SmartConnectArchiMateHelp en

SmartConnectArchiMate is an extension developed by ArchiXL for importing, displaying, and exporting ArchiMate models. ArchiMate is an Open Group standard for modelling enterprise architectures. For more information about ArchiMate please refer to the Open Group web site.


Contents of this page:


Browsing ArchiMate models

To select an ArchiMate model for browsing, navigate to the overview page DisplayArchiMateModels. That page displays an overview of all imported models, containing a summary of the number of elements, relationships, and views; metadata; and additional documentation if available from the import file.


Click on the name of an ArchiMate model to navigate to the details page of the model. You will see the metadata and documentation of the model. Below this summary, in three columns, elements, relationships, and views are listed. Elements are grouped by type and by architecture layer, relationships are grouped by type. Views are listed individually. If the model contains a large number of views, not all will be listed. There will be a link to list all views on a separate page.

In case your modelling tool uses a folder structure in its repository, and if you have included that folder structure in the import, then this folder structure is listed below the ArchiMate relationships column.


From the model details page, Click on one of the categories of ArchiMate elements (for example BusinessActors) to navigate to an overview of alle elements of the selected category. If the cetagory contains a large number of elements, not all will be listed but there will be a link to browse the full list.


From the model details page, Click on one of the categories of ArchiMate relationships (for example AccessRelationships) to navigate to an overview of alle relationships of the selected category. If the cetagory contains a large number of relationships, not all will be listed but there will be a link to browse the full list.


Whenever the name of an element is displayed, you may click it to navigate to the element details page for that element. That page will display all properties for that element, including in which views it is used and which relationships exist that have the element either as source or as target. Below this table, a context diagram is shown. This diagram displays the element, surrounded by all other elements with which it has a relationship.


Whenever the name of a relationship is displayed, you may click it to navigate to the relationship details page for that relationship. That page will display all properties for that relationship, including in which views it is used. Below this table, a graphical representation of the relationship is shown.


For some categories of ArchiMate elements and relationships, advanced analyses may be available. For elements and relationships in those categories, on the details page there will be a separate displaybox listing the available analyses. Click an item in the list to perform the corresponding analysis. The results will be displayed on a separate page, either as a list, a table, or a diagram depending on the type of analysis. Next to the results there will be an explanation of what the analysis represents ans how it can be used.


From the model details page, click a view to navigate to the view details page for that view. The view details page will display the view diagram, with below that lists of all ArchiMate elements and relationships used in the view. Click on an ArchiMate element or relationship in the list to navigate to the element or relationship details page.


View diagrams are constructed as a scalable vector graphics object (SVG), and are cached as files on the server. Views containing many elements and relationships may take a few seconds to construct initially, but will be available from the cache for subsequent page views. The cache file will be automatically refreshed when the data used for the view is changed. The view details page provides a link to display the view in 'full size in a separate window. From here, you can also download the diagram as an SVG file.


View diagrams contain shapes (representing ArchiMate elements or groups) and connection lines (representing ArchiMate relationships). If you want to display or edit the technical details (such as colour of font size) of these viewnodes and viewconnections, click the link technical details directly below the view diagram. The technical details page will display the view diagram, with below that lists of all viewnodes (shapes) and viewconnections (lines) used in the diagram. Click on an item in the list to navigate to the details page for that viewnode or viewconnection.


From the model details page, click on a treeview to navigate to the treeview page that will display a navigable treeview.


At the top of each page a breadcrumbs trail (more accurate: a hierarchy trail) is displayed, indicating where in the hierarchy of the ArchiMate model the current page is located. The items in the breadcrumbs trail are clickable. You may use this to quickly navigate through the model.


Importing ArchiMate models

To import an ArchiMate model, navigate to the Special:SmartConnectArchiMate page and click "Import ArchiMate model". Fill out the input fields as appropriate and then click "Import" to perform the import. The import file will be uploaded and scanned. A summary will be displayed. The actual import, resulting in creating and updating wiki pages, may take considerable time depending on the size of the ArchiMate model. It will therefore be performed in the background. During this process, you may monitor progress on the overview of changes at Special:RecentChanges. Additionally, you can request to be notified via email when the import has completed.


Below is an explanation of the input fields on the import form.


Select file to import

Click the button to select the import file on your computer. The file should have an extension .xml, and must conform to the specifications of the Open Group ArchiMate Exchange Format. To create such a file, use the corresponding export function from your architecture modelling tool (e.g. Archi).


Preferred language

Use this option to select a preferred language for naming the imported pages. This is relevant if objects in your ArchiMate model have labels in specific languages. By default, pages are named using the languagespecific label that corresponds with the default language setting of your wiki (which is "nl"), but you can choose to use a different language. If you don't want to deviate, keep this setting at 'No preference'.


Include ArchiMate treeview in import

Use this option to include into the import the folder structure according to which ArchiMate elements and relationships are organised in your modelling tool. This will only work if the folder structure was included in the export from your modelling tool. This option is deselected by default, because you do not need the folder structure to navigate ArchiMate models in SmartConnectArchiMate. However, it may be useful for e.g. re-exporting the ArchiMate model or to use a custom folder structure in the wiki. Note that including the folder structure will result in longer import times.


Create custom properties

Use this option to autocreate property pages for custom properties in the ArchiMate model. These custom properties are the user-defined properties that some modelling tools allow to use. The values assigned to these custom properties are always included in the import, but with this option the custom properties are not only used but also defined (with their intended data type)in the wiki. This is important if you wish to use these properties for e.g. creating semantic queries. Deselect this option if you do not want this.
Note: This option is not yet available.


Replace pages completely

Use this option to completely replace pages that will be updated as a result of the import process. In SmartConnectArchiMate you can enrich imported pages manually with additional data and documentation. With this option you can decide whether this additional information should be retained or deleted during re-import. Select this option to replace a page completely. Note: all additional information will be lost (but can be found in the revision history of the page).


Import mode

Use this option to indicate what should be done with previously imported versions of the ArchiMate model. Select one of the following:

  • Incremental
    If you select this option, all objects in the import file will be imported. Corresponding objects from previous imports will be updated and new objects will be added. Objects from previous imports that are no longer present in the new import file, will not be deleted from the wiki en remain present in the wiki. You may use this to perform incremental imports (i.e add objects to an existing model in the wiki). This can be practical for very large models. Disadvantage of this option is that objects that have been intentionally removed from a model will not be removed from the wiki.
  • Full
    If you select this option, all objects in the import file will be imported. Corresponding objects from previous imports will be updated, new objects will be added, and objects from previous imports of the model that are no longer present in the new import file, will be deleted from the wiki. You may use this option to achieve full synchronisation of an ArchiMate model. This is the recommended (and default) mode for normal usage.


Send email notification after completion

Use this option to have an email notification sent after completion of the import job. This option is particularly useful when importing ArchiMate models with a large number of objects, for which the processing can take considerable time. Note: This option is only available if you have entered and confirmed an email address in your user Special:Preferences.


Exporting ArchiMate models

To export an ArchiMate model, navigate to the Special:SmartConnectArchiMate page and click "Export ArchiMate model". Fill out the input fields as appropriate and then click "Export" to perform the export of the selected model to an ArchiMate file. The actual export may take considerable time depending on the size of the ArchiMate model. It will therefore be performed in the background. After completion you will be notified via email. The email will contain a hyperlink to download the export file. Note: export files will be retained on the server for a limited time of 72 hours.


Below is an explanation of the input fields on the export form.


Select an ArchiMate model

Select the ArchiMate model that you want to export in the dropdown list.


Send email notification after completion

Use this option to have an email notification sent after completion of the export job. This option is mandatory, since the email notification will provide the download link for the export file. Note: If you don't have a confirmed an email address in your user Special:Preferences, you cannot use the export function.


Deleting ArchiMate models

To delete an ArchiMate model, navigate to the Special:SmartConnectArchiMate page and click "Delete ArchiMate model". Fill out the input fields as appropriate and then click "Delete" to perform the deletion of the selected model. The actual deletion may take considerable time depending on the size of the ArchiMate model. It will therefore be performed in the background. During this process, you may monitor progress on the overview of changes at Special:RecentChanges. Additionally, you can request to be notified via email when the deletion has completed.


Below is an explanation of the input fields on the delete form.


Select an ArchiMate model

Select the ArchiMate model that you want to delete in the dropdown list. Note: Once you click the "Delete" button, all pages from the selected ArchiMate model will be deleted without further notice.


Send email notification after completion

Use this option to have an email notification sent after completion of the delete job. This option is particularly useful when deleting ArchiMate models with a large number of objects, for which the processing can take considerable time. Note: This option is only available if you have entered and confirmed an email address in your user Special:Preferences.


Using ArchiMate views throughout the wiki

Displaying a view on another wiki page

You can reuse imported ArchiMate views on other wiki pages by using the template Template:DisplayArchiMateDiagram.

When invoking this template:

  • Feed parameter page with the page title (=the last part in the url bar in your browser) of the view (or context diagram) that you want to display. You may use the semantic title of the view here.
  • Optionally feed parameter maxwidth with the maximum width the diagram is allowed to have on the screen, in pixels. If you omit this parameter, the width is automatically determined.
  • Optionally feed parameter nolinks with value 'true' if you don't want the objects in the diagram to be clickable. If you omit this parameter, objects will be clickable and you can use this feature to navigate from the diagram to the objects.
  • Optionally feed parameter customproperty with the name of a custom property that should be used for coloring the elements in the diagram.
  • Optionally feed parameter nopanel with value 'true' if you want to suppress the legend panel on the righthand side of the diagram.


Displaying a download link to a view on another wiki page

If instead of displaying an ArchiMate view diagram you want to display a link to an ArchiMate view, you can use the template Template:DisplayArchiMateDiagramUrl.

When invoking this template:

  • Feed parameter page with the page title (=the last part in the url bar in your browser) of the view (or context diagram) that you want to display a link to. You may use the semantic title of the view here.
  • Optionally feed parameter label with a text label that should be displayed in the hyperlink.


Dynamic views

If you are using custom properties in your architecture models, a panel will appear on the right side of the screen when displaying an ArchiMate view. With this panel you can display the custom property values in the elements in the view. To display the values for a custom property, click the radio button of that custom property on the panel.

Note: The legend panel will not display custom properties that:

  • Have no value for any of the elements in the view
  • Have only values with a length of more than 30 characters
  • Have too many different values in the view
  • Are configured to be suppressed in the legend panel. See Configuration settings for information on how to suppress custom properties.


The color palette used in dynamic views depends on the type of custom property.

  • A green-to-red color scale is used for properties that are defined as enumerations. This supports displaying heatmaps for e.g. total cost of ownership or number of incidents. It is possible to reverse the color scale. See Configuration settings for information on how to define custom property enumerations.
  • A random, high-contrast color palette is used for non-enumerated properties. This color palette supports up to 20 distinctive values.

Note: Custom properties with more values occurring in a view than the color palette applicable to that property will not be displayed in the dynamic view panel.


You can display a dynamic view on another wiki page using the template Template:DisplayArchiMateDiagram as described above in Using ArchiMate views throughout the wiki.

ArchiMate queries

SmartConnectArchiMate is integrated with the querying features of Semantic MediaWiki. To generate, for instance, a table with all application components and the model elements served by these components, you can use the following query:

{{#ask: [[Category:ApplicationComponents]] |mainlabel=Application component|?ServingRelationship=Serves|format=table|source=archimate}}

The addition 'source=archimate' sends the query to the SmartConnectArchiMate query processor, which ensures that the requested relations are correctly interpreted. When in the query an AccessRelationship is requested, the following options are available:

AccessRelationship
shows all AccessRelationships, regardless of their type (read, write, read/write or empty)
ReadAccessRelationship
shows all AccessRelationships of type 'read' or 'read/write'
StrictReadAccessRelationship
shows all AccessRelationships of type 'read'
WriteAccessRelationship
shows all AccessRelationships of type 'write' or 'read/write'
StrictAccessWriteRelationship
shows all AccessRelationships of type 'write'
ReadAccessWriteRelationship
shows all AccessRelationships of type 'read/write'

Configuration settings

A number of features can be configured at the SmartConnectArchiMate configuration page Project:SmartConnectArchiMate. These settings are described below. The settings must be defined as SemanticMediaWiki properties. Additional explanations and other text may be added and will be ignored.


Configuring dynamic views

To suppress a custom property in the view panel, use the configuration setting {SuppressCustomProperties}:

Syntax: [[SuppressCustomProperties::<Customproperty name> [,<Customproperty name>]* ]]

Example: [[SuppressCustomProperties::Business value, Supplier]]


To use a green-to-red color scale in the view panel, use the configuration setting {<Custom property> enumeration}. The optional modifier 'Reverse' will reverse the color scale from green-to-red to red-to-green. Any enumerations must be listed using the configuration setting {CustomPropertyEnumerations}:

Syntax: [[CustomPropertyEnumerations::<custom property name> [,<custom property name>]*]]
  [[<Customproperty name> enumeration::<enumeration value> [,<enumeration value>]* [,Reverse] ]]

Example: [[CustomPropertyEnumerations::Business value, TechStatus]]
  [[Business value enumeration::Low, Medium, High, Very high, Reverse]]
  [[TechStatus enumeration::Current, Nearly current, Behind, Outdated]]

After changing the configuration setting, empty the cache via Special:SmartConnectArchiMate in order for the views to be reconstructed.