Collaborative Modeling for Interoperability Standards

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Collaborative Modeling for Interoperability
Standards

• Ben Constable
• Chief Operations Officer
• Sparx Systems

CIM Users Group Meeting, Milan 2010
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Overview

• Collaborative Modeling
• What does it involve?
• Examples in Utilities, Geospatial and beyond
• Challenges, Tools and Techniques
• Team-based modeling What are the challenges?
• Model sharing via Version Control
• Reconciling changes to models (merging)
• Q A

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Collaborative modeling and open standards

• Interoperability standards typically
• Use models and abstractions to
• Manage complexity size and scope
• Communicate to widely distributed audiences
• Reduce risk of technology obsolescence
• Use open modeling standards
• Often OMGs Unified Modeling Language (UML)
• For example IECs Common Information Model (CIM),
  
• OGCs Reference Model (ORM)
• Involve many collaborating stakeholders and
  editors
• Widely dispersed geographically
• Numerous and varied member organizations

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Collaborative modeling and open standards

• Examples In Industry
• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
  CIM
• ISO/TC 211 HMMG
• JRC, INSPIRE
• GeoSciML
• UN/CEFACTs Modeling Methodology (UMM)
• Many others

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What are other SDOs doing with Enterprise
Architect?

• ISO/TC 211 Harmonized Model Maintenance Group
  (HMMG)
• Maintenance of the ISO 19100 family of models
• Standard meta models for Geospatial domain
• Non-trivial size and scope (240 Packages, 2K
  Elements)
• HMMG adopted UML 2.1 and Enterprise Architect for
  modeling
• Tool migration effort mirrors CIMug effort via
  XMI
• More info CIM User Group http//cimug.ucaiug.org
• UN/CEFACTs UMM
• Modeling standard for describing
  inter-organizational business process
• More info http//umm-dev.org/tools/uml-case-tools
  

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Development of GeoSciML

• GeoSciML CGIs application of GML for
  geoscience data
• Interoperability Platform-neutral publishing and
  interchange of geoscience data between
  organizations, systems, services etc.
• Collaboration
• UML meta-model
• https//www.seegrid.csiro.au/twiki/bin/view/CGIMo
  del/WebHome
• Case Study says distributed package management
  critical
• so that participants in different countries
  and time zones can concurrently work on the
  model.

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Sample Real-World Global Model Deployment

• The Organization
• A Leader in the Media Communications domain
• Develops large-scale, complex systems
• Global company, gt 10,000 employees, offices
  worldwide

• The Models
• Globally Distributed Europe, Asia, Middle East,
  North America
• Requirements Scoping, High-Level and Detailed
  Design
• Large-scale Model Driven Development
• 10,000s of elements per model, gt 100 concurrent
  users

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Sample Real-World Global Model Deployment
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Overview

• Collaborative Modeling
• What does it involve?
• Examples in Utilities, Geospatial and beyond
• Challenges, Tools and Techniques
• Team-based modeling What are the challenges?
• Model sharing via Version Control
• Reconciling changes to models (merging)
• Q A

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Multi-site Models

• Why do we want to do this?
• Globally distributed development teams
• Require a shared view of the system(s)
  requirements
• Increase productivity via parallel work
• Inherent Challenges
• Connecting multiple teams to the shared view
• Offline editing is often necessary
• Models can be huge, performance must be managed
• Disparate roles must collaborate remotely
  harmoniously

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Team based modeling the challenges

• Widely distributed teams
• Shared development of standards
• Big models and wide scope
• Change control, merging work, revisions etc
• There are tools that help

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Collaborative modeling concepts and tools

• Shared (DBMS) Repository
• Version Control
• Model Baseline Merge
• Role-based security
• Model Auditing

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Multi-site Models How?

• Ideal Scenario Single, Shared (Master) Repository

• Assumes good connectivity between each site

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Multi-site Models How?

• Alternative Scenario Local Replicas

• Allows broad replication even across slow links

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Performance Big models, complex info
Enterprise Models can be HUGE!
End-to-end models can yield 100,000s of Elements!
Need robust, scalable solutions
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Performance Big models, complex info

• Use a Database Repository
• Robust modeling tools use a DBMS!
• Load on Demand (Lazy Load)
• Only give me what I need when I need it!
• Network optimization (WAN Optimizer)
• Widely distributed environment must reduce the
  network chatter
• Getting teams connected is a first step, having
  them work effectively is another matter

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Shared Repositories

• How DBMS repositories help
• Concurrent users edit/view the same model
  instance
• No need for synchronization
• DBMS server can support large teams, large models
• Host a single Master View
• Requires some DB administration to setup
• Commonly used for DBMS based repositories
• MySQL
• MS SQL Server
• Oracle

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How to maximize parallel work SAFELY

• Multiple distributed editors
• Consider Who uses the model?
• For what purpose?
• Approaches must
• Enable concurrency
• Reduce risk of collision
• Managing concurrent access
• Role-based Security
• Version Control procedures

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Safe parallel work Role-Based Security

• Access Controls
• Restrict editing privileges per role
• Individual user permissions
• Group permission (Business Analysts, Architects,
  QA etc)
• Refined Workflow
• Require login to the model repository
• Locking modes Require user lock to edit,
  Optional Lock
• Locking granularity View, Package or Element
  level
• Not to be confused with operating system or DBMS
  security!

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Role-Based Security

• Shared models, concurrent editors
• Access controls needed!
• Individual user permissions
• Group permission (Analysts/BAs, Architects, QA
  etc)
• Role-based security
• Require individuals or groups to login to the
  model repository
• Restricted editing privileges based on role
• Locking granularity View, Package or Element
  level
• Different locking/security modes available
  Require user lock to edit, Optional Lock
• Not to be confused with operating system or DBMS
  security!

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Safe parallel work Version Control

• Benefits
• Supports concurrent work
• Maintain history of changes
• Compare current vs prior state
• Roll-back changes
• Package-Based Versions
• Stored using open standard for model exchange,
  XMI
• Granularity Down to Package (Folder),
  Sub-Packages

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Version Control What the user sees

• Packages Checked-in (Locked)

Packages Checked-out (Editable)
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Versions in Enterprise Architect models

• Two Basic Approaches
• Entire Model Repository Simple, coarse, no
  concurrency
• Package-based Supports concurrent work
• Package-Based Versions
• Packages serialized as XMI (XML Metadata
  Interchange) file
• 1 Package Version 1 XMI file
• Applies to Root (Model), View, Parent or Child
  Packages

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Versions in Enterprise Architect models

• Enterprise Architect allows version comparisons
• Compare utility operates on Baseline vs Current
  State
• Current State The live Package in the model
  repository
• Baseline (snapshot) XMI-based version of the
  same package

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Versions in Enterprise Architect models

• Baseline may take one of these physical forms
• Model Baseline (Snapshot stored in the model)
• XMI exported file (Snapshot exists on disk)
• Version controlled Package (Snapshot in VC
  Repository)

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Version Controlled Packages

• Basic concepts of version control apply
• A mechanism for managing concurrent work
• Maintain a history of changes
• Changes can be rolled back
• Revisions stored in XMI format
• Note Default is XMI 1.1 (includes UML 2.1 info!)
• More Info http//www.sparxsystems.com/WhitePapers
  /Version_Control.pdf

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Version Control Behind the scenes interfaces
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Version Control Multiple Users, Local Models
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Version Control Multiple Users, Shared Model
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Model Merge

• When its needed
• Concurrent work on a single package needs
  synchronization
• Offline work needs to be uploaded
• Selective roll-back of changes
• Selective inclusion of changes (Phase based
  development)
• Occurs at the package level
• Between versions of a package
• 1-way merge of Model Baseline to live Package
• Baseline may exist in another model, file (eg.
  version control)
• Requires same starting Package
• Think version, not ad-hoc model merge

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Model Merge

• Scenario
• User A (Gatekeeper) maintains the baseline/master
  model
• User B (Editor) supplies these changes to IEC
  61970 Topology
• 1. New Attribute added to existing
  TopologicalNode class
• 2. New Class added and associated to
  TopologicalNode class
• 3. Aggregation to Terminal class deleted
  (accident?!)
• 4. Updated notes for attribute TopologicalNode.
  sShortCircuit
• User A has two options
• 1. Overwrite Package IEC 61970 from User B no
  work to do
• 2. Review and selectively merge User Bs changes
  to IEC 61970
• Option 2 required if User A has own changes

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User A Original model
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User B Updated model
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Merge with XMI?
X
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Enterprise Architect Baseline Merge
User A
User B
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Enterprise Architect Baseline Merge

User A
User B
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Model Auditing

• Do we need to track model changes in real-time?
• Large enterprises have strict governance rules
• Changes to specifications can be expenive
• Need to know Who changed What and When
• Model Auditing capability provides
• A fine-grained change log for model elements
• Change log is continuous vs point-in-time
  snapshot (c/f version control baseline)
• Filtering and highlighting of model differences
• Accountability for model changes made over time
• Exportable as a permanent record of change

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Overview

• Collaborative Modeling
• What does it involve?
• Examples in Utilities, Geospatial and beyond
• Challenges, Tools and Techniques
• Team-based modeling What are the challenges?
• Model sharing via Version Control
• Reconciling changes to models (merging)
• Q A

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thank you for your attention!