Model Management incorporates the following:
Model Files
An Enterprise Architect model is stored in a data repository. Enterprise Architect enables you to work with .EAP files (a Microsoft JET database). In the Enterprise Architect Corporate edition, you can also work with DBMS repositories such as:
Information on how to get started with models can be found in the Quick Start - Create a Project topic.
Replication
Note: This functionality is available in the Professional and Corporate editions only. The Desktop edition is intended for single users, so does not support replication.
In addition to sharing projects in real time over a network, Enterprise Architect also enables projects to be shared using replication. Replication is a simple process that enables data interchange between .EAP based repositories and is suitable for use in situations where many different users work independently. Modelers merge their changes into a Design Master only as required. It is recommended that a backup is carried out prior to replication.
Replication requires the use .EAP based repositories, and cannot be performed on repositories stored on a DBMS server.
Project Sharing
Note: This functionality is available in the Professional and Corporate editions only. The Desktop edition is intended for single users, so does not support shared files.
Enterprise Architect enables project sharing for efficient management of team development. You can create a replica of your project, make changes to it, then merge your changes back into the master project.
Version Control
Enterprise Architect version control enables you to:
| · | Coordinate sharing of packages between users, with either read-only access or update access |
| · | Save and retrieve a history of changes to packages. |
To use version control in Enterprise Architect, you require a third-party source-code control application such as Subversion, CVS, or any other version control product that complies with the Microsoft Common Source Code Control standard.
User Security
Note: This feature is available in the Corporate edition only.
User security in Enterprise Architect provides a means of limiting access to update functions in a model. Elements can be locked per user or per group, and a password defined for login. Enterprise Architect offers two security policies:
| · | Standard, where each element is considered unlocked until specifically locked |
| · | Rigorous, where each element is assumed to be locked until specifically unlocked. |
Project Data Transfer
Note: This feature is available in the Corporate edition only.
Enterprise Architect enables you to transfer project data between project data repositories, row by row, table by table.
The Automation Interface
The Enterprise Architect Automation Interface provides a way of accessing the internals of Enterprise Architect models to, for example, perform repetitive tasks or produce custom reports. All development environments capable of generating ActiveX Com clients, such as Microsoft C# or Java, should be able to connect to the Automation Interface.
Add-Ins
Add-Ins are ActiveX COM objects that expose public Dispatch methods. The Enterprise Architect Add-In model builds on the features provided by the Automation Interface to enable you to extend the Enterprise Architect user interface and add functionality.
Baselines and Differences
The Enterprise Architect Corporate edition provides a facility to 'Baseline' or snapshot a model branch in XMI format at a particular point in time, and store it within the model in compressed format. More than one baseline can be stored against a single Enterprise Architect package. Using Baselines, you can compare packages at the current and earlier stages of development, using the Compare (Diff) utility. The Compare utility is available in the Professional and Corporate editions of Enterprise Architect. It enables you to compare the current model with either an exported or a version-controlled Enterprise Architect XMI file on disk, as well as with a Baseline.
Auditing
Auditing is a model-level feature, available in the Corporate Edition, that enables you to record model changes in Enterprise Architect. By enabling this option, model administrators can view a range of information regarding changes, such as:
| · | Who changed an element |
| · | How many elements they changed |
| · | When they changed the data |
| · | What the previous values were, and |
| · | What type of elements they changed. |
Project Discussion Forum
Enterprise Architect provides a Project Discussion Forum, which can be used to discuss the development and progress of a project or model. You can switch the forum to other projects, so you can monitor and compare developments in several projects at once.
See Also