Pros
None, don't bother!
Cons
- obscure as hell;
- 0 documentation both on site and in the application;
- 0 portability: tried importing from IBM Rhapsody and all I get is "Import Failed!". Really? You want to consider yourselves top notch but your error messages are virtually inexistent -> impossible to solve;
- Java API? Consider it doesn't exist! It takes at least 1 hour to figure out how to install the damned thing since the documentation for getting it to work is poorly written and incomplete. There is 0 usefulness for it since all of its capabilities have ZERO documentation. There are functions that are described as "AddNew (string, string1)". What is this? What does it do? How does it work? Why isn't it working? Also the errors that the Java API seem to be the children of the import: if you have an issue with the API, you get "Internal Error!". Awesome!
- zero utility: I've spent days trying to find solutions to my problems online and on forums. Guess what? Nobody responds since this is too obscure!
Summary
I created an account here just to give a review for this app.
I would give it 0 or even -1 stars (aka: they should pay us to stay away) but sadly I can only give it half a star. Please stay away!
To Sparx Systems: Good luck, you're gonna need it!
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Pros
EA is a full set of tools when one cares for software design rather then just hacking along. EA is like a pocket calculator by HP. It has more in it then you regularly need. If you have to model or reengineer some software you have a very good chance to find it in the offered set of EA. The use is intiitiv or easily found in the help. The use is robust. Generation of pragmatic docs is easy and code generation is very good. Even reengineering C++ code gave great results. I love to work with EA it fullfils the daily wishes of a software engineer
Cons
Interface design and generating WSDL is not that intuitive
Summary
I have been working with EA for the last 10 years after having worked with Rational Rose 10 years before. EA was more then a full replacement for RR. As we modernize old software we often have to reengineer existing code and this works (with exception of COBOL ;-)) even for C++ very good. I mostly use it in conjunction with Java. Also documenting software architectures with EA is straight forward. I love to work with EA and the price model is great. Great improvments every year. Australian Software companies are No 1 in the world!
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Pros
Due to great diagramming features, you can focus on the information represented rather than the presentation itself. Support for wide range of standards and practices makes EA fit for many purposes. EA is in continuous development, so you can really expect new and improved features over time.
Cons
Document generation is a bit tricky and could be greatly enhanced.
Summary
Great for single professionals and teams, too, with no (or with a very minimal) administration overhead. You can draw diagrams quickly, and you can reliably turn your diagrams into data models and SQL scripts, as well.
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Pros
Covers everything and more you can thing of from business modelling to round trip coding. Frameworks, standards, Methodologies are all there.
The benefit is once you get over the learning curve of the product and of course KNOW the framework/notation you wish to use you can customise how you want to work.
Cons
It is a tool to cover a vast array of areas some which it does better than others but is not a master of any.
Summary
At this price it is worth purchasing to get your company rolling if you have nothing in place or an area of your life cycle is missing it will help you to deliver and ask question how you could work better.
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Pros
It is capable of doing any type of design and analysis documentation that you may ever want
Cons
Getting it do actually do what you want in a intuitive manner is next to impossible.
Summary
It seems to have been built by starting with a fairly straightforward diagramming tool that then got expanded and expanded over time without any coherent thought as to how the whole package would inter-operate
Looking back at the previous work I have done with EA, I find many instances where I have tried to do something, struggled for half a day, and then given up and used another package.
I typically find that by the time I have given up trying to complete a simple step - such as adding an alternate path to a use case, I could have done the whole process in countless other programs. Menu items come and go, items show up far from where they would be in any other package, and there are myriad configurable options when all you want is a simple Sequence diagram.
Buying the product is the cheap part - it is the training you need to think the Sparx way that will bankrupt you.
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Pros
Good implementation of the UML standard (many features)
Nice colors (not too eye-catching)
Cons
Bad zooming behavior (fonts, drag&drop, etc)
Too less information per cm²
Bad C++ support
No usable support for templates
Often not intuitive
Summary
Explanation to the CONs (this is just based on the class diagrams):
1) Bad zooming behavior
When you zoom out, very early the fonts are too tiny to read (compared with StarUML, where this problem appears very much later). At a later zoom-step all fonts disappear - instead of showing only the class name.
2) No usable support for templates
When using the reverse engineering and having templates in the code, the relationships are missing
3) Bad C++ Support
When having members as Pointers or References, they are not tracked. This means, when renaming the class - the member-type stays the same. When dropping all reference/pointer syntax (* and &) it works..
4) Too less Information per cm²
There are great gaps in each class diagram, which could be filled with information. So the fonts are small, and on a regular monitor you can only visualize 3 classes - what is too less.
5) Often not intuitive
If you don't use the EA for some weeks, it's hard to get productive again. E.g. having shortcuts as F3 repeat a relationship action, and Shift+F3 for repeating a 'creation action' (as creating a class). Or a double-click on the member opens some class info screen, which is normally not interesting...
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Pros
EA is easy to use
Very cheap compared to the big names but does everything they do.
The HTML generation of the model makes documentation easily visible
Customisation extends the model
Cons
Requirements repoting could be better
Summary
I have used a number of very expensive CASE tools in the last 15 years and using EA for nearly 10 years. EA does everything they do and at a fraction of the price.
As a Business Analyst it documents everything I want. It fully supports BPML, allows for domain modelling, and most importantly requirements modelling.
HTML generation of the documentation makes the model visable and easy to review.
It is easy to customise the model to extend functionality where needed, e.g. additional attributes.
The product is constantly being expanded - the latest release incorporates Business Rules Modelling (not used yet)
I cannot fault this product.
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Pros
Easy to use with a great range of modelling tools, I am new to UML however I have found this product to meet all my needs. Well done! I like how it allows code engineering and reverse engineering. Makes software development more fun.
Cons
So much to choose from, this at first was my opinion, however it covers all area's of UML 2 and this is really a good thing.
Summary
Great investment, thanks guys for a great affordable product. :)
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Pros
Clean, logical interface.
Easy to reverse engineer
Link everything !
Manage requirements
Manage build and testing cycle
Easy to document and export
Good at generating code and DDL to create databases.
Cheaper than alternatives, and reliable
Cons
Sometimes so many features, it is hard to recall where one component is.
The documenter is good, but complex to configure or modify.
The Diagrams are adequate, but not as 'pretty' as some tools, if making a presentation.
Summary
I have been using this for nearly 10 years, it has been the only tool that integrates all aspects of the Software Development lifecyle and is great at project team work and the price point means that I can equip the whole team with a common toolset for multiple roles. The version control is a little bit onerous, but it is good to enforce strict control throughout a large and disperesed team as long as there is access to the tool and version control repository.
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Pros
UML compliant - supports all diagram types
Easy to use
Incredibly complete
Integrates with other products
Standardised interchange format (XMI)
Version control support
Repositories include Access, SQL Server, Oracle, etc
Floating licenses
Cons
A bit quirky in places (odd key bindings)
A little dated looking
Sometimes hard to find the function that you are looking for in the menus (although it's usually there, somewhere!)
Summary
Used here for requirements capture (very good), Use case diagrams, activity, other modeling.
A great tool for UML - IMHO the best that you can get; and a fraction of the price of many others.
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