Use database groups

You can use the database group functionality to manage database contents.

Create group

You can create a new group in a database in which you can store models and objects.

Procedure. Procedure

Click Application launcher > Models and objects.
Click the database you want to use and navigate to the relevant database group. When you select the group, its contents are displayed in the details view.
Click More > Create group. The corresponding dialog opens.
Enter the required name in the Name box.
Click OK.

The group is created as a subgroup of the selected database group. You can store models and objects in the new group.

You can rename a group by clicking More > Rename next to its name.

Copy and paste group content

With the Designer license, you can copy and paste groups with models.

Procedure. Procedure

Click Application launcher > Models and objects.
Click the database you want to use and navigate to the relevant database group. When you select the group, its contents are displayed in the details view.
Click More > Copy. The group and the contained models are copied and can be pasted into another group.
Select the name of the database group into which you want to paste contents.
1. To paste only the models, click More > Paste. The copied group and the contained models are created in the target group. The model uses occurrence copies of the objects stored in the copied group.
2. To paste the models and objects, click More > Paste with objects. The copied group, models, and objects are created in the target group. The objects are definition copies of the objects stored in the copied group.

You have copied a group and pasted the contents into another group.

Alternatively, you can copy and paste models and objects.

Create model

With the Designer license, you can create a new model in the selected database group. Event-driven process chains (EPC) and Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) version 2.0. are widely used modeling notations. The basics for these modeling techniques can be found in the cheat sheets EPC in ARIS Advanced and BPMN 2.0 in ARIS Advanced.

Procedure. Procedure

Click Application launcher > Models and objects.
Click the database you want to use and navigate to the relevant database group. When you select the group, its contents are displayed in the details view.
Click More > Create model. The corresponding dialog opens.
Specify a name for the model.
Click the Model type box and start typing the model type you want to create. The model types whose names contain the entered term are displayed.
Select the required model type.
Click OK.

The new model is created and saved in the selected group. A new tab with the model opens and you can model the content.

Import an ARIS Express model

You can import a model from ARIS Express and use it in ARIS Advanced. ARIS Express saves models in files of the ARIS Document Format format (adf).

Prerequisite

The model is of a model type allowed by ARIS Advanced and by the method filter you are using.
You have the Designer license privilege.

Procedure. Procedure

Click Application launcher > Models and objects.
Click the database you want to use.
Navigate to the database group into which you want to import the ARIS Express model.
Click More > Import ARIS Express model. The corresponding dialog opens.
Click Select file and use the File Upload dialog to navigate to the group in which the model is stored in ADF format.
Select the relevant ADF file and click Open.
1. The selected model is imported if an ARIS Express filter or an ARIS Express template is available.
2. If no ARIS Express filter or ARIS Express template is available, you are asked whether you still want to import the model. Click OK if you want to import the model. Only after you have imported the ARIS Express filter and ARIS Express template does the model look as in ARIS Express. Click OK to confirm the message that some object types are represented by default symbols.
Use ARIS Advanced Architect to import the ARIS Express filter and the ARIS Express template if you want the imported model to appear exactly as it does in ARIS Express.

The imported model is stored in the selected group and you can open it for editing. If you import BPMN diagrams from ARIS Express, Enterprise BPMN diagrams are created. Only if Enterprise BPMN diagrams are not allowed, BPMN diagrams from ARIS Express are imported as BPMN (2.0).

Import BPMN file

You can import data from a BPMN file and use the BPMN diagram that was generated by the import in ARIS Advanced. When importing a BPMN diagram of a third-party supplier, an Enterprise BPMN diagram is created in ARIS Advanced.

Prerequisites

The method filter you are using allows BPMN diagrams.
You have the Designer license privilege.

Procedure. Procedure

Click Application launcher > Models and objects.
Click the database you want to use.
Select the database group into which you want to import the BPMN diagram.
Click More > Import BPMN diagram. The corresponding dialog opens.
Click Select file and navigate to the relevant BPMN file.
Select the BPMN file and click Open. The file is parsed. If it is a valid BPMN file, it is imported.

The BPMN diagram is stored in the selected group, and you can open it for editing on a tab.

Import Visio files

With the Designer license, you can import Visio drawings to create models with semantics.

Procedure. Procedure

Click Application launcher > Models and objects.
Click the database you want to use and navigate to the relevant database group. When you select the group, its contents are displayed in the details view.
Click More > Import Visio files. The report starts and the Select Visio file dialog opens.
Click Select files. The dialog opens.
Select the group that contains the Visio files.
Select one or more Visio files and click Open. The importing of the files starts. If a default drawing type is available for a Visio file, the default is used during the import. The Select import settings dialog opens for each Visio file, for which you must select a default Visio drawing type or can select the pages to import.
- If a default drawing type is not available for a Visio file, select the required drawing type.
- Do not disable the check boxes for the Visio pages you want to import.
If you want to use the current template for all imported Viso files, enable the Skip further dialogs and use this template for all files check box. When the check box is not enabled, a dialog opens again for each Visio file.
Click OK.

The Visio data is transferred to one or more models.

Refresh content of a database group

You can update the contents of the selected database to display the current contents. This is useful when several people work in the database at the same time. For example, if someone else changes the names of groups, you can see the changes after refreshing.

Prerequisite

You have the Designer license privilege.

Procedure. Procedure

Click Application launcher > Models and objects.
Select the relevant database.
Select a database group.
Click More > Refresh.

The current database data is read and displayed.

Delete a group

With the Designer license, you can delete a group and its contents.

Warning

You cannot undo the deletion of the group and its contents.

Procedure. Procedure

Click Application launcher > Models and objects.
Click the database you want to use and navigate to the relevant database group. When you select the group, its contents are displayed in the details view.
Click More > Delete. A confirmation prompt is displayed.
Click Delete. If the group does not contain any items, it is deleted immediately. If the group contains items, you are asked in a confirmation prompt whether you also want to delete these items.
Click Yes.

The group and its contents are deleted.

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