Why Should I buy Enterprise Architech?

[mar4asp]

Can you give me links to independent reviews please, including reviews of the evaluation and free (read only) versions.

Q1: How does it compare to the competition?
Q1b: What is the competition?
Q2: Will it integrate with my VS2005 Standard edition?
Q3: Can I use it with ASP.NET 2.0 web pages?
Q3b: if so, what does it do when it finds javascript on a page?
Q4: Can I reverse engineer c#, written for ASP.NET 2.0 pages, to produce UML diagrams?
Q5: Can I reverse engineer only part of a project (such as a single ASP.NET page? (including any classes invoked from that page).
Q6: Can it help with refactoring? Is it able to suggest which code should be abstrated out of a page into its own class?

This page http://sparxsystems.com/products/ea_editions.html says that the professional edition does not support SQL Sever.
Q7: What database (if any) does it support? [I'm using SQL Server 2005 Express]

I'm working entirely independently here. One developer with 3 projects so I don't really need the coporate edition. I do NOT know UML. However I've always been a very visual person and I feel that I should be using some UML tool otherwise my career will be crippled and my project development slowed.

[sargasso]

Some pretty serious questions there marsboy!

Q1 Depending on what your are trying to do, probably functionally equal to or better.

Q1b St Kilda look pretty promising at the moment but I hope the Swans get up after all.

Q2 praps, wots INTEGRATE mean to you?

Q3 yes, in fact you can use it with any technology ... even  coffee machines, as long as you understand what the word "model" means.

Q3b: Duno, AFAIK it doesn't go looking.

Q4: With a bit of effort on your part yes.

Q5: With a bit of RTFM on your part yes.

Q6a: Yes, as long as you can model.
Q6b: (sigh) If it, or any tool could do that I could get rid of 35 code cutters.

Q7: (The operative word is the last one in the left hand box ... the repository is where you can store your model - other EA editions store the models in JET databases, aka MS Access .mdb's re-extensioned as .eap's. I emphasise JET as M$2007 seem to have buggered the JET engine beyond belief.)

If you are working independently there, what exactly is it that you want out of a UML modeling tool that can be provided to one who, on their own admission, does NOT know UML.  Secondly, I presume that you have actually read most of the information provided by Sparx on the web site and do realise that this is actually a user forum and may therefore understand that most contributors do not favorably comply to demands for information.

Thirdly, I do hope that you do take the effort to
a) investigate thoroughly the advantages of design based systems
b) do take the time to find out what UML is all about, and
c) have an most exemplary and satifying career.

wtgpr
bruce

[mar4asp]

Thanks Bruce,

Your reply to the SQL question indicates that I will need the corporate version (if I get any at all). I can't stand MS Access JET. I must have the T-SQL support if it's available. Naturally I'll try the trial first and learn UML before I bother at all.

Thanks again for your reply.

[«Midnight»]

AFAIK the question about MS SQL (2000 or 2005) needs some clarification.

If you are asking whether EA will allow you to store your models in a SQL Server repository, then you need the Corporate Edition. If you merely need to share models, then the Professional Edition may be enough. It will only use Jet to store models, but it allows the model repository to be shared across a network.

However, if you are asking whether EA will model MS SQL structures, including reverse engineering and such, then the answer is different. The Professional Edition can model, import and export schemas from a variety of databases, including MS SQL.

David