Show & Fix Duplicate elements
Table of contents
Access
EA Project Browser > Select a Package > Specialize > Model Expert > Show Duplicates
From Package Dashboard
Checks
Model Expert will check for duplicate elements inside that package, and all its child packages.
It identifies all elements in this package which have the same type, stereotype and name. It will also filter that list of duplicates to remove
- any which are always excluded from the list – Note and Text elements
- those in the list of duplicate exclusions for this repository
If duplicates are found, then the Duplicate Elements window is shown
Duplicates Detail
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Search in packages | Includes just the package that has been checked. Add/delete additional packages to check more of the model |
| Exceptions | Element types that will not be flagged as duplicates. Choose from the drop down list, plus options to specify:
Any number of exceptions can be defined, and the list saved. |
| List of Duplicate Elements | Grouped by type. Expand each type to see stereotypes and then individual element names. Click on each name to show every occurence of that type/stereotype/name. |
| Duplicate Elements | Gives the locations of the duplicate elements selected in the duplicate elements list |
| Show in a diagram | Creates an EA diagram containing all the duplicate elements selected plus their related elements |
Defining Exceptions
In some cases, duplicates are not interesting. For example, in BPMN, ‘Decision’ elements have no name. So they will show up as duplicates, even though it doesn’t matter. So you can define exceptions to the ‘duplicate’ rule.
You can have a list of combinations of element type, element type+stereotype or element type+name which will be treated as exceptions.
| Rule you want to implement | Settings in Exception |
|---|---|
| Ignore all ‘Decision’ element types | Element type =”Decision”
stereotype and name blank |
| Ignore all <<Gateway>>Decision elements | Element type = “Decision”
Stereotype=”Gateway” name – blank |
| Ignore all un-named <<Gateway>>Decision elements | Element type = “Decision”
Stereotype=”Gateway” Name = (empty) |
Fixing duplicates – Show in a diagram
Model Expert can help you to fix duplicate elements by creating a diagram where all the duplicates are shown, with all their connected elements.
So, in the example above (from the Model Expert Example project) the diagram for the duplicate ‘Requirement1’ elements is:
You MAY now choose to pick elements, move all the connectors, and delete the duplicates.
Or, you may choose to allow the duplicate elements to stay.