Product :::Artifact Management

EA WebModeler manages enterprise architecture artifacts in ways that are easily understood and manipulated by a wide range of people. The same mechanisms used for working with data in browsers (entry fields, buttons, selection boxes, and html links) are the primary mechanisms used in EA WebModeler, thus, users are provided with a very easy and familiar paradigm.

Intuitive Artifact Entry
Most EA information is scattered about in documents, private databases, spreadsheets, and in peoples heads. For this reason, and because EA information needs refreshing by information owners to ensure currency, EA WebModeler provides a number of unique and intuitive artifact views, described for entering, updating, navigating, and displaying information. Select the tool bar below to go direct to pictures of them!

Flexible Modeling
EA WebModeler uniquely enables artifacts to be aggregated into model's. Models may conform to a Model Type provided by EA WebModeler, or to a customized Model Type which as defined by EA WebModeler users. For example, process information may be aggregated into a model that could conform to the emerging BPML standard for representing workflow-like process models (provided by Agilense), or to a specific work-flow model as currently used by a particular organization. EA WebModeler Model Types provide a flexible and rich mechanism to define the content and default visualization properties for EA information that will be depicted as a model. Further, Agilense enables Visio to visualize and update model information stored in the EA WebModeler repository. Thus, users may be located anywhere on a network access models via http using their Visio program.learn more>>

Collaboration, Document Versioning, and Calendaring
Communication is an important aspect of Enterprise Architecture Management and EA WebModeler makes communication easier with its built-in support for collaboration, document sharing, and calendaring. A "news-group" like session may be opened on any artifact enabling users to hold free-form discussions about the artifact, which are maintained over the lifecycle of the artifact. This can be useful for keeping historical context about an artifact, the derivation of the artifact and so on. Any artifact may be associated with external documentation such as a Word or Adobe document, presentation files, project management files, graphics etc. Artifact links to the files are then maintained by, and the files are version controlled by EA WebModeler. Any artifact with date properties may automatically participate in the calendaring capability of EA WebModeler. For example, retiring applications selected for calendaring would automatically appear in the calendar at their retirement date. Calendaring can also be used for personal calendar management, project scheduling, initiative key dates and many other possibilities.

Automated Population
EA WebModeler is often automatically populated with information stored in a structured sources such as spreadsheets, private databases, xml formatted data, and case tools. Customers are even using e-mail to send updated information into EA WebModeler. EA WebModeler may also be used to populate an external structured system, e.g. a relational database. Updates may be run on a repeatable basis as defined by a scheduler (see Events and Governance using EA WebModeler for more detail)

Sniffing/Scanning/Reverse Configuration Management
Scanning is a function commonly found in systems management tools such HP Tivoli and CA Unicenter or network security tools such as nMap. They search what can be found on hardware (e.g. ip address, application components, operating systems version and configuration and so on). EA WebModeler provides regular expressions and the ability to define custom formulas that can be leveraged to ferret out complex relationships in this collected set of information. The results can be reported and analyzed, and used to make a final decision on establishing an actual association between items as a permanent record that can then be used for formal change-management. Thus, EA WebModeler may be used as an intelligent system for understanding the "raw" information collected by scanning products. Scanning products are increasingly advertising themselves as EA solutions. Our caution with respect to these solutions:

 

• Scope of Scanability: Enterprise Architecture is a Business-value driven IT management process. This means that many, and in-fact most, of the information required to manage enterprise architecture is not scanable, e.g. business objectives, strategies, functions, roles, processes, applications, data, and so on.
  
   

• Technical Range of Scanability: Complex organizations typically have a wide range of technologies such as mainframe/mid-range/unix- server/PC/and hand-held/wireless hardware, various operating systems, database types and makes, programming languages, and so on. Many scanning solutions have limited range of technologies that they are able to discover and understand, e.g. Java on Unix and Windows.
  
   

• Level of linking intelligence: Scanning of well-defined (known structure) information is not particularly difficult, deriving interrelationships between less than well-defined information is very difficult, and organizations are full of less than well-defined information critical to enterprise architecture management. For example, various systems may contain CUST, CUSTNUM, CUSTOMER, 12, CSTM, SYS1_CUST, and so on. Ideally an automated solution would resolve the meaning of those items and determine which are the same, which are different, and how they are interrelated. This is an impossible capability to automate, humans must be in the loop and EA solutions that advertise they can automatically scan and define an as-is architecture should be carefully examined for how automatically they infer an as-is baseline.
  
   

• To-be scenarios: Enterprise architecture is not only about understanding the existing infrastructure (often to find cost savings in existing technologies and/or licensing models) but transition planning and management of architecture migration. Organizations must plan for systems retiring, in progress and new applications, introduction of new technologies and business processes. Scanning at best can provide the current picture of existing technology, it can't provide a picture of the existing business architecture, and won't ever be able to provide a picture of the future for change planning and management.

		Log In EA WebModeler has a comprehensive security model. An administrator assigns users to groups which have privileges. Users sign in with a login and password and are bound to their groups.
		Item Browser This browser is where you work with items, their attributes and relationships fairly directly. You begin by selecting the type you wish to work with, then the specific item. Its properties and relationships will be displayed. You can then edit that item, query any related item, view relationship details, add new relationships, create new relationships to new items, clone items, delete items or relationships or jump to the graphical browser with the currently selected item focussed. You can also refocus this browser by following links to any related items. In this way you can "walk through" the concept space.
		Master Detail Browser The Master Detail browser allows you to work with the detailed content of two related item types. Examples would be a Team and its Members; a Business Unit and its Objectives; A Platform and its System Software components. You select first the type and item of the master, then the related type of item and relationship type. When selection is complete, the master item is displayed, followed by a table of the related items. If there are info nodes between the master and related items; their details are displayed as columns on the left of the table. An example would be the Role for a Member in a Team.
		Unified Browser The Master Detail browser allows you to work with the detailed content of two related item types. Examples would be a Team and its Members; a Business Unit and its Objectives; A Platform and its System Software components. You select first the type and item of the master, then the related type of item and relationship type. When selection is complete, the master item is displayed, followed by a table of the related items. If there are info nodes between the master and related items; their details are displayed as columns on the left of the table. An example would be the Role for a Member in a Team.
		Worksheet Browser This browser is suited to viewing all items of a given type in a format similar to a spreadsheet. Items are listed as rows, with columns for properties. You can also view all relationships as columns
		Cross Reference Browser This browser allows you to build a matrix between any two types (or with the same type on both axes) where all relationships, or selected relationshps between the types, will be shown within the body of the matrix. You can also query any of the items displayed as headings on the horizontal or vertical axis. Contents of cells allow you to see relationships, info node details, and to create new relationships. The cross referencer browser provices ability to query inferred relationships. This is where two item types are related indirectly through two or more other relationships. An example: An Employee works for a Business Unit which is part of an Organization. We can infer that the Employee works for the Organization.
		Tree Browser This browser allows navigation of related items in a manner similar to the Windows Explorer. The EA WebModeler tree provides more information, as the type of each item is displayed in the tree and the relationships supported are not just containment. All relationship types can be seen and can be expanded or contracted at will. In addition, any item in the list can be queried by selecting the display attributes button. The tree can be refocussed at any time by selecting the name of the item you want to make the root (which is displayed as a hyperlink). In addition, the browser supports searching for items by providing a text query. This can be done globally, or within a designated type.
		Domain Tree Browser This browser allows navigation using a metaphor similar to the Windows Explorer™, but supporting multiple relationship types, not just hierarchies. Domains within the meta model can be expanded to relevant types, these to show items and relationships between items (hierarchy, network). Individual item properties and relationships can be shown and navigated
		Content Browser This browser provides a rapid way of viewing content in a "read only" fashion. Rapid viewing is facilitated by automatic retrieval of linked content, quick navigation to related nodes via a generated icon bar, and automatic retrieval of linked items if there is only one matching the type selected. It is the best place to view rich content such as web pages, linked documents, presentation files and the like.It is also a good place to provide guidance to practitioners if you are a methods engineer. You can do this by defining deliverables, procedures and other requirements.
		Graphical Browser This browser allows display and navigation of items and their relationships in a graphical mode. You can select the type and the item to begin with and then see either all relationship types or selected relationships. If a single relationship type is selected, the browser will recursively pursue these relationships, for example to find all children and their children within a hierarchy. Items can be queried by clicking the display attributes button next to any item in the graphical display. In addition, the browser can be refocussed to any item displayed by clicking the name as a hyperlink.
		Calendar Browser The Calendar Browser provides a convenient view for time related items, such as applications retiring, key initiative dates, projects, schedules, courses, etc. Year, month and day views are available and it is easy to switch between these. Items viewed can include all time related types (within security constraints) or selected types.
		Spatial Browser The Spatial browser provides a way of viewing information from the perspective of spatial models. These can reflect geographical maps, conceptual maps or topographical maps. A map has a background image and a variety of items mapped into its boundaries. These can represent further maps, allowing "drill down" capability; icons which will query the knowledge base for a specific type of item; or icons which represent specific items of a designated type. Other browsers may be launched from the spatial view, allowing designers to create rich interfaces to knowledge base information.
		Context Browser This browser provides a way of viewing topographical, geographical or conceptual maps as an aid to locating relevant knowledge within a context. Drill down capabilities and queries on the knowledge base are supported. Unique custom "dashboards" can be created.
		Delta Browser This browser allows easy discovery of changes to selected types within a specified time period. This can afford the user a quick update if you have been away from the knowledge base for some time, or allow easy export of relevant items to synchronise two knowledge bases.
		Composite View Browser Thus browser is a composite document editor enabling traversing the meta model and building customised document structure where you select the types, relationships and attributes that you are interested in documenting. The specification can then be saved and run at any time by selecting a start item from the repository. The output is in the form of a hyperlinked report with a table of contents.
		Ad-Hoc Report Browser A built in Report Writer allows easy generation of customised reports - either ad hoc or saved for future convenience. Reports can use filters to further customise data presented. Reports can include selected attributes and relationship data with a choice of sort sequences based on either. No coding is required.

We invite you to discover our exciting EA solution. Please complete the form below and a representative will contact you soon