The Traceability Window

Using the Traceability window - or, equally, the 'Trace' tab of the Inspector window - you can quickly see how elements are connected and how they influence each other. You can:

Locate related elements in the Browser window
View the properties of related elements
Open the diagrams in which related elements are used
Add related elements to the current diagram
View the source code for related elements
Change the display using the window toolbar options

When an element is selected, it immediately becomes the top point in the Traceability window. When a diagram is selected, all elements in the diagram are listed in the Traceability window, so you can use any of them as a starting point.

Access

Ribbon

Design > Element > Trace

Start > All Windows > Design > Explore > Trace

Start > All Windows > Design > Explore > Inspect > Trace (This shows the Traceability window as the 'Trace' tab of the Inspector window)

Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl+7

Alt+1 | Traceability

Alt+1 | Inspector | Trace

Traceability window toolbar options

Option/Icon	Action	See also
Locate Element	Click on this icon to make the selected element the focus of the Traceability window and to show all relationships and elements with which the selected element forms a relationship chain. Click on the diagram to list all elements in the diagram.
Related Element Properties	Click on this icon to display the element 'Properties' dialog for the currently-selected element in the Traceability window.
Find Element Usage	Click on this icon to display the 'Element Usage' dialog, listing all diagrams in which the currently-selected element is used. (Shortcut keys: Ctrl+U)	Show Element Use
(Relationship selector)	Click on the options button in the toolbar, and select the checkbox against each relationship type to include in the trace shown in the window: Generalizations Aggregations Nesting Realizations Dependencies Transitions Other (unspecified) links such as: Associations Use Cases Delegates Assemblies Deployments Information Flows Manifests Classifiers - where an element is used as the classifier of another element Embedded Element Re-uses - where a Port or Part is also represented in another part of the model Transformations - where an element is created by running a Transformation from another element Custom References that have been added between elements Tagged Value References - showing elements that are the targets of Tagged Value references Qualified Names - element names including the names of owning objects	Configure Diagram Display Realization Transition Model Transformation Set Up Cross References Generalization Inherited and Redefined Ports Aggregation Dependency Nesting Classifiers and Instances
Help	Click on this icon to display this Help topic.

Traceability Window Context Menu Options

Right-click on an element or connector in the main panel. All options listed here act on elements only, except for the 'Properties' option which acts on connectors.

Option	Description	See also
Switch to Related Element	Make the selected element the focus of the Traceability window. The element displays at the top of the window.
View Related Element Properties	Display the 'Properties' dialog for the selected element. You can also display the element's 'Properties' dialog by double-clicking on it.
Find in all Diagrams	Display the 'Element Usage' dialog, listing all diagrams in which the currently-selected element is used.	Show Element Use
Place element(s) in diagram	This option is available if the selected element is not used in the diagram that is the current focus. Select the option to add the element and its child structure to the diagram.
View Source Code	Display the generated source code for the selected element, in the Source Code Editor.	Editing Source Code
Properties	(For a connector) Display the 'Properties' dialog for the connector. (Double-clicking on a connector expands and collapses any structure beneath it, rather than displaying the 'Properties' dialog.)	Properties Window and Dialog for Connectors

Notes

To make it easier and faster to find the elements you are interested in, restrict the relationship types shown to the smallest set of relevant types
As an alternative view, or to include the traceability information in documentation, you can develop a Traceability diagram using the Traceability window
The Traceability window does not currently recognize extended relationship types defined by Technologies such as BPMN or ArchiMate; relationships defined by a Profile or Technology are identified using their base UML type, so, for example, ArchiMate 'Realization' and 'UsedBy' relationships are each reported as UML 'Dependency' relationships

Learn more

Example Traceability Diagram