This article is a preview of Enterprise Architect 17, currently available as a release candidate (RC): user interface updates, diagramming features, database reverse engineering support of DDL and SQL files, enterprise architecture accelerators (APM, BCM based on ArchiMate), Prolaborate link.
User Interface
Scripting
Icons in the Scripting view have been updated to better distinguish the language used between VBScript, JScript, and JavaScript.
Perspectives
The management of the active languages or notations (MDG technologies) and the ribbon menus has been improved to define suitable profiles within a shared repository. Custom Perspectives and Ribbon profiles can be defined within the Shared Sets tab, whilst the Security Enforced tab defines the default custom perspective and ribbon profiles. If needed, selected profiles can be associated with user groups.
A custom perspective has an impact on the available diagram types when creating a new diagram. The following example illustrates a tailored perspective for ArchiMate users by disabling all MDG Technologies except ArchiMate 3.1 and common elements. The aim is to restrict the available diagrams to ArchiMate.
The following example illustrates a tailored ribbon menu for ArchiMate users (Enterprise Architecture).
Once the profiles are defined, a default perspective and ribbon set can be configured for all users and/or for specific security groups. Below is an example of the ArchiMate perspective and ribbon menu configuration by default.
This feature is very useful to manage the available notations and menus for different groups of users within the shared EA repository.
Diagramming
Smart placements
Smart placement (Layout menu) is an optional feature to visually help aligning elements whilst moving or resizing them. EA 17 introduces new options:
- Multi Select: smart placements are active for a selection of multiple objects.
- Show Guides: enable the visual indicators.
- Element Bounds: enable objects bounds support.
- Same Size: when resizing objects, those with the same width or height are identified with a plain line next to it.
- Relative Spacing: highlights the matching distance between other objects.
- Mid Points: displays visual indicators from the vertical and/or horizontal midpoints of the selected object(s).
Drag & Drop from the browser
Enterprise Architect 17 introduces new Drag & Drop functionalities for an element from the browser to the active diagram. As illustrated with the following examples, the target for this action is highlighted in red in most cases.
1- Drag/drop a Classifier from the browser e.g. a class, SysML block or value type onto an ItemFlow to be added as a conveyed item
In the SysML example below, a block is dropped on a connector between SysML parts on an Internal Block Diagram, prompting to select the direction for the new flow.
Result: the block Water has been added as a new item flow.
2- Drag/drop a Trigger from the browser onto a StateMachine Transition
This feature is useful to avoid opening the transition properties and select an existing trigger.
3- Drag/drop an Activity onto a State in a StateMachine diagram to apply it as an 'entry|do|exit' behavior
4- Drag/drop an operation from a class or an interface onto a message in a Sequence diagram to set it as the invoked operation
5- Drag/drop an element onto a connector to insert this element between the linked elements (when possible)
Example with a UML class diagram with a drag/drop of Class3 on the association between Class1 and Class2.
Result:
Here is another example with BPMN by inserting a gateway between activities:
Result:
These new drag and drop features can be relevant to save time.
Physical Data Models: DB Reverse Engineering
Physical data models are handled in EA through the Extended > Data Modeling diagram to create or show tables with all details and relationships (e.g. PK, FK, columns, indexes, cardinalities, etc.). Tables are “table” stereotyped classes using a built-in generic profile (EAUML). The target Database is selected from a drop down list. In most cases, these data models are generated using EA DB reverse engineering.
When creating a new diagram, EA 17 supports diagram types for most DBMSes: MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, etc.
With the above diagrams, the “table” stereotyped classes belong to a new profile, e.g. MySql. This table includes specific tagged values as illustrated below:
Until then, a database reverse engineering involved an ODBC connection to the target database from the EA client in order to generate the physical data model by querying the live database and fetch the schema details. Sparx Systems has started integrating in Enterprise Architect 17 the support of the DBMS syntax to allow reverse engineering a DDL or SQL file. This is a long-awaited feature from the EA community of users. I ran a simple test from an EA MySQL DB:
- Exported the DB schema from MySQL Workbench to a Dump folder, with the Dump Structure option enabled.
- In EA, Import DDL has been added to the Develop > Data Modeling menu, prompting to select the DBMS, and provide the folder with the DDL file(s).
- Following tests carried with EA17 RC build 1702, this feature remains to be finalized as it is not yet functional.
APM and BCM Architecture Accelerators
Whilst ArchiMate is a modelling language and Open Group standard for Enterprise Architecture projects, it leads most of the time to a tailored version suitable to the context of a company e.g. what needs to be addressed, specific vocabulary to support by renaming ArchiMate concepts and/or changing the default rendering, adding properties via tagged values, etc. For instance, one may want to start identifying the business processes, business roles, applications, data objects, flows between applications, before linking the business and application layers. In EA this is achieved through a dedicated MDG Technology from the technical architects’ inputs. Its content can change over time (feedback on the models produced, new topics to address…).
The Essential Architecture (TEA) is a new built-in MDG Technology to easily test custom ArchiMate integrations:
- APM: Application Portfolio Management
- BCM: Business Capability Management
All concepts available from the APM and the BCM toolboxes are illustrated below:
APM and BCM content:
- Applications are identified with the structure of domains and sub domains, linked with their respective projects (budget control).
- Applications can serve or consume application services.
- Owners and stakeholders are identified for the applications.
- Organizations (ArchiMate business actor) are linked with the applications.
- Definition of 3 levels of capabilities (L0, L1, L2), and L0 capabilities can be associated with the business organizations and skateholders.
Custom tagged values have been added to manage additional information. Example with the applications:
- Application Type: select from a drop down menu e.g. web based.
- Hosting Type: select from a drop down menu e.g. SaaS, PaaS, On Premise, etc.
- Number of Users.
- Plan, Go Live, Active, Sunset, and End Of Life tagged values can be used by Prolaborate Lifecycle Roadmap chart (see Prolaborate 5.1 review).
By demonstrating how ArchiMate can be customized in Enterprise Architect, the APM and BCM is a useful set to accelerate the decision-taking process, triggering the set up of an Enterprise Architecture model repository based on Sparx Systems solutions, including a custom MDG matching the initial set of EA modelling requirements for the company.
Prolaborate Link
EA project options now support a field to identify a matching Prolaborate web repository configured with the same EA database.
Once Prolaborate details are provided, a link is available from the element or diagram properties. A double click on this link opens Prolaborate web solution.
