ArchiMate Derived Relationships

[Matt Seaborn]

ArchiMate specifies the concept of Derived Relationships

https://modelingtheenterprise.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/archimate-derived-relations-part-2-the-rules-of-derivation/

These are very useful for understand how entities relate to each other in architectures involving a large number of entities that stretch over multiple diagrams.

This feature can be found in tools like Archi, but surprisingly aren't present in Enterprise Architect.  

Are these on the roadmap for EA? If so, when are they expected, if not can they be added?

[Paolo F Cantoni]

ArchiMate specifies the concept of Derived Relationships

https://modelingtheenterprise.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/archimate-derived-relations-part-2-the-rules-of-derivation/

These are very useful for understand how entities relate to each other in architectures involving a large number of entities that stretch over multiple diagrams.

This feature can be found in tools like Archi, but surprisingly aren't present in Enterprise Architect.  

Are these on the roadmap for EA? If so, when are they expected, if not can they be added?

Hi Matt,

You need to clarify if you are talking about the marking/rendering a specific relationship as derived or whether you are asking about the derivation process itself.

As to the former, I've implement derived relationship marking/rendering via the use of Tagged values and shapescripts for about 7 years - I used them BEFORE ArchiMate.

As toi the latter, derivation, you face two problems: You don't necessarily want to show EVERY possible derivation - either on a diagram or materialized within the Repository.  We've taken the view that we only materialized (and therefore render) those derived relationships that are requested/authorised by a human as meaningful to the communication.

We have some automation to infer/derive certain relationships and some we automate completely, but others we manage manually.

HTH,
Paolo

[Matt Seaborn]

I agree that showing every derived relationship results is not desirable, however having the manually enter the derived relationships is laborious and time consuming.

Requesting they be shown and then hiding the ones you don't want to see (exactly with materialised relationships) would be ideal.

[Paolo F Cantoni]

I agree that showing every derived relationship results is not desirable, however having the manually enter the derived relationships is laborious and time consuming.

Requesting they be shown and then hiding the ones you don't want to see (exactly with materialised relationships) would be ideal.

Unfortunately, given the ArchiMate rules for derivation (and first principles) you end up with a combinatorial explosion in the number of derivable relationships.

It's not practical to say: "infer all the derived relationships in the repository and let me pick which ones to show".

Also bear in mind that there are (at least) three types of derivation for relationships:

• By Traversal
• By Union
• By Specialization

Don't get "sucked into" the idea of: "just show me the derived relationships on this diagram" - as the diagram is NOT the model, it's just a viewpoint into the model.

My view is that I should be able to select two elements and ask the tool to determine if there is a derived path and what type, then I can say: "materialize it" - so it will notionally appear on all relevant diagrams because the model has now been updated.

Similarly, the tool could infer (I believe) Union and Specializations (to an extent).

Paolo

[Matt Seaborn]

Sounds workable to me.

SPARX, let's have that!  

[philchudley]

This has been implemented in the latest version of BEASI

http://www.biner.se/beasi

Cheers
Phil