Enterprise Architecture with PowerDesigner

DODAF 2.0 is Final

2009-12-14T15:31:00.000-08:00

Well, I am a bit slow... i admit it.

DODAF 2.0 was released this summer, and i have yet to read it thoroughly, but it appears that is heavily Data related, rather than system.

Thank GOD, some sanity!

We care about where the information is flowing, not the pretty structures.

anyhow, I am going to start a little expose here on dodaf 2.0 over the next couple of weeks, seems like a great christmas activity :)

let me know if you have any thoughts on 2.0 yet.

Showing a Dependent Data Item in a BPM to CDM

2009-11-30T07:33:00.000-08:00

In my last post, I was looking at how to link a Business Process Model to the data that it will use. In the screen shot here, I am showing that the BPM defined a Data Item called Order. This data item has been Exported with PowerDesigner to the Conceptual Data Model. The concept of Order can now be fulfulled within the CDM as an Order Entity which will become the logical Order Item and finally a Table called Order in the Physical Data Model.

Hope this screen shot is accurate enough of the view... it is hard to show these things in one screen shot. Will get a screen shot of the export process when there is a collision of an existing CDM next. Until then...

Using Export Data to Link a BPM to CDM

2009-10-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

While working a process definition, I started creating a number of data entities to support the processes. Once the initial three diagrams were created, there were about 15-20 data items that now needed some better definition. So, who do you go about this in PowerDesigner?

The process can go in two directions, which I keep forgetting.
The first is to open the conceptual data model (CDM), then open the business process model (BPM). while the BPM is the active model in view, use the Tools menu and select 'Import Data'. This will allow the BPM to grab all the Data Entities and generate the Data objects in the BPM that are assigned to processes or flows.
The second way, as I did, is to create the BPM with a set of data in it. This will then allow you to 'Generate Conceptual Model', which will reuse the data objects that were just created.

Anyway, why do you want to do this?
So that the DBA's know what processes the databases are supporting for one. In PowerDesigner, this also leads you to the O/R mapping between the physical data model and the application, or OOM, model.

will get some screenies on these two options later this week.

EA Gov by 1105

2009-09-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

Long Hiatus :) I love the summer...

Anyway, i got invited to speak at EA Gov in DC last week. This was a really good conference for both a speaker and attendee. The session i was a panelist on had good questions and all the panelists did a good job answering. There was one speaker, from DOD, that was way too hyper... David Wennergren or something like that. Sad part about him, really positive, no substance. There were two questions that were asked that need better answers from someone at his level.
1. How do I obtain higher level stakeholder involvement in my agency?
He did not even entertain us with an example of success or challenge he experienced.
... arg, cant remember the other one.. tired today, sorry about that.

the session i got the most out of was on the first day.
Session 3-1: Agency Implementation of the FSAM
Really good session on the basics of what FSAM has done for you... The one part of the discussion i liked the most was generated from the question:
Why isnt FSAM a policy rather than a guideline?
The basic answer was that FSAM will be modified as needed for each agency, but not all of it. So how do you write policy that requires part, but not all of something? In the end, it just would not work, and I agree.

I Hope to get back to posting regularly now that my workload is normal. until next time.

TOGAF is too huge...

2009-05-22T06:44:00.000-07:00

While I have been working with these frameworks, a colleague of mine has been educating us in other areas that we need to incorporate. TOGAF has been our focus for the past few weeks now, and I must say... IT IS HUGE!

In our efforts to understand it, without training mind you, I stumled across PEAF. This reduced concept of TOGAF was a great help in my comprehension. In the end, our team has been attempting to create a usable EA Process that is repeatable, and we have just not been able to accomplish this. Everyone wants to do it their way, and therefore change the framework in one way or another.

Will post on this further, and get some screen shots of TOGAF in PowerDesigner next week.

later

Metadata Capture in DoDAF

2009-04-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

My last post showed my initial implementation of the DODAF in the PowerDesigner framework. This post will look at how i collected in the information within the process to create the OV3 matrix report.

There were three steps to collect the content. The first was generating the OV2 model as the starting the point. Once this model is created with some of the operational nodes defined, there is an opportunity to add a meta model extension to collect additional information that can be leveraged to automatically generate the OV3 report. Here is the metadata extension that I started for OV2.

This extension process was covered in a previous post here, so to do this, look in the archive. As for the report, PowerDesigner creates list reports through the use of a wizard, so if all the information you need has been collected, spitting it out is a basic task. here is the final report that i generated in HTML format, for review online by our COTR.

Hope this helps, until next time.

DoD AF in PowerDesigner

2009-04-15T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

wanted to share some of the views of my implementation of DoD AF in Powerdesigner 15. I will follow this up with a discussion about how I did some of this and where the repetitive work is... versus the choice areas.

So, here is the framework matrix
Each of these cells has actions associated to them that help me force a methodology into the tool. For my example, i used the standard Staged Approach, so the flow looks like this:

As you can see, the path to complete the architecture is well defined in this approach, so there are actions in the framework that are ONLY ALLOWED to integrate with previous cell information. The best example of this is the generation of Matrices, like SV3 from SV2.

This image is showing the definition of an Action in the SV9 cell, that will generate an Object Oriented Model (UML to the rest of the world, not sure why PD does that) from an existing OOM.
These actions help me to scope what I allow architects to accomplish in each cell... GOVERNANCE :) i love it.

anyhow, let me know what you think, the next post will be about some of the martices and metadata i injected into this process to gather all of the information that i needed to complete this system description.

DoDAF Framework Completeness

2009-03-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

This project I have been working on has led me to believe that the Department of Defense Architecture Framework is mostly a waste of time... The majority of the products in it are redundant and useless in the larger scheme of things since the re-use of what i create is minimal. There is always the long term maintenance aspects of the system to keep in mind, but will anyone actually read an Operational Activty to System Function Traceability Matrix?

If there is anyone out there that has leveraged someone else's Matrix, please speak up. I was able to review another developers matrix, just for sharing purposes to compare work effort, and there is no way i could re-use any of their information to assist me, it was too system specific to be of an assistance.

anyhow, enough for today.
cheers

Adding Metadata for Reporting

2008-11-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

Metadata and Modeling. These seem to be two topics that are intertwined today. Modeling used to be just about a pretty picture that i could talk the business people into authorizing a project plan. Today, most architects are trying to impact how developers are creating applications while verifying the inputs from the business are correct.

In that vein, there are also some additional needs for the architect and IT in general, so let me cover a simple extension/collection metadata example.

The information architecture that I was working with in PowerDesigner was very complete, and we used PD to update our scripts and generate new database objects, like tables, procs and indices. The customer i was helping in this area had a new requirement to track some compliance information on what data they are storing. For an architect with 3000 entities and over 400 tables, this was a daunting request.

So, with PowerDesigner, we can extend the meta model of the Table object to collect additional information. Here is a pic showing the extended model definition and the addition of some compliance attributes.

This picture also shows the creation of a new Tab in the Table properties sheet in PowerDesigner. Now this is the cool part. I can change the user interface in PowerDesigner to allow for this collection directly in the tool.

anyhow, will come back to this, running out of time today.

How do I use Enterprise Architecture?

2008-10-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

I have been realizing that Enterprise Architecture is starting to turn into the next misused IT term, rather than a catalyst for change... This blog is focused on EA and PowerDesigner, true, but i wanted to keep this in perspective that we are also trying to help our business to be successful. so in that context, i wanted to show a sample EA diagram.

This Application architecture diagram was grabbed from the PD15 beta that ended last month. Anyhow, you can see how Enterprise Architecture is bringing together Application Architecture, like UML, with more traditional Process Modeling, like BPMN. pretty cool huh?

WWWWWEEEELLLLL, what is this diagram going to HELP me with? i mean really? can i use to answer some questions?

You bet.
If Application A goes down, what business functions are affected?
What areas does Application A leverage to accomplish its job? What parts of this infrastructure can go down without interupting service?
Does a specific site or location depend on any applications functioning to be successful on daily basis?

There are lots of answers in this diagram to those questions. Maybe not complete answers visually, but there is metadata behind each image on this canvas, unlike Visio :)

Anyhow, lets look at Meta data next week, until then.

Enterprise Architecture Seminar

2008-10-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

Hi All

wanted to let everyone know about the Sybase Roadshow on Enterprise Architecture that is coming soon to a city near you.

http://response.sybase.com/forms/nao08octeventpdroadshow?mc=blog

Head to this link to see the city list and register. Seems to have more education and information in it than most roadshows.

enjoy!

PowerBars are all gone... :(

2008-09-11T07:01:00.000-07:00

Such a sad day... While at Techwave 2008 this year, they had a snack station with PowerBars! I snagged a few each day, so a nice stockpile by the end of the week. WELL, today i ate my LAST ONE! eek!

On the Techwave note, I had a great time there this year, even got to speak in the PowerDesigner Plenary!

Davidi Dichman discussed the Enterprise Architecture focus that PD is taking for the 15 release and Matt Creason Demo'd it. Looks pretty solid and should help me keep using PowerDesigner in a more business aligned way.

My DoDAF project is closed now, so I am starting to look for the next project, which is most like supporting a VA initiative our Professional Services is starting and will need a FEAF outline for support. Sounds like agonizing pain, or fun :).

Anyone know a good overview of FEAF, let me know, cause i need to create it in PowerDesigner.

Composite Diagrams...

2008-08-29T07:31:00.001-07:00

So this is a more academic discussion today...

I am used to Physical Data models or Logical Data models which are pretty rudimentary. Are these composites? In a diagram sense, Yes.

What does that mean? They combine a list of information:
classes, entities, attributes, columns, tables, etc...
whatever terminology you use in your modeling tool. These lists are then organized into visual representations, which become composites. So why am I talking about this...

The basics lists that are created are VERY important, and I see architects forgetting that all the time. They will use two diagrams and create the SAME attributes over again, rather than using the shared or copied attribute from a base list. Now their new diagram is going to differ from the other one since they can change the Definition of the new attribute without having some basic understanding of how that information, or object, should be bounded... UGH>

anyway, will chat on this more later and maybe get a few screenies for the post.

Our use of a Framework really needed some Guidance from a Methodology

2008-08-11T10:13:00.001-07:00

While i have been in software programming for years, there has never been a real well stated framework that i have had to follow down at the implementation level. How many other programmers are like that? Code and Fix is what i ahve been doing for two decades now...

In the last three years I have started managing more than programming, and leading out some of the PowerDesigner initiatives has really opened my eyes to a different world.

Who knows what a framework is?
*programmer responds*Something to waste my time.
*project lead responds*Something to make my programmers document what they are doing.
*IT Director responds*A Tool for structuring deliverables that helps me show the business we are accomplishing their requests.
*Business user responds*A set of documents I can help IT create that lets me help inform them of what I want to help with my job.
*Executive Leader responds*This is going to cost a lot of money, so there better be some ROI.

In the end, a framework, like Zachman, or DoDAF, is a list of artifacts that a team has to produce in the efforts to create a new software system. If that team completes all of the documentation, models and spreadsheets, the system will be far easier to create and maintain. Now that I have experienced this from a Department of Defense Architecture Framework perspective, I know this is only partially true. Fulfilling the proper artifacts is the key. As the architect on this latest project, there were over 20 models that needed to be created. What i found was a huge redundancy between models, so the majority of them will never be used. So why did I complete them? To be compliant with the Government requriment that we completed all artifacts for DoDAF and a computere system for message handling. Oh well, we are paid by the hour times the weight of paper used...

So, why did our framework implementation produce a bunch of extra stuff... Because DoDAF is an implementation framework with very little guidance on exactly what i needed to methodically produce a required result. Methodology is a key ingredient to how we act on a framework. The really sad part is that most methodology's do not encompass a software development life cycle. In our project, we found that the programmers were steaming ahead full tilt while we were reverse engineering their classes and database with team meetings to create process maps. What a waste of time. If we had spent the first few weeks creating the process flows, data flows, application architectures, physical database diagrams, etc... this project would have take a two, maybe three months, rather than six months. Is this a result of hourly based consulting? I am starting to wonder...

hopefully this little chat is worth reading...

Design and Software Architecture

2008-08-11T09:57:00.001-07:00

I wanted to start putting some of my thoughts together around designing software and using architecture to do that.

This blog will hopefully allow me to do this, so keep checking back for what i come up with.

Cheers
Jeff