--- src-orig/org/jbpm/context/exe/VariableInstance.java	Thu Oct 15 18:02:00 2009
+++ src/org/jbpm/context/exe/VariableInstance.java	Tue Jul 27 12:44:43 2010
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@                                                 
 import org.jbpm.context.exe.variableinstance.NullInstance;
 import org.jbpm.context.exe.variableinstance.UnpersistableInstance;
 import org.jbpm.context.log.VariableCreateLog;
+import org.jbpm.graph.def.ProcessDefinition;
 import org.jbpm.graph.exe.ProcessInstance;
 import org.jbpm.graph.exe.Token;
 
@@ -50,6 +51,8 @@
 	protected Object valueCache = null;
 	protected boolean isValueCached = false;
 
+  protected ProcessDefinition processDefinition = null;
+
 	// constructors /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
 	public VariableInstance() {}
@@ -68,6 +71,9 @@
 		variableInstance.name = name;
 		variableInstance.processInstance = (token != null ? token
 				.getProcessInstance() : null);
+    variableInstance.processDefinition = variableInstance.processInstance != null ? variableInstance.processInstance
+        .getProcessDefinition() : null;
+
 		if(token != null) {
 			token.addLog(new VariableCreateLog(variableInstance));
 		}
@@ -152,13 +158,15 @@
 		}
 		Object value = getObject();
 		if((value != null) && (converter != null)) {
-			if(converter instanceof SerializableToByteArrayConverter && processInstance != null) {
-				SerializableToByteArrayConverter s2bConverter = (SerializableToByteArrayConverter) converter;
-			  value = s2bConverter.revert(value, processInstance.getProcessDefinition());
-			}
-			else {
-				value = converter.revert(value);
-			}
+      final ProcessDefinition procDef = processInstance != null ? processInstance
+          .getProcessDefinition() : processDefinition;
+      if (converter instanceof SerializableToByteArrayConverter
+          && procDef != null) {
+        SerializableToByteArrayConverter s2bConverter = (SerializableToByteArrayConverter) converter;
+        value = s2bConverter.revert(value, procDef);
+      } else {
+        value = converter.revert(value);
+      }
 			valueCache = value;
 			isValueCached = true;
 		}
@@ -173,7 +181,8 @@
 
 	// utility methods /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
-	public String toString() {
+	@Override
+  public String toString() {
 		return "${" + name + "}";
 	}
 
@@ -190,6 +199,10 @@
 	public Token getToken() {
 		return token;
 	}
+
+  public ProcessDefinition getProcessDefinition() {
+    return processDefinition;
+  }
 
 	public void setTokenVariableMap(TokenVariableMap tokenVariableMap) {
 		this.tokenVariableMap = tokenVariableMap;
--- src-orig/org/jbpm/context/exe/VariableInstance.hbm.xml	Thu Oct 15 18:02:10 2009
+++ src/org/jbpm/context/exe/VariableInstance.hbm.xml	Tue Jul 27 12:24:37 2010
@@ -40,6 +40,9 @@
                  column="PROCESSINSTANCE_"
                  foreign-key="FK_VARINST_PRCINST" 
                  index="IDX_VARINST_PRCINS" />
-    
+    <many-to-one name="processDefinition" 
+             column="PROCESSDEFINITION_"
+             foreign-key="FK_VARINST_PRCDEF" />
+
   </class>
 </hibernate-mapping>