Author Topic: How to find and display relations of a sub-component at an upper level ?  (Read 2166 times)

dge98753

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Hello,
I am a relative beginner in EA modeling.
I come from IcePanel online C4 modeling tools, and I would like to "migrate" to a more powerful tool like EA.
So I actually tried EA, and I did not find how to do something very common in IcePanel:
My question is: How to display in a "Application level" diagram relations that have been defined at the "component level" ?

More precisely, here is my model:
- An application, A1, is composed of a component, C1
- Another application, A2, is composed of another component, C2

Here is how it looks like in IcePanel "Project Browser":


C1 and C2 are linked by a communication relationship. In my case, Cx components are Nuget packages, and they communicate together using a REST API.

In IcePanel I am used to creat that relationship from C1 -> C2 in a component level diagram.

Here is how it looks like in IcePanel "Component level" diagram:


When I model at application level diagram, If I create a link from A1 -> A2.
It ask me If I want to reuse the underlying existing relationship between the applications.

Then:


It is an extremely powerful operation, and I have not yet found out how to mimic it with EA.
I am sure it could be possible, but I do not know how.

Here is what I have tested. Here is a simple Project Browser


Here is the class diagram with the composition


Here is the communication diagram at component object level :


And after that nothing change at upper object level :A1 and :A2.
Neither in the Quick Link tool

Nor in the relationship tab of the element:


Could someone have any tips for me ?

Thanks for your help,
Damien

qwerty

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Re: How to find and display relations of a sub-component at an upper level ?
« Reply #1 on: December 23, 2023, 08:32:12 am »
It probably needs more thoughts, but maybe you try Portals/WindowsTrace/Traceability

q.

dge98753

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Re: How to find and display relations of a sub-component at an upper level ?
« Reply #2 on: December 23, 2023, 09:25:06 am »
You are right, I can manually search the relationship with the trace tool, but it is practically unusable on a real model with hundreds of relationships.
For me, one of the basic functions of the modeling tool is to help me find such a "hidden" relationship and show it in the appropriate diagram.

I discover a very surprising things.

EA does not know that A1 communicates with C2 through its internal component C1.
Ok that's the main issue.

But :
1 - If I add a Port to A1
2 - Select A1
3 - In the relationship area, left-click "Expand to Children"
4 - The relation from Port to C2 appears, it raise me a hope. But not the relation from C1 to C2  :-[


And unfortunately, in the application level diagram, even if I can see the port, it is not possible to show the "internal" relationship from C1 to C2 if those elements are not put on the diagram.