Generating exchanges, needlines, and system interfaces in UPIA models

You can automatically generate resource, information and data exchanges, needlines, resource flows, and system interfaces in UPIA models. The generation tool for UPIA models can scan a model for messages and object flows that define an exchange between performers and then create appropriate exchange elements. Subsequently, the generation tool can scan the model for exchange elements and then create appropriate resource flows, needlines, or system interface elements.

About this task

To generate exchanges, resource flows, needlines, or system interfaces:

Procedure

  1. Complete one of the following steps:
    • In the Project Explorer view, right-click a model element or diagram.
    • In the diagram editor, right-click in a diagram.
  2. Expand the UPIA modeling menu item; then click any of the following options:
    • Generate Resource Exchanges
      Scans UML models for interaction messages and activity object flows that represent the passing of resources between two performer elements. For each unique exchange of resources, one of the following exchanges is created:
      • Data exchange between system elements
      • Information exchange between operational node elements
      • Generic resource exchange between performer elements

    • Generate Resource Flows
      Scans UML models for the various types of exchanges and creates a flow relationship (association) between the corresponding performer elements for each type of exchange (data, information, and resource exchanges). Depending upon the type of exchange, one of the following flow relationships is created:
      • System interface between system elements
      • Needline between operational node elements
      • Generic resource flow between performer elements
  3. In the Search Scope list, select a location to define where the generation tool looks for appropriate elements.
    Option Description
    Package Searches only the current package
    Package Hierarchy Search the current package and all nested packages, including associated fragments
    Model Searches the given model, including its associated fragments
    Project Searches the models and fragments in the project
    Workspace Searches all the models and fragments in the workspace
  4. Click OK.

Results

After you select the command to generate exchanges, the model is scanned for interaction messages and activity object flows that represent the transfer of information or data from one domain object to another. If a message or an object flow represent a transfer of a resource, information, or data, the corresponding source and target elements, along with the types that are transferred, identify an exchange link. If multiple exchange links represent the same source, target, and conveyed data types, they represent a single resource, information, or data exchange.

If you select the Display summary of generation check box when you configure the generation process, which is the default option, after the scan finishes, a summary of the generation results is displayed that shows the number of generation elements that were found and created.

What to do next

Typically, you should generate resource exchanges first and then generate resource flows, which allows you to change the search scopes for both operations to get the desired grouping of results. In many cases, you will want to perform both generation operations in sequence using the same search scope. When you run the Custom Queries tool on a diagram, which is located in the Explore tab of the diagram palette, select either the custom query called Operational Resource Description or System Interface Description. Both queries define an option to perform this sequential exchange and resource flow generation before running the query. The Operational Resource Description query populates the diagram with the operational nodes and the needlines between them. Similarly, the Systems Interface Description query populates the diagram with the system interfaces between them.


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