Enterprise Architect http://www.sparxsystems.

com
Series: La Trobe University Practical Sessions

Practical Session 1
http://www.latrobe.edu.au

Practical Session 1:
Introduction
to
Enterprise Architect
T his document is designed to give an overview of using
Enterprise Architect for the first time. It introduces
important concepts such as the Project Browser, Toolbox,
and the Start P age, providing a practical demonstration of
how to create a data flow diagram for a library system using
Enterprise Architect.

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Series: La Trobe University Practical Sessions

Practical Session 1
http://www.latrobe.edu.au

Using Enterprise Architect (EA): Session 1

An Introduction
In this introductory session we will restrict ourselves to modelling, where possible,
without UML and focus on diagrams.
Run Enterprise Architect

The currently opened tool box is displayed on the left. The start page (or drawing
canvas when drawing a diagram ) is displayed in the centre and the Project Browser is
on the right. If the project browser is not open it can be opened by selecting Project
Browser from the View menu.
The toolbox can be changed by clicking on the More tools button and selecting the
appropriate tool box. A set of tools common to all toolboxes is also displayed. In some
cases a set of relationship tools is also displayed.
To see this select the following toolboxes --- Requirements, Activity, Data Flow
Diagrams and MindMapping.

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Series: La Trobe University Practical Sessions

Practical Session 1
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Enterprise Architect has an extensive help facility. The following shows the help
display for the Mind Mapping topic (accessed through the help index)

We need to create a project. Projects include one or more models and can be created
from the Start Page or from the File menu. Projects file names have a .eap file
extension.
Create a project called pracSession1. In the Select Model(s) window select Business
Process Model. The model folder will be displayed in the Project Browser. Enterprise
Architect supplies default templates for all models. These are shown below for a
Business Process Model.

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Enterprise Architect http://www.sparxsystems.com

Series: La Trobe University Practical Sessions

Practical Session 1
http://www.latrobe.edu.au

You can either build your models using these templates or structure them according to
your own needs.
You can delete any template elements by highlighting the element, right clicking and
selecting delete from the menu.
Remember that if a particular element has `children, they too will be deleted.
The icons identify the type of element or diagram. Double click on the analysis
diagram, Business Process Model. The diagram will be displayed as shown below.

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Series: La Trobe University Practical Sessions

Practical Session 1
http://www.latrobe.edu.au

Several diagrams can be opened at a time and they can be accessed via the tabs.
Diagrams can be closed by closing down the diagram window.
Diagrams can also be linked through the directory structure. From the Business
Process Model, you can access the Business Context analysis diagram by double
clicking on the Business Context Package in the Business Process Model diagram.
The Business Context analysis diagram is opened because it is the first element under
Business Context Folder in the directory structure.
The other diagrams in the model template can be accessed in a similar way.
You can also access any element in the model by double clicking on it in the project
browser. If it is a diagram it will be displayed whereas for an Element or Package, a
properties window will open.
Try this out by double clicking on the model element <<document>> Mission
Statement in the Strategies folder.
In general the properties window of any model element can be opened by selecting
(single left click) the element in a diagram, right clicking and selecting properties
from the menu.
Try this out on some of the elements in the Business Process Model analysis diagram.

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Series: La Trobe University Practical Sessions

Practical Session 1
http://www.latrobe.edu.au

Enterprise Architect allows you to set auto numbering for model elements. This is
accessed through the Settings menu, followed by Auto Name Counter.

In the above I have set a prefix FE and a starting counter 001 for the model element
feature. As features are created the counter is incremented. You may find this useful in
subsequent sessions for model elements you wish to identify numerically.
Now we will add a diagram to the model.
We will add a very simple data flow diagram illustrating some processing in a simple
library system i.e.
memberID +
book#

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Practical Session 1

Series: La Trobe University Practical Sessions

Member

1.
borrow
book

http://www.latrobe.edu.au

loan details

overdue notice
loans
2.
generate
overdue
notice
overdue details

We will put the diagram in the Business Work Flows folder

In the Project Browser highlight the Business Work Flows folder, right click and select
add from the menu. Then select add diagram and from the New Diagram window
select Data Flow Diagram and name it Library DFD

Notice that diagram now appears in the Project Browser and a blank drawing canvas

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Enterprise Architect http://www.sparxsystems.com

Series: La Trobe University Practical Sessions

Practical Session 1
http://www.latrobe.edu.au

is available for use. Also notice that the diagram type is logical diagram.
Ensure that the Data Flow Diagrams toolbox is open.
Create the four elements (the two processes, the external entity and the data store) by
selecting the appropriate tool in the tool box and clicking on the drawing canvas.
Name them through the properties window.
Note that these appear as model elements in the project browser.

Now create the data flows in the same way. Select the data flow tool in the toolbox,
then select the appropriate element as the source and drag the mouse to the target
element.
They are labeled through the dependencies properties window. To access this select
the data flow, right click and select dependencies properties.
Also notice that you select an appropriate line style for the data flow from the
dependencies properties window or by selecting the data flow, right clicking and
selecting line styles from the menu.
Also note that subtle changes can made to the connectors (in this case data flows) by

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Series: La Trobe University Practical Sessions

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http://www.latrobe.edu.au

accessing the Tidy Line Angles menu selection.

Now add a note to the diagram, explaining what it is. A note is one of the common
tools available with all toolkits.

Let us take the example one step further and draw the context diagram i.e.

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memberID + book#

Member

The Library
overdue notice

Call it Library Context and create under the Business Workflows folder.
Remember you have created the model element, Member, through the data flow
diagram, so all you need to do is to add it to the Context Diagram.
To do this, highlight the element in the project browser and drag it to the drawing
canvas. In the paste element window indicate that you wish it to be a simple link.
Now we would like to link the two diagrams to indicate that Library DFD is a
detailed explanation of Library Context. One way to do this is by making the process,
The Library, composite so that Library DFD can be accessed through it.
To do this, select The Library, right click and select advanced. Then select make
composite. The composite icon () will now appear.
Now double click on The Library.
The underlying diagram for The Library is now displayed. Highlight Library DFD in
the project browser and drag it to drawing canvas. From the Select Type window
select Drop Diagram as Diagram Frame.
Notice two new elements have appeared in the project browser under <<process>>
The Library. One is the activity diagram The Library and the other is the
UMLDiagram Library DFD.

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Series: La Trobe University Practical Sessions

La Trobe University 2009

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Page 11