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Server Based Repositories

Project data transfer.

As an Enterprise Architect repository becomes larger, or the number of concurrent users increases, or as organizational policy dictates, it might be more appropriate to use a database management system (DBMS) to store the repository. A file-based repository can be created and used in any edition of Enterprise Architect; however, if you decide to use a DBMS-based repository you will need to use the Corporate, Unified or Ultimate editions. If you have started modeling with a file-based repository, Enterprise Architect has a function to transfer your repository from that to a server-based one, helping you to get started quickly. The same user interface is used for both file- and server-based repositories so the applications will, for all intents and purposes, appear the same.

The performance of the repository as experienced by end users will depend very much on the quality, power, size and performance of the server computer and the network infrastructure on which the DBMS and user are located. Using a DBMS over a very high latency (10ms or higher) network can result in significant delays and visibly inferior performance. When network latency is an issue, Sparx Systems recommends using a Cloud-based server as the interactions are optimized to reduce the effect of network latency.

Also it is important to note that each repository is different and although Sparx Systems does its best to maximize performance based on what is expected to be held in a repository, very occasionally this won't be optimal. In these rare cases a review of the database indexes would be good practice to maximize data retrieval and access. This will ensure that end users receive the best possible performance even when models contain millions of constructs.

Set up a Project on a DBMS Repository

To set up your project on a DBMS repository, you work through these stages:

  1. Set up your DBMS software and create a database.
  2. Create the required tables in your database, by running a script supplied on the Sparx Systems website.
  3. (For certain DBMS products, and if you are not using the Enterprise Architect Native Connection to access the database) Set up an ODBC driver to enable connection to the repository.
  4. Transfer the project from the source file to the DBMS repository; the source file can be:
         -  a .QEA, .EAP or .FEAP base model, to begin a new project from scratch, or
         -  a previously-developed project file, to move an existing project into the DBMS repository
  5. Connect to your repository; we recommend using the Enterprise Architect Native Connection for this.

DBMS Products You can Use

You can set up your project on a repository in:

  • Firebird from v2
  • MySQL from v5
  • MariaDB
  • Microsoft SQL Server from 2005, all editions including Express and Azure SQL Database
  • Microsoft Access from 2007
  • Oracle from 9i (all editions)
  • PostgreSQL from v8

For information on creating a project on a specific DBMS from this list, see Learn more.

Notes

  • You cannot move a model from a source .eap file of an Enterprise Architect version earlier than 3.5.0 without updating it first
  • Before proceeding, you must have MDAC 2.6 or higher installed on your system
  • (Optional, but recommended) before actually transferring the project structure from the file to the repository, perform a Project Data Integrity Check on the file

Learn more