphere Business Modeler. Click Add to add each mapping. If you do not select a swimlane type, functional bands are mapped to organization units.
10. When you have finished specifying your import options, click Finish. A window opens when the import process is complete.
11. If there were any errors or warnings during the import process, click Details to read them. Otherwise, click Ok

Default mapping from Visio to WebSphere Business Modeler is logical, but remember ; 

1. Visio shape Page become WBM Process, 
2. Visio process, activity, flowchart, procedure, node become WBM Task, 
3. Visio Disk Storage, Database, Direct Data become WBM Local repository
4.  Visio Document, Data, Internal StorageStored Data, Message from/to user become WBM Business Item

Source: IBM Websphere Business Modeler Advanced Version 6.0.2 Help