Messages

1

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Re: Can we reverse Engineer Azure Synapse SQL Databses?

« on: September 03, 2022, 06:45:29 pm »

I'm having login problems with the synapse DB.  I'll have to check with the infrastructure group to ensure I have access.
Paolo

No worries, happy to help. A few pointers include (1) the connection string may need to have a "tcp:" prefix in front of the server name (at least, for SQL Server), for example "tcp:server.<database>.azurewebsites.co.au"; (2) in addition, check to ensure the allowed tcp port number (usually 1433); (3) check any virtual networks, firewalls, private IP addresses, or custom domain names setup for networking requirements to host the Azure Synapse DB; (4) last, check the username/password combo ;-)


M

2

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Re: Can we reverse Engineer Azure Synapse SQL Databses?

« on: September 02, 2022, 10:11:49 pm »

As we move to the cloud, we need to reverse-engineer Azure Synapse SQL databases. Is there some secret sauce to do this? Is it even possible?

Yes, I believe it is possible since I successfully reverse-engineered Azure SQL DBs using the "Import DB Schema" function found under Develop->Data Modelling->Import. Then on the "..." button (for the DB source), I selected "Direct Native Connection". In the next window, under the "DBMS" option, "Microsoft SQL Server" and "OLEDB" a connection methods. Then specify the usual suspects for a SQL authentication connection, and hit the "Test" button to ensure the connection is good. And away EA went and got information for the tables, columns, stored procedures and indexes.

3

General Board / Re: Migration from EA15 to EA16; What do we lose?

« on: July 22, 2022, 07:19:44 pm »

Is it still supposed to be true that 64 bit EA cannot access EAPX files?
...
The release notes for 1605 state "The 64bit Professional edition no longer stops the opening of .EAPX repositories", but I am using the Corporate version.

One solution around this is to use V16 and navigate to "Settings->Transfer->Migrate EAP/EAPX to QEA". Run the process on the older repository and viola! Now V16 can open the transferred repo.
Otherwise, unfortunately if there is indeed a need to keep the repo in EAPX, then V16 will not work.

4

Bugs and Issues / Re: 15.2 scroll behavior

« on: April 22, 2021, 07:52:15 am »

...Basically it's the same as with most of the bugs: there's no QA at Sparx.

Yip, agreed, over and over. the lack of internal testing BEFORE release is obvious by damaged expectations concerning Feature X: always delivered half-tested and half-implemented. EA scrollbars are a perfect example.

It is understandable that software has bugs; that is the nature of humans writing code. However, methinks Sparx is lumbered with a codebase as ancient as COBOL and a team too afraid to communicate with it. This explains why "fixes" in each release always address only one specific scenario, and disregard others. The team is either focused on more "high priority" money-generating concerns, OR every issue, bug and feature is low priority and "not serious", OR the developers just plain and simply cannot address the fix using an ancient programming tongue, like ADA.

Take, for example, this quote

Now that Tags are stereotype properties, it is self-inconsistent to NOT copy tags of the connectors when the [X] Copy Connectors checkbox is marked.

It's a beautiful example of how (clearly) no testing was done when implementing the use case for "Make Tags stereotyped properties". Otherwise, why should a paying customer need to state the obvious?

I very much want to keep a positive attitude in life and work
There are a lot of things much more important than EA

I still believe EA is the best (least bad?) UML tool out there currently.

Geert, you set a good example by remaining positive. Though, if you were not an EA consultant, would it be as easy to overlook annoyances of the "least bad" UML modelling tool :-)?

5

Bugs and Issues / Re: 15.2 scroll behavior

« on: April 12, 2021, 06:54:42 am »

Hi Geert, qwerty,

I agree with your statement that there are more important bugs to address.

However, the problem with scrollbars not working as expected is the impact on users and frustration levels. As qwerty correctly stated, just because one person does not use scrollbar arrows, does not imply ALL users should forgo scrollbar arrows. Using Sparx EA, customers must constantly accommodate for poor implementation found in the product ("The workaround for this bug are...."). Why must customers fight with Sparx EA to achieve results?


Well-built software products foster reasonable expectations to quickly and efficiently achieve results. Yet, Sparx EA ignores all reasonable conventions (for example, Windows design patterns UX patterns etc.) and follow their own path. For example, we can drag-drop from the Project Browser onto a canvas, but we cannot perform the same drag-drop from the Traceability window if the element is anything other than a UML class. The workaround? Sparx EA introduces a "Place Element in Diagram" context menu (in the Traceability window) because it seems, they are incapable to deliver the same, expected, functionality as Project Browser.

Broken. Frustrating.
Issue logged.
Issue ignored.


Windows products work according to set standards. Apple product too. A scroll bar is a scroll bar across both platforms. Not in Spax EA.


@Geert, @qwerty, I assume you're very familiar with the product, so, out of curiosity, how much time and effort have you wasted over the years finding workarounds because normal-use expectations have failed?

6

Bugs and Issues / Re: 15.2 scroll behavior

« on: April 10, 2021, 02:42:40 am »

Hi qwerty,


Your pain is shared by the utter astonishment at how simple elements in the product don't work as expected.  This bug was reported on 20 Jan. 2020 and video evidence provided to the team to show the scroll bars don't work. Precious time was wasted by performing personal QA testing on their behalf, with all Windows messages logged and sent as evidence (WM_MOUSEMOVE, SBM_GETSCROLLINFO, WM_PARENTNOTIFY etc.). It is clear (from analysis) that this bug is because the parent container area does not respond to scroll messages.

Issue ID: 20013953
Version: 15.1 (build 1525)
Has this issue been fixed in 15.2? No.

What is to be made of considering the company's poor track record in responding to bug fixes (over a year and still not addressed)? How is this product still viable? Methinks only one way is possible: price. They clearly save costs on hiring a QA team or ACTUAL coders who can write quality code, because customers will (un)willingly perform testing on the company's behalf. And what do you benefit from the time wasted? An improved product with evidence the bugs were addressed? A sense of accomplishment and contribution to the product's greater good? Customer's performing real-world testing and bug logging would not be half as painful IF the bugs were indeed addressed when raised.


However, let the attitude of the company towards customers' bug reports and usability concerns (and lack thereof) speak for itself.

7

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Feature request: Note lists indentation

« on: March 26, 2021, 09:29:22 pm »

Sadly, this pattern is a pattern experienced many times with this product. The company exhibits a couldn't-be-bothered attitude toward users (sure log those feature requests or bug requests, not gonna help one bit).

8

General Board / Re: Coloring frame elements

« on: November 28, 2020, 12:03:22 am »

There's no way to show the same diagram in different ways....

As Geert mentioned, what you'd like to achieve is not possible.
However, your scenario can be achieved: create separate diagrams and place custom legends onto each separate diagram, colouring the elements by "tag value" or some other attribute of interest.

9

General Board / Re: New User - unable to add New Element

« on: October 01, 2020, 05:06:48 pm »

Hi @Eve,

...The point is that like many Windows applications, EA writes its settings into the registry under the current user. If a user can't do that then many things within EA won't work. Things like connecting to a keystore to get a shared key will need to be configured every load.

Agreed. Please see bug report 20075174.

...Reading the configuration from a file is not a better solution for anything that EA does. Apps generally do that so that their configuration loading is portable to different operating systems, not because users shouldn't be writing to the registry. It's just as likely that a user will not be able to write to their application data directory as not be able to write to their part of the registry.

Here's a response from Sparx regarding the Add New Element dialog not working

.. Thank you for your enquiry. Our developers have provided the following feedback, please see:
 
 Thank you for the video. Everything you do works on my system. However, it does give me one hint as to what is going wrong. The Toolset listbox is supposed to persist between usages of the dialog. It is persisted to a registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Sparx Systems\EA400\EA\OPTIONS\LASTELEMPAGE. If you are unable to write to this key, it would suggest that you don't have the required registry permissions.
 
Would you be able to run EA as admin just to ensure you have read and write permissions for the registry?
 
 Another thought is could you enable all technologies please? Just to make sure that you aren't missing any of the required toolsets. (It's recommended that you use perspectives to limit the visible technologies, not disabling technologies as was the previous practice).
 
 Ribbon : Specialize > Technologies > Manage
 See : https://sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/15.2/modeling/manage_mdg_technologies.html

...

When I run EA as an administrator, suddenly the registry-based write issue disappears and Add New Element dialog works. Like you, I think to myself, "why must I run with admin privileges just to be able to Add New Element?".

I believe the original poster has a similar problem


 

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Bugs and Issues / Re: Start page: recent, pinned and watched

« on: October 01, 2020, 12:43:03 am »

...Sitting in front of a MBP with a touchbar asking myself "who made this and why?"...

Lol!

...I don't think the comparison with Apple makes much sense....

The image was "blindly throwing money at a product regardless of its virtues". All I could think of at the time was "Apples".
You're right, EA is a decent product for a low price. But, as @qwerty mentioned, "I'd pay more if they'd drop their marketing in favor of their development".

11

General Board / Re: New User - unable to add New Element

« on: September 30, 2020, 08:36:19 pm »

Weird indeed  . It blew my mind when I too could not add new elements onto a diagram from the New Element dialog. Until one of the developers at Sparx responded concerning the Windows Registry and running Sparx as admin.

My mind has still not yet recovered.

12

Bugs and Issues / Re: Start page: recent, pinned and watched

« on: September 30, 2020, 08:33:41 pm »

Ah! The Sound of Sparx Silence. Tis such a wonderful thing, a sure sign the company cares about your opinion. My favourite interaction is: spending much time to detail bugs and potential solution(s). Send it off. Receive acknowledgement that it is indeed an issue. Release after release. Not a single bug has been addressed. Instead, somethhing new and shiny has moved in. Herein too is a problem, every new and shiny thing introduced is half-baked, half-tested and generally half-designed.
And, as with Apple products, customers throw dollars at EA.

13

General Board / Re: New User - unable to add New Element

« on: September 30, 2020, 08:12:40 pm »

Hi Jim,

Run EA as Administrator and the New Element dialog will work.

The "smart" developers store dialog settings in the Windows Registry (and not local settings file, why?) and EA requires administrator privilege to store these settings. Each drop down selection is stored in the registry. Since EA is not running under admin privileges, therefore it will not add elements onto a canvas because it silenty fails behind the scenes.

I know. Mind-blowingly stupid: we can drag elements from the toolbox onto a diagram without the need for administrator privileges, but the New Element dialog (emulating the drag-drop, one would think) does require admin privileges.

PS: this was logged and highlighted as a bug, and solutionprovided to store settings in local JSON (for example) settings files. bug still exists. Logged details were ignored.

14

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Fully functional API for TaggedValues

« on: September 28, 2020, 05:27:16 am »

...Looking at EA as it is, then no. No bug fixing (to be fair: almost). No QA (that was dumped with probably V6 when marketing said so)...

The statement "no bug fixing (...almost)" and "no QA" is true, borne of experience. Try it yourself. Log say, 50 bugs with as much detail as possible to help the team resolve and improve. Wait for fixes in the next release. Note, that Not. One. Bug. Is. Fixed. Not... One! As qwerty correctly states, paying customers then end up performing QA role to "test" functionality that should have been resolved before release. It's a very poor setup reflection against the EA product, because it could have been one of the best on the market.

15

Suggestions and Requests / Re: v15.2 – When saving diagram, allow to save current position

« on: September 19, 2020, 02:16:47 am »

Yes to this functionality. +1