Creating a NIEM IEPD

Create a new Enterprise Architect project

Launch Enterprise Architect and create a new project.

Click on the Start Page 'Create from Pattern' tab (Model Wizard).

Click on the <perspective name> button and select 'Information Exchange | NIEM' and expand the 'NIEM 3, 4 and 5' Perspective.

It is essential that your NIEM project contains the NIEM IEPD Types and at least one of the NIEM Reference Models.

Select the 'NIEM 5.0 Reference Model' as well as 'NIEM 5 IEPD Types'.

Click on the Create Model(s) button to download and import the selected models into your project.

Also available in the Model Wizard is a model pattern for a basic NIEM IEPD. This is intended as a starting point for your NIEM project.

Optionally, select the 'NIEM 5 IEPD Starter Model' and click on the Create Model(s) button.

Create an IEPD model

If you chose not to include the IEPD model in the previous step, you can create your own model now.

In the Browser window, create a new Package or (View node) to hold your IEPD model.

Within the new Package, create a NIEM IEPD diagram.

You can add instances of the types available in the NIEM IEPD Types Package to your diagram (and to your IEPD model), by dragging them onto your IEPD diagram.

Use the Browser window to locate the Class types that you require, then press Ctrl as you drag the element into position on your diagram. The system prompts you to choose an action; either:

• Place a link to the Class on the diagram, or
• Create and add a new instance specification of the Class

For the IEPD model, you would generally use Object Instances.

To begin with, create an object instance of the IEPD Class. (As you will see shortly, you need an instance of the IEPD class to drive the generation of your IEPD.)

Customize your model

The instance of the IEPD class carries information that identifies the IEPD. The links between it and the various other model artifacts determine what is generated (and where it is generated to) when generating the schema files and catalog files.

Whether you choose to download the IEPD Starter Model, or create your own IEPD model by dragging instances from the Browser window, you must set values for the properties of the Object instances that are appropriate to the model you are creating. This is achieved by setting the run-state properties of the various object instances used in your IEPD model.

For detailed information on setting values for the IEPD instance objects, see the Help topic Customize Your IEPD Model

Create your data model

This is where you model the data that will be sent in your information exchange message.

In NIEM, this is typically modeled within Packages that have the <<InformationModel>> stereotype, representing the different namespaces used in the model. These Packages typically include a NIEM-core Package that is a subset of the NIEM-core Reference Model Package, and two extension Packages that extend what is available from NIEM-core, one of which represents the exchange message.

Your project might also require subsets of other NIEM schemas, such as those from the Biometrics or EmergencyManagement domains.

For further information on creating data models, see the Help topics Creating a NIEM Data Model and Subsetting NIEM with the Schema Composer.

Generate the IEPD

Your NIEM model does not have to be complete before you generate an IEPD from it.

Generating the IEPD can be considered an iterative process. You might perform a generation of just your namespace schemas before you have completed your IEPD, and before you have defined your conformance targets. You might generate with a fully described IEPD instance and conformance targets before you have defined your Information Models. You can continue to update your model and generate your IEPD however you see fit.

To generate your IEPD, select the IEPD instance specification, either on the diagram or in the Browser window. Go to the 'Specialize' ribbon and select the option 'Technologies > NIEM > Generate NIEM Schema'.

The Generate NIEM IEPD Schemas window opens.

This window lists the Namespace Schemas that are used in your model, and you can select which of these to generate. You can also choose which of the NIEM infrastructure schemas to include in the generation.

In this window you can also set the root directory for generation of the output files.

Once you have made your selection and specified the output folder, click on the Generate button to commence generation of the IEPD.

For detailed information on the Generate NIEM IEPD Schemas window, see the Help topic NIEM IEPD Generation.