EA Requirement vs. SysML Requirement

[adriaan]

there seem to be some minor differences between EA's built-in Requirement element and the SysML Requirement element.

1) this is of course horribly confusing to users

2) EA Requirement text is captured in "Note" while SysML Requirement text is captured in tagged value "text" <memo>

3) cannot use "quick links" on diagrams to establish "EA Requirement -> Block" even though it works for "SysML Requirement -> Block"

simply changing the EA Requirement's "Type" to "requirement" addresses the issue #3 above.

i) is there any way to automatically convert all EA Requirements to SysML Requirements?

ii) what other differences are there between the two elements?

[qwerty]

This is confusing indeed. But I only can advise to stick to one sort of requirement elements (in your case SysML). Unfortunately it is not so easy to convert a "normal" requirement to a SysML one. Unless you have hundreds of them you should convert them manually.

q.

[adriaan]

if that's the official line then that is unfortunate.

i have 187 requirements created by importing from a requirements tool - all of which will have to be converted. and it is all too easy if one isn't careful to select the Requirement off the "Common" pallet instead of the "SysML Requirements" pallet. is there perhaps any way of limiting the set of NamedElements that can be used in a project?

[RoyC]

If you just want to use SysML as the modeling language with (most of)the EA facilities, then select Settings > MDG Technologies and deselect the Enabled checkbox against the Basic UML, Simple UML Views, Core Extensions and MDG Technology Builder technologies. Do the same for any other technologies that might be loaded and that you have no interest in.

This still gives you the Common Toolbox page, but if you collapse it (click on the 'minus' box to the left of the name) you won't see the 'normal' Requirements element.

Does that help?

[Aaron B]

You could also try setting SysML as the "Active" technology - either using the list of technologies on the Default Tools toolbar, or using the Set Active button in Settings | MDG Technologies.

http://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/9.3/getting_started/maintoolbar.html
http://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/9.3/standard_uml_models/manage_mdg_technologies.html

Setting SysML 1.2 as the "active" technology for example will make a "SysML Common" group always visible in the toolbox which contains the SysML Requirement element, no matter what type of diagram you are currently viewing.

Regarding conversion of existing requirements - you can apply the SysML Requirement type to one element at a time by dragging the Requirement type from the SysML toolbox onto your existing Requirement in the diagram.  Unfortunately there is no easy way to perform a bulk change of all your Requirements at once that I can think of other than using Scripting.

[Ian Mitchell]

Hi - An easy way to covert Requirements like this is to export them into Excel using eaDocX, the do a bit of simple Excel copy & paste, then read them straight back into EA, either with the requirement description in the 'text' tagged value, or the normal 'notes' field, or maybe even both.
Have a go:  eadocx.com

[RobCDeJong]

You can change the requirement to SysML requirement by export all requirements(including their GUID) to a CSV formatted file.  Change the Type from Requirement to ExtendedRequirement in this CSV file for all requirements and then import the requirements again.

Another solution is to make the change directly in the database via an update statement.

In EA you will now see the SysML1.2 properties.

BTW: we choose to use the notes field in stead of the SysML <text> field. The reason: the notes field is easier to work with (easy accessable).

cheers,
Rob