System Architect®

Build architectures with a data-driven approach

The enterprise architecture repository becomes a single source of the truth, with a data-driven approach so that all diagram views and matrices represent the architecture information. Whether you are viewing a diagram of symbols inside other symbols, a hierarchy node-tree view, a matrix, or a standard node-symbol diagram - the model remains king - diagrams reflect the underlying architecture information and its relationships, and vice versa - diagrams act as information portals to create or edit the architecture. System Architect implements the DM2 directly, with inheritance in its metamodel and UML-type diagrams for viewpoints.

With the data-driven approach, you can quickly build viewpoints from sources of record - import a csv spreadsheet of information, drop architecture elements onto a diagram with relationships auto-drawn. Easily navigate the architecture to see what parts of the architecture reference or use other parts.

Capability-based planning and project views

Build capability-driven architectures to get a line of sight on how capabilities are enabled across commands. Build project views and roadmaps on how capabilities will be enabled over time, by different systems, and understand the risk to capabilities due to system lifecycle states. Map project views from System Architect into UNICOM Focal Point using the integration between the tools, for non-architectural project and portfolio management. Auto-build system roadmaps with SV-8 views or technology forecasts SV-9 views.

BPMN integrated with the DM2

The System Architect team provided industry thought-leadership in being the first to implement the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN 2.0) to directly visualize the DM2 for OV-5 viewpoints, as well as OV-6c process flow viewpoints.

Automatic generation of inferred architecture information

System Architect also provides industry thought-leadership in automatic, intelligent generation of Operational Exchanges, Needlines, System Exchanges, and System Resource Flows from inferred information in the architecture. You can maintain automatic generation and/or manually add such relationships to the architecture, working in a mixed automatic and manual mode.

Autogenerate AV-2, OV-3 and SV-6 reports

Autogenerate standard DoDAF reports such as the AV-2, OV-3, or SV-6 - or create your own reports on the fly in minutes with System Architect's easy to use native SQL reporting system.

Fit-for-purpose views

Customize the metamodel to properly capture information in sources of record, and to visualize the information in different ways. System Architect is unmatched in the industry for its ability to customize its metamodel to great breadth, depth, and ease. Create new fit-for-purpose viewpoints - new diagram types, symbol types, definition types, properties, relationships, and data centric rules.

Cause-effect and landscape heatmap analysis

Quickly get a 50,000-foot view of the architecture through System Architect's unique Network- and Landscape-style Explorer diagrams, that allow you to auto-visualize reports showing calculated (inferred) relationships between enterprise architecture artifacts. For example, visualize what capabilities are put at risk by systems utilizing technologies that have a security risk - either as a network showing traceability, or a landscape heatmap with systems placed inside the capabilities they enable (and not showing the in-between element types). The enterprise architecture world is your oyster with Explorer diagrams, which enable you to create visualizations of any combination of architecture elements on the fly in minutes.

Build and compare current state and future state architectures

You can baseline your architecture and create multiple side-by-side future-state architectures using a feature called workspaces, which are layers of the architecture. You can compare and merge workspaces, and at some point baseline a desired future-state architecture to become a new current state, and create new future-state architectures. Workspaces enable different departments to work on the architecture independently, and then merge their work into the corporate EA.

Link the architecture with requirements, change management and solution design

System Architect is the cornerstone of an architecture strategy, empowering organizations to expand the value of enterprise architecture to a broader set of stakeholders and projects within the organization. System Architect is a central piece of an interconnected eco-system that includes portfolio management, solution design, asset management, governance, requirements management, operations management, business process modeling, business intelligence, service management, and change management, all of which are key to driving value. Integrations amongst these tools are now provided via Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC) technology.

DoDAF 2 migration toolkit

Migrate DoDAF 1.5 architectures to DoDAF 2 using the free DoDAF 2 Migration Toolkit, available for download from the UNICOM customer support portal.

Defense Architecture capabilities

DoDAF add-in

The DoDAF add-in is enabled with a DoDAF license. It provides the following additional features to the base System Architect product:

• DoDAF 2
  • AV-1 thru AV-2 - all views
  • CV-1 thru CV-7 - capability views
  • OV-1 thru OV-6 - operational views (including BPMN for OV-5 and OV-6c)
  • DIV-1 thru DIV-3 - data information views
  • SV-1 thru SV-10 - systems views
  • SvcV-1 thru SvcV-10 - services views
  • StdV-1 thru StdV-2 - standards views
  • PV-1 thru PV-3 - project views
  • Fit-for-purpose views
  • Automatic generation of operational exchanges, needlines, system exchanges, and system resource flows
  • Interoperable matrices such as CV-5, CV-6, OV-3, SV-3, SV-5a, SV-5b, SvcV-5a, and SvcV-5b
  • Automatic generation of DoDAF 2 reports such as AV-2, CV-3, OV-3, SV-3, SV-6, SvcV-6, PV-3, StdV-1, and StdV-2
  • Integrations with IBM DOORS and other requirements tools
  • Integration with change management, and architecture tools
• Unified Architecture Framework (UAF)
  • Operational views
  • Project views
  • Resource views
  • Security views
  • Standards views
  • Strategy views
  • Services views
  • Summary views
  • Fit-for-purpose views
• DoDAF 1.5 standard
• DoDAF 1.5 Activity Based Method (ABM)

NAF add-in

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) add-in is enabled with a NAF license. It provides the following additional features to the base System Architect product:

• NAF 4.0
  • NAV-1 thru AV-2 - all views
  • NCV-1 thru NCV-7 - capability
  • NOV-1 thru NOV-7 - operational views
  • NSV-1 thru NSV-12 - systems and services views
  • NSOV-1 thru NSOV-5 - services views
  • NPV-1 thru NPV-2 - programme views
  • NTV-1 thru NTV-2 - technology views
• NAF 1.0
  • Constituent views of the older NAF 1.0, used mostly to open older architectures

MODAF add-in

The Ministry of Defense Architecture Framework (MODAF) add-in is enabled with a MODAF license. It provides the following additional features to the base System Architect product:

• MODAF 1.2
  • AV-1 thru AV-2 - all views
  • CV-1 thru CV-7 - capability
  • OV-1 thru OV-7 - operational views
  • SV-1 thru SV-11 - systems views
  • SOV-1 thru SOV-5 - services views
  • StV-1 thru StV-6 - strategic capability views
  • TV-1 thru TV-2 - technology views
  • AcV-1 thru AcV-2 - acquisition views

Repository

Use System Architect's robust enterprise architecture repository:

• Collaborative, real-time, multi-user
• Microsoft SQL Server Express for stand-alone work; users deploy full-blown Microsoft SQL Server to network for multi-user use
• Role-based access control to instance level
• Single point of the truth
• Customizable metamodel so you can capture any and all corporate information
• Easily create backups of your enterprise architecture repository database and maintain it using industry-standard database techniques

Analysis for fit-for-purpose views

Analyze the enterprise architecture with System Architect's:

• Visual cause-effect analysis with network explorer diagrams
• Auto-creation of landscape analysis with landscape explorer diagrams
• Automatic heatmap analysis
• Gap analysis
• Total cost of ownership
• Activity based costing
• Health of architecture analysis

Metamodel customization for fit-for-purpose views

Develop fit-for-purpose views by capturing any and all organizational information using the most flexible, customizable metamodel on the market:

• Create new properties, definition types, relationship types, symbol types, and diagram types
• Effect automatic rules such as data centric behavior for various diagram types (node symbol, hierarchical, symbol-inside-symbol)
• Inheritance based metamodel
• Create your own framework directly from SA's Meta Object Facility (MOF)
• Easy to customize yourself (no need for services); use GUI for metamodel additions

Integrations

Create a federated approach to enterprise architecture information using System Architect's support for:

• Industry standard Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC) integrations for Architecture Management (AM), Change Management (CM), and Requirements Management (RM), enables integrations to many industry standard tools (see full list) including:
  • Decision Analysis tools such as UNICOM Focal Point
  • Requirements tools such as IBM DOORS Next Gen
  • Change Management tools such as IBM Rational Team Concert (RTC) and Jira
  • Architecture tools so you can govern solution design in products such as IBM Rational Software Architect
• Information-flow integrations to:
  • UNICOM Focal Point
  • IBM DOORS
  • IBM Rational Software Architect
  • Other custom integrations

Reporting

Analyze and report on the enterprise architecture through System Architect's reporting capabilities:

• An easy-to-use, native SQL-based reporting system
  • GUI that enables you to write your own reports in minutes
  • Dozens of pre-built reports for all aspects of enterprise architecture are provided, each easily tailored.
  • Output to HTML, PDF, Grid user interface in System Architect itself, Excel, or D3 dashboards
• Native reports generated to Microsoft Word or Excel
• Auto-output of your enterprise architecture repository to ODS data source to query in 3rd party Business Intelligence tools such as IBM Cognos or Crystal Reports

Web portal

Access/edit the enterprise architecture from the web through the following:

• System Architect XT for team members to edit the enterprise architecture information via a web portal
• System Architect XT read for extended team users to view the live enterprise architecture repository information and dashboards
• System Architect Publisher to produce sophisticated websites of the enterprise architecture information so thousands of users can view it

Enterprise architecture management

Manage the enterprise architecture through:

• As-Is and To-Be analysis workspaces - baseline the enterprise architecture and create multiple side-by-side alternative scenario architectures
• Compare architectures in workspaces or in enterprise architecture repositories to each other; selectively merge differences

Access control

Have the System Architect administrator provide access rights to users and groups of users:

• Streamline the tool for end users by specifying role-based permissions to diagram types, definition types, menus, and instances of diagrams or definitions in a repository or workspace