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

Modeling Fundamentals

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Modeling can be described as graphically representing a business process or software system. The resulting model can be used to emphasize a certain aspect of the system being represented, and to record, document and communicate its detail. A study of such a model can enable insight or understanding of the system.

The Enterprise Architect Modeling Platform

Enterprise Architect's modeling platform is based on the Unified Modeling Language (UML), a standard that defines rules and notations for specifying business and software systems.

For information on UML, see the Standard UML Models topic.

For examples of the UML models that Enterprise Architect can help you build, see the Model Templates topic.

Building a Model

Using Enterprise Architect, you can quickly build a model using a hierarchy of packages to represent the structure and organization of the model. Each package can contain:

  • Other packages
  • Diagrams that represent various aspects of the equipment, environment and business processes of the system
  • Elements that represent the objects and actions within the system or process, arranged in an organization defined by relationships represented by UML connectors.

The Quick Start Tutorial topic briefly shows you how to create a diagram within a package, containing elements and connectors. Sparx Systems also provide a demonstration of quickly developing a Use Case model.

For specific details of configuring and combining the components of a model, see:

Relationship Matrix

The Relationship Matrix enables you to display and manage the relationships between the elements within selected packages. You can refine the display to show specific types of relationship between specific types of element. The Relationship Matrix is an effective and convenient method of visualizing relationships quickly and definitively.