Enterprise Architect 11.1 - For Software, Business, and Systems

Sparx Systems is proud to announce the release of Enterprise Architect 11.1, which includes hundreds of new enhancements and technologies.

For Software:
Enhanced tools for software development, reporting and simulation for the Software Engineer

For Business:
Take on the role of a Business Analyst or a Requirements Engineer as we introduce Enterprise Architect 11.1

For Systems:
For realtime and embedded Systems Engineers and Designers, Enterprise Architect is packed full of enhancements and features for you!

We invite you to preview this milestone release of Enterprise Architect! View the release notes here.

User Guide for Enterprise Architect version 11 available here.

 

Release Highlights:

Videos:

Specification Manager Charts and Dashboards
Enhanced Documentation EA 11 Diagram Theme
Diagram Themes Package Driven Modeling
Kanban Element Discussions
Element Browser State Machine Code Generation
Simulation Function Line Reporting
Visual Execution Analysis Cloud Services
Reusable Asset Service OSLC
Specification Manager
Charts and Dashboards
Enhanced Documentation

Specification Manager

Simplify the process of editing and maintaining model elements using the new Specification Manager in Enterprise Architect 11. Every element in a package is displayed in a simple document view, making it easier to scan, edit and read model elements. Model elements can be edited using a simple and convenient interface that is similar to editing a document in a word processor. This makes it much easier for key stakeholders and business users to contribute and maintain model elements.

Toggle the filter bar to rapidly find model elements. Enterprise Architect provides simple highlights to easily identify which element is being edited. Indicator icons help link to project resources, relationships and linked documents. Access rich model data with a few simple mouse clicks. The Specification Manager can rapidly create detailed, structured documents that provide full traceability, which is ideal for gathering and maintaining requirements.

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Charts and Dashboards

Enterprise Architect 11 provides the ability to dynamically generate charts based on model data. Help bring your model data to life using pie charts, 2D and 3D bar charts. Each chart can be easily added to a report or included as part of a dashboard to aid decision making. By displaying information as a chart or a graph, you can easily communicate model information that traditionally sits outside of a diagram. For example, you can display a chart that provides an overview of each element status throughout the entire model, allowing you to determine how much of your project is complete, approved or still under review.

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Enhanced Documentation

Enterprise Architect 11 provides updated document templates that improve report quality and streamline document production. The improved "Generate Documentation" dialog provides convenient options to insert a cover page, a table of contents and select specific style sheets that can be applied to instantly change the look of a document. Create custom cover pages containing your company logo, professional headings, a legal disclaimer and copyright information. You can either create a generic cover page for use in all reports, or produce report specific pages.

When linking a document artifact to a package (see the new place package on diagram functionality), Enterprise Architect will save all your document settings. This means you create the content once, and can generate it many times. Settings include element filters, table of contents, style sheets, cover pages and output formats. This is a fantastic feature when used in conjunction with the Specification Manager for report creation.

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Diagram Themes

Diagram Themes provide a contemporary new look that can be easily applied to all diagrams. Create rich, modern and engaging diagrams that can be tailored to suit personal tastes or conform to an existing corporate style guide. Choose from a range of ready made diagram themes, including accents that work well with the Windows 8 Operating System. Create high contrast themes that facilitate accessibility and improve readability. Modify font, color and gradient settings with a few keystrokes. Work with tiles and gradients to help bring your diagrams to life.

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Enterprise Architect 11 Diagram Theme

Enterprise Architect 11 has a new default look and feel for diagrams, which allows you to easily identify element types on any diagram. This improved design provides high impact visuals for diagrams and reports, helping to enhance communication with stakeholders.

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Background Tiles

Create rich and visually appealing diagrams with Enterprise Architect's support for background tiles on diagrams. Select from one of the included gradients or create your own unique designs!

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Package Driven Modeling

When placing a package onto a diagram, Enterprise Architect gives you a set of display options on how this package is to be treated. You can choose from the traditional functionality of 'Package element', or the three new options which include 'Document artifact linked to package', 'Graph based on package contents', and 'Matrix profile'.

Document Artifact linked to a package
When you link a document artifact to a package, Enterprise Architect will save the resulting generated document to a Linked Document on the package. Now whenever you generate your reports, they will be automatically stored in the model - available to the team. All settings for the generation from element filters to the type of style sheet used will also be saved, ensuring consistent, good looking reports each and every time from Enterprise Architect.

Graph based on package contents
The graph based on package contents option creates a graph element on the diagram. Chart elements are useful for creating dashboards of your enterprise based on the specific contents of the package. Enterprise Architect gives you the option of configuring the packages further with filters, chart types, and different datatypes (Package, Customer SQL and CSV).

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Matrix Profile
Matrix profiles allow you to recall a view of element relationships in your model. Profiles are stored with the artifact and are accessible by the context menu or double clicking the diagram element.

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Kanban

Enterprise Architect 11 now supports the Kanban project management methodology. You can divide your diagram into a series of vertical swimlanes, where each lane represents the status of the elements. This methodology allows you to work on model elements that are automatically organized based on the value of a project management property such as Phase, Version and Status. Drag elements from one lane to another to automatically change the value of a given status. This approach is ideal for people that prefer to work with a visual model, rather than changing statuses and tagged values on each individual element.

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Support for Transparent Images

Dress up your diagrams with support for transparent high resolution images. Support for transparent images enable you to produce high quality diagrams, reports and presentations. Easily add transparent images using drag and drop or adding them via the alternate images window.

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Improved Element Shadows

Enterprise Architect has significantly improved the appearance of shadows, which is particularly evident when elements overlap or interact with connectors. Produce high quality diagrams with greater impact.

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Repository Based File storage

Sharing your documents, files, videos, and sound bites with your team has never been easier with Enterprise Architect's repository based file storage. Never lose a linked report or important project file again. Store all of your reports inline with the rest of the model. Share and edit documents and files over WAN links - keep everyone on the same page, regardless of where they are located in the world. Storing a file in the repository is as easy as dragging it from the desktop and placing it onto a diagram. To open the file, simply double click the appropriate icon.

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Diagram Themes Background Tiles Background Tiles Background Tiles
High Impact Diagram Themes

Security Enhancements

Enterprise Architect 11 benefits from numerous security enhancements, including the ability to lock Team Review items and provide superior encryption for user security passwords. Enterprise Architect also supports the addition of thousands of Security Groups, which helps to accommodate large enterprise teams that engage in Team Based Modeling.

Model Mail Enhancements

Enjoy the benefits of trusted, focused communication with members of your team, without having to leave the modeling environment. Find messages quickly using filters on both your inbox and sent items. Interact with your model while reading project correspondence, helping you to more effectively respond to project issues as they arise.


Element Discussions

Any team member can initiate discussions on a per element basis, using the new Element Discussions window. Element Discussions can help improve the design of model elements and facilitate collaboration. Identify problems with an element early in the development cycle and discuss meaningful solutions. Discuss testing, implementation and project management issues before committing funds to the project. View a detailed history for each model element quickly, to better understand why decisions have been made. Update the Discussion Status to identify any discussion topics awaiting review.

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Bulk Assignment of Resources to a Task

When working on large enterprise projects, it is common practice for project managers to assign and manage multiple resources on specific initiatives. For example an update to an online based application may need input from both Business and IT. Enterprise Architect 11 now makes managing these multi-tiered resources easier with the ability to bulk assign resources to tasks via the project management view. Each resource becomes its own entity in the project Gantt view, meaning they can be individually controlled to ensure a successful project.


NIEM - National Information Exchange Model

A new standard of modeling

With enhancements and improvements to BPMN and SysML, Enterprise Architect also has updates and inclusions of new and existing profiles like NIEM, GML and ArchiMate2!

NIEM

The National Information Exchange Model (NIEM), is an XML based information exchange framework that is designed to effectively and efficiently share critical information at key decision points throughout the US based Department of Justice, Public Safety, Emergency and Disaster Management, Intelligence and Homeland Security. NIEM is designed to develop, disseminate and support enterprise-wide information exchange standards and processes that will enable jurisdictions to automate information sharing. The NIEM profile in Enterprise Architect comes with the element profiles and model transformations necessary to develop your own platform independent to platform specific models, giving you all the tools you need at your fingertips. If you are looking to get started with NIEM modeling, then Enterprise Architect is a good place to start.

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GML

GML serves as a modeling language and open interchange format for geographic systems and transactions. The ability to integrate all forms of geographic Information is key to GML.

Enterprise Architect 11 has built on its GML offering by adding GML 3.3 support as well as including improvements to the GML exporter to support ISO 19136_2007 METCE extensions.

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ArcGIS

Expand the way you use Enterprise Architect for ArcGIS modeling. Enterprise Architect now supports Topology Rules (and the import of them). Model validation has been added to ensure a correct model before deployment. Additionally the Vertical Coordinates System support has been added as well as the ability to generate partial schemas.

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Team Review, Element Browser, Relationship Matrix

Team Review

Collaborate and discuss project issues using the new look Team Review, featuring stylish new icons and enhanced security options. Review project documents and insert comments on selected paragraphs to aid the drafting process. Use a password lock to prevent inadvertent editing or deletion. Elicit feedback from your team to improve your reports and documentation, prior to publication.


Relationship Matrix

Improvements to the Relationship Matrix now include the ability to create new elements inline. Need an extra requirement to link to a Use Case? Simply add the new Requirement with the click of a button. Other improvements include optimizations around connector creation and the addition of new context menus.


Element Browser

Enterprise Architect 11 has seen major usability enhancements come to the Element Browser, turning it into a one-stop-shop for working with elements. Adding to the visual improvements is the expansion of the context menu. The context menu now gives you the power to add and edit the element. From maintenance and testing entries, to tagged values, attributes and operations the Element browser is now your central location and viewer for all the element's attributes.

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State Machine Code Generation

Enterprise Architect 11 has seen industry leading improvements to its code generation from State Machine diagrams. The code that is generated is clean and compilable, removing the need to handwrite the source, potentially saving hours of time and reducing 'typos'. The code generation supports advanced UML constructs like deep history and with C++ there is full support for all UML constructs like parallel regions. All code is fully compatible with Enterprise Architect's Visual Execution Analyzer, allowing you to trace executing code to the visual model. The Enterprise Architect Debugger highlights state transitions diagrammatically during code execution.

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Roundtripping of RC Files

Version 11 provides the capability to round trip RC files. Create your applications dialogs with Enterprise Architect's Win32 dialog editor, then generate out the required code to instantiate them. Import your existing RC files to make changes to dialogs on the fly, run usability tests with Enterprise Architect's Simulation Engine then forward engineer your optimized dialogs back out.


Automation Interface

The Automation Interface has been expanded to allow the following calls:

  • Enable CallBehaviorAction to use parameters and produce results
  • Enable SendSignalAction to set its signal into none
  • Enable UIBroadcastSignal to support to call Signal EAGUID
  • Basic API request for zipped xml documents
  • API: Package.ApplyLock recursion
  • Automation Support to Simulation BroadcastSignal

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Profiling Grammars

Enterprise Architect 11 now combines the power of its Profiler with Grammars. The profiler allows developers to measure and record memory usage, code timing frequency and analyze the duration of calls for the purposes of optimization. Grammars are sets of rules used to define custom programming languages. Combining these two features will allow you to profile your own languages, giving you the tools to optimize your code, even if it is not supported 'out of the box'.



Statemachine Code Generation
Simulation

Objects, Actions, and Parameters

Enterprise Architect's Simulation capabilities have been improved to support objects. Pass complex information items through simulation, invoke object operations and retrieve the results, control the flow of object lifetime management. New Action Kinds, Activity Parameters and Structured Activity simulation support has been added, as well as improved API support for simulations.

API Support for Simulation

Simulation can now be controlled with model scripts. The following new interfaces have also been added:

  • BroadcastSignal()
  • Speed()

Structured Activity Simulation

Structured Activity support for simulation has been added allowing you to define Conditional Nodes and Loop Nodes in your model and have the simulator execute them. These are useful for modeling 'If-then-else', 'While', 'Repeat' and 'For' loops.

New Action Kinds Supported - Variable Actions

Variable Actions have an association variable in the form of the Tagged Value variable with the value of the name of an object in run-time. They provide the variable not only as an object but also as a property (such as an attribute or Port) of an object. Added Actions include:

  • ReadVariable
  • WriteVariable
  • ClearVariable
  • AddVariableValue
  • RemoveVariable

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Visual Execution Analysis

Enterprise Architect's Visual Execution Analysis has been improved making it easier to debug and profile your code.

The Function Line Report shows the number of times each line of the function was executed. The line report is particularly useful for functions that perform loops containing conditional branching; the coverage can provide a picture of the most frequently and least frequently executed portions of code within a single method.

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Dynamically switch between debugging and profiling. Useful for targeting a specific point to enable the profiler, allowing you to gain a greater understanding of the section of code. When your profiling is complete, switch back to the debugger to continue debugging the rest of the application.

Nested Recording markers for Java and .NET allow you to target specific areas of your application to record and trace as each marker is activated and deactivated.

Ability to set the stack height when recording execution to filter out common calls that may not be relevant to the specific calls of interest.

Debugging and Profiling of 64-bit applications for Java, .NET and Native languages.

Limit on the maximum number of profiler process threads removed.

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Function Line Reporting
Cloud Services Firebird Repository

Cloud Services

Seamlessly access model information from anywhere in the world via Cloud Services. Simplified administration makes it easy to create and manage shared models on the fly, without the complexity of installing DBMS client drivers. Experience high performance remote access, with the added advantage of secure encrypted links and higher latency WAN optimizations.

Cloud Services also help to facilitate standards based model sharing, including the Reusable Asset Service (RAS) and Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC)

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Sparx Cloud Services Test Environment

Reusable Asset Service (RAS)

The Reusable Asset Service (RAS) is the perfect solution for standards development organizations. Share and distribute reusable model packages in an open, uniform and timely manner using the Enterprise Architect Reusable Asset Service. Store supporting document artifacts in line with model packages. Check current model packages against the server to manage dependencies and versions. User security provides write and read only capability for server management and to help maintain model information integrity.

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Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC)

Enterprise Architect 11 now supports Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC), with the intention of making it easier for different tools to work together. Create, Read, Update and Delete model information like requirements through the OSLC protocol. Tie Enterprise Architect elements into OSLC client tools to access information on the fly without the need to open the Enterprise Architect UI.

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Firebird Repository

Firebird is a high performance, open source database solution for local or remote Enterprise Architect database repositories. Now users have the choice if they want to use the traditional Jet database or the new Firebird database locally. Taking advantage of the Sparx Cloud Service, system administrators can create remote Firebird repositories at the click of a button for rapid team based collaborative modeling.