Creating and Using Describes Relationships (Describing Enterprise Objects)

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Once you have created enterprise objects in your repository, you may use a diagram, swimlane, or shape to visually describe an enterprise object. This allows you to visualize the enterprise objects you have defined, and follow relationships from described objects to other objects.

A diagram may visually "describe" a Process or Activity object. A swimlane can describe a Process, External Agent, or Resource. A shape can describe most object types, including Process, Activity, Resource, External Agent, Requirement, Business Rule, Strategy, Goal, Work Product, etc.

An enterprise process or activity object can be described by multiple diagrams or shapes, but a diagram or shape can only describe one enterprise object.

To indicate that a diagram or diagram element Describes an enterprise object, you can set a Describes relationship on the Describes page of its Properties. For diagram elements, you may also simply drag-and-drop the enterprise object from the Repository window tree into a diagram; if you drop on an existing diagram element it will create the relationship, and if you drop in empty space it will create the shape and the Describes relationship in one action. In addition, while typing a diagram element label (if your diagram is checked out of the repository or Describes an EO), you can display an incremental search hint to quickly choose an EO for the Describes relationship.

Diagram and Container Shape Based Relationships

Diagram Based Relationships are an easy and powerful way to automatically create relationships between Enterprise Objects (EO’s) based on shapes that are drawn in a diagram or container shape and describe a Process or Activity. In particular, this feature automatically creates Supported By, Strategy, Goal, or Requirement relationships between the described Process or Activity and other EO’s. For example, you might want to use automatic Supported By relationships between processes so that you can, using basic reporting within the iGrafx platform, or advanced reporting within the Enterprise Modeler client, report on a Value Chain that shows cross-process flow and the objects that support it.

The diagram based relationship is not created if the child shapes in the diagram describe subprocesses that are a direct child of the Process EO in the repository. The automatic behavior is only used for implied, versus direct, supporting relationships between processes.

There is a limited set of relationships that are created on diagrams (and container shapes). The following table outlines the relationships:

Diagram/Container Describes Process or Activity, and Contains Shapes that Describe:	Relationships Created on the Process or Activity Described By the Diagram/Container	Relationships Created on the Object Described by the Shapes in the Diagram/Container:
Process, Activity, Interface, Service, Operation, Class	Supported By	Supports
Strategy	Strategy	Strategy For
Goal	Goal	Goal For
Requirement	Requirement	Requirement For

Relationships are shown in the Diagram Properties dialog box - Describes page. After the diagram is added, or checked in, to the repository the new relationships are also displayed on the Support page of the described objects. If a Diagram Based relationship is created on the diagram, then that relationship is shown in italic and with the text "(Diagram Based)" appended to the EO name.

Describes Procedures

The following table gives procedures for describing Enterprise Objects with diagrams, swimlanes, and shapes...

iGrafx documents must be checked out of the repository, or not yet be added to the repository, before you create a ‘Describes’ relationship from a diagram or diagram element to an Enterprise Object.

If the diagram or diagram element you are adding has RACI information on it (local to the iGrafx file), you will be prompted about whether you want that information moved to the enterprise object being described.

Task	Procedure
Describe a Process or Activity EO with a diagram	While viewing the diagram that will describe a Process or Activity, right-click in empty space and choose Diagram Properties from the context menu. In the Properties dialog box, click the Describes page (in the Enterprise category). Click the Describe button. In the resulting Choose Object dialog box, search for and select the process or activity you want the diagram to describe. Click OK. Note: When you have selected a process or activity, you can click the ‘Jump To’ button to see and highlight the described object in the Repository window and update the Properties dialog box to edit that objects’ properties.
Describe an enterprise object with a diagram element	There are four methods to describe an EO with a diagram element: Use drag-and-drop to create a shape and Describes relationship: View and select an EO in the repository tree. Drag-and-drop the EO from the repository (Repository window) onto a shape or swimlane header in the diagram. The Describes relationship from the diagram element to the EO is created. OR: Use drag-and-drop to create the Describes relationship on an existing diagram element : View and select an EO in the repository tree. Drag-and-drop the EO from the repository (Repository window) onto a shape in the diagram. The Describes relationship from the shape to the EO is created. OR: Using incremental search while typing a shape label: Select the diagram element that will describe an EO. Start typing. After you have typed at least 2 characters, a drop-down menu appears showing all relevant repository objects that contain the typed characters. You can then double-click an EO in the list to have the shape describe it. Note: If this is the first time you’ve used incremental search, an icon appears as you type: Click the icon to enable showing incremental search hints. If the diagram Describes an EO, its matching children will be listed first, and other heuristics may also be used to build a list more likely to match what you’re searching for. OR: Using properties of an existing diagram element: Double-click the diagram element that will describe an EO. In the Properties dialog box, click the Describes page (under the Enterprise category heading). Click the Describe button. In the Choose Object dialog box, select the EO that you want the shape to describe. Click OK to close the Choose Object dialog box. Click OK (or Apply) to create the ‘Describes’ relationship. Note: You may click the Jump To button to see and highlight the described object in the Repository window. Note: Depending on the diagram element selected, there is a limited set of enterprise objects that you can describe. Note: For shapes, any prefix in the EO name that starts with a number, up to the first space character, will be moved to the Describes field text showing the number only, and will be placed at the top of the shape.
View the EO, and its relationships, Described by a diagram element	For a diagram that has a Describes relationship, do the following: Double-click the diagram to view it. Right-click in the diagram space, and choose Diagram Properties on the resulting context menu. Click the Jump To button, and the described object will appear selected in the Repository window. To view the relationships from the EO to other objects, select pages in the Properties dialog box. For a diagram element that has a Describes relationship: Double-click the diagram containing the diagram element, to view it. Right-click on the diagram element and choose Properties on the resulting context menu. Click the Jump To button, and the described object will appear selected in the Repository window. To view the relationships from the EO to other objects, select pages in the Properties dialog box.

Task

Procedure

Describe a Process or Activity EO with a diagram

While viewing the diagram that will describe a Process or Activity, right-click in empty space and choose Diagram Properties from the context menu.
In the Properties dialog box, click the Describes page (in the Enterprise category).
Click the Describe button.
In the resulting Choose Object dialog box, search for and select the process or activity you want the diagram to describe.
Click OK.

Note: When you have selected a process or activity, you can click the ‘Jump To’ button to see and highlight the described object in the Repository window and update the Properties dialog box to edit that objects’ properties.

Describe an enterprise object with a diagram element

There are four methods to describe an EO with a diagram element:

Use drag-and-drop to create a shape and Describes relationship:

View and select an EO in the repository tree.
Drag-and-drop the EO from the repository (Repository window) onto a shape or swimlane header in the diagram. The Describes relationship from the diagram element to the EO is created.

OR:

Use drag-and-drop to create the Describes relationship on an existing diagram element :

View and select an EO in the repository tree.
Drag-and-drop the EO from the repository (Repository window) onto a shape in the diagram. The Describes relationship from the shape to the EO is created.

OR:

Using incremental search while typing a shape label:

Select the diagram element that will describe an EO.
Start typing. After you have typed at least 2 characters, a drop-down menu appears showing all relevant repository objects that contain the typed characters. You can then double-click an EO in the list to have the shape describe it.

Note: If this is the first time you’ve used incremental search, an icon appears as you type: Click the icon to enable showing incremental search hints. If the diagram Describes an EO, its matching children will be listed first, and other heuristics may also be used to build a list more likely to match what you’re searching for.

OR:

Using properties of an existing diagram element:

Double-click the diagram element that will describe an EO.
In the Properties dialog box, click the Describes page (under the Enterprise category heading).
Click the Describe button.
In the Choose Object dialog box, select the EO that you want the shape to describe.
Click OK to close the Choose Object dialog box.
Click OK (or Apply) to create the ‘Describes’ relationship.

Note: You may click the Jump To button to see and highlight the described object in the Repository window.

Note: Depending on the diagram element selected, there is a limited set of enterprise objects that you can describe.

Note: For shapes, any prefix in the EO name that starts with a number, up to the first space character, will be moved to the Describes field text showing the number only, and will be placed at the top of the shape.

View the EO, and its relationships, Described by a diagram element

For a diagram that has a Describes relationship, do the following:

Double-click the diagram to view it.
Right-click in the diagram space, and choose Diagram Properties on the resulting context menu.
Click the Jump To button, and the described object will appear selected in the Repository window.
To view the relationships from the EO to other objects, select pages in the Properties dialog box.

For a diagram element that has a Describes relationship:

Double-click the diagram containing the diagram element, to view it.
Right-click on the diagram element and choose Properties on the resulting context menu.
Click the Jump To button, and the described object will appear selected in the Repository window.
To view the relationships from the EO to other objects, select pages in the Properties dialog box.