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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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Integrate Data from External Providers

The Pro Cloud Server helps you to integrate the data from external providers into an Enterprise Architect model. Enterprise Architect is a team player and through its server-based integration capability helps you to create models that relate elements from a wide range of disparate tools, each of which might contain entities such as strategic objectives and Requirements through to implementation statements, work packages and configuration items. Enterprise Architect does not manage the master records for these items, but rather acts as an accumulator, bringing content into a single repository and allowing the items to be related. A variety of third-party providers can be integrated with Enterprise Architect, including:

  • ALM icon Application Lifecycle Management (formerly HP Quality Center)
  • Jama Integration
  • Jazz icon Jazz (interacts with:
         -  IBM Rational DOORS Next Generation's requirements management tool
         -  Rational Rhapsody Design Management (DM)
         -  Rational Team Concert Change and Configuration Management (CCM)
         -  Rational Quality Manager (QM))
  • Jira icon Jira and Confluence icon Confluence
  • Polarion Polarion
  • TFS icon Azure DevOps / Team Foundation Server
  • Wrike icon Wrike
  • Service Now icon ServiceNow
  • Autodesk icon Autodesk
  • Bugzilla icon Bugzilla
  • Salesforce icon Salesforce
  • SharePoint icon SharePoint
  • Dropbox icon Dropbox and
  • EA icon Other Enterprise Architect models

See the Install and Configure Help topic for information on how to configure each provider. Walkthroughs are also available for Walkthrough: Jira Integration and Walkthrough: Polarion Integration integration.

When an item from an external provider is selected in the list the meta-data for the item will be displayed in the appropriate Enterprise Architect window. So any property-and-value type of information will be displayed in the Properties window, descriptions and comments will be displayed in the Notes window and discussions or posts will be displayed in the Discuss & Review window. For example, if Jira was the External Data source and the integration was listing User Stories, a Jira User Story property such as Priority: Medium would appear in the Properties window, the Story description would appear in the Notes window and the comments would appear in the Discuss & Review window.

Some meta-data such as collaboration information might not be available for all items and integrations, but where it is available the facility provides a uniform, cross-integration view of the meta-data, making it easy for Enterprise Architect users to understand the data from multiple providers and integrations without the need to leave the tool or grapple with vendor specific terminology. Enterprise Architect is performing the role of an accumulator, allowing information from a wide range of disparate sources to be related to the already rich set of architectural models in the tool, creating a view of how the information in these otherwise unrelated tools can be visualized. This removes the need for the bundle of static spreadsheets that organizations have traditionally used to relate pairs of items such as Test-Cases to Business Drivers, or Stakeholder Concerns to application services, and much more.

All integrations offer support for linking objects and elements from the external system into an Enterprise Architect client. The External Data window supports browsing the external provider's items and retrieving lists of elements and objects based on the provider's queries. Capabilities include:

  • Link an Enterprise Architect element to an external object
  • View external element properties
  • View and in some cases add to, external object discussions
  • Export links to WebEA URL's that correspond to the current model
  • Open external items in a web browser
  • Import elements
  • Export elements

From Enterprise Architect Release 14.1 onwards it is possible to link a non-Cloud model to Integration Plug-ins configured on a Pro Cloud Server.

See the Cloud Page Help topic for configuration options.

Access

Ribbon

     Specialize > Tools > System Integration > Open External Data

To view a list of all elements that are linked to external items:

     Specialize > Tools > System Integration > Show All Linked Items

Context Menu

In a diagram or the Browser window, for elements that are already linked to an external item:

     Right-click on element > Specialize > External Properties

Keyboard Shortcuts

     Alt+1 > System Integration

Features

Feature

Description

See also

Pro Cloud Server Configuration

Each external provider must be configured on the Pro Cloud Server to enable connection. Multiple configurations can be made for each provider (such as connecting to two separate Jira servers).

Install and Configure

Authorization

If the Integration Provider requires authorization you are prompted to enter your credentials. If the provider supports it, a new internet browser window will open and prompt you to log in to the Integration Provider and allow Enterprise Architect access to its resources. Alternatively, a simple dialog will pop up asking for your credentials, with the option to securely store them in the current model. If stored in the model the credentials will only be used for the current user.

Navigate External Provider

Find external items to link to by navigating the external provider.

Navigate External Data

External Item Details

Select an external item from the External Data window to see its properties, notes and discussions in the Properties window, Notes window and 'Discuss' tab of the Discuss & Review window.

External Item Details

Link External Items

External items can be linked to Enterprise Architect as a generic «ExternalReference» stereotype or as another element type.

Linking Items

Add WebEA Link

Hyperlinks to WebEA can be added to the external item so that you can quickly open the WebEA element from the external source.

Right-click on a local linked element in the list and select 'Add WebEA Hyperlink to External Object'. This will update the external item with a link to the WebEA element that is linked to it in Enterprise Architect. Note that not all provider types have a 'link' mechanism. Where none exists, some providers might allow adding the link as a comment on the item.

Ensure that the model has a valid WebEA address set in the model options.

Cloud Page

Configuration

Each Integration Provider comes with a set of default mapping values which determines what type of local element is created in Enterprise Architect, as well as which fields are copied to the new element. These mappings are configurable via the 'Configure' option on the External Data window toolbar menu.

You must have the 'Configure External Data Sources' permission to access this functionality.

Configuration

Troubleshooting

  • The System Output window will show any errors while attempting to retrieve data from the external providers
  • The Pro Cloud Server outputs log files for each external provider
Troubleshooting

Notes

  • 'Integration' requires a Pro Cloud Server and is only available to Cloud models
  • 'Integration' is currently provided with the Corporate, Unified and Ultimate Editions of Enterprise Architect
  • If you select two or more elements at the same time, you can perform an operation on all of the selected elements at once
  • For WebEA links to work a valid URL must be set for the WebEA address (see the Cloud Page Help topic)