Enterprise Architect 7.0 - Bridging the Business/IT gap

Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect 7.0 pushes UML modeling in new directions.

Creswick, Australia August 2007 - Sparx Systems today announced the release of a major new version of its award winning modeling tool, Enterprise Architect. With dynamically loadable technologies, model auditing and an improved "context" and "technology" aware interface, this version bridges the gap between business and IT, providing full traceability, accountability and a seamless integration of different modeling domains using UML as the common, underlying language.

"One of the most effective ways to reduce complexity and ensure high-quality repeatable results in the software and business engineering domains is to use a single, shared information repository. Being able to trace from early business drivers and requirements, all the way through process modeling, class models, development, testing and deployment, is a powerful and liberating thing." said Geoffrey Sparks, CEO of Sparx Systems. "This new version of Enterprise Architect is all about flexibility, integrating your team, communicating and effectively managing the development and maintenance of critical processes and systems."

Enterprise Architect makes extensive use of “UML Profiles” to implement domain-specific modeling technologies, allowing modelers to narrow their focus down to their specific modeling problem. The new version now includes mind-mapping capability, extended database modeling support, and a profile for Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) as standard. Overall, Sparx has also made it easier to build new profiles and extensions, and has tightly integrated the new technology extensions into the overall user experience. Technology files are dynamically loaded from file or URL and may contain UML Profiles, patterns, model/code templates, toolboxes, task pane entries, transforms, shape scripts and more.

The inclusion of complete model auditing in version 7.0 now allows managers to critically inspect every change and update, and to assess the impact of change. Coupled with excellent traceability, it is now possible to micro-manage change at very fine levels. The ‘forensic’ aspects of system maintenance, such as historic tracing and reverse engineering, have also been updated. Notably, the ability to record and visualize executing .Net or Java programs has been extended to include Windows native (C/C++). It is now easier than ever to visualize what programs and services “really do” at run-time.

Finally, a complete user interface “make-over” provides a more integrated and polished appearance, with new icons, graphics, gradient fills and other upgrades enhancing the overall user experience. Users may now quickly enter requirements and edit lists of elements in a new tabular interface – or rapidly capture states and transitions in a new State Table editor. Users of Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 and Eclipse will find that Enterprise Architect’s integration into those platforms has also been significantly improved, with the addition of a new UML modeling window providing direct access to UML diagrams and supporting in-place editing and design.

“Enterprise Architect 7.0 incorporates some exceptional productivity enhancements,” said Sam Mancarella, CTO of Sparx Systems. “We’ve included many cutting-edge capabilities in this release, helping to keep our users competitive in the global markets of tomorrow. Sparx Systems' focus has always been on producing a tool that helps build powerful, scalable and robust systems and we’ve worked hard on extending those capabilities. It's all about keeping the process as simple, efficient and intelligent as possible.”

About Sparx Systems

Sparx Systems specializes in high performance and scalable visual modeling tools for the planning, design and construction of business and software intensive systems. The company’s flagship product, Enterprise Architect, is the design tool of choice for well over 100,000 registered users in more than 60 countries world wide.

With customers in industries ranging from aerospace and automotive engineering to finance, defense, government, entertainment and telecommunications, Sparx Systems is a leading vendor of innovative solutions based on the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and its related specifications. A Contributing Member of the Object Management Group (OMG), Sparx Systems is committed to realizing the potential of model-driven development based on open standards.

Enquiries: [email protected]
Web Site: https://www.sparxsystems.com