When a process has many different parts and complex gateways, a user may find that the swimlane view does not display the process in a way that is easy to understand.
This is why embedded view was created, also known as complex view.
Any process can be viewed in embedded view, this view may be easier to understand for certain processes and users. For most processes, embedded view is an alternative to swimlane view. But for very complex processes, embedded view is the preferred view.
The embedded gives an accurate view of a complex process, which would not be possible in swimlane view.
For example, if there are activities with different roles that need to sit in the same row in a gateway, swimlane view cannot display such complexity. The only way to see it in swimlane view, is to add row labels.
Because the roles are embedded in embedded view, it's possible to demonstrate the gateway with the activities displayed in the rows that we wish to see.
Read more about:
Dynamic role families and how to view them on your map
Switching between swimlane view and embedded view
Assigning colours in embedded view