Sparx Systems Forum
Enterprise Architect => Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools => Topic started by: qwerty on April 18, 2012, 09:31:33 pm
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I just have published an e-book which explains numerous details of EA's repository structure. Intended readers are not only programmers but also people which want to get out more from EA's advanced search facility. I published a short résumé on the the Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect Community Site (http://community.sparxsystems.com/) under Advanced Searching (http://community.sparxsystems.com/tutorials/extensibility/advanced-searching). The e-book itself and a preview are available at http://leanpub.com/InsideEA. I'd be happy to receive feedback and will amend the book accordingly.
q.
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Looks very interesting.
I'll definitely buy it.
Geert
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Looking forward to your feedback. I'll definitely add everything others have found where I did not dig deep enough. Subscribers will receive a free update. So hopefully this book will become a vade mecum.
q.
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I'll also buy it. I think it comes quite hamdy for me right now.
Best regards,
Günther
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I have just added a new section detailing the security tables (t_secuser, t_secgroup, etc.). You will find this useful whenever you have to deal with repositories where security is turned on.
q.
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Oh that's so nice :)!!!
Leanpub automatically notices me that there's a new version available for download.
Thanks for your book, it was already helpful so far. I'm willing to contribute any additional information I'll gather in future.
Best regards,
Günther
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I have just added two sections about SQL quirks and the SQL Search Builder.
Subscribers receive the update for free.
q.
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Just bought/downloaded your book. Looking forward to reading it.
Karl
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I have just extended the SQL Query Builder section with a couple of example SQL statements provided courtesy of Helmut Ortmann.
q.
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Just updated the e-book with a couple of new sections:
- Added chapters for
-- t_attribute, its tags and GUI
-- t_operation, its tags and GUI
-- t_connectortag
- A nice trick to comment SQL in the search builder (from Helmut Ortmann)
Subscribers receive a free update as always.
q.
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Just bought and it looks great so far.
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I would work with EA to resolve the ?! items you have in the book - it makes the book seem incomplete or half baked. I think they are easy answer fill-ins.
Would be even better if you had a logical data model 'map'.
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If you have easy answers just give me a hint. I did not dive deep into some of these ?! tables/columns for various reasons. But I'd be glad to add any further information you have.
Can you elaborate on the logical map?
q.
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Would be even better if you had a logical data model 'map'.
Bill, you can create your own: Project Browser > Right-click > Code Engineering > Import DB Schema from ODBC
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I just buy your book, thanks for the job, really valuable.
Just some remarks :
- insideEA.pdf, page 19, 4.4 : t_connectortag in place of t_operationtag
- when using the sample queries in EA Model Search Builder, the columns with 'AS' (like o.ea_guid As CLASSGUID) is not appearing in the report
One trick, I discover based on your e-Book :
- when you are querying in tagged values "value" column, if this column is containing the "<memo>" string, that means that the content of the tag value is in the note column.
Thx
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Thanks for the feedback! I'll include that in the next release of the book.
q.
[edit]: I have added the information and will publish a new release latest tomorrow. As a note: the CLASSGUID/TYPE do not appear as "real" columns as EA interprets them as double-click-link and for the icon left.
[edit]: Just published with following changes
- added chapter about t_taggedvalue (which is used for WSDL)
- detailed use of CLASSGUID/TYPE
- hint about tagged value contents
- some (reference) typos corrected
Thanks to Tanja and albert for the feedback
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I have just published a new release with these changes:
- revised the section about t_taggedvalue
- added descriptions for t_document, t_image and t_objectscenarios.
q.
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Just added a description for t_script
A plea: if you have any additional information which is not yet in the book I'm happy to add this so all readers can profit!
If you're missing any details (e.g. the ?! placeholders) or not yet described tables, please let me know. Either by posting here, using my mail address printed in the book or the landing page of the book. I'd start investigating them.
q.
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As far as I know there are three EA-books for sale right now:
Inside Enterprise Architect
Scripting Enterprise Architect
Fifty Enterprise Architect Tricks
Will these be offered as a bundle sometime?
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We can build that bundle. As we are two different authors I have to contact Peter but in general it's no issue. Unless he's on holiday it will only take a day or so. I'll post here as soon as the bundle is available.
q.
P.S. I've reached Peter. You can find the bundle here: http:// http://leanpub.com/b/EntArchBundleComplete
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Just publish a new revision:
- additional info for connector StylEex
- started adding API references
q.
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After a longer pause due to sickness I just published a new version:
Added description of tables
- t_genopt
- t_trxtypes
q.
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Just some observations:
t_lists
Appears to be a table set up to create various control lists, but looks like it is only being used for Settings/Project Type/General Types/Constraint Status Types.
t_objectproblems
Records Changes, Defects, Issues or Tasks related to element. Managed via View/More Element Tools/Maintenance
t_objectresource
Allocates time for specific resource on this element. (see View/More Element Tools/Project Management).
t_objecttests
Tests defined for element via View/More Element Tools/Testing
Cannot find source in database for values maintained by:
Settings/Project Type/General Types/Difficulty
Settings/Project Type/General Types/Priority
Settings/Project Type/General Types/Test Status
Settings/Project Type/Estimation Factors/Default Hour Rate
BTW. As suggested, I did create a data model of EA database via re-engineering and added notes to many of the table based upon observation of the type of data contained in the tables as well as added the apparent relationships of the tables that would be most used in queries. Helps quite a bit.
Karl
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BTW. As suggested, I did create a data model of EA database via re-engineering and added notes to many of the table based upon observation of the type of data contained in the tables as well as added the apparent relationships of the tables that would be most used in queries. Helps quite a bit.
Are you publishing this somewhere??
Regards,
Günther
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Karl,
Many thanks for these observations. I'll go ahead and add it to the book.
Thanks and cheers,
q.
P.S. Just realized that many menus have changed. E.g. the maintenance you mention above is under Element/Maintenance from V10 on. Wonder how to deal with that so V9 and V10 user will find the correct menu entry. :-/
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Cannot find source in database for values maintained by:
Settings/Project Type/General Types/Difficulty
Settings/Project Type/General Types/Priority
Settings/Project Type/General Types/Test Status
Settings/Project Type/Estimation Factors/Default Hour Rate
Just found that t_lists contains Difficulty once you add a new entry with Category DifficultyType. If missing EA obviously assumes these default values. Likely the others will also appear in t_lists. I'll add a detailed description in my book.
q.
Edit: The Default Hour Rate seems to be a registry setting as it is not per model. Just change it in one model and it's also changed in the other model. Likely you`ll find that in the registry.
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Qwerty:
Is EA 10 compatible with EA 9 database?
Can EA 10 and EA 9 co-exist on the same PC? (Although I would not want to use EA 10 to access an active EA 9 project).
Karl
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So far as I have tested there are no issues running both in parallel. I haven't yet compared the structures in detail but I don't expect any issue as the focus was on GUI optimization. I'll let you know the results as soon as I'm done.
q.
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Although a bit off topic, I've been using the v10 beta version for a while now where my colleagues are still on v9.
I've not yet seen any problems.
I would just avoid using the new enumeration type as that would not be recognized by v9.
Geert
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To catch up I have just added sections for t_xrefsystem, t_lists and t_problemtypes. t_trxtypes has some newly discovered information. Thanks to Karl for posting his findings about t_lists and t_problemtypes.
q.
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BTW, q
I confirmed your observation that it appears that the initial default values and order for Project Difficulty, Priority and Test Status are hard coded. If changed via the menu option, including the order, then t_list is used. Value of Category reflects the list, that is:
- ConstStatusType
- DifficultyType
- PriorityType
- TestStatusType
NVal denotes the display order
Do not know how the default is maintained. There is no flag in the table row and Notes is null.
Karl
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I guess EA looks into t_lists first and if empty (no appropriate key in Category) it takes the default.
Thanks for the NVal observation. I'll add that info now. Will appear with the next release.
q.
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When dragging a diagram element onto another diagram EA offers the user the option to make it a 'diagram reference'. Once created double-clicking on the diagram reference opens the original diagram i.e. the diagram reference acts as a shortcut or alias for the original diagram.
Any idea how / where the information that connects the diagram reference to the original diagram is stored?
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EA creates an object of Object_Type UMLDagram. That has PDATA1 set to the Diagram_ID of the referenced diagram.
See on page 9 ;)
q.
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Excellent - thanks.
And the PDATA1 appears as MiscData(0) http://sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/12.1/automation_and_scripting/element2.html