Please note : This help page is not for the latest version of Enterprise Architect. The latest help can be found here.

Model Simulation

Model Simulation brings your behavioral models to life with instant, real-time behavioral model execution. Coupled with tools to manage triggers, events, guards, effects, breakpoints and simulation variables - plus the ability visually track execution at run-time, the Simulator is a powerful means of "watching the wheels turn" and verifying the correctness of your behavioral models.

With Simulation you can explore and test the dynamic behavior of models. In the Corporate and above editions, this also includes the ability to use Javascript as a run-time execution language for evaluating guards, effects and other script-able pieces of behavior.

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Extensive support for triggers, trigger sets, nested states, concurrency, dynamic effects and other advanced simulation capabilities, provides a remarkable environment in which to build interactive and working models which help explore, test and visually trace complex business, software and system behavior.

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With Javascript enabled, it is also possible to create embedded COM objects which will do the work of evaluating guards and executing effects - allowing the simulation to be tied into a much larger set of dependent processes. For example, a COM object evaluating a guard condition on a state transition might query a locally running process, read and use a set of test data - or even connect to a SOA web service to obtain some current information.

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As Enterprise Architect uses a dynamic, script driven Simulation mechanism there is no need to generate code or compile your model before running a simulation. It is even possible to update simulation variables in real time using the Simulation console window. This is useful for testing alternate branches and conditions "on the fly", either at a set Simulation break point, or when the Simulation reaches a point of stability (i.e. when the Simulation is 'blocked').

•	The Professional version of Enterprise Architect includes the ability to manually walk through simulations - although no Javascript will execute - so all choices are manual decisions. This is useful for testing the flow of a behavioral model and highlighting possible choices and processing paths.

Simulation Overview

Topic	Link
Overview of the Model Simulator	How It Works How it Looks
Use of the Simulation window and related windows, and running a simulation	Simulation Windows Run Model Simulation
How to set up a simulation and activate a simulation script	Set Up Simulation Script Activate Simulation Script
How to set up and use simulation breakpoints	Simulation Breakpoints
Perform dynamic simulation with Javascript	Dynamic Simulation with Javascript Interaction Operand Condition and Message Behavior
The use of Guards and Effects in simulations	Guards and Effects
The use of Triggers in simulations	Triggers Simulation Events Window Waiting Triggers Re-Signal Triggers Trigger Parameters Trigger Sets and Auto-Firing Using Trigger Sets to Simulate an Event Sequence
Simulating multi-threaded processes	Multi-threading - Forks and Joins Multi-threading - Concurrent State Regions
Simulating subprocesses in separate diagrams	Using Composite Diagrams
Performing BPMN Simulations	BPMN Simulation
Simulate Win32 Dialog Behavior	Win32 Dialog Simulation