Getting Started with MDG

[Rich Anderson]

Can anyone point me in the right direction to get started with creating a custom MDG?  I've been lurking around in the help system and trying a few things, but I must be doing this the hard way.   

What I want to do is create a simple MDG that is quite similar to the MDGS for strategic modeling (value chain, balanced scorecard, etc.).  I have a client that wants a simple tool for scenario modeling using an approach they have developed.  I think it only needs about 4 or 5 element stereotypes.   

Is there some kind of tutorial/example that walks one through just creating a simple MDG from beginning to end?    I've used the wizard to create the "Basic Template" that has the general approach, but a whole example would be better.  Or even better than than would be the source model used to develop the Strategic Modeling MDG that I could just take and edit.  This is really the way I tend to learn things best, and a man can dream, right?

Any steer on this would be much appreciated!

[Glassboy]

Have you read the material here http://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/12.1/building_models/extending_uml.html ?

[KP]

What you don't want to do is get started with an MDG Technology. You want to get started with a UML Profile, then a toolbox profile, then a diagram profile, and then combine them all into an MDG Technology.

[Rich Anderson]

Yes, I had read the help topic and adjoining topics, Thanks.   And to the SPARX Team, I realize that this is done in stages and I have figured that out from the documentation and some of the other materials.   I also realize that the MDG technology is the final outcome as your own documentation says here...

If you want to perform more specialized modeling, you can extend the base UML modeling elements and their use to develop your own modeling language or solution. A simple method of doing this is to develop and deploy an MDG Technology, which can contain a number of specialized Profiles and a range of other mechanisms to provide the broadest scope for your customized solution.

What I'm looking for is a good example worked all the way through so I can see how these things are built up.   It does not appear, so far, that such a thing exists, and its not that "simple", particularly compared with some other EA tools I have used.   

So, if there is anyone who has such a thing, I would appreciate it greatly.   I'm just trying to save some time. 

[Aaron B]

The "Profile Helpers" video from the following Webinar might be a good place to start.  It walks through the creation of a simple set of uml, diagram and toolbox profiles, then builds and deploys them as an MDG Technology.
http://www.sparxsystems.com/resources/demos/webinar/webinar-20130130-extending-ea.html

This video was created using EA 10 back in January 2013, so there might be some minor changes to the menu commands, but the general process is still the same as far as I am aware.

[Rich Anderson]

Thank you, Aaron B!   That is exactly what I was looking for!   

[Helmut Ortmann]

Hi,

I think Thomas Kilian has written an E-Book about MDG.

Helmut

[qwerty]

Since you explicitly ask: http://liquit.biz/brain/enterprise.html (two short articles)
and https://leanpub.com/EA-MDG-Profiles

q.

[Rich Anderson]

Thanks, everyone.  I used that video and managed to create my first MDG.  It's not pretty, but it works.  I feel like I have gotten over the "what the hell is this?" hump now.    Thomas, thanks for publishing those books, I've bought most of them and they have been very helpful.    (Particularly the one on scripting).

[qwerty]

Thanks! Always nice to hear they are helpful  :-)

q.