Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect Reviews

It's like a repository. So far, we use it only for Information Modelling.

• Repository.
• Reuse of objects
• Making fewer mistakes in models (i.e., naming objects, attributes, etc.).

It would be great if we could decrease the use of different parts of the Toolbox. By doing so, forcing temporary consultants to use our Profile and no other items from other toolboxes.

Personally: Three years. The organization: about seven years.

No.

So far, no. We use the local database. In the future, we have to start using a central Database (Cloud?).

From 1–10: Nine (fast response).

Word (Microsoft Office), Visio.

Complex, because we used a profile.

No clue…Licenses are pretty low cost compared to, for example, ARIS.

My colleague did this before I started using EA. Dunno exactly, but I thought about Bizzdesign, ARIS, and one or two other products.

For the initial setup, get people with good knowledge from Sparx EA .

Modelling and project-actual-state document generation. It is, as always, the most critical need of every project. Due to the presenting concept and impact analysis, this is a good tool.

My organization didn’t manage to take advantage. It needs a ‘critical mass’ of users and understanding to generate benefit, but here we failed.

There is some room for improvement in the presentation and graphics. I know the power of Sparx EA is describing ideas and modelling but facilitating presentation of models need some ergonomic improvements.

I've been using it for four years.

We had no issues with the deployment.

There were no issues with the stability.

We had no issues scaling it for our needs.

We didn’t have any cases to call for support, but we enjoyed the activities being performed and invited to – webinars and educational videos.

There were some applications being used for business process and system documentation – every department with its own. Slowly, the need for a more powerful tool became obvious, and at the time, one of the requirements put on the table was to unite different departments documenting efforts. After some evaluation, we came to the conclusion – in the IT and telecommunications areas, that usual written documents concerning systems and their design, start to become outdated at the moment of being published. Supporting models that can somehow automatically generate documentation was the real thing. Besides the impact analysis from models appear to be natural activity and the result is actual at the moment of generation. According to us, Sparx EA was ideal for this need.

The setup topology was - central repository, shared keys, version control system, domain controlled users.

A vendor performed the initial deployment. An instructor from Sparx introduced us to the product capabilities. They performed the deployment and tuning of the common storage and wrote the client installation script. they then supplied it to the infrastructure administrators and provided instructions.

Return of Investment is hard to evaluate. We expected the supported systems to achieve a reduction in time for analysis and documentation and change due to a better understanding and reduced risk. The calculation in m/h are not performed due to coinciding structural changes and loss of focus on ‘Sparx project’.

Enterprise – this is most suitable licensing scheme for medium to large companies.

It's a great product, but it needs intelligent users. This appears to be its weakness so it is absolutely obligatory to invest some time in education. Modelling, UML, BPMN, and SysML require an abstract way of thinking. It is not achieved on fly. To keep the team of keen contributors – they are those who involve the rest.

We are developing EC software and I am in charge of that software system architecture for which I am using this solution.

The solution is easy to use, supports SysML and UML, and is able to connect to MATLAB. This is very important for us.

There should be a MATLAB-specific toolbox added to the solution with better compatibility. The connections currently are good but in the future, it needs a huge improvement.

I have been using this solution for approximately four months.

We have not tried to scale the solution yet but there are add-ons and extensions that are available.

The initial installation is complex. However, there are some very good tutorials online that we have been using.

We are doing the implementation ourselves.

There is a license for this solution. When comparing this solution to others it is priced well.

I have evaluated IBM doors.

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect a seven out of ten.

(Enterprise) solution architecture.

(Enterprise) solution architecture creation.

• Flexibility
• Open DB.

Look and feel.

• It's generic-ness as you can batch edit objects
• Connectivity to all kinds of office documents because you can reuse your consisting work and link external documents
• Detection of requirement holes because large projects tend to be planned badly
• Completeness as because we do not need to use other tools

It improved our requirements by closing holes. It also, provided visualization features to translate requirements to a non technical language.

Personally, I had a hard time of learning how business modeling works, and simultaneously learning a new tool. I would like beginners tips, pointing you to important features and navigating you around common pitfalls.

We used the trial version for 30 days.

We did not use the deployment feature.

The program did not crash once. There was one issue while batch editing objects.

We had no issues scaling it to our needs.

We reported one problem but never received an answer.

The setup was straightforward.

I did it myself.

We have a positive ROI and will probably be buying it.

We are still in the evaluation phase.

Cheap and affordable tool to generate architecture artifacts. 

This is a well-known vendor whose tool has been used by at least two colleagues on my team.

It has not improved our organization mainly due to the poor diagramming capabilities within the product, which are outdated and look like Visual Studio 2005. As a result, our architecture team constantly reverts back to Visio diagramming (and Visio's inability to reference defined artifacts).

• Its ability to reference and link to components from any diagram.
• The vast number of frameworks supported to get started with modelling.

Improve the following:

• Report builder
• Diagramming capabilities
• Connector routing and layout algorithms
• Inconsistent UI elements must be tidied up with the toolbox gaps removed.
• Alignment and button sizes need to be made consistent. 
  

Recommended features would include:

• A refreshed diagramming canvas (even outsourced to a third-party diagramming vendor, if necessary).
• Replace built-in report writer with direct integration to Microsoft Word.
• Improve dashboard "Getting Started" guidance to direct modelling activities according to "what" I wish to achieve, e.g., "I wish to generate a Platform Application Map," and all the most appropriate/popular types of diagrams are made available.
• Improve support to intuitively generate hierarchical navigation diagrams.
  

Using Sparx Enterprise Architect allowed my customer to detail and make the company's IT strategy visible and accessible to all. The system provided clear roadmaps for IT development and helped to keep up-to-date documentation of systems and processes.

I like to use this system, it is a handy tool for visual modeling that provides opportunities for analysis, design, and support of models using ArchiMate, UML. 

The system provides powerful tools for obtaining reports and documentation. 

There is a good community of users of this system, providing the opportunity to learn and share knowledge.

I would like the system to more "intellectually" build a scheme, place icons, and connect lines on the schemes.

No issues with stability.

No issues with scalability.

Good.

ARIS Business Architect, ARIS Business Designer. 

Sparx EA is better suited for small and medium-sized companies, cheaper and easier in terms of training. It is better suited to modeling on ArchiMate 3.0 notation.

Easy.

Pricing and licensing are suitable even for small companies.

I recommend connecting to the Sparx EA community.

• Standards development for OMG - IEPPV, EFFRA, SOPES, IEPPS
• Product development - ASMG implementation of the IEF framework
• Client EA activities - for multiple federal and provincial agencies

Simplified our task at maintaining architecture information and traceability with requirements.

Large variety of profiles and frameworks available out-of-the-box without the need for customization, and not locked into one way of doing architecture. Huge advantage as one works the architecture between business and technical communities.

• Document
• Report generation
• More challenging than other tools to maintain documents and document versions for an architecture board review.