Installation
The EA4BI MDG technology file “EA4BI Technology.xml” is present in the EA4BI distribution ZIP archive. After downloading and extracting “EA4BI.zip” to a location of choice on your computer or shared drive, launch Sparx Enterprise Architect and apply the following steps:
1. Select the Publish tab on the ribbon, then click on the Publish button and select the “Import MDG Technology” option
2. On the “Import MDG Technology” dialog box, click on the ellipse (...) button next to Filename in order to select an MDG technology file. Navigate to the location where the EA4BI.zip has been extracted and select the “EA4BI Technology.xml” file. Sparx will examine the contents of this file and display some descriptive information about EA4BI. Click OK to start the import.
Remark: if you prefer evaluating EA4BI in the context of a single model, first open this model or create a new one. Then apply steps 1 and 2, and select the “Import To Model” option before you click on the OK button.
3. Sparx will import the contents of “EA4BI Technology.xml” and add this as a new MDG technology (or overwrite the existing version if this was already present). When this is successfully done, Sparx will show a confirmation dialog box. Click OK to finish the installation procedure.
4. You are now ready to start modeling with EA4BI. There is no need to restart Sparx. The EA4BI Technology will remain active each time you launch Sparx.
Remark: You can deactivate and remove MDG technologies at any given time. It is also possible to work with a shared MDG Technology file, serving all linked Sparx instances on multiple computers. Check the Sparx documentation for more information.
Creating a sample viewpoint
EA4BI offers 4 stereotypes that represent the 4 layers of the framework (Enterprise Architecture, Solution Architecture, Technical Architecture, Technical Design). These can be added to a given package by executing the following steps:
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Create a new package in an existing or newly created model
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Right-click the package and select properties
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Click on the ellipsis next to Stereotype
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On the dialog box “Stereotype for <package>”, select EA4BI in the Profile dropdown listbox
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Select the appropriate stereotype for the given package and click OK to confirm.
EA4BI offers 8 BI Architecture and 3 BI Design viewpoints. These can be added to a given package by executing the following steps:
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Select the given package and add a new diagram
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On the dialog box “New Diagram”, select EA4BI_Diagrams in the “Select From:” list and choose an EA4BI viewpoint in the list “Diagram Types:”
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Click OK to create the selected EA4BI viewpoint
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Sparx will associate the appropriate toolbox with the given viewpoint. You are now ready to start modeling the viewpoint. Have fun!
