Manage Tabulation-Data within EA

[Kaspatoo]

Hello,

we likely use EA to store not only UML Data. We also store plain text in notes and keep a document structure through packaging in the project browser. We then use an Add-In to generate a complete documentation of the EA-Model into Word.
Due to this we come accross with further Elements where it is difficult to represent them in EA.

My biggeest current problem is the question after how to get tabulation data (means Excel-Sheets, CSV, tables within word-documents) into EA.

Using object diagrams is not a good way because I would create an object for each row which is pretty too much and which is not efficiently displayable.

I thought of using linked documents (RTF) but the editor has no table designer. I am able to paste a table there but this way I dont get an advantage against en excel sheet.

When adding a table in a note field somthing like the following appears which is not useful at all.
--> ----------------------------------dsdfdsfsdf------------------------------
-->-----------------------------------ROW BREAK--------------------------
-->....

Later (dont know when) it is converted into HTML, but I dont want HTML

Well what do I want: I am looking for a kind of a diagram which has an Excel Inline Integration or something equal.
It its important to have functionality to easily edit and manage the sheet. It does not need to have that much functionality like in excel.

Whats my hope in this forum: You can suggest some features and functionalities which you think could be what I am looking for. I will have a look. Maybe someone knows a representation I did not consider yet.

If there wont be any efficient representation I need to make a placeholder where the external excel-sheet needs to be inserted when exporting EA data. But ou aim is to keep all data within one single application (in case of eg documentations, not all business).

Thanks in Advance.

[qwerty]

The only thing that comes to (my) mind is to store your Excel files externally in a managed path and use file links inside EA to reference them.

q.

[Geert Bellekens]

Or you can store your excel file as an OLE object in the linked document.

Geert

[Uffe]

For completeness: simple row/column data can be imported using EA's CSV import. But if you don't want to turn this data into a model but keep it as a table of some sort, Geert's suggestion is your best bet.
However, to my knowledge at least, the embedded OLE objects cannot be displayed directly in a diagram (you must open the linked document first) and you can't access them through the API.

In terms of external links, there are two ways to do that; either with hyperlinks or with "File" links in elements.
Hyperlinks are diagram objects, so they are not visible in the browser and are deleted with the diagram.

"File" links are a list of file or hypertext references, available in the "Files" tab of most model elements' Properties dialog. You can associate any number of files/pages with any single element.
If you go this way, it's a very simple job to create an Add-In which automatically opens the first link in this list on double-click.

[Kaspatoo]

hey guys
thanks for your replies.

I will test some and then see whether to use or not.

"the embedded OLE objects cannot be displayed directly in a diagram (you must open the linked document first) and you can't access them through the API."

Do you mean linked Doucuments are not accessible through API at all or was you just referring to OLE objects?

If not it then just is accessible through direct databasse query on the repository (t_document Contents of linked documents, baselines and
more from google-> "Inside Enterprise Architect - Leanpub" (link too long)). Else I cannot find any information to that, do you have something to quote from?

Thanks.

[Geert Bellekens]

You can access the linked document via the API just fine.
It returns an RTF string.
If you then manage to interprete the string then you should be able to access the OLE objects as well, but I guess you'll need some kind of RTF editor library to be able to do that.

Geert

[qwerty]

but I guess you'll need some kind of RTF editor library to be able to do that.

I wrote it once in Perl. It was a PITA although I could use a Perl library for RTF.

q.