In Enterprise Architect Version 14, Sparx Systems added functionality to simplify the process of creating neat and tidy diagrams. This tutorial highlights the "Neaten" and "Auto Route" functions, which are a handy means of tidying diagrams.

The Neaten function brings elements together based on proximity and optimized alignment. Try it out on your next diagram via Layout > Tools > Diagram Layout > Neaten.

The Auto Route function tidies the connectors on a diagram, automatically neatening up lines and re-routing them to avoid overlap, where feasible. See, Layout > Tools > Diagram Layout > Auto Route.

To learn more about diagram layout tools in Enterprise Architect, take a look at the Building Models in Enterprise Architect Guidebook, which covers more functions like Neaten and Auto Route.

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.

- Helen Keller

Is the digital transformation process a technology, business, customer engagement, digital service or cultural change issue? It is all of the above, and then some. Each function has its own level of importance and naturally, each will become the focus of their process owners. But the risk of this myopia is that process transformation efforts will become siloed, reducing their value for others and will limit the potential for a successful digital transformation, of the whole organization.

Like a digital map, the key functions of an organization are like feature overlays, which when looked at holistically, can provide insights into the aspects within the overall organizational structure, that complement and compete. Similarly, identifying interdependencies between the key processes is to recognize that many of them, will have to be transformed in parallel.

To meet such a collaborative challenge, be it by a business, an industry, a community - or the world, - requires an inclusive approach. Working inclusively requires that everyone has digital access and that the supporting technology platform can meet and grow with the changing needs of every stakeholder, while encouraging knowledge sharing and supporting the capture of community best practice.

In 2015 a great and noble challenge was issued by the United Nations General Assembly. These are the Sustainable Development Goals - a collection of 17 global goals - to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people, enjoy peace and prosperity.

The Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) System Transformation report released in 2016 found that digital technologies will be fundamental for the achievement of all 17 SDGs, and over 50% of the 169 related targets. The GeSI has also shown “there is a clear, positive link between digital access and 11 of the 17 SDGs”.

Sparx Systems has joined the UN-GGIM Private Sector Network, to work with other member organizations and provide access to collaborative technology, in support of meeting these goals.

Sparx Systems is pleased to announce an upcoming University Week (Feb 25th - Mar 1st).

During Sparx Systems University week, a range of both free and paid training sessions are hosted online and at centers by Sparx Service providers. This week-long event is a unique opportunity to gain knowledge and improve skills around Enterprise Architect. February's course line-up covers a broad range of topics and has been developed with both introductory and advanced users in mind.

Get your New Year off to a great start with a course in your area.

Orphan Elements are elements that exist in the model, but are not included on a diagram for some reason. They can occur in the process of creating and editing diagrams and get left behind, sometimes due to being deleted off the diagram, but not subsequently the model.

Enterprise Architect has a pre-defined search that identifies any Orphan Elements, which can come in handy when cleaning up your model.

To search for Orphan Elements, open the Model Search using Crtl+Alt+A and from the Pull Down Menus > select Diagram Searches > then Find Orphans.

You can search for specific terms as well, for example name - this case "Oliver Twist."

If you would like a list of other pre-defined model searches take a look at our User Guide

As of today, Sparx Systems will be offering Prolaborate as a core component of The Pro Cloud Server. Prolaborate leverages the model data in Enterprise Architect to allow the wider user community to analyze, interact and make key decisions.

For more information, please read the official press release on the Joint Venture between Sparx Systems and Sixth Force.

Enterprise Architects are now being reported as the highest paid discipline in IT, however with this realization organizations need to ensure they are getting the most out of these highly-skilled professionals. The skills and experience of Enterprise Architects combined with the right tools like Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect can support business agility with a lowered exposure to risk.

Glassdoor, the job posting and company feedback website, recently published its annual 25 Highest Paying Jobs in America list with the technology sector boasting 65% of highest-paying jobs. The title of 'Enterprise Architect' however did best, coming in at #4 overall. This annual list from Glassdoor is produced using employee-submitted salary reports, which are then used to rank them according to their annual base salary and the job openings/listings posted that year.

It's gratifying to see organizations are better-valuing the contribution of technically-skilled workers - especially given that IT capabilities are increasingly the wellspring of organizational growth. According to the list, Enterprise Architects are now the highest paid IT discipline and are highly sort-after in the workplace. This also bears out in last year's Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO Survey which found enterprise architecture is the fastest-growing technology skill; up a "massive" 26 per cent compared with the previous year. All this begs the question - what is it about Enterprise Architects in particular that are commanding such wages and enjoying such standing in the workplace?

We know that Enterprise Architects are at the nexus of business and technology, working to align business strategy and IT execution. They are also increasingly responsible for envisioning and supporting future business capabilities by anticipating and evaluating IT investments and development. This all requires excellent strategic thinking, communication and problem-solving skills, along with a wide range of technical capabilities.

However, like many change-agents, Enterprise Architects encounter resistance and are required to continually prove the value and viability of their solutions. To this end, Enterprise Architects must demonstrably connect their work with long-term business strategy in a compelling fashion, otherwise the many competing elements at play within an organization - such as short-term vs. long-term business interests and business vs. IT prerogatives - can inhibit an architect's ability to get anything done. The ability to connect strategy and execution is essential for buy-in from the right business and IT stakeholders.

Wally McLaughlin, Director of Sales at Sparx Services North America notes, “We encounter leaders every day who have skilled and experienced architects on their teams – some really talented people. But in-spite of all of that knowledge, their teams are struggling to explain to business leaders and decision makers how to affect real transformational change. Companies are complex, but with the right modeling tools like Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect, Architects can help leaders break down the complexity into manageable parts that the rest of the organization can understand and act upon.”

Ideally by drawing a line between business strategy, architectures and outcomes like business processes, databases and source code, Enterprise Architects can hope to create clear demonstrable links between strategy and execution. Of course, extracting corporate strategy itself can be difficult (especially in cases where it's non-existent), but by referencing documented roadmaps and consulting executive staff, Enterprise Architects can at least begin to model the corporate strategies that should guide IT strategy. In fact, by allowing business executives to view the business roadmaps while they are defined, Enterprise Architects can prompt some useful discussions that help organizations identify opportunities for growth.

When IT silos develop within an organization, often it can mean IT initiatives continue for some time without a cohesive approach. Enterprise Architects can help bring IT strategy back into focus by reviewing current processes, products and initiatives and their links to corporate strategy. This is especially simple where organizations are already using modeling platforms like Enterprise Architect to model their software and systems. With enterprise-wide collaborative tools, Enterprise Architects can begin to break down silos across business architecture, IT architecture and systems to better direct the organization's development priorities.

With all this investment, Enterprise Architects need the right tools to get the job done. Why offer the wages being reported by Glassdoor and Harvey Nash/KPMG and then give them a spreadsheet? There is a lot on the line. Not only is software and systems increasingly critical to both day-to-day operations and growth, there is a large financial investment in Enterprise Architects themselves. A platform like Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect equips Enterprise Architects with the tools to effectively execute corporate strategy whilst keeping teams connected and collaborating toward a shared vision.

If you would like a trial of Enterprise Architect, please visit: http://www.sparxsystems.com/products/ea/trial/request.html

To learn more, Sparx Systems has released a new Enterprise Architecture Guidebook.

Sparx Services UK (Hippo Software) is hosting a Scottish gathering of Enterprise Architect Users in Livingston on Tuesday 23rd October, 2018.

Click for further details and to complete your online registration.

This user group is a friendly and relaxed get together for anyone using Enterprise Architect and interested in sharing their experiences, knowledge and ideas. The day will start with a presentation of Enterprise Architect 14 by Sparx Systems via live link with Australia, followed by end user presentations and interactive discussion groups with lots of Q&A opportunities.

Copying a Diagram to the Clipboard

This tutorial is a very simple example, but also very handy when producing reports and documentation.

You can copy and paste your current diagram using the shortcut CTRL+B. It's a simple way of copying and pasting your diagrams into word processors, image manipulation tools or any 3rd party environment that can handle images.

The above image was copied using the default options and the shortcut CTRL+B.

Some preferences exist when copying diagrams to the clipboard.

• By default, Enterprise Architect places a diagram caption and border around diagrams copied to the Clipboard. To turn this off, go to Start > View > Preferences > Diagram > Diagram Frames > deselect Clipboard Images.
• Sometimes it's convenient to turn off the Opacity on Diagram Labels. That can be done from Start > View > Preferences > Diagram > Use Opaque Diagram Labels > deselect Clipboards and Files.
• Images are created in Metafile format by default. Bitmap format can be selected from Start > View > Preferences > General > Clipboard Format.

For more options exporting diagrams from EA, watch our demonstration video Diagram Export Options

This month about 60 attendees from various areas of the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) sector created an enthusiastic audience at the ITS Australian Government Roundtable held in Canberra. The invited speakers gave insightful presentations and the key takeaway from this thought-provoking event, which was chaired by Dean Zabriezach the CEO of hmi technologies, was the importance and immense scope of the transportation revolution, that this group of professionals represented at the global level.

Sparx Systems also attended this event, during which senior government and industry representatives shared their views on the role of developing connected technology in transportation.

ITS
The Intelligent Transport System (ITS) a subset of the Internet of Things, is the application of sensing, analysis, control and communications technologies to ground transportation in order to improve safety, mobility and efficiency. ITS includes a wide range of applications that process and share information to ease congestion, improve traffic management, minimize environmental impact and increase the benefits of transportation to commercial users and the public in general. Sparx Systems collaborates with ISO TC/204 and CEN TC/278, the two major standards organizations building ITS standards in Europe.

Press Release: Sparx Systems Supports Standards Development for Intelligent Transport Systems

ITS Australia
Intelligent Transport Systems Australia (ITS Australia) promotes the development and deployment of advanced technologies to deliver safer, more efficient and sustainable transport across all public and private modes – air, sea, road, and rail. Key activities include convening national summits and international conferences, facilitating dialogue between transport modes and across government jurisdictions, promoting research and development and the export of Australian technologies. ITS Australia is a member of the ITS Asia Pacific Region and is represented on the Asia Pacific Board of Directors. ITS Australia works closely with the three main global ITS regional communities including ITS Asia Pacific, ITS America and ITS Europe – ERTICO.

ITS and Reducing the Road Toll
In a recently published Press release from the European Commission (EC), the preliminary 2017 road safety statistics show, that for the second year in a row there was a decrease of around 2% in the number of fatalities on roads throughout Europe as manufacturers add technology to their vehicles.
During 2017 there were 25,300 fatalities on EU roads, which is 300 fewer than in 2016 and 6,200 (20%) fewer than in 2010. It is estimated that another 135 000 people were seriously injured in 2017, including a large proportion of vulnerable users: pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Besides the victims, road fatalities and injuries also affect the society as a whole, with an estimated socio-economic cost of €120 billion a year. The press release notes that “While this trend is encouraging, reaching the EU objective of halving road fatalities between 2010 and 2020 will now be very challenging.”

Australian Challenge
However, Australia faces similar challenges, according to the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities in the National Road Safety Action Plan for 2018 – 2020 to reach a 30% reduction target in road deaths by 2020. One of the priority actions is to ensure safety across all Safe System areas is properly considered in the Transport and Infrastructure Council’s ongoing work program to prepare for connected and automated vehicles and to influence industry to apply, and if possible accelerate, new safety technologies, for example Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), fatigue detection, distraction mitigation, vehicle control and aftermarket vehicle warning technologies.

C-ITS
As delegated under the Intelligent Transport Systems Directive, the European Commission will adopt specifications on cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) including vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication in Q4 2018.

Sparx Systems Support for ITS Standards
For more than a decade, Sparx Systems has provided Enterprise Architect support for DATEX II, the data exchange standard for exchanging traffic information between traffic management centers, traffic service providers, traffic operators, and media partners.
The EC sees the DATEX II standard as preferred in several Delegated Acts supporting the ITS Directive and ITS Action. The aim of the DATEX II PSA (DATEX II Programme Support Action) organization is that in 2020 DATEX II is THE information model for road traffic and travel information in Europe. http://d2docs.ndwcloud.nu/downloads/modelv30.html