Repository

Are there limits to the Project Size of Enterprise Architect .EAP and .EAPX files?

Yes, however these limits are imposed by the underlying technology and not Enterprise Architect.  File based repositories .EAP and .EAPX are Microsoft Jet databases, .EAP is Jet 3.5, while .EAPX is Jet 4.0.  Jet 3.5 impose a upper size limit of 1GB, while Jet 4.0 has a 2GB upper limit.

This format, although very efficient for small repositories and small groups of users, can create problems for larger repositories above 40 megabytes or user groups above 5 simultaneous users.

For more details see page 4 of the Deployment of Enterprise Architect white paper.

Are there limits to the project size of an Enterprise Architect DBMS repository?

Only those imposed by the DBMS vendor.  For example some versions of Microsoft SQL Server Express impose a maximum database size of 4GB.

Opening a .EAP/.EAPX fails with "Unrecognized database format"

A flag has been set in the database that marks it as corrupt.  Usually this error is easily recovered from however if this starts to occur more regularly we would recommend moving the repository to a DBMS. A Jet based database is marked as corrupt whenever a data update is broken part way through its normal processing.  The most common cause of this error occurs when the database is place on a network drive and a client machine makes an update to the data but during the processing the client loses connectivity to the database, usually for only a fraction of a second. 

You usually fix this by running the 'Repair a Project' command on the file. For further details, see the Repair a Project Help topic.

If the 'repair' does not help, compacting the database can sometimes resolve corruption. For details see the Compact a Project Help topic.

What DBMS can I use for a repository?

Enterprise Architect projects are stored in a database. Enterprise Architect supports a range of DBMS products for storing model repositories.

The range of supported DBMSs is listed on the System Requirements web page.

Note: working with a DBMS repository requires the Enterprise Architect Corporate Edition or higher.

How do I correct the error when opening MySQL repository - "Row cannot be located for updating. Some values may have been changed since it was last read"?

This error can occur due to incorrect configuration of the MySQL ODBC Driver. Please confirm that your MySQL Driver is configured as described in the Set up a MySQL ODBC Driver Help topic. In particular, ensure you have set the options as described in step 7.

Can I view more information regarding items in the Project Integrity Check?

It is not possible to view more information regarding the integrity check items. The Integrity Check finds corrupted records in the project's underlying database. Generally these types of issue should always be 'Cleaned', regardless of which elements, Packages or database tables they are related to.

We recommend making a backup of your project, then using the 'Recover/Clean' option to clean all issues. As mentioned in the Check Project Data Integrity Help topic, when Enterprise Architect 'cleans' the model, it attempts to recover lost Packages and elements and generates a new Package at the model root level called '_recovered_'. Check through any elements that are found and, if required, drag them into the model proper. If they are not required, delete them.

What are the hardware specifications for DBMS's?

Each scenario can have a vastly different usage of Enterprise Architect features, which means there can be different emphasis on the use of tables in the repository. As such we can only provide a broad set up procedure for your preferred DBMS. For hardware specifications you will need to check with the vendor of the DBMS that you intend to use.

Where can I find the repository table names for a SQL Model Search?

When using SQL Model Searches you need access to the details on the table structures and table names used in the repository,  there is broad documentation of the Database in the 'Automation' Help pages, with reference to the table names associated with each of the Classes.  See the Automation Help topic.

Also see the general pages (... Package) for diagrams and (...Class) pages for functions and attributes under the Automation Reference Help topic.

The (...Class) pages contain the table names - see 'Associated table in .EAP file' at the head of each page.

For example, see the diagram under the Element Package Help topic and 'Associated table in repository' details in the Element Class Help topic.

In a repository the t_snapshot is becoming quite large. Is this normal and should it be purged ?

The t_snapshot table is used for storing Auditing data. We recommend you regularly save your audit logs to an external file, and then clear the logs from the repository. If you are using a .eap file, we recommend that you also perform a compact operation after clearing the logs.

For instructions on how to Save Logs and Clear Logs, refer to the Auditing Settings Help topic.

How can I provide sample model data to Sparx Support when my model contains sensitive or proprietary information?

If your EAP based model contains sensitive information, there is a model obfuscation utility available to download (developed by Sparx Systems Japan) which can replace all sensitive information in your model with generic/random data, but leaves the basic structure for Sparx Support to analyze.

You can download the obfuscation utility from this link:

EAObfuscation.exe  (330Kb)   - v1.4 includes visual studio runtimes