Enterprise Architect Newsletter: August 2007

In News This Month

  • Enterprise Architect 7.0 Released
  • New Model Integration for Eclipse and Visual Studio Users
  • Data Distribution Service Technology – Official Release!
  • Tips and Tricks
  • Upcoming Events
  • Messages From Our Partners

Enterprise Architect 7.0 – New Visions. New Experiences. New Tools.

Sparx Systems has pride in announcing the release of version 7.0 of Enterprise Architect. This major update includes many new features and improvements, and is available for download now!

Successful projects depend on many things, including: knowledge of what is, a vision for what will be, good communication, full traceability and the right tools. This new version of Enterprise Architect is all about making your success our business. Whether you need to understand processes and systems that are already deployed, or to create new plans, new models and new systems; Enterprise Architect has the tools you need to get the job done.

To answer the demands made when designing and visualizing today's complex and diverse software systems, version 7.0 of Enterprise Architect has drawn on many user requests and suggestions, industry best-practice, research and innovation. The result is a truly remarkable tool that you can rely on to meet today's modeling and design demands and to provide the flexibility to meet tomorrow's as well.

Some release highlights include:

Analysis – Understanding what is.

  • Four new DBMS supported and new data modeling import capability (views, procedures, triggers etc.)
  • Significantly improved generation of sequence diagrams from executing code, including support for native Windows applications (C/C++)
  • Reverse engineering additions and improvements
Creativity – A vision for what will be
  • Improved Requirements Management features, including auto-numbering and a new editor
  • All new integrated Mind Mapping profile
  • New Data Modeling profile and diagram types
  • Extensive Domain Specific Languages (DSL) support
  • Standard BPMN profile included with installation
  • SysML improvements
  • New DDS Profile support
Usability – The modeling experience
  • Significantly updated user interface, including new graphics, new forms and new theme
  • All new context sensitive toolboxes and task panes to simplify the modeling experience
  • Improved element appearance with flexible shading options
  • Significantly extended Undo and new Redo capability
  • Many more options to create the appearance and presentation quality diagram you need
  • All new State Table editor for rapidly building decision tables
  • A new Element List for quick editing Requirements and other model elements in a list
  • Many new tools and shortcuts for creating UML Timelines and UML Sequence diagrams
  • Printing and print preview improvements
Accountability – Managing for success
  • Full Auditing capability – make every change matter
  • Combine model traceability and auditing for complete accountability throughout your project
  • Version control improvements
Integration – Sharing your Vision
  • Significant updates to Eclipse and Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Integration
  • Edit and build your Enterprise Architect model directly within your favorite development IDE
  • Improvements to XMI import and export for round tripping and tool inter-operability

For the full list of changes see here: sparxsystems.com/products/ea/history.html

Registered users can get the new version here: www.sparxsystems.com/registered/reg_ea_down.html

The 30-day Trial is also available at: sparxsystems.com/products/ea/trial/request.html


New Model Integration for Eclipse and Visual Studio Users

Now it's even easier to keep your development team on track, with two major new releases in the MDG Integration series. Visual Studio 2005 and Eclipse users can now create Enterprise Architect diagrams directly within their IDE, accessing a rich set of context-sensitive tools and user-defined add-ins, previously available only in the standalone modeling environment.

Download your FREE evaluation of the latest MDG Integration releases!

Visual Studio 2005 Integration: /products/mdg/int/vs/index.html

Eclipse Integration: /products/mdg/int/eclipse/index.html


Data Distribution Service Technology – Official Release!

Sparx Systems is proud to announce the official release of MDG Technology for Data Distribution Service (DDS).

Tightly integrated with Enterprise Architect, MDG Technology for DDS provides the modeling tools and code generation capability to rapidly design and build distributed data service applications. The technology is capable of generating executable code in Java, C or C++ for the RTI Data Distribution Service platform, provided by Real-Time Innovations Inc.

MDG Technology for DDS is available now with a FREE 30-day trial: sparxsystems.com/platforms/uml_dds.html


Tips and Tricks


Tip 1: Do you prefer to work in text mode?

The Element List was introduced in Enterprise Architect 7.0 and provides tabular editing of element properties. Here’s how to use it:

  1. Select a package that you would like to work on
  2. Right-Click and select "Show Element List" (Also available from the View menu)
  3. Now select any element to edit its properties or use the short-cuts to add and remove elements
The Element List is especially useful for analysts that prefer to specify requirements models in text mode

Tip 2: Shortcuts for connecting to shared models

Enterprise Architect's shortcut files provide a convenient way of sharing and connecting to remote (server-based) model repositories. You can create a desktop short-cut to any model repository as follows:

  1. With your model open in EA, click "File | Save Project As..."
  2. Create the shortcut file – it contains only the connection information for this model
  3. Opening the *.EAP shortcut file will open the model

Note: With the release of Build 815, you can even specify actions to take upon re-opening the short-cut, such as display one or more diagrams, run a Model Search or load a Relationship Matrix profile


Upcoming Events

Come and see Sparx Systems at the following events!

Embedded Systems Conference: September 18–24, Boston, USA

VS LIVE!: October 15–19, Las Vegas, USA

For more information please visit www.sparxsystems.com/press/events.html


Messages From Our Partners


Queensland University of Technology, a well regarded academic partner of Sparx Systems, is undertaking a survey on the use of the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) and is asking you to participate.

BPMN is gaining unprecedented momentum in practitioner communities. But what exactly are the factors that drive this acceptance? How satisfied are you as an end user with BPMN? QUT's survey for BPMN users is gathering information to answer these questions. You can help by completing the survey here

www.bpm.fit.qut.edu.au/projects/acceptance/survey/BPMN

The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. The survey remains open until August 15. If you have any questions, please contact Jan Recker at [email protected]

Many thanks for participating in this important study.


Just released! Screen Architect add-in for Enterprise Architect
Catch Ltd recently released Screen Architect – a tool specifically developed to allow rapid prototyping of user interfaces. It offers user friendly functionality, smooth integration with Enterprise Architect and is great value for money.

For further information visit the website and purchase your copy today www.screenarchitect.com


Executable UML with Enterprise Analyst
After more than a year of development, Craftware is releasing Enterprise Analyst, a new add-in for Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect!
Enterprise Analyst will breathe real life into your models by compiling, executing, and finally validating their specification completeness.

This tool was built on MDA and Executable UML paradigms: platform independency and model simulation. The main objectives are to permit system functionality explicit validation, testing and documentation during analysis.

EAn home page in English: www.enterpriseanalyst.net/index_us.php
EAn demonstration videos: www.enterpriseanalyst.net/htm/en/demostracion.htm
EAn trial version download: www.enterpriseanalyst.net/htm/en/version_eval.htm


CONTART is offering new training sessions and services aimed at developing an effective use of EA in a flexible and robust software development process. Courses include the advanced use and administration of EA, the practical use of EA in the development process, and how to adopt Object Oriented Design and UML in EA. Sessions are conducted in Portuguese.

Visit www.dromostg.com.br or contact [email protected]


QSIT is offering high-end training sessions on Business Modeling, Process Modeling, Use Case Modeling, and Object Oriented Analysis and Design for Enterprise Architect. QSIT also provides consulting and customized training for Enterprise Architect users. A 10% discount is offered to all EA partners and clients.

For more details, please visit www.qsitglobal.com


Tassc introduces two new courses that combine UML and EA training – our three-day course for business analysts and our five-day course for software engineers. Tassc has updated its training materials and has introduced a more modular approach. Now, as an alternative to selecting from their predefined courses, you can design your own by selecting the modules that best suit your specific needs.

Download details of our latest syllabus here: www.sparxsystems.com.au/partners/trainers/europe.html#Tassc


Soluta.Net is using Enterprise Architect in the ONE project (Open Negotiation Environment). The objective of the ONE project is to enrich Digital Ecosystems with a decentralized negotiation environment and tools that will allow organizations to create contract agreements for supplying integrated services as a virtual organization.

Soluta.Net has implemented an Internet shared repository on a RDBMS database for EA with explicit lock and unlock politics. With the EA repository, the ONE project consortium is now able to share and store the information models and verify in real-time the project advancement.

For more information visit www.soluta.net
For more information on the ONE project see https://cordis.europa.eu/fp6/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.FP6HomePage
For more information on Digital Ecosystems go to www.digital-ecosystem.org