Topics

31

Suggestions and Requests / Static Business Rule Documentation and Reporting

« on: April 10, 2007, 09:10:45 am »

The format of a  static business rule is <<statement subject>> relationship or verb << statement object>>.

When documented in a CASE tool, there are two rules, the forward rule and the reverse.

The forward rule is <<Class 1>> relationship X<<Class 2>>
The reverse is <<Class 2>> relationship Y<<Class 1>>

Sometimes where the forward rule is true, the reverse may not be true. hence the need to articulate the two rules explicitly.


The subject and objects are Nouns modelled as classes in Class diagrams.

To verify the quality of a data model, we often have to generate these business rules from the data model documentation which are presented to the business domain experts for verification. These models validate the conceptual correctness of the data model and is often used as a user acceptance criteria on projects.

Old data modeling tools like Erwin enable this representation and the IE notation in EA should support this feature.

I need to create these statements from using EA document generator. Is there any RTF Document generator expert out there who can help.

Please, help me.

32

Suggestions and Requests / Data Quality Management IP-UML

« on: March 07, 2007, 01:34:53 pm »

The Area of Total Quality Management is a pain point for most organisations. Work has been done bt researchers at MIT (Richard Wang et al)to develop a process (Information Product Map, IP-MAP)for managing data as a manufactured product. Recent work was done to align this framework to UML metamodel by suggesting a profile(IP-UML).

This is a great opportunity for Information Analysts, Data Strategy Managers, Data Architects and anyone else interested in data quality/data harmonization to apply the same notation (UML) used for data modeling for data quality requirements modeling.

I am suggesting that SparxSystems consider developing Add-Ins to support this work as it is such support that further separates drawing tools from CASE tools.

I also want to add that Sparxsystems should promote the Add-In developed by researchers at the University of Austria to support UMM (an ISO variant of RUP). UMM is increasingly becoming important for the analysis and modeling of collaborative B-2-B systems for International Trade (UN/CEFACT). There are actually few tools that support this important area.

Segun Alayande
Data Architect
British Airports Authority

33

General Board / How may I debug this VBScript in EA

« on: December 27, 2009, 10:37:44 am »

Dear all,

I started experimenting with the scripts and created one below but it is not doing what I want.

How may I get and use a debugger to correct this script. Can anyone suggest what I have done wrong on this script. Any help is appreciated.

kind regards

Option explicit
sub ChangeElementStereotype()

dim thePackage as EA.Package
set thePackage = Repository.GetTreeSelectedPackage("Test Model")
      if not thePackage is nothing and thePackage.ParentID <> 0 then
      dim i
            Session.Output( "Working on package " & EA.Package.Name)
      'get elements
      dim elements as EA.Collection
      dim currentElement as EA.Element
      set elements = thePackage.Elements
            for i = 0 to elements.Count - 1
                  'get each element
                  set currentElement = elements.GetAt(i)
                  'change stereotype
                  set currentElement.Stereotype = "BusinessEntity"
                  'update element stereotype
                  currentElement.Update()            
            Next
            'refresh elements
            elements.Refresh()
            'report element updated
            Session.Output( "Done!" )
      else
            ' No package selected in the tree
            MsgBox( "This script requires a package to be selected in the Project Browser.")
      end if      
End sub
    

34

General Board / Help Correct Script

« on: December 26, 2009, 11:48:21 pm »

Dear all,

I could not get my transformation scripts to do simple tasks in EA so I decided to learn the VBScript in EA.

To learn scripting in VBScript, I created a package with two classes with stereotypes set to the "Boy Soldiers".

I then wrote the script below to change the stereotype values to "BusinessEntity" but when I ran the script, nothing happened. Could anyone suggest what I may do to improve the script. Thank you in anticipation.

Option explicit
'
' The purpose of this script is to change the stereotype of all elements  
' in a selected Package from current value to "BusinessEntity".
'
sub ChangeElementStereotype()

dim thePackage as EA.Package
set thePackage = Repository.GetTreeSelectedPackage()
      if not thePackage is nothing and thePackage.ParentID <> 0 then
      dim i
            Session.Output( "Changing the elements' stereotype" )
      'get elements
      dim elements as EA.Collection
      dim currentElement as EA.Element
      set elements = thePackage.Elements
            for i = 0 to elements.Count - 1
                  'get each element
                  set currentElement = elements.GetAt(i)
                  set currentElement.Stereotype = "BusinessEntity"
                  'update element stereotype
                  currentElement.Update()            
            Next
            'refresh elements
            elements.Refresh()
            'report element updated
            Session.Output( "Done!" )
      else
            ' No package selected in the tree
            MsgBox( "This script requires a package to be selected" )
      end if      
End sub
    

35

General Board / Import of Data Model via Excel Spreadsheet

« on: July 17, 2009, 02:51:54 am »

Dear all,

I have an Excel spreadsheet with four columns:
 
1. Package Name
2. Class Name
3. Attribute Name
4. Data Type
 
I want to import these data field into EA to create packages, clases with attributes and data types.

Can anyone advise on an approach that does not involve programming.

Thank you in anticipation.

Segun

36

General Board / Class Name Conversion in Transformation Scripts

« on: July 14, 2009, 04:31:48 am »

Dear all,
 
I am writing a transform script to convert the name of classes to Pascal Case with spaces, example a class with name "PERSON_LAST_NAME"  becomes "Person Last Name"
 
Using the CONVERT_NAME("className", "Spaced", "Pascal case"), I get the result,  "PersonLastName".
 
Please, kindly advice how I may introduce spaces into above result using this macro.
 
Thank you in anticipation


Segun

37

General Board / XSD Transformation

« on: June 08, 2009, 11:57:05 pm »

Dear all,

I have extended the standard XSD Transform to generate XML Schema objects that comply to the enterprise data object  naming standard (ISO 11179).

For example, a person's Last Name (DataType: String) creates an XSD Element: PersonLastName which data type is the XSDsimpleType PersonLastNameType. I need to make the XSDsimpleType a subtype of the element "string".

Having reviewed Sparxsystems's documentation, I believe that the approach is to use the transform to update the transformed XSDsimpleType and create a connector to the appropriate attTypes of XSD.

Problem is that I find it difficult to use the examples provided in the product documentation.

Can anyone suggest ideas or code snippet.

kind regards

Segun

38

General Board / Visibility of Linked Classes in XSD Transformation

« on: April 26, 2009, 07:45:42 am »

I am developing a model in which I have two packages labelled "conceptual" and "logical". I created the classes in the "conceptual" package but re-use a subset of the classes in the "logical" package as linked classes.

I am interested in transforming these linked classes but the current transformation templates do not access the specification of the classes in the "conceptual" package via the links established in "logical" package.

Can anyone suggest modifications I could make to the default XSD template transformation script to force it to read the information in the "logical" package.

Thank you to anyone who contributes to a solution to this challenge.

regards

Segun

39

General Board / EA 7.5 Sample Application

« on: March 30, 2009, 09:21:16 pm »

Dear all,

I have just upgraded to the Ultimate Edition and I require a sample application to test the dynamic model generation features as advised by the documentation.

Could someone kindly advice on how I may obtain this file.

kind regards

Segun

40

General Board / Access to Eclipse Integration Add-In Version 4

« on: March 28, 2009, 04:43:21 am »

Dear all,

I have a license to the Eclipse Integration Add-In and in the past, following an announcement of a new version, I would downloadthe executable by clicking on "Try" Button on the product web page.

Following the announcement of release 4, It is my observation that release 3.0 is obtained by clicking on the "Try" Button for the Version 4. The link to the previous version also let to the release 3 product.

Please, kindly advise, Is this a genuine mistake or a deliberate action to restrict access?

kind regards

Segun

41

General Board / Visio File Import

« on: March 12, 2009, 05:14:38 am »

Dear all,

I have a database diagram developed in Visio 2007 which I need to import into EA. I have searched the Sparxsystems web site and can no longer find the MDG Add-In for MS Visio.

Could someone kindly give me the pointers to the location which appears to have changed.

kind regards

Segun

42

General Board / Web Modeling Code Generation

« on: December 08, 2008, 03:57:53 am »

Dear all,

I created a simple JSP page model using elements from the EA Web Modeling Profile and want to generate JSP code but am not sure which code generation facility to use in EA.

Does this mechanism exist and if so, please, kindly suggest where I may obtain information on it. If the code generation mechanism does not exist, I would be interested in hearing from someone who has successfully generated JSP / JSF from EA models based on the Web Modeling Profile.

Thank you in anticipation.

kind regards

Segun

43

General Board / EA 7.1 Build 834. XSD Feature that Uses Int Editor

« on: December 07, 2008, 07:29:11 am »

Dear all,

Under General Improvements :
Modified viewing XML Schemas to use XML editor specified in the options.

Cannot find where this may be set. I generated a test schema and selected the "View" and anticipated the internal editor will display the XSD but I waited to nothing happened.

Given that this is a new release, I must be missing something.
I appreciate any help on this. Thank you.

Segun

44

General Board / OMG Action Semantics Support in EA

« on: September 07, 2008, 02:32:14 am »

"Action Semantics was added to the UML specification in 2001. Action languages have been around much longer than that in support of the Shlaer-Mellor method. Some existing action languages are Object Action Language(OAL), Shlaer-Mellor Action Language(SMALL), Action Specification Language(ASL), That Action Language(TALL), Starr's Concise Relational Action Language(SCRALL), Platform-independent Action Language (PAL) and PathMATE Action Language (PAL). SCRALL is the only one that is a graphical action language."

Above comment was made on Wkipedia entry for Executable UML.

What support has EA for Action Semantics?

kind regards

Segun

45

General Board / EA at the Enterprise Architecture Conference. 2008

« on: May 23, 2008, 07:13:14 pm »

Clive Finkelstein will be talking about an approach to rapid Enterprise Engineering and using the Sparxsystem EA Zachman Add-In to demonstrate concepts at the Enterprise Architecture conference 9-11th June, London (http://www.irmuk.co.uk/eac2008/).

If you are interested in establishing an optimal portfolio of software services for your enterprise or a RAD approach to Enterprise Architecture using EA, this is a great opportunity.

There are other carrots for Enterprise Engineers including the Zachman lecture (The new framework and standards), a presentation on the Archimate methodology for Enterprise Architecture and the opportunity for peer networking.

I hope to meet other EA users attending the conference.

kind regards

Segun