Startup

When you install Enterprise Architect on your system, two items are created:

• An Enterprise Architect icon on your Windows desktop
• A new program folder called Enterprise Architect <version number> in your Windows 'Start > All Programs' menu; this folder contains the execution option Enterprise Architect

You can start Enterprise Architect by clicking on either of these objects. After a short pause, the Start Page displays, from which you can:

• Open a project file (.eap file or .feap file)
• Create a new project (.eap file or .feap file)
• Connect to a DBMS repository (Corporate and extended editions)
• Connect to a project via the Cloud (Corporate and extended editions)
• Return directly to one of the projects you most recently opened
• Open one of nine Portals to a set of facilities that support an area of work in Enterprise Architect

Notes

• If you changed the default system folder name during installation, the Enterprise Architect<version number> folder in the 'All Programs' menu will have the name you provided
• By default, when you install Enterprise Architect, an empty 'starter' project called EABase.eap is installed, as well as an example project named EAExample.eap; we recommend that new users select the EAExample file and explore it in some detail while they become familiar with UML and software engineering using Enterprise Architect
• Enterprise Architect .eap files default to use JET 3.5 as the database engine, which does not support unicode character sets
• If you want to use unicode character sets (for example, to provide user interface texts in languages other than your Windows-defined native language), you must either upsize to a DBMS repository or set JET 4.0 as the database engine; resetting the database engine ensures compatibility with .eap files that support unicode character sets and that are in turn compatible with versions of MS Access later than Access 97
• If your .eap project is not in a Jet 4.0 database, you should also download a copy of the Jet 4.0 EABase model from the Sparx Systems website, and do an EAP to EAP transfer of your model into the Jet 4.0 file

Learn more

• Installation
• Start Page
• A Quick Start Tutorial, to begin a guided exploration of Enterprise Architect immediately
• Common Tasks, to get an overview of the kind of work you might perform with Enterprise Architect
• Open a project file
• Create a new project
• Server Based Repositories
• Connecting to Projects Via the Cloud
• General Options, to set JET 4.0 as database engine
• The Jet 4.0 EABase Model (Online Resource)
• Perform a Data Transfer
• Portals Facility