Linking Items

Create Linked Element in Enterprise Architect

To create a new element in the Enterprise Architect model linked to the external item:

1. Right-click on an external item in the list in the External Data window.
2. Select 'Create Local Element'.
3. Select either the default type or «ExternalReference» (which ignores any Type Mapping; see the Configuration Help topic).
4. Select which Package the element will be created in.
5. Optionally add the new element to the currently-active open diagram.
   

The local element properties will be created from the values defined in the 'Field Mapping' dialog, described in the Configuration Help topic.

Once linked, the local element will show under the external item:

Link Multiple Items

Select multiple items to create multiple elements at the same time. All elements will be created with either the default type or «ExternalReference».

• To select a group of multiple items, select the first item, hold shift and select the last item.
• To select (or deselect) an individual item, hold Control and click the item.

Link an Existing Enterprise Architect Element

An existing element in Enterprise Architect can be linked to an existing item in the External Provider by dragging the local element from the Browser window and dropping it onto the external item. So in our example:

The Enterprise Architect element 'As a developer, I'd like to update story status during the sprint' was dragged from the Browser window and dropped onto the Jira item of the same name, creating a link between the two.

Create a Linked Item in the External Provider

Existing local elements in Enterprise Architect can be added to the External Provider in this way:

1. Select the local Enterprise Architect element (in the Browser window).
2. Browse the External Provider and select the required destination location.
3. In the 'External Data' menu, select 'Create Linked Item'.

Note:

• To create a new external item, the Integration Provider must be configured to allow this on the Pro Cloud Server (it is disallowed by default)
• Not all providers allow for creation of new items

Update Local Element ('Pull' changes)

If either the local element or the external data item have been modified since the items were created or linked, an 'exclamation mark' indicator will display on top of the icon next to the name of the changed item. Right-click on the linked Enterprise Architect element and select the 'Pull - Update Local Element with External Data' option.

Note: If the local element has been modified since the link was created then its changes will be overwritten with the external data.

Update External Item ('Push' changes)

If either the local element or the external data item have been modified since the items were created or linked, an 'exclamation mark' indicator will display on top of the icon next to the name of the changed item. Right-click on the Enterprise Architect element and select the 'Push - Update External Item with Local Data' option.

Note:

• If the external element has been modified since the link was created then its changes will be overwritten with the local data
• To update an external item the Integration Provider must be configured to allow this on the Pro Cloud Server (disallowed by default)

Synchronize All Local Elements

All local linked elements in Enterprise Architect can be quickly updated with new data from the linked items in the External Data Provider.

1. In the External Data window, display the data from the External Data Provider to be synchronized.
2. Click on the 'Hamburger' icon in the toolbar, and select the 'Synchronize Local Linked Elements' option.
3. On the 'Synchronize External Data Items' dialog, select the checkbox against each property field that should be updated with new data from the external item. Note that any local changes in the Enterprise Architect element in these fields will be overwritten with the external data.
4. The bottom of the window indicates how many local elements will be updated (note that it is unknown at this point if there have been any changes to the external item).
5. Click on the Synchronize button.