What is an application flow?
An application flow describes the movement of data or the dependency between one application and another:
Application A calls or uses Application B.
Application A transfers data to Application B (or vice versa).
One application depends on another for functionality, data or service.
Recording these flows helps you visualise your system-of-information landscape, identify dependencies, assess risk zones, and plan changes.
Where to access the flows diagram in Kabeen
In the left-side menu, go to Diagrams → Flow Diagram (or similar).
Choose the object scope: you can select a single application, a group of applications, or a layer (for example all data flows, all application-to-application flows).
Click to open the flow view. The platform displays the applications as nodes and the flows (data transfers, dependencies) as arrows.
Use the filters on the top toolbar to refine the view (by criticality, by owner team, by status, by custom-field value).
How to create or edit a flow
In the chosen diagram view, click Add a flow.
In the dialog, fill in:
Source application (dropdown) – the application initiating the flow.
Target application – the application receiving the flow or dependency.
Data object(s) (optional) – list the data entities being transferred.
Protocol / Format (optional) – e.g., HTTP REST, file CSV, SFTP.
Frequency (optional) – e.g., daily, real-time, batch.
Description – explain the business purpose of the flow.
Click Create or Save. The flow appears as an arrow connecting the source to the target in the diagram.
To edit an existing flow, click the arrow in the diagram (or open the flow from the list view), make your changes and save.
Diagram features & visualisation options
Zoom and pan: Use mouse/touch to explore large diagrams.
Show/hide labels: Toggle visibility of data-object names, protocol, frequency.
Colour coding: Applications or flows may be coloured by status, criticality, team owner, or custom-field, to highlight risk areas or governance issues.
Export: You can export the diagram (PDF or image) for sharing with stakeholders or embedding in reports.
Layers: You may switch between “application-to-application” flows, “data flows”, “technology flows” etc. (depending on your meta-model).
Best practices
Keep flows up-to-date: Any time you change an integration, data exchange or dependency, update the diagram promptly.
Use descriptive names: Clearly label source/target and data objects so that non-technical stakeholders can understand.
Filter by risk: Use colour-coding or filters to bring attention to high-criticality flows or unmanaged dependencies.
Version and document: When major changes (e.g., new architecture, cloud migration) occur, capture a snapshot of the flow diagram for audit/tracking.
Review periodically: Set a cadence (e.g., quarterly) to review flows with architecture, operations and business teams to validate accuracy.
Why application flows matter
Visibility of dependencies helps you identify single points of failure.
Understanding data flows supports data-governance, compliance and lineage efforts.
When planning rationalisation or transformation projects, you can assess the ripple effect of changing an application.
Aligning architecture with business processes becomes easier when dependencies are documented and visualised.