Topics

1

General Board / Applying custom stereotypes

« on: May 21, 2025, 12:26:56 pm »

I added a custom stereotype to class using Settings > Reference Data > UML Types > Stereotypes as directed by the guide
https://sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/17.1/modeling_languages/creatingcustomstereotypes.html
However, when I try to apply the stereotype I can't see it because they are filtered via perspective. I've tried changing perspective to different settings but still can't see the stereotype I created to apply to the class.

Using V17.1. Any help would be appreciated.

2

Bugs and Issues / Sparx EA V17 - Printing issues with some elements not showing text.

« on: January 15, 2025, 01:09:26 pm »

Just moved over to V17 build 1704. Everything seemed fine until I tried to print a diagram where some elements but not all on the diagram didn't print the text for the element. Its worth saying I didn't have this problem with V16.1. The print issue is a bit of a weird bug as its not consistent. I have some other diagrams with the same elements on that print okay. I've event tried copy and pasting the problematic elements from the diagram that printed fine to the problematic diagram and still those elements don't print the text.
Has anyone else experience this problem?
Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing it?
I'm using ArchiMate BTW.

3

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / MDG to Extend ArchiMate

« on: September 24, 2024, 05:31:51 am »

Since 2008 we developed and updated our own ArchiMate MDG which defined stereotypes with shape scripts and tagged values, connectors, diagrams and toolboxes etc. When Sparx Enterprise Architect started to support ArchiMate some time later we changed our ArchiMate MDG to redefine ArchiMate elements so we could utilise the shape scripts. Our objective now is to just add tagged values the ArchiMate elements however, we are hitting a few sticking points and seeking advice from the forum members.

• We figured out if we redefine ArchiMate element we need to use the same stereotype name. For example OurArchiMate::ArchiMate_ApplicationComponent -- Redefine--> ArchiMate3::ArchiMate_ApplicationComponent. However, we can't figure out how we ensure that OurArchiMate::ArchiMate_ApplicationComponent is create with the tagged values from the ArchiMate diagram and toolbox. Looks like we have to create our own diagram type and associated toolbox. Is that correct or is there another way where we can utilise the ArchiMate3 diagrams and toolboxes already supplied to create our redefined ArchiMate elements with Sparx EA ArchiMate3 MDG?
  
• For usability purposes as we have a few elements with a number of tagged values we would like to group the tagged values using _tagGroups, _tagGroupings and _tagGroupStates however putting those attributes under the archimate element being redefined doesn't appear to work. For example adding those attributes to ArchiMate3::ArchiMate_ApplicationComponent. We did find that if we also extended Component meta class and add those _tagGroup, _tagGroupings and _tagGroupStates we do manage to group the tagged values in Sparx EA. Is that the correct way to do it?
  

4

General Board / Is Sparx EA compatible with Copilot + PC

« on: June 30, 2024, 09:11:01 am »

Has anyone tried using sparx EA on one of the Copilot + PCs that have come out recently. Wondering if there are any issues running on Snapdragon Elite X.

5

PCS Bugs and Issues / Correct Toolbox Not shown for some custom diagrams in V17 Beta

« on: June 18, 2024, 07:23:39 am »

We've been using a custom EA MDG to extend ArchiMate for over a decade now and have a suite of diagrams that have associated toolboxes. Tried opening an existing model with a number of custom diagrams and found that most but not all custom diagrams no longer show the correct toolbox in V17 Beta. However they do show correct toolbox in V16 and below.
Reported to Sparx Systems as a bug.

6

PCS Bugs and Issues / Sparx EA V17 Beta Crashes when changing MDG Technology enable/disable.

« on: June 18, 2024, 07:20:18 am »

I've reported this bug to Sparx Systems thought I'd share.
Go to Specialise>Manage and click on None Button then Okay. Sparx EA crashes. Also happens when only enabling a few of the technologies.

7

General Board / BPMN V1.1 to BPMN V2.0

« on: November 07, 2023, 09:34:09 am »

Imported approx 45 BPMN visio diagrams into Sparx Enterprise Architect however, some of the elements came in as BPMN V1.1 and some BPMN V2.0. Is there a built in mechanism to update to V2.0? Or do I have to resort to writing a script?

8

General Board / SQL Server to SQL Server really slow transfer speed.

« on: April 03, 2023, 03:45:00 pm »

Okay guys, I've changed organisations and found they have SQL Server 2012 with a really old schema V7.0 2004 for Sparx EA with lots of useful models. I've organised an upgrade to SQL 2019 (Thats they latest they have) and created a new database with schema 1558 from the SQL creating Script 1518.  The two scripts to upgrade the schema don't go back as far as the database we have. So far so good, got my new database with new schema set up. Just need to do a project transfer from the old SQL Server to new SQL server. The trouble I've encountered is it's been going for several hours and its still on t_xref table. I tried doing a SQL Server to a qea file the other day and it completed in 20 min. The DB isn't particularly large being around 1.6GB. The numbers of rows in the main tables look like this.
Table Name,Row Count,
t_xref,245754,
t_objectproperties,1261126,
t_object,172449,
t_diagramobjects,166265,
t_diagram,14227,
t_connector,104431,
t_attribute,62213,

Any ideas on how I can transfer from one SQL Server to another quicker, so it completes before I die of old age?

9

General Board / SQL Database Schema upgrade

« on: March 03, 2023, 10:41:17 am »

Just started at a new organisation and they have Sparx V51.1 with a SQL Server that appears to have been set up in 2004
Looked at the schema version in about dialog and got this

Connection / DBMS:  OLEDB - MS SQL Server
Database Version: 7.0
Version Date: Jan-31-2004

Boy thats old I thought.
Had a look at the upgrade scripts on the page https://sparxsystems.com/resources/repositories/index.html
And I see the following
Alter Scripts

• Schema 1220 to 1558 (between July 2016 and February 2021)
  
• Schema 851 to 1220 (between February 2010 and June 2016)
  

But can't find any scripts that go back to the version mentioned above.
Any suggestions how I can upgrade the schema?

10

General Board / List View via Hyperlinks

« on: March 01, 2022, 09:12:11 am »

Using V15.1 I'm creating some navigation diagrams using Navigation Cells in my model to help folk navigate the model. Whilst the navigation cells work great for diagrams, I have a catalogue of elements in a package that I want to list. Whilst you can do this via Tab Design>Model>List View I wonder if that list view can be activated via Hyperlinks as I can't see any way of using Navigation Cells. I've been going through the hyperlink options but to be honest I'm lost as to all the options. Anyone know if I can activate the list view via hyperlink or any other mechanisms from something else in a navigation diagram.

11

Bugs and Issues / V16.0 RC Crashes when creating eapx file

« on: February 16, 2022, 05:21:44 pm »

Not that I'm promoting continuing with eapx files in V16.0 but has anyone tried creating an eapx file? Reason I ask is that for me it crashes EA V16RC so I reported as a bug and Sparx Systems say they can't reproduce and claim they don't have an option to create an eapx file in V16RC.

12

General Board / Project transfer from eapx to SQL Server 2017 extremely slow then fails

« on: February 09, 2022, 04:36:31 pm »

So I'm now in a different organization getting a central DB setup on SQL server and in meantime creating content in a eapx file whilst the DB server is being set up. Today I get a message saying the DB server is ready. I try and do a project transfer from eapx file to SQL server using a OLEDB connection and it takes forever (5+ hours) then flags an error and stops. The result is a partially filled DB. The objects are there but the diagrams aren't populated. Bah. Tried again and similar result.
The eapx file is around 80MB so not big at all. Network upload speed is 100Mb/s whilst not super fast should be good enough.
Had a similar issue in my last organisation and put it down to some qwerk in their environment but again I'm seeing slow performance with project transfer from eapx to SQL server. Didn't get to the bottom of the problem in my last organisation.
https://sparxsystems.com/forums/smf/index.php/topic,46306.msg271102.html#msg271102 
Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts/experience on getting data in an eapx file to a Sql Server other than what I've tried.
I'm thinking maybe doing blocks of xml export/import and ref data export/import for graphics, scripts etc. but pretty sure XML is slow too.
Or maybe transfer to feap file and then from that to SQL server. Anyone done that?

13

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Sunset roadmaps

« on: January 24, 2022, 07:36:52 am »

I've just joined an organization and there standard for roadmaps are in the format of sunset type. Kind of t like this but prettier.
https://digital1st.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/roadmap.png
Has anyone one written any shapescripts to do that format and willing to share?

14

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Stereotypes and tag groupings

« on: November 29, 2021, 07:00:02 pm »

I've been using tag grouping in a custom MDG for years with a stereotype extending a UML component. Now I want to change the stereotype to generalise an Archimate3::ArchiMate_ApplicationComponent metatype so I switch it over. However I noticed the tag groupings don't seem to work anymore when I put the special tags in the Archimate Metatype.
i.e these

• _tagGroups to define the group names
• _tagGroupings to define which tags go into each group
• _tagGroupStates to define which tag groups are initially expanded in the 'Tags' tab of the Properties window, which are collapsed.

Any ideas why? Is it a bug?

15

General Board / Slow project transfer speed eapx to SQL Server

« on: October 19, 2021, 10:31:14 am »

Installing Prolaborate and when we connected it to SQL Server DB a message came up saying we should upgrade the schema on our repository.
https://sparxsystems.com/resources/repositories/index.html
Fair enough we backed up the DB and did project transfer to eapx repo (took approx 1hr 15 min) so not too bad for 1.7GB file.

We ran the SQL script  EASchema_1558_SQLServer.sql to update the schema. Then attempted a project transfer back to the SQL Server. The problem is that the project transfer from eapx to SQL server is really slow. Left it running for 3 days then it bombed out. Subsequent transfers equally slow and bombing out. On the task manager we were seeing network upload speeds averaging 120Kbps on a 100Mbps wired LAN. So we tried a windows file transfers we saw 20 Mbps upload speed which isn't great but a lot better than 120Kbps. The network engineer has been investigating for over a week and can't find any reason why it should be slow from the network perspective.

We are using OLE DB SQL Server connection and were just wondering if anyone had similar slow speeds when transferring from eapx to SQL or have ideas what could be causing the slow speed.
Tried using latest builds of V15.1 and 15.2