Author Topic: Is there a way to refine model watches?  (Read 2939 times)

miksko

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Is there a way to refine model watches?
« on: November 27, 2024, 08:22:20 pm »
Sparx let you set up Model Watches (https://sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/16.1/project_build___deploy/model_watches.html) to keep track of the kind of changes you're interested in. It may be Recently changed diagrams, Recently changed elements, etc.

The categories are rather crude. As a requirements engineer, for example, you may be less interested in changes made to data models than in use cases, but this seems to be as good as it gets. I've not been able to find a way to limit the query to kinds of elements.

A more cumbersome limitation is that there seems to be no way to limit the scope to a certain package or part of the model. Has anyone found solutions to this?

Geert Bellekens

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Re: Is there a way to refine model watches?
« Reply #1 on: November 27, 2024, 08:53:23 pm »
It feels like this is one of those "marketing features".
Its main purpose is to have a checkbox next to "model watches" in the features list.

I doubt anyone is really using this.

Geert

shimon

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Re: Is there a way to refine model watches?
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2024, 11:59:56 pm »
Hi,
You can set up custom searches to show you pretty much anything.
You can also create a ModelView chart, based on a query.
Sincerely,
Shimon

miksko

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Re: Is there a way to refine model watches?
« Reply #3 on: November 28, 2024, 11:01:10 pm »
It feels like this is one of those "marketing features".

I agree. But if you decide to develop one of those nice-to-have features in your backlog, you should decide to do it well. Particularly since this is the only neat way that Sparx let you keep track of changes others have made.

Mikael
« Last Edit: November 28, 2024, 11:13:56 pm by miksko »

miksko

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Re: Is there a way to refine model watches?
« Reply #4 on: November 28, 2024, 11:12:54 pm »
You can set up custom searches to show you pretty much anything.
You can also create a ModelView chart, based on a query.

A number of my colleagues aren't that tech savvy and find the query builder incomprehensible. Thanks for suggesting ModelView. I will have a look into it.

shimon

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Re: Is there a way to refine model watches?
« Reply #5 on: December 04, 2024, 11:59:05 pm »
Hi,
I'll give you a 15 minute solution for yourself. If you find it useful, I'll give you another 15 minute exercise to make it re-usable by others.
Press CTRL+F and choose Common Searches. In the middle drop-down choose Recently Modified Elements.
Now click on the icon that creates a copy of this search and give it a name ( i.e. Recently Modified Requirements).

The query builder should open. If it does not, click on the "Edit Search" icon.

Add a line almost at the end (above the line ORDER BY ), as follows:

AND t_object.Object_Type IN ('Use Case', 'Requirement')

Save the search and enter a number into the search string.

In order to verify that you cover everything you need, change the line to as follows:

 AND t_object.Object_Type NOT IN ('Use Case','Requirement').

I just discovered a TYPE of object called Risk, which is probably also considered a requirement, so I will add that to my WHERE clause, as follows.

AND t_object.Object_Type IN ('Use Case', 'Requirement',  'Risk')
 

Shimon

P.S. You can limit the search to a specific part of the model, by using the #BRANCH# macro, but that is another advanced topic, so let's not confuse the solution, for now.

« Last Edit: December 05, 2024, 07:04:32 pm by shimon »

miksko

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Re: Is there a way to refine model watches?
« Reply #6 on: December 19, 2024, 08:53:21 pm »
Hello Shimon,

Thanks for suggesting the reuse of an already available query; didn't think of that.
I've been able to tweak the SQL myself. My main problem was really that I didn't quite now where to start, since there is no documentation of Sparx' data model.

Mikael

shimon

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Re: Is there a way to refine model watches?
« Reply #7 on: December 23, 2024, 05:08:12 pm »
Hi Mikael,
You are technically correct that there is no formal documentation of the Data Model.
There are some very cheap PDF's written by some of the members of the forum, that are well worth the price.
I'll write the ones that I know about, and I'll let others add any.
Inside Enterprise Architect by Thomas Kilian
Scripting Enterprise Architect  by Thomas Kilian
Tons of Tips for SPARXSYSTEMS Enterprise Architect  by Peter Doomen.

There is another (almost official) source for some of the element in the following page:

https://sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/17.0/add-ins___scripting/reference.html

For any element that there is a table, this is listed as:
"Associated table in repository".
You could probably write a google search to bring you all the pages. You will also get a pretty good understanding of the model structure by borowsing through these pages.
Sincerely,
Shimon