Please note : This help page is not for the latest version of Enterprise Architect. The latest help can be found here.

Key Features

Enterprise Architect has a rich and advanced set of tools for conducting a wide range of modeling, analysis, requirements, design, construction and visualization tasks. The table below lists some of the more important capabilities and how they assist you in your modeling and design tasks.

Key Features

Feature

Facilities

Modeling

Model information, software, business rules and processes, hardware systems and more using UML compliant notation (for the latest UML specification, see www.omg.org)
Leverage SysML, BPMN, DDS and other domain specific UML extensions
Model dependencies between elements, system dynamics and states
Model class hierarchies, deployment, components and implementation details
Save and load complete diagrams as UML Patterns
Create and share dynamic views of model elements and diagram sets using Model Views
Analyze and trace relationships between elements using the tabular Relationship Matrix
Specify, trace and verify requirements directly against the design, right through to the deployed solution using built-in Requirements Management
Apply and manage Traceability, Auditing and Impact Analysis

 

Projects

Sharing

Import/Export

Simple file based repositories for small teams
Scalable large team support using shared repositories ( MS SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle and others supported )
Record project issues, tasks and system glossary
Assign resources to model elements and track effort expended against required effort
Manage personal tasks, work flow and collaborative model based mail
Schedule tasks and track important events using built in calendars and Gantt charts
Distributed development through shareable files, use of shared repositories in a range of major Database Management Systems, file replication, data transfer, and import and export of reference data
Share models using the latest XMI 2.1 format
Import models in XMI format from other tools (where compliant)
Audit all changes and report on recent activity
Visual and textual differencing based on package level baselines

 

Business

Model and simulate processes with BPMN
Use structured scenarios to rapidly define use case based behavior
Import plain text use case descriptions into structured scenarios
Generate diagrams from structured scenarios
Generate BPEL scripts automatically from Business Process models
Business rules editor/designer
Generate executable business logic from rule tasks and trace to natural language business rules

 

Database Modeling

Database modeling profile
Reverse engineer from a range of DBMSs via ODBC
Forward engineer DDL scripts to create database structures
Import database schema, XSD and WSDL source
Support for GML and ArcGIS

 

Software

Support for forward and reverse code engineering for many languages including:
ActionScript 3.0
Java
C#
C++
VB.Net
Delphi
Visual Basic
Python
PHP
Import  .NET and Java binaries

 

Systems

Simulate SysML parametric models
Simulate state and activity diagrams
Verilog,
VHDL
SystemC

 

Visual Execution Analyzer

Debuggers

Build

Testing

The Visual Execution Analyzer contains many important tools for building, verifying and testing your software. Some of the standout features include:

Debug numerous languages, including C++, Java, C#, VB.net, PHP and others
Integrate coding and development with the UML model
Quickly search through source files and through your model during coding
Intelli-sense based on model data
Record and generate sequence diagrams from execution traces
Use profiling tools for native windows applications written in C/C++
Use the Object Workbench to test individual objects
Testpoint facility to quickly apply xUnit like tests to source without writing code
Generate Testpoint diagrams and sets from execution traces

 

Simulation

Simulation of behavioral models provides numerous benefits, including:

Verify the correct behavior of modeled state machines and activity graphs
Demonstrate modeled solutions to customers with attractive, configurable simulation walk-throughs
Simulate buttons presses and real-world events with triggers
Simulate rules and conditional execution with both model elements and Javascript based code
Record sets of triggers and automate playback based on scenarios
Walk through sequence diagrams

 

Domain Specific modeling and Frameworks

Modeling languages and frameworks for specialized domains are easy to build and use within Enterprise Architect. Several are supplied by Sparx Systems, and some additional ones by 3rd parties. The tools available in Enterprise Architect also let you build your own frameworks for your special domain.

Leverage industry-standard Enterprise Architecture frameworks such as Zachman, TOGAF, UPDM and others
Extended modeling for Requirements, User Interface Design, Mind Mapping, Data Modeling
SysML, DDS
BPMN
Built-in Model Driven Architecture (MDA) Transformations
Create custom transforms
Use UML Profiles to for domain-specific modeling
A range of add-Ins to integrate and extend the facilities of Enterprise Architect
Write your own add-ins
Transform behavioral models into executable source code for software and hardware description languages (HDLs) such as Verilog, VHDL, and SystemC

 

Reporting

Comprehensive and flexible MS Word-compatible web and document report options
Read-only Viewer enables stakeholders to view but not change milestone deliverables

 

Manage Change

Manage, track and control change using baseline model merge and auditing capabilities
Migrate changes across a distributed environment using Controlled XMI Packages
Manage Version control though XMI using SCC CVS and Subversion configurations
Inbuilt user and group security and access control management
Auditing

 

Testing

Testing support for test cases, JUnit and NUnit
Integrated Debug Workbench for visualizing executable Java and .Net applications, instantiating run-time model objects and generating Sequence diagrams from a stack traces
Extensive Testpoint facility.

 

Automation and Scripting

 

Script and automate common tasks using a detailed Automation Interface and Model Scripts

User Experience

Speed: Enterprise Architect is quick to load and a spectacularly fast performer, even with large models
Scalability: Enterprise Architect supports single users and the development of small models, or many concurrent users developing extremely large models, with equal ease
Usability: many of our users agree, Enterprise Architect gets you started and productive quickly, with a rich user interface and the ability to create templates, model views and 'favorites' collections of commonly-used elements and diagrams.
 

Notes

For a complete list of the new features of the latest version of Enterprise Architect, click on the Help | Read Me menu option
Enterprise Architect is available in six editions: Ultimate, Business and Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Corporate, Professional, and Desktop, each of which offers a different range of features

Learn more