Using Enterprise Architect in a Team Environment often involves a version control repository like SVN (Subversion).
This article describes a way to compare the current version of a package in your model, which is controlled under an XMI* file in SVN, with an older version of this package. This is achieved through the use of EA Baseline feature. * XMI : XML Metadata Interchange
SVN provides a way to compare XML files, however an XML text-based view will not let you have a good idea of the impacts on your EA model, whereas the Baseline interprets those differences directly in your EA environment (e.g. the baseline will highlight an updated diagram, a new use case, an update carried in the description of a requirement, etc.), and even let you access those items in your current project.
Please follow the steps below based on a project where I’ve updated the requirements model.
Note: this will only work provided the packages controlled by the current XMI file match the file retrieved from SVN. In other words if you’ve created or deleted at least one XMI file to control a package under this model branch, you won’t have a full view.
Step 1: with your EA project opened, locate the XMI file that controls the package you intend to run a comparison on.
- To do so, right click on your package from the Project Browser, e.g. Requirements model, and select “Package Control: Configure”.
- Identified file: %PROJECTID%\Models\Requirements Model.xml.
- Open the folder that contains this file in your Windows Explorer :
Step 2: use TortoiseSVN to access the SVN Logs from the selected xml file in Windows Explorer:
- Right click on the XML file, and run “TortoiseSVN: Show Log”.
- Select the desired version and save it to your local folder: right click on the older version: “Save revision to…”
- The filename will include the revision number, e.g. Requirements Model-18.xml
Step 3: go back to EA, and select with the single left click your “Requirements model” package in the Package Browser.
Step 4: using the menu, open Project: Baselines.
Step 5: open “Compare Model to File”, and select the file created in step 2: Requirements Model-18.xml
Result: EA displays each difference identified between your model and the older version.
