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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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Traceability

Time Aware models are powerful but it quickly become difficult to understand all the connections between new and existing elements particularly over multiple versions. Enterprise Architect is a collaborative platform and excels at creating visualizations of the relationships and traces between different parts of the model. There are a range of powerful and compelling tools that can be used to visualize these relationships.

The Traceability Window

You can use the Traceability window to trace element relationships. Access the window using the 'Design > Impact > Traceability' ribbon option.

Using the Traceability window to trace Time Aware Modeling dependencies, in Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect.

Insert Related Elements

You can use the Insert Related Elements feature to create a Traceability diagram that outlines each stage of the element's evolution.

Step

Action

See also

1

Create a Custom diagram with the name 'Traceability'. (Use 'Technology Type': 'Extended' and 'Diagram Type': 'Custom'.)

 Example Traceability Diagram Add New Diagrams

2

Drag the subject element from the Project Browser onto the diagram.

3

Right-click on the element in the diagram and select the 'Design > Element > Insert > Insert Related Elements' ribbon option. The 'Insert Related Elements' dialog displays.

4

On the dialog:

  • Select 'Trace' in the 'Connector types' panel
  • Set the 'Find Relationships to' depth level
  • Click on the Refresh button
 Insert Related Elements

5

In the list of results, select the checkbox against each required diagram element, and click on the OK button. The elements are added to the diagram.

Example

Drag the required element onto the diagram.

Time Aware Modeling: Inserting related elements in Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect.

Click on the element and select the 'Design > Element > Insert > Insert Related Elements' ribbon option, or right-click and select the context menu option 'Insert Related Elements...'

Configure the 'Insert Related Element' dialog.

Time Aware Modeling: Inserting related elements in Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect.

Finish setting the diagram layout and property options, and click on the OK button.

Time Aware Modeling: Inserting related elements in Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect.

Relationships

The docked Relationships window is a powerful tool for viewing the relationships between 'As-Is' and 'To-Be' models. Selecting the 'Source Version' and 'Target Version' report columns brings clarity of relationships.

In the Relationships window, right-click on a selected relationship to open the context menu; you can view properties, find element usage and locate source and target elements.

Using the Relationships window to trace Time Aware Modeling dependencies, in Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect.

Version Filtering

When working on a diagram containing elements from different versions of your model, you can easily select to filter out elements not in the current version.

Step

Action

See also

1

Right-click on the diagram background and select the 'Properties' option to display the diagram 'Properties' dialog.

2

The 'Version' field displays the diagram version number; all elements having a version number different from this will be grayed out.

Using the version filtering to trace Time Aware Modeling dependencies, in Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect.

3

Select the 'Filter to Version' checkbox to enable the diagram filter feature, and click on the OK button.

Filter Example

Example of version filtering with Time Aware Modeling, in Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect.

Learn more

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