Prev Next

Using Enterprise Architect Elements

Creating an instance from a Class

UPDM has Classifier/Instance pairs where the classifier describes a class of elements and the instance represents a single member of that class. The Classifier/Instance pairs in UPDM are:

  • MeasurementSet/ActualMeasurementSet
  • Organization/ActualOrganization
  • Person/ActualPerson
  • Post/ActualPost
  • Project/ActualProject
  • ProjectMilestoneType/ActualProjectMilestone
  • CapabilityConfiguration/FieldedCapability

If you have an element that is the classifier part of one of the above Classifier/Instance pairs, you can choose between two main approaches for creating the instance:

  1. Set the classifier of an existing instance - Click on the instance element in a diagram and then either press Ctrl+L or right-click and select 'Advanced | Instance Classifier'; the same command sets the type of a Port or Part.
  2. Create an instance from an existing classifier - Press Ctrl while dragging the classifier element from the Project Browser onto a diagram. The 'Paste Element' dialog displays; select the 'Paste as Instance of Element' option. An anonymous instance is created with the appropriate stereotype; select the instance, press F2 and give it a name.

Set the run state of an object

Where a classifier can own a set of attributes, an instance of that classifier can own a slot for each attribute. The set of assigned values for these slots is known as the run state. To set the run state of an object on a diagram, right-click on it and select 'Features & Properties | Set Run State' or press Ctrl+Shift+R.

Some stereotypes are defined by UPDM as extending the Slot metaclass. Each run state attribute represents a Slot, but it is not possible to stereotype Slots in Enterprise Architect, so UPDM's slot-extending stereotypes are not available in Enterprise Architect's implementation. UPDM stereotypes that extend Slot are:

  • ActualMeasurement (ActualMeasurementSet)
  • ActualOrganizationRole (ActualOrganization)
  • MeasureOfPerformance (ActualMeasurementSet)
  • ProjectStatus (ActualProjectMilestone)

Properties

Some stereotypes in UPDM are defined as extending the UML Property metaclass. This gives you the choice of a number of different representations for these elements in your model. If you drag one of the properties from the Toolbox onto a classifier element on a diagram, you are prompted to select to create an attribute, a Part, or a Port. These are all different representation of the UML Property metaclass; which one you choose depends on what rendering of the Property you want to see in your model.

Another representation of the UML Property metaclass is the Association End; to apply one of UPDM's Property stereotypes to an Association End:

  1. Double-click on the element to display the 'Properties' dialog.
  2. Select the 'Roles' tab.
  3. Click on the button next to the appropriate 'Stereotype' field.
  4. On the 'Stereotype for Association' dialog, select 'UPDM' from the 'Profile' field.
  5. Select every stereotype that applies.

Stereotypes that extend Property are:

  • ConceptRole
  • EntityAttribute
  • EnvironmentProperty
  • Equipment
  • HostedSoftware
  • HumanResource
  • KnownResource
  • Measurement
  • NodeRole
  • Part
  • PerformanceParameter
  • Platform
  • PostRole
  • ProblemDomain
  • ProjectTheme
  • ProtocolLayer
  • ResourceComponent
  • ServiceAttribute
  • StructuralPart
  • SubOrganization
  • SubSystemPart
  • TemporalPart
  • UsedConfiguration