The ArchiMate® import allows you to input ArchiMate® model elements from XML files. You can subsequently process the imported elements using a separate plug-in.
Adopting ArchiMate® Model Elements from Other Tools
What Can You Import?
The ArchiMate® import provides a means of adopting ArchiMate® model elements from other tools. Naturally, you can also import ArchiMate® model elements that were exported from Innovator.
You can import files in the "ArchiMate Model Exchange" format that contain data in accordance with ArchiMate® 3.0, 3.1 or 3.2.
Multi-language import is supported. Elements which have multiple values for the name due to differing language attributes are provided with the respective display language if these are set in the model. This also applies for names of stereotype properties if these are entered in the customization profile.
Import Supports
There are two methods to help with import:
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Import Wizard
Import the ArchiMate files with default settings.
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Your Own Import Configurations
Import ArchiMate files with settings which you have set up, tested and stored so that they can be reused in the application configurations.
Import Variations
There are two import variations:
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Using the Innovator Model Template Folder Structure
Export your model without folder structure (organization) from the source application to the ArchiMate file.
Carry out the import in the system model. The elements are then automatically distributed among the packages according to type and all diagrams are sent to the "Views" package.
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Using Your Own Folder Structure
Export your model with folder structure (organization) from the source application to the ArchiMate file.
Use a system model that does not distribute elements using create defaults. To do this, either change the Innovator template structure or create a new system model. Import the "Enterprise Architecture Modeling Customization" and "Enterprise Architecture Documentation" profiles.
Import into this system model or in a model or package below it. Where necessary, in the import wizard select the option Create New Package.
The folder structure is then copied from the initial model and the elements are then where you would expect to find them.
Preparing the Innovator Model
It is advisable to make some preparations to the Innovator model in order to achieve a good import result.
If the node labels are not within the nodes in the starting tool, then select the "Icons only" display for concept nodes for all ArchiMate diagrams. The nodes are then approximately as large as the original, as the names will not increase the size of the nodes. Containers are not affected.
If the node labels are in the node, then you can set the width and height of the node in the diagram's display options so that the name does not get split if it is too long and the node does not get too big.
Select View>Colors>Custom Colors to see the colors from the exporting tool.
The same model language as the starting tool must also be set in Innovator. Only the language and not the region is taken into consideration, e.g. "en" (English) also works for "en_us" and "en_gb".
Description texts, names and values can, however, be imported in multiple languages if an element has multiple nodes, each with a different language attribute. The foreign language texts are then created as translations. The prerequisite for this is that the respective language is available as a display language in the model and that, through one of their roles, the user has the Translate Model Elements privilege.
Extensions, Name Similarity and Distributed Export
If you use an extension in the starting model, then you need to create the appropriate stereotypes as an inheritance of ArchiMate stereotypes. To do this, create your own profile which imports "Enterprise Architecture Modeling" which then imports from "Enterprise Architecture Modeling Customization". Please also take into consideration the icons that you add to Innovator as described under "Using Your Own Icons". If the extension is not available, then the elements are assigned the general stereotype and its icon.
Restriction
Please note that Innovator cannot display overlapping nodes. Any small overlapping nodes are adopted in the larger containers upon import. Nodes in the containers always have the container as logical owner in Innovator.
Concepts that already exist by name are recognized within the namespace. They are not replaced by the element from the file. Relationships that already exist are also recognized. Only diagrams are additionally created with a unique name.
If your starting model allows elements with the same name of the same type which can only be differentiated between using their properties:
- For import variation A, the names are made unique if both elements originate from the same file. The changes are logged so that you know where postprocessing must be carried out.
- For import variation B, you need to set the unique name of the affected stereotypes or the "Concept" root stereotype to "in the package" in the Properties dialog in the configuration ("Enterprise Architecture Modeling Customization" profile).
Restriction
Please make sure that you have set the viewpoint property to a suitable value for all diagrams before exporting into another model; this is done to ensure the diagrams have the right type in Innovator. Diagrams will be created as "ArchiMate diagrams" without the viewpoint property.
You can distribute your export to multiple files if e.g. your tool only allows single diagram export.
You can import multiple files which belong to each other by selecting multiple files in the wizard. You can also import files one after another; the elements which they share will be recognized.
Graphical Adjustments
If the files to be imported were created with a different tool, then the layout of the diagrams may not be satisfactory. You have several options for influencing the layout in the Diagram Nodes expander:
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You can use the Node Display to set whether the node names are located inside or outside the node. Long names can lead to unwanted stretching with As node.
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The "Container" element can be used differently by different tools. In Innovator, it can become either a frame or a grouping.
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You can use scaling to compensate for stretched containers, shifts and distorted edge paths if the node sizes in the file are smaller than the minimum size in the Innovator diagram. The minimum size is 80x60 pixels for the Node Display.
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The minimum size for the container display can be advantageous with the Node Display set to As icon in order to keep large boxes as boxes.
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Nested concepts should have a relationship to the container. If these relationships are completely or partially missing in the file, then you can select a relationship type to add the missing relationships.
Using Your Own Stereotypes
If you use an extended configuration with specializations and do not want to map the imported elements to the stereotypes whose names match those from the specification, then the correct types are recognized if the file was exported from Innovator. If the file originates from a different tool, then you can define your own mappings in the configuration. You can select a stereotype from your configuration for each ArchiMate type.
Setting Up Automatic Post-Processing when Importing from Foreign Tools
You can automatically start your own post-processing upon successful import from a foreign tool. You require your own plug-in for this which handles the imported elements with your individual code.
Add a project reference for the ArchiMate plug-in the project file for this:
<ProjectReference Include="..\Archimate\Plugins.Archimate.csproj"> <Private>false</Private> </ProjectReference>
You also require <Reference Include> for
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MID.Innovator.Util
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MID.Innovator.API
In your plug-in's component file, register an event in the IApplicationComponent.RequestHandler in the RequestType.OpenModel:
ArchimateFactory.PostImport += PostImport;
In the PostImport event handler, you then receive the imported elements. You can run any code in these elements which is contained in your plug-in.
Post-processing is automatically carried out by the ArchiMate Import wizard.
Importing ArchiMate® Model Elements from an ArchiMate® XML File
Prerequisites
You can only import model elements that the ArchiMate® standard defines.
It is also possible to use your own types for ArchiMate elements; these expand on the ArchiMate standard through inheriting valid element types (stereotypes in Innovator) as long as the type determined for export is a valid ArchiMate type.
The files must comply with the "ArchiMate Model Exchange" XML schema definition.
To import ArchiMate® data, you must have a role with access rights to the importing model and require an active role with execution rights for creating concepts. To be able to automatically create missing stereotype properties, through one of your possible roles or a model administrator rule you must have the Configure privilege as well as access rights to the "Enterprise Architecture Modeling Customization" profile.
How to Proceed
You import ArchiMate® model elements from XML files that you have exported from Innovator or other tools.
It only makes sense to select existing structure elements as the import target; this is due to the prerequisites necessary for a successful import:
- The system model which originated from the model template (see import variation A above)
- A system model that was created and configured before the import or a (sub)model below (see import variation B above)
The import in a (sub)model created using a wizard can only produce a desirable result if it inherits the content configuration and is not excluded as target by the create defaults.
The wizard help will show you in detail how to proceed.
Validation
The selected files are validated by default before import. You can skip validation as this may take some time. Any errors will then be shown in the results dialog after import.
If you carry out the validation, then a message appears for each file containing validation errors. You can decide whether you wish to skip the respective file, import it anyway or abort the entire import.
The type of error can vary greatly, so it is not possible to say that you should never import files containing errors. It may still be possible to get good import results from such files. You must decide whether this is possible for each individual file.
Creating Missing Properties
There are properties which do not already exist in the Innovator model, particularly when importing the first file from a different tool. These can be automatically created upon import.
There are three abstract stereotypes in the "Enterprise Architecture Modeling Customization" profile at which the import can create stereotype properties for concepts, concept diagrams and concept connections.
One of your roles must have the access right to be able to lock the profile to be able to do this. A model administrator rule also works.
You can select in the wizard that you want all string value properties with value lists to be created. Then all values with the same property that are already assigned to other elements will be available for the element at a later stage. This makes it much easier to e.g. replace a name from a selection.
If you use this automatic configuring, then the Undo (Ctrl+Z) command is not available after import because configuration changes delete the buffer.
As an alternative to strings with list properties, enumerations, which must be displayed as strings in the Model Exchange File Format, can be reconverted to enumeration types by importing them into Innovator. To do so, create a stereotype property of the Enumeration type on the "Custom Property Set" ArchiMate concept stereotype in the Customization profile. Both the stereotype property and its values must match the expected values from the file in the logical name.
Once the import has completed, the missing properties will be shown in the results dialog; marked either as created or missing.
What to Note After Import
Please take note of the messages in the Details expander in the results dialog, and use the opportunity to transfer the imported elements into the result region.
Check the messages to see whether changes are required in the model or in the exporting tool.
After import, open the diagrams one after another and check the layout. The import tries to replicate the original depiction where ever possible. It may be necessary to carry out some small form of post-processing. It may take a long time to make any changes necessary to the interface layout. It is only possible to delete the imported diagrams and reimport the file once the change has been made. This then only updates the diagrams.
If you are not happy with the result, then try the command Undo (Ctrl+Z). If this is not available, then you can delete the elements in the Result region.
You can find created stereotype properties in the configuration (see above). However, you can reuse them for the next import attempt; the Undo (Ctrl+Z) command is then also available.
Related Topics
Further Information
