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

As a repository becomes larger, or the number of concurrent users increases or organizational policy dictates, it might be more appropriate to use a database management system (DBMS) to store the repository. A File Based Repository can be created and used in any edition of Enterprise Architect; however, if you decide to use a DBMS based repository you will need to use the Corporate, Business and Software Engineering, Systems Engineering or Ultimate editions. Enterprise Architect has a function to transfer your repository from a file based repository to a server based one, helping you to get started quickly and with no changes in the user-interface.

Note that the performance of the Repository as experienced by end users will depend very much on the quality and power of the server machine and the network infrastructure on which the DBMS and user are located. Using a DBMS over a very high latency (10ms or higher) network can result in significant delays and visibly inferior performance. When network latency is an issue, Sparx Systems recommends using a Cloud Based Server as the interactions are optimized to reduce the effect of network latency.

Also it is important to note that all models are quite different and although Sparx Systems does its best to maximize performance based on what is expected to be held in a repository, sometimes this is not quite sufficient. In these rare cases a review of the database indexes would be good practice to maximize data retrieval and access. This will ensure that end users receive the best possible performance even when models contain millions of constructs.

Set up a Project on a DBMS repository

To set up your project on a DBMS repository, you work through these stages:

  1. Set up your DBMS software and create a repository.
  2. Create the required tables in your repository, by running a script supplied on the Sparx Systems website.
  3. (For certain DBMS products) Set up an ODBC driver to enable connection to the repository.
  4. Transfer the project from the source file to the DBMS repository; the source file can be:
         -  a .EAP or .FEAP base model, to begin a new project from scratch, or
         -  a previously-developed project file, to move an existing project into the DBMS repository
  5. Connect to your repository.

DBMS Products you can use

You can set up your project on a repository in:

  • Firebird from v2
  • MySQL from v5
  • MariaDB
  • Microsoft SQL Server from 2005, all editions including Express and Azure
  • Microsoft Access from 2007
  • Oracle from 9i (all editions)
  • PostgreSQL from v8
  • Sybase Adaptive Server Anywhere 8 or 9, or SQL Anywhere 10, 11 or 12

For information on creating a project on a specific DBMS from this list, see Learn more.

Notes

  • You cannot move a model from a source .eap file of an Enterprise Architect version earlier than 3.5.0 without updating it first
  • Before proceeding, you must have MDAC 2.6 or higher installed on your system
  • (Optional, but recommended) before actually transferring the project structure from the file to the repository, perform a Project Data Integrity Check on the file

Learn more