connection cmdb

[mcampos]

Can Enterprise Architect be connected to a CMDB since its inception to charge your CI?
Thanks

[Geert Bellekens]

I have no clue at all what you are talking about, sorry

Geert

[qwerty]

Buzzword Bingo?

q.

[Glassboy]

Can Enterprise Architect be connected to a CMDB since its inception to charge your CI?

I know of organisations who through various means have reflected the servers in their CMDB as nodes in a Sparx EZ repository.  I don't think I've talked to anyone who has gone down to whatever they have set their CI at.  I'm not sure why you'd want to.

Also it's unclear whether you're talking about the inception of the CMDB, of the EA repository, or why it would even be important.

[mcampos]

My question is related to whether Enterprise Architect can generate your initial inventory of artifacts based on a database configuration management and generated? This to exploit the database and not start from zero in the tool. Thank you

[Glassboy]

My question is related to whether Enterprise Architect can generate your initial inventory of artifacts based on a database configuration management and generated? This to exploit the database and not start from zero in the tool. Thank you

Your sentence doesn't parse properly.  Can you explain in more detail what you mean in the clause I have rendered in bold.

[mcampos]

The database configuration management (CMDB) is a term used in ITIL to mention the repository where the inventory of servers and components of a company are deposited. This repository already exists and my question is if I can integrate this repository Enterprise Architect to take it as initial inventory to generate architectures? My English is poor, I speak Spanish.

[qwerty]

Can you tell us, what you would like to take out of the CMDB? Is it the configuration that you want to show as components in UML? If so, you will need some kind of export. I don't know of any CMDB import module. You could also consider a CSV ex/-import.

q.

[Glassboy]

So back to my first answer (and I understand ITIL).

I know of companies who have used various means to automate the transfer of information from their CMDB to a Sparx EA repository.  Both systems are databases so your typical ETL processes will work.  Some companies use the EA API.

The more important part is the granularity you have determined for CI.  If your physical CI is a server then you can represent this as a UML node and likewise if your software CI is at the application level is "the shrink wrapped application" you can represent this as a UML component.

However if your CI is at a much finer grain - such as individual memory modules - you suddenly have a much more complicated task.  You will then have to decide how those CIs are represented and how you create relationships, and what relationships you use.  You may decide to use the node as a container of elements or you may reflect everything as tagged values of the node.

Then you have the audience that will use these elements.  A CMDB view of the world may fundamentally not work for what they are trying to do.

[Geert Bellekens]

Where i usually draw the line is at the instance level.
So yes, I want to model the fact that we have users, machines, software an how they are all connected. Modelling that is something that EA is good at.

I don't want to model the fact that "John" is a user that owns machine "PT2050" and that on that machine there the software "Window10", "Enterprise Architect 21.1.1230" ,....
I don't want to update EA every time there's an installation of new software, or an addition of a new user.

There are systems better suited to deal with the individual instances.
So my advice: Model the type of things that exist in your world, but no the things themselves

Geert

[Paolo F Cantoni]

Where i usually draw the line is at the instance level.
So yes, I want to model the fact that we have users, machines, software an how they are all connected. Modelling that is something that EA is good at.

I don't want to model the fact that "John" is a user that owns machine "PT2050" and that on that machine there the software "Window10", "Enterprise Architect 21.1.1230" ,....
I don't want to update EA every time there's an installation of new software, or an addition of a new user.

There are systems better suited to deal with the individual instances.
So my advice: Model the type of things that exist in your world, but no the things themselves

Geert

All instances are equal, but some are more equal than others... 

You may not want to model desk/lap tops, but you might model servers etc. Significant pieces of infrastructure.

Paolo

[Geert Bellekens]

Where i usually draw the line is at the instance level.
So yes, I want to model the fact that we have users, machines, software an how they are all connected. Modelling that is something that EA is good at.

I don't want to model the fact that "John" is a user that owns machine "PT2050" and that on that machine there the software "Window10", "Enterprise Architect 21.1.1230" ,....
I don't want to update EA every time there's an installation of new software, or an addition of a new user.

There are systems better suited to deal with the individual instances.
So my advice: Model the type of things that exist in your world, but no the things themselves

Geert

All instances are equal, but some are more equal than others... 

You may not want to model desk/lap tops, but you might model servers etc. Significant pieces of infrastructure.

Paolo

I agree Paolo, good point.

Geert

[Glassboy]

Where i usually draw the line is at the instance level.
So yes, I want to model the fact that we have users, machines, software an how they are all connected. Modelling that is something that EA is good at.

Well Geert, ITIL is a disease and some companies become so infected with it that it obscures everything else and destroys all innovation that doesn't seek to do more ITIL.

Obviously you're not infected with it.

[Geert Bellekens]

Where i usually draw the line is at the instance level.
So yes, I want to model the fact that we have users, machines, software an how they are all connected. Modelling that is something that EA is good at.

Well Geert, ITIL is a disease and some companies become so infected with it that it obscures everything else and destroys all innovation that doesn't seek to do more ITIL.

Obviously you're not infected with it.

You can ITIL all you want, I don't care. Just don't use my Enterprise Architect to do it 

Geert

[Glassboy]

Most "ITIL" software applications are tūtae so infrastructure types get excited when they see real modelling software.