Metamodel Manager & Schema Extensions

Every enterprise operates with domain-specific dimensions beyond basic ArchiMate specifications (e.g., GDPR data classifications, SAP chart of accounts codes, or CI/CD maturity tiers).

EasyEA’s Metamodel Manager empowers administrators to enrich the architecture metamodel in a strictly controlled manner without breaking ArchiMate 3.x compliance.

1. The Metamodel Extension Pillars

Accessible from Admin Hub ➔ Metamodel Manager, the module governs three architectural extensions:

graph TD
    MM[EasyEA Metamodel Manager] --> ATTR[Strongly-Typed Custom Attributes]
    MM --> STEREO[Domain Stereotypes]
    MM --> RULES[Custom Relationship Constraints]

    ATTR --> UI[Instant Form & Inspector Updates]
    STEREO --> BADGE[Visual Diagram Badges & Filters]
    RULES --> VALID[Real-Time Validation Engine]

2. Defining Strongly-Typed Attributes

Custom attributes can target specific element types (e.g., only ApplicationComponent) or entire layers (e.g., all Technology entities):

Supported Data Types

String & Text: Short text or rich Markdown documentation.
Number & Currency: Numeric values for annual TCO, license costs, risk ratings, or uptime SLA percentages.
Enum / Dropdown: Constrained selection sets (e.g., Hosting: AWS, Azure, GCP, On-Premise Private, Hybrid).
Boolean: Binary flags (e.g., In GDPR Scope, Publicly Accessible API, Active Cloud Contract).
Date: Contract expiration dates, vendor End-of-Support deadlines, or audit audit milestones.
URL: Clickable links to GitHub repositories, Confluence specs, or Jira epics.

Governance Rules

Mandatory Enforcement: Requires attribute population before an asset or schema can be promoted to Approved.
Default Fallbacks: Pre-populates default values upon element instantiation.

3. Enterprise Stereotypes

Stereotypes specialize standard ArchiMate concepts without mutating the foundational taxonomy:

Example: <<Microservice>> applied to an ApplicationComponent.
Example: <<SaaS Provider>> applied to an infrastructure Node.
Example: <<Regulatory Mandate>> applied to a Constraint.

Stereotypes render distinct badges across schemas and allow targeted filtering within APM matrices and business heatmaps.

4. Package Export Portability

All metamodel extensions configured in the manager can be exported into standard .eap package archives for distribution across corporate workspaces.