Incremental conversion of large existing MDG to model-based?

[Eve]

Doesn't bother me too much.

If the question could help others probably better to be a separate post. If it's not then keeping it here may reduce noise.

[adepreter]

A very basic metamodel described using a metamodeling language is feasible.
But in the real world, describing a realistic Enterprise Architecture with that approach makes the metamodel unreadable and difficult to manage.
And if you add strategy and solution architecture then it is just not feasible for a member of the human kind at least.

By using the modeling language itself, you can scale and you make your end users happy.
You can change and deploy the metamodel in two clicks.

We could easily add the ability to specify the relationships using a type hierarchy of abstract types, but we haven't see the need yet.
It would make it easier for the administrator but not necessarily for the end user.

Here we have Strategy, Enterprise Architecture and Solution Architecture in a single language metamodel.
https://www.labnaf.one/ln-content/EndUserMaterial/02_00/guidance/index.html?guid=ECF05395-8B5B-4973-AA4B-27E521AA5D30
You can't do that with a meta-modeling language.
Nor can you do this with ArchiMate by the way (for several reasons).

[Eve]

We could easily add the ability to specify the relationships using a type hierarchy of abstract types, but we haven't see the need yet.
It would make it easier for the administrator but not necessarily for the end user.

That's very interesting. I would say that the language that the metamodel is defined should be completely transparent to the end user.

That's a point that I'd be more than happy to discuss with you further, but perhaps in another thread. In this thread Paolo is seeking help on a concrete issue that specifically involve moving to a system that allows the use of abstract metatypes to simplify his own job of defining that metamodel.

[Paolo F Cantoni]

We could easily add the ability to specify the relationships using a type hierarchy of abstract types, but we haven't see the need yet.
It would make it easier for the administrator but not necessarily for the end user.

That's very interesting. I would say that the language that the metamodel is defined should be completely transparent to the end user.

That's a point that I'd be more than happy to discuss with you further, but perhaps in another thread. In this thread Paolo is seeking help on a concrete issue that specifically involve moving to a system that allows the use of abstract metatypes to simplify his own job of defining that metamodel.

Wot she sed...

I'm seeking concrete solutions...  Hopefully involving less work than currently...

Paolo

[adepreter]

An enterprise, a country, a human, a team, the earth, the universe ... these are all systems.

So the first thing you need is the semantics of a system that can be fortuitous or intentional and that can belong to the digital, physical and mental sphere (any combination)
http://www.depreter.org/AutomationByNature/doc/030%20Systems%20Semantics.htm

From systems semantics you can derive more specifically the semantics of an enterprise including the internal system that transforms the enterprise i.e. the transformation framework.
These more specific semantics are represented using a conceptual metamodel (here at 2 levels of details):
https://www.labnaf.one/ln-content/EndUserMaterial/02_00/guidance/index.html?guid=5173F22F-829E-4427-95E4-0694E39D9F8A

From the conceptual metamodel you can derive your language metamodel i.e. the metamodel expressed in the language used by the end user
https://www.labnaf.one/ln-content/EndUserMaterial/02_00/guidance/index.html?guid=ECF05395-8B5B-4973-AA4B-27E521AA5D30
The required language metamodel
- varies a lot depending on the existing enterprise culture and architecture maturity.
- needs to be readable easily by end users; so use the language that the end user uses)
- evolves very quickly over time, especially in the beginning; so it needs to be changeable very easily

This is summarized on this page
https://www.labnaf.one/ln-content/EndUserMaterial/02_00/guidance/index.html?guid=6A67F237-E1E4-41a2-BF3E-F922E1B18FF8