Clone feature

[Kristofer]

Hi!

I am checkning out the new (in EA 13) "clone structure" feature (time aware modelling), but I am not sure of some of its "features", so perhaps someone can confirm it?

Our repository is structured as following

Code: [Select]

As-is Models
   ...
   [package] Domain A
   [package] Domain B

Development
   ...

The "Development" root node is used for new models, and changes to as-is models are made directly into the "As-is Models" structure. When the changes have been approved, the as-is models are published, and a new iteration starts.

One of the problems we have is that people creates relationships between the Development and "As-is Models", which obviously creates a mix of as-is and to-be. The nightmare is when a relationship is deleted in the to-be model.

Another problem is that some of our users have difficulties to keep track of what changes they make in the as-is models (they tend to write the revision history right before we publish instead of continiuosly writing it).

I was thinking that perhaps the clone feature could solve these problems. It was easy to see what has been changed and that was very appealing. But after testing it out I am starting to reconsider if it is the solution to our problems.

Can someone confirm that this is how it is supposed to works:

• If you open a cloned diagram (to-be) and create a new relationship between non-cloned elements, the relationship is applied to the as-is model. (since you have opened the cloned diagram you think you are working in the to-be model but you are actually changing the as-is model)
• If you open a cloned diagram and create a new relationship where one of the involved elements are cloned, the relationship is applied to one cloned element and one non-cloned (i.e. a mix of the as-is and to-be model).
• You cannot merge the to-be model to the as-is model. I am talking about merging here since the cloned elements gets a new guid which will break all direct links on the published website if we find a copy/paste solution.
• If you clone an element and that element is locked (I completely locked the as-is models structure when testing), the cloned element will also be locked (it will not inherit the settings in the target structure), requiring the user to first unlock the element.
• When you clone an element, the line style for the connectors attached to the element changes. (bug?)

I did not expect 1 and 2 to happen since the source structure was locked (full lock on the as-is elements). Wouldn't that prevent an association to be added, no matter if I am working in a cloned diagram or not?

[Helmut Ortmann]

Hi,

have you looked into:
- http://www.sparxsystems.com/products/ea/13/
- http://sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/13.0/model_domains/clone_structure_as_new_version.html

This should be a good starting point.

Regards,

Helmut

[Paolo F Cantoni]

Hi Kristofer,

We've had a "bit of a play" with the cloning feature before deciding how we're going to use it "in anger" (and, we suspect, there may be a degree of same).

It seems to us that the import thing is to "know" whether you are dealing with the original or the cloned item.  Any relationship, is between the actual items involved, whether orignal or clone.  Whether a diagram is cloned or not is, essentially, irrelevant once it has been created.

"All" cloning does (and it's actually quite a bit) is to clone your selected items and create a trace relationship back to the original.  If there are relationships between the original selection of items to clone, then those relationships are cloned.

After that, you're "on your own".

How you interpret the relationship between the original and cloned items is actually up to you, it need not be temporally based.  We ae probably going to amend our MDG shapescripts to clearly indicate the version property of the item to help users figure out which one they are dealing with - original or (one of multiple possible) clone(s).

BTW, locking an item does not stop the addition of relationships. Submit a feature equest for additional locking capability.

HTH,
Paolo

[Kristofer]

Thanks to both!

Paolo, I think you are spot-on, you need to know what you are doing and what you are working on (hmm, sounds like common sense). Unfortunately, we have both very experienced but also inexperienced users working with models and EA.

/Kristofer

[Eve]

Paolo is spot on with what the feature offers, and that it is a whole lot more than just defining a temporal relationship. Expect to see the feature evolve in future versions as we work with our users to see how they want to use it.

1&2. I would recommend applying a group lock to the original so that only "approved" people can edit it. Combine that with the option of checking security locks for connectors and you should have what you need. It will then allow a link to be created/modified/deleted from objects the user can edit.

One potential strategy for this is that you could create set of security groups one for each package variant.

3. Merging is something we are considering for a future version.

5. It may be a bug. Those connectors are being cloned with the object, and it sounds like either the default appearance or local appearance is not being copied.

[Paolo F Cantoni]

Thanks to both!

Paolo, I think you are spot-on, you need to know what you are doing and what you are working on (hmm, sounds like common sense). Unfortunately, we have both very experienced but also inexperienced users working with models and EA.

/Kristofer

Same here...  However, "playing" with Cloning is what the original Microsoft "Help" used to suggest (decades ago): "Don't run with scissors" or as the Spiderman movie says: "With great power comes great responsibility".  Cloning is not for the faint hearted.  As Simon says, keep it under control, if necessary perform the initial clone for the users.

Paolo