Driving Strategic Change: The Power of Snapshots in Sparx Enterprise Architect

Imagine instantly seeing how your architectural models have evolved. Understanding these changes is crucial, whether refining a complex system or ensuring compliance with industry standards. Snapshot comparison in Sparx EA empowers you to create and compare snapshots of your diagrams, packages, and elements at different stages of development. With just a click, you can track every change, adjustment, and improvement, providing a clear view of your project’s progress.

These snapshots are invaluable records of your architecture’s progression, offering a clear view of how your models evolve. 

Note: This feature is available exclusively in the Sparx EA 17 beta version. Click here to learn more and explore its benefits.

Benefits of Snapshot Comparison in EA

1. Diagram Enhancements – Say goodbye to manually saving backup files for every version of your diagrams. With snapshot comparison, EA automatically records each iteration, allowing you to track changes over time effortlessly. 
2. Package Management- Managing packages within a complex project can be challenging, especially when multiple team members are involved. Snapshot comparison simplifies this process by capturing the state of your packages at different points in time. It makes it easier for teams to coordinate, ensuring everyone is on the same page and that no changes go unnoticed.
3. Element Tracking- Elements are the building blocks of your architecture, and tracking their progression is critical for maintaining integrity and consistency. With snapshot comparison, you can compare elements across multiple baselines, gaining a clear understanding of how each component has advanced. 
4. Comprehensive Change Tracking Across Baselines- Snapshot comparison allows you to compare your current state with multiple baselines, offering a detailed view of changes across your diagrams, packages, and elements. This ability to view and analyze differences between various stages of development enhances traceability, ensuring that all modifications are intentional and aligned with your project’s objectives. 

Steps to Achieve Snapshot Comparison 

1. Navigate to the Design tab in your Enterprise Architect (EA) interface. From there, select Timelines, and a window will appear.

2. The Timelines window contains essential options: Diagram, Package, and Element. Each category allows you to create and manage snapshots, providing a streamlined approach to tracking changes across the model.

Find changes on diagrams  

To create a snapshot for a diagram, click on the Diagrams section within the Timelines window. Here, you have two options: 

Current Session 

This option automatically saves the diagram’s current state as an image whenever changes are made. It ensures you always have an up-to-date visual record of your diagram without manual intervention.

How to use current session: 

In Enterprise Architect, the Current Status feature within the Diagram snapshot function allows you to effortlessly capture and track modifications made at the diagram level. Each time a change is made to a diagram, it is automatically saved as an image snapshot.

These snapshots provide a visual record of your diagram’s evolution, enabling you to see exactly how the diagram has changed over time. Whether you’re refining a design or iterating through various versions, each snapshot serves as a historical reference point, allowing you to compare past and current states of the diagram easily. 

Snapshots 

This option allows you to manually save a diagram snapshot, including an image and a baseline. Users can add comments to a snapshot, providing context or explanations for the changes made. This is especially helpful when you need to document the rationale behind certain modifications or when you want to highlight specific aspects of the diagram for future reference.

How to use Snapshots to understand changes? 

To compare snapshots, select the ones you want to use as a baseline, or the ones saved as both an Image and Baseline. Right-click on the selected snapshot, and then click on Compare Selected Snapshot.

A window will appear, listing the changes made to the diagram, giving you a clear and detailed view of how the diagram has evolved.

Note: To enable snapshot comparison, the snapshot must be saved as a Baseline or Image & Baseline.

Find changes on packages

To create a snapshot for a package, click on the Package section in the Timelines window. Here’s what you can do: 

Snapshots 

This allows you to save a package snapshot with an added comment. It is ideal for capturing the package’s state at a particular moment, with notes that explain the purpose of the snapshot or any relevant details about the changes made.

How to use Snapshots to understand changes?

Select the snapshot you want to compare. Right-click on the selected snapshot. Click on Compare Selected Snapshot. A window will appear, listing the changes that have occurred within the package since the snapshot was taken, providing you with a detailed comparison.

Baselines 

With this option, you can save a snapshot that not only captures the package’s current state but also includes additional properties, such as child packages. You can name the baseline and mention its version, which is crucial for complex projects where packages are nested or where specific configurations need to be preserved for comparison with future versions.

How to use Baselines to understand changes? 

Select the baseline you wish to compare. Right-click on the selected baseline. Click on Compare Selected Snapshot. A comparison window will display the differences between the current state and the baseline, helping you assess the impact of changes and maintain alignment with project goals.

Find changes on elements 

To create a snapshot for an element, navigate to the Element section in the Timelines window. The process is straightforward: 

Snapshots 

Like packages, you can save a snapshot of an element and include a comment. This feature is perfect for documenting individual components within your architecture, allowing you to track the evolution of specific elements over time. The added comments provide a clear context for each snapshot, making it easier to understand the significance of the changes when reviewing the project later.

How to use Snapshots to understand changes? 

Snapshot comparison for elements lets you see how an individual element has changed over time. Select the snapshot you wish to compare. Right-click on the selected snapshot. Click on Compare Selected Snapshot. A comparison window will show the differences between the element’s current state and the chosen snapshot. This comparison provides a clear view of how the element has evolved, helping you ensure consistency and alignment with your project’s objectives.