Third Party Extensions for Enterprise Architect

Architecture Validation

The Architecture Validation extension offered by Cephas Consulting provides an extensive, rule-based validation of the quality, consistency, and accuracy of the models created in Enterprise Architect. The customizable rules target connectors, diagrams, elements, and properties.

Validation can be applied at the level of a single package structure, or against the entire repository. Rule violations are reported in a dedicated tab of the Output Window, with active hyperlinks to the offending diagram, element , or property.

For more information, please visit:
http://enterprisemodelingsolutions.com/architecture-validation-extension/

Enterprise Architect Gears Bridge

BigLever Software's Enterprise Architect/Gears Bridge enables engineering organizations to utilize Enterprise Architect MDD models as configurable shared assets within their Gears production lines, and Gears PLE constructs as first-class systems and software engineering mechanisms for managing product line diversity in Enterprise Architect MDD models.

More specifically, the Bridge allows users to:

• Use PLE mechanisms to manage the diversity for a full product line in a single, consolidated MDD model, as a highly scalable alternative to cloned copies or one-size-fits-all UML and SysML models.
• Automatically configure Enterprise Architect models for different products by making feature choices in a Gears feature profile.
• Convert Enterprise Architect model elements into Gears variation points to encapsulate the PLE diversity for that model element, without extending or complicating UML and SysML models.
• Use one or more Enterprise Architect models either packages or projects in a larger collection of shared assets across the full engineering lifecycle for a product line portfolio.
• Perform integrated PLE operations such as product configuration, variation point editing and variation impact analysis directly from Enterprise Architect menus.

BPMN 2.0 Integrity Extension

This add-in to Enterprise Architect (version 12.1 or later) provides a comprehensive rule-based verification of the quality and coherence of BPMN 2.0 business process models. The default rule set can be customized by the end User.

As an added bonus, the extension supports the automatic numbering of process steps, including any sub-processes. Conversely the numbers can also be removed from the steps.
For more information, please visit:

http://enterprisemodelingsolutions.com/bpmn-integrity-extension/

BPMN 2.0 Validation

Cephas Consulting provides an Enterprise Architect extension for validating BPMN 2.0 models against the official OMG® specification. Validating business process models is important for ensuring their quality and consistency, and is a critical prerequisite for making them executable. This software is made available for free to any Enterprise Architect User. (for details please refer to our web page).

Validation occurs at the diagram level, with warning and error messages listed in Enterprise Architect's Output window. Clicking a message will select the corresponding element in the Project Browser, while double clicking will open its properties window to facilitate correcting the issue.

For more information, please visit:
http://enterprisemodelingsolutions.com/bpmn-validation/

BPMN Generator

The BPMN Generator extension for Enterprise Architect has been developed by Dunstan Thomas Consulting Ltd to provide the functionality to generate a BPMN 2.0 process flow diagram from Use Case textual scenarios.

Functionality and Benefits

The BPMN Generator saves time and effort by automatically generating these BPMN 2.0 process flows from textual use cases and provides the modeller with options to set:

• The top margin of the generated diagram.
• The left margin of the generated diagram.
• The default height of each task.
• The adjustment height of each task (used to ensure that text fits in a task).
• Whether or not a new diagram and elements will be generated rather than overwrite any existing diagram and elements.

The BPMN Generator Extended Edition has all the functionality listed above but allows multiple diagrams to be generated. The Generator will display a list of use cases from:

• The repository.
• A selected package.
• A use case diagram.

Website: http://dthomas-software.co.uk/
Learn More: Video demo

RaQuest

RaQuest is a Requirements Management tool for Enterprise Architect (EA). Requirements Management may be used for managing the requirements of systems and applications effectively. With RaQuest, you can track changes of requirements and manage requirements with a range of features. RaQuest is the ideal tool for the enhanced development of your software applications.

For more information, please visit: www.raquest.com

Visio-to-BPMN 2.0 Process Conversion

Convert your Visio (business) process models into the official BPMN 2.0 notation, even if the Visio diagrams were not created using the BPMN stencil!

Bringing these models into the Enterprise Architect repository allows not only the formal mapping of processes and steps to both upstream and downstream artifacts (such as goals, requirements, services and applications), but also enables leveraging tool features such as version control, documentation generation and simulation when managing and evolving these models.

For more information, Please visit Cephas Consulting Corp. at:
http://enterprisemodelingsolutions.com/visio-to-bpmn-conversion/

Siemens Polarion

Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Digital Factory Division, is a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM), manufacturing operations management (MOM) software, application management (ALM) software, systems and services with over 15 million licensed seats and more than 140,000 customers worldwide. Polarion ALM from Siemens PLM combines every major phase of managing the software development lifecycle into one comprehensive ALM platform that provides teams with the real-time information on the actual state of software development in their organization necessary to make intelligent, informed decisions, while leveraging advanced open source technologies to deliver unique functionality and a significant return on investment.

The Polarion connector for Enterprise Architect tightly integrates ALM with model based design. Through the connector, a connection between Polarion and Enterprise Architect is established, allowing users to treat the Enterprise Architect model elements just like they are any other Polarion artifact.

Enterprise Architect model elements (diagrams, use cases, activities, etc.) are imported into Polarion as work items. From there, users can establish traceability from the model elements to other Polarion work items. Through embedded hyperlinks, users can navigate from Polarion to Enterprise Architect or vice versa. When engineering change requests are raised, users can carry out detailed impact analysis to determine what parts of the software design (including model elements) are impacted.

The Polarion connector for Enterprise Architect is available as a free download from Siemens PLM, please visit:
http://extensions.polarion.com/extensions/167-polarion-connector-for-enterprise-architect

XPDL-to-BPMN 2.0 Process Conversion

Cephas Consulting offers a service to convert your XPDL based process models into the official BPMN 2.0 notation. The only requirement is the ability to export the models out of your current tool into an XPDL 2 compliant XML representation.

Once converted, the rich feature set of Enterprise Architect will allow you to not only trace your processes and activities to both upstream and downstream artifacts (such as business goals, requirements, web services and applications), but also to leverage business process validation and simulation.