Importing Architecture Elements from ArchiMate® XML
Take architecture elements and their relations from an ArchiMate® XML file into your Process Space instead of creating them one by one.
Bpanda reads the ArchiMate® Open Exchange File Format 3.0 as exported by modelling tools. The import creates the elements as a draft; they are published in a second step.
Prerequisites
You are a BPM Manager or Designer.
How to proceed
- Select Architecture.
- Select the Drafts tab.
- Select the ⋮ three-dot menu and then Import Architecture Elements from ArchiMate® XML.
- Select the XML file.
The import starts as soon as you select the file — there is no intermediate step and no preview. The file may be up to 15 MB in size.
What the import creates
The elements are created as a draft, not as published elements, and you are entered as the Owner. They therefore appear on the Drafts tab and only become visible to everyone once they are published — individually or via Publish All Drafts in the same ⋮ menu.
Relations are included. If you import a file again, Bpanda recognises existing elements by their identifier and updates them: it overwrites a draft, and for a published element it creates a new draft. Properties from the file replace those of the same name; anything maintained only in Bpanda is retained. If a relation between two of its elements is missing from the file, Bpanda removes it.
The result dialog
After the import, ArchiMate® XML import completed appears. It first lists what could not be imported, followed by the elements and relations that were imported successfully. Common reasons for a rejection:
- The element type is not activated in the Process Space. See Defining Architecture Settings.
- The element has no type (
xsi:type) or the type is not defined in ArchiMate®. - The relation is not permitted between these two types. Which relation is permitted where is governed by ArchiMate® 3.2. See Linked Architecture Elements and Relation Types.
The system provides these messages in English.
One case aborts the entire import: if the document assigns the same identifier more than once, nothing is imported. An identifier must be unique within the file.
If the upload or the parsing already fails, Bpanda reports Uploading the ArchiMate® XML file failed or Importing the ArchiMate® XML file failed respectively.
See also: Exporting the List as ArchiMate® XML, Creating and Publishing Architecture Elements, Architecture