Import Database not working.

[Papa_Bear]

Hi - I'm a returning EA user, and have fond memories of it in my previous life. I'm trying to use it to do some data modeling.

At this point, I'm trying to import a very simple (one-table MS Access) database, just to get my feet wet with EA. (EA v16.1, MS Office/Access 365) and I'm immediately faced with an error (I would attach here, but I see no such button/capability.)

I'm puzzled by a few things:
> This is a very simple Access Database import - how could there possibly be challenges with something as mundane as that?
> It is reporting an ODBC error even though I used the "MS Access file based database" option in EA rather than the "ODBC based database" option.
> If I try the ODBC option instead, it says "Schemas are not supported" and will not import anything.

I had a heck of a time trying to wade through the floating license maze. I was able to import some XSD, but can't get the diagram to present the design as needed (even after having tried both options on import). I was hoping to generate UML from the XSD, but I've not yet been able to generate such a UML diagram. I backed off of the XSD/XML and figured I'd start with a simple database, and now I can't even do that. So far, I'm feeling pretty silly as I'm batting a big goose egg with EA.

I did search the forum and found one case where they said they installed a particular driver, but no information was provided on what driver, from where, what version, etc.

Would definitely appreciate some help here - especially with MS Access. I have many such databases and really need to do some data modeling, based on those structures, and one of the major benefits in purchasing EA was to NOT do this by hand!

[Geert Bellekens]

Database import works using ODBC. In order to make it work with Access, I guess you'll need to have the correct driver.
I haven't done any reverse engineering on Access databases. With SQL server it works fine.

What is the issue with the XSD import exactly?

Geert

[Papa_Bear]

Thanks for the quick reply!

Regarding connecting:  OK - cool - makes sense to stick with ODBC in general... :-)
Can you elaborate on the driver? Like - I'm wondering why either of my existing Access drivers/options in Windows (10) would not work. Since they are likely current, I'm not sure what I would look for and whether it would just say that I have the latest etc.

Regarding the XSD, I think the problems I'm facing have to do with subtleties on how the XSD I'm analyzing is designed. In particular, it makes very heavy use of types to define most of the elements and how they relate, and the resulting actual structure can only be understood by navigating the linkage of the types. There is very little physical structuring and relating of elements going on within the XSD.

I found that using one option during import created many thousands of interconnecting lines, with each element pretty much appearing with no related elements within it - which in this case is technically correct, but also results in an unreadable/unusable diagram.  The other option seemed to include the first level of child elements within a given element, but, it did not connect these child elements to *their* children. So, now I have a diagram with too FEW lines. I then kind of gave up on the viability of using a diagram for this XSD, and was hoping to find a way to generate a hierarchical type of tree view of the element relationships, and have not found a way to do that either. (I've actually rolled my own XSD reader/processor to achieve that - but I really want to do all of this in EA now!)

[Geert Bellekens]

I wouldn't know about access drivers really.

For the XSD. After importing I usually put the individual elements on a diagram, and add dependencies where needed (element uses complex type as type)

It's a bit of work to make a readable diagram, but the classes and elements are all there.

You should look at the import XSD feature as importing a model, not a (usable) diagram.

Geert

[Kelvin Meeks]

You may find this Sparx EA documentation page (for v16.1) of interest
https://sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/16.1/modeling_domains/importdatabaseschemafromod.html

As well as:
https://sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/16.1/modeling_domains/supported_databases.html
Note:
For Access, only these versions are stated as being supported:
MS Access 97, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2013

However, 
MS SQL Server from 2005, all editions including Express and Azure SQL Database